Katy Does Idol

Last night, American Idol viewers were treated to a Vegas show-like performance by none other than Katy Perry, who chose the occasion to introduce the world to her new single, “Waking Up in Vegas.” Perry made it clear who she was routing for this Idol Season – her female elvis costume, complete with cape, was embroidered in lipstick red with the name, “Adam Lambert.”

The complete video was released only about a week ago and can currently be seen on YouTube (TV on demand!) at: Waking Up in Vegas.

NOTE: I was going to tell my readers to catch the video on my favorite video music station, MTV or VH1, but then I remembered that neither station, even the alternate versions of them, show many real music videos anymore. Such a shame! However, the MTV website does not disappoint. Catch a really, super cool documentary on the complexities of making the “Waking Up in Vegas” video at: MTV.com. (Note: scroll down to the window below the article, the one with the arrow.) In it, you'll hear about the cute guy in the video, the Bob Mackie dress, Perry's wigs, her favorite outfit, and how she was able to pull off cameos by some famous and impressive Vegas icons.

By the end of American Idol, Perry's gamble paid off and Adam Lambert was chosen to be one of the two finalists after Danny Gokey (sniff!) didn’t earn enough votes. Kris Allen, who’s voice I’ve ironically compared to Katy Perry, was the other finalist.

As I’ve said before and will many times again, it doesn’t matter who wins at this point. This isn’t the last we’ll see of Gokey, or any of the other fantastic Idol competitors this season. As a matter of fact, I'll make a prediction now that this will be the most successful "after idol" group of contestants the show has ever featured.

American Idol Recap

This week, we learned some extremely disappointing news. Simon Cowell confessed to Oprah Winfrey during the airing of her Monday show that this was indeed his last scheduled season as a judge on the Fox hit TV show, American Idol. However, after much prodding from Winfrey, he agreed to "leave the door open."

I would be extremely disappointed if Cowell were not on the show voicing his expert opinions each week. He is by far one of the most interesting judges, making articulate and fascinating comparisons of singing performances to horror movies, animal sounds, and every day living. (Paul Abdul is a close second with her colorful wit and interesting insights). To be honest, I could do without either Kara DioGuardi or Randy Jackson. Sometimes it seems they duplicate each other. Maybe one of them should go, instead.

But, back to tonight's competition...

Each performer was given two opportunities to sing. The first song was picked by a judge. The second was picked by the contestant.

01 — Danny Gokey — Dance Little Sister — 5 Stars

I was making dinner, so I didn't get to actually SEE Danny dance. Dioguardi and Cowell both said it was awkward. However, Abdul, who chose the song for him (originally performed by Terence Trent D'Arby), said she thought he did an excellent job with his choreography.

I could hear Gokey singing while I worked in the kitchen, and his vocal performance was so incredibly controlled and flawless, but super high energy, that I ran out to write down 5 stars for him. When I buy the CD, I want it to sound good. I could care less what the performers look like. If they do dance funny, that just makes the concert more interesting.

02 — Kris Allen — Too Late to Apologize — 3 stars

Jackson and Dioguardi chose this dark and moody Timbaland song for Kris Allen, one of my favorite songs of this century. Allen sat at the piano, his voice a bit shaky as he sang the slow beginning of the song. However, once he got into the more intense portions, it was great. I have to guess that the emotional quavering of his voice which has seemed to develop during the competition will soon be his trademark.

The only thing odd about this song was that this was the first time I've ever heard a judge judge a judge (what a tongue twister!). Dioguardi said she didn't like Allen's arrangement and choice of instrument, and Cowell slapped back at her that she was responsible for helping Allen put the song together. So much drama! What will we do without you, Cowell?

03 — Adam Lambert — One — 4 stars

Adam Lambert's voice was purely melodic as he launched into the emotional beginning of his rendition of One, by U2. However, the song was a bit rocky as he picked up the tempo and transitioned into his powerhouse vocals. Once Lambert belted out the lyrics, the performance was emotionally stirring.

04 — Danny Gokey — You Are So Beautiful — 5 stars

Billy Preston would have been proud to hear Danny Gokey's interesting minor key arrangement of "You Are So Beautiful," which added an unusual atmosphere to the song. Gokey has the ability to sing well at any tempo or intensity. The raspy tone of his voice melds with his perfect pitch. The overall result was romantic and powerful. Abdul said it best, "You left all of us breathless."

05 — Kris Allen — Heartless — 5 stars

Kris Allen chose to sing Kanye West's Heartless. As he pounded out the song on accoustic guitar, I was reminded of solo performances I've seen by Richard Thompson. Allen carried the song alone without additional accompaniment, the interesting nuances and tonal characters of his voice creating a moving rendition. I think he may go down in history as one of the most successful Idol finalists, after the show is over, once he has a chance to do what he wants to do. 

06 — Adam Lambert — Crying — 4 stars

For Adam Lambert's personal pick, he chose Crying by Aerosmith. During the quiet beginning of the song, his voice was so clear and melodic, that the tone was intensely beautiful. Once again, the transition in intensity from ballad to rock was a bit unbearable. (I assume it's due to lack of time to prepare). However, once he began to scream (and he can scream in tune and it even sounds good!), Lambert was able to rope in the crowd.

My biggest criticism: the background vocals were far, far too loud. This is a strategy used by many performers to help them compensate for their inability to always reach the high notes. However, Lambert doesn't need "bulking up." Since this was his arrangement, I have to call him on it.

American Idol recap

Watching American Idol last night made me realize just how much I love rocking out to old '70s music. I missed out on Zeppelin and Skynyrd the first time around. I'm now ready for a rock and roll revival and I think this year's crop of Idol contestants show real aptitude. Slash from Guns N Roses gave his advice to each of the contestants.

At this point, who really cares who wins, anyway? I love all four of the final contestants -- so much, I didn't even vote. How do you pick the best from such an array of talent?

What was truly odd were the duets -- if you can call them that -- where the contestants had to pair up. I thought the duets were entertaining, though a little over the top.  I couldn't possibly judge a person based on how well they work with others. Isn't that on work performance reviews? Not talent shows? Anyway... 

01 — Adam Lambert — A Whole Lot of Love — 5 Stars

Back in 2007 when Blake Lewis was getting close to winning American Idol, he told his friends, and his friends told their friends, and so on not to vote for him. He didn't want to win because he was worried he might get forced to sign a recording contract where he had to sing Barry Manilow songs.

Fortunately for Adam Lambert, if he wins this competition (and well he could), last night's performance solidified a spot for himself in the world of rock and roll. Kara Dioguardi said, "You got the vocals for it. It's your thing. Go at it!"

02 — Allison Iraheta — Cry Baby — 5 stars

This was the absolute perfect song for Allison Iraheta to showcase her amazing rocker voice. Her voice displayed soft feminine emotion mixed with rough, rocking excitement. I loved the performance. She is reminding me more and more of Tina Turner every week.

At the end of the performance, it was nice to see Iraheta defend her choice of songs. The girl's got moxie!

03 — Kris Allen — Come Together — 5 stars

Wow! Wow! Wow! I've been pretty bored with Allen's soft ballads all season. I was never a boy band fan and couldn't bear to listen to N Sync. So, when I felt that this year's finalists were being handpicked by the judges to be the next components of a new boy band, I automatically developed a dislike for anyone who fit the mold -- including Kris Allen.

However, by being forced to sing a rock and roll song, I heard a unique tonal character in Allen's voice that I'd never heard before. It's hard to explain, but I suppose you could consider his voice to be the male equivalent of Katy Perry's (listen to the ballads on her CD). His voice cracks and wanders in all the right places. 

04 — Danny Gokey — Dream On — 2 stars

Ugh! Rock and roll is not Gokey's forte. This is my favorite Aerosmith song and I've heard better renditions at our local karaoke biker bar. The beginning was off time and odd. The middle was great. The scream at the end sounded like he'd fallen off a building. Gokey would have done better singing Eric Clapton or the Who.

However, I still think he'll make it to the finals. Gokey was my favorite from day one. He has a huge following of fans and there's no doubt they are going to vote him through. Idol needs a good Christian rock ballad singer.

American Idol recap

All week long, I waited in eager anticipation to see tonight's American Idol. Disco Night! How very, very cool. What will they do? I thought.

Imagine my disappointment when a few of the performers didn't follow directions and wimped out, turning a classic up tempo, heavy driving bass-drum dance-beat into a non-recognizable, passe ballad. Hmpf! For that reason, I removed stars from some of the  performances. There's probably no harder genre than disco and I have to give credit to everyone who tried it.

01 — Lil Rounds — I'm Every Woman — 2 Stars

If Rounds hadn't been pitchy, pitchy, pitchy, I would have easily given her four stars for her performance of this Chaka Khan song.  It's really hard to go on first and bring the tempo from zero to sixty in one second flat. But Rounds did an excellent job of warming up the crowd. 

02 — Kris Allen — She Works Hard for the Money — 4 stars

Allen chose to ignore the disco theme, and instead created a more moving rendition on guitar of this "woman-power" song sung by vocal powerhouse, Donna Summer. I really liked his creative arrangement, the funky beat, and the tropical sound, which reminded me of Gloria Estefan. I think maybe Allen has found his niche.

03 — Danny Gokey — September — 5 stars

When Gokey hits the stage, one can't help but feel that they are watching a professional performer. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The arrangement of this Earth, Wind, and Fire classic was good, especially in the way he enlisted the help of the incredibly talented backup singers. Great job!

04 — Allison Iraheta — Hot Stuff — 5 stars

Iraheta's performance was both strange and bizarre, but in a really good way. This was one time when her intense vocals worked well for her as she built from a soft and soulful verse into an intense, rock/disco chorus. Wearing six inch heals and a strangely shredded sequined ensemble, she got my attention. The drama was perfect. Her voice was perfect. The tempo was perfect. Fabulous!

05 — Adam Lambert — If I Can't Have You — 4 stars

When you think "disco," most people think "Saturday Night Fever." Lambert picked his song from this album, but did it straight, wearing a black suit, tie and white shirt.  He ignored the disco genre and sang the song as a ballad, proving that he can be a fabulous singer without all the bells and whistles. Sometimes, Lambert reminds me of Elvis. Tonight, he reminded me of Robert Smith of "The Cure." Whenever you see Lambert perform, you know you're watching something really, really special.

06 — Matt Giraud — Staying Alive — 3 stars

Giraud proved that not only can he dance and sing in tune and on time (have you ever tried that? It's impossible!), but that he can sing anything, even disco! It was energetic and I should have loved it, but... Unfortunately, it was lacking a certain something, which I haven't been able to put my finger on. Simon suggested that the performance "came over as a bit desperate." Maybe that's what it was lacking - confidence?

07 — Anoop Desai — Dim All the Lights — 3 stars

In an effort to showcase his sexy voice, Desai slowed down the tempo on this Donna Summer hit. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Singing "Gonna dance the night away" to a slow tempo sounded a bit loungey. I think this was a missed opportunity. 

American Idol recap

Today’s American Idol featured songs from the Cinema and 7 contestants performed.  Before tonight, I predicted that the final three competitors might be: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Danny Gokey.  However, tonight brought some surprises.

Adam Lambert was so spectacular, he moved into a position at the top, which meant I had to remove a star from everyone else's ratings.

01 — Allison Iraheta — I Don't Want to Miss A Thing — 3 Stars

Tonight, the tone in Iraheta's voice reminded me of Tina Turner. The beginning was soft and emotional. However, Iraheta bumped up the intensity too quickly so that she was shouting by the middle of the song. I graded her down for being off key and not utilizing the incredibly beautiful melody, originally composed by Diane Warren and intended for Celine Dion, but sung by Aerosmith. Iraheta is only 16 and has room to grow and learn how to use dynamics to build a song.

02 — Anoop Desai — Everything I Do — 4 stars

There is no doubt that this was Desai's best performance to date. His emotional rendition of Bryan Adams hit song was pleasant and soulful. Great job!

03 — Adam Lambert — Born To Be Wild — 5 stars

Move over Ozzy, Adam's in town!  My gosh!  This isn't American Idol. I think I've just watched an incredible rock concert by one of the biggest stars in heavy metal. Not only was Lambert's performance spectacular, it was one of the best I've seen from ANYONE, and I've seen Aerosmith live, twice. Unbelievable!

04 — Matt Giraud — Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman — 2 stars

How did this happen? This is the worst I've ever heard Giraud sing. The song was off key. The arrangement was bad - the band came in too late and was too loud. A simple string quartet would have been best. Ugh!

05 — Danny Gokey — Endless Love — 4 stars

Truly, hasn't Gokey heard that Endless Love is one of the more 'done over' songs in history? Seriously, I thought the intro was not his best, but in true Gokey style, he wowed us at the end. As Paula Abdul said, "You slay us at the end."

06 — Kris Allen — Falling Slowly — 4 stars

This was a truly emotional rendition of a song which I quite honestly had never heard before, written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The song is so obscure, I couldn't even find it on YouTube. Nevertheless, I really like the way he made the performance seem special. My biggest complaint was that the backup singers drowned him out as the song moved into the chorus. Allen's voice is strong enough to hold it's own on the high notes. He doesn't need to be 'bulked up,' to hide a lack of range.

07 — Lil Rounds — The Rose — 3 stars

This is another song that has been overdone. Rounds started off the song off key and weak. She does poorly on quiet songs which require a lighter, clearer voice. However, once she hopped into her soulful gospel rendition of the song, it was fabulous. I wish she had done the gospel rendition throughout.

American Idol recap

Today’s American Idol featured downloadable songs from I-Tunes and 9 contestants performed. Only 3 girls remain, and sadly, none performed at their best. I'm afraid that one may be going home.

In order of performance:

01 — Anoop Desai — Caught Up — 2 Stars

Each time Desai stopped singing, he lowered the mike. When he finally remembered to raise it back up to sing, his timing ending up a bit off. This song requires *snap* and is not very forgiving. Next time, keep the mike up high the whole time, Desai! 

Being first is always the absolute worst spot and unfortunately for Desai, he had to go on in the cold spot. Although Desai's rendition lacked the intense emotions of the later performances, I actually felt that this song really showed off his incredibly smooth and mellow vocal tone, somewhat reminiscent of Lionel Richie.

02 — Megan Joy — Turn Your Lights Down Low — 0 stars

Ugh! Beautiful girl. Not a beautiful voice. I've never liked it. (So sorry! I hate my own voice, too, really!)

03 — Danny Gokey — What Hurts the Most — 5 stars

Wow!  He's a Stah!!! 

04 — Allison Iraheta — Don't Speak — 4 stars

The judges were wrong to criticize Iraheta's killer outfit! Really. When I first saw her, I thought "Pebbles Flintstone." Retro '40s fashion designer, Kenley Collins (2008 Project Runway), could design a whole line for her. Cute, cute, cute. 

But, back to singing. This was actually one of my favorite Iraheta performances. My only criticism is that she built up the intensity too soon, then left the pot on the stove so it overboiled. (aka overdone). Take a cue from Gokey and Macintyre: soft - loud - really loud - climax - soft.

05 — Scott Macintyre — Just the Way You Are — 5 stars

Extremely impressive. Not only did Macintyre's beautiful voice make me melt, his arrangement actually made Billy Joel's 1977 song sound contemporary by adding minor keys and a jazz rhythm. This song was more than a performance. It was an artistic composition -- a painting made of sound. Wow!

06 — Matt Giraud — You Found Me — 5 stars

This is a great example of why performers should sing the songs they want to sing, not what they think will win them "the big prize" at the end.  Giraud picked this particular song by the Fray because he believed in the spiritual lyrics and could sing them with conviction and emotion. It was fabulous. I loved it!

Sadly, the judges didn't appreciate Giraud picking what Simon Cowell called, "not a good commercial song." Randy Jackson criticized Giraud for not singing his usual R&B and felt he wasn't as good at "rockin' out."  Judge Kara Dioguardi said it well, "At some point, you're going to have to commit." 

Well, maybe Giraud should commit to contemporary Christian rock music. Hey, I'd buy it!

07 — Lil Rounds — I Surrender — 2 stars

This song is a good example of why contestants should ignore the judges when picking their song each week. Rounds tried so hard to please the judges and the result was a bit of a train wreck. She can sing, yes, but the song didn't fit her powerhouse vocals very well. (Plus, it sounded a bit pitchy).

08 — Adam Lambert — Play That Funky Music — 4 stars

Lambert gets points for cool. Not only does he look like Elvis (especially with his hair up), he's just as cocky. The boys' got guts.

09 — Kris Allen — Ain't No Sunshine — 5 stars

Absolutely incredible. Wow! Wow! Wow!

American Idol

Today’s American Idol featured songs from the Grand Ole Opry and 11 contestants performed. As usual, I did not agree with the judges. I like to pick my favorites based on how they sound, since I might someday want to buy their CDs (and I do actually buy CDs).  

Of note, in order of performance:

01 — Michael Sarver — Ain’t Goin’ Down ‘Til the Sun Comes Up — 5 Stars

For anyone who’s ever tried to sing a super fast song with dense lyrics, this was a rare feat.  For example, I’ve been practicing Reba McEntire’s version of “Fancy” for weeks now, but still don’t feel comfortable enough to sing it in public. Not only did Sarver remember all the words, he delivered them with a relaxed, pleasant manner, complete with an appropriate subtle country tone. 

I completely disagree with new judge, Kara DioGuardi, who didn’t like his performance. DioGuardi seems to prefer the “lookers” no matter how good they sound. However, looks don’t sell records to anyone but teeny boppers. Good vocals do.

Of all my favorites tonight, I feel Sarver has the largest chance of getting the axe. First, he had the “01” starting position. With 11 contestants, it’s easy to forget him by the end of the show. Second, the judges didn’t like him. If he’s voted off, he needn’t worry. Michael Sarver will easily have a successful career in country music.

05 — Adam Lambert — Ring of Fire — 4 stars

I usually don't like Lambert, but this time, he won me over. His eerie, controlled vocals on Ring of Fire reminded me Queen’s Freddie Mercury. Kudos, also, for letting us know that this Middle Eastern version wasn’t his idea, but he was borrowing it, unlike David Cook last year who seemed to take credit for unique versions he’d found on YouTube.

07 — Alexis Grace — Jolene — 3 stars

Grace’s rendition of Dolly Parton’s Jolene was lovely, although rushed, as she attempted to sing as much of the song as possible in the incredibly short time frame. Sometimes, you have to edit. Perhaps Grace didn’t feel comfortable butchering the song. I give her credit for the slower version she sang in rehearsal, which I think was much better.

08 — Danny Gokey — Jesus Take the Wheel — 5 stars

Gokey is my favorite Idol contestant this season and his performance didn’t let me down. His raspy voice adds character to any song. His singing is completely effortless, whether he’s coming on strong or soft, high or low. Incredible!

09 — Anoop Desai — Always On My Mind — 5 stars

While other contestants sounded sappy, Desai’s voice sounded romantic and emotional. He gives Julio Iglesias, Jr., a run for his money!