AI8 recap, Finalists x 10 (03/25/09)

A day later this week, but it turned out it was worth the wait. Motown week with the group going to Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit to the basement where Berry Gordy started it all. As an aside, I thought Smokey (and I love Smokey) looked a little out of place with his twisties, hoodie and baggy pants. I’m just saying…

Thanks to Jim Rutter for taking the reins last week. I’ve got to step my game up, my “fill-ins” are better than the original.

01 – Matt Girard, Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye)
Matt’s starting to grow on me. He does his piano thing to start, then comes out from behind the ivory to just sing. Had a tie and V-neck sweater going on that was reminiscent of the Motown Philly look that Boyz II Men used to sport (maybe they still do; just haven’t heard from them in awhile). Matt truly is the dark horse in this competition. He’s amazing on the piano (as most good dueling pianists are) and his singing is coming out now too. Randy complimented his strong falsetto. Kara was glad that he got up and came out of his shell. Paula said he has a sexy, cool vibe and was glad that he was respectful of the melody of the song. Then she tried some lame old jeans analogy that reminded us that she’s Paula. Although she was much more coherent tonight than in weeks past. Simon called it a brilliant song choice and called him one of the front runners. Good for Matt. He’ll be around for awhile.

02 – Kris Allen, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Marvin Gaye)
Is it Motown week or Marvin Gaye week? I have to tell you. Every time I hear this song it reminds me of “American Pie,” as it was the song Oz and Mena Suvari’s character sing. And can I also tell you that one of my favorite lines in that whole movie is when Oz first sings in the choir and Mena Suvari’s character is questioning why he’s doing it. He talks about misconceptions (like how innocent girls in choir are) and how people think he’s just some “kick ass football player,” but what people don’t realize is that he plays lacrosse too. It’s subtle, but that line KILLS me. Every time. Kris was good tonight, but he’s not memorable enough. He’s not bad, just nothing special. Kara said he did everything right. Paula said he picked a great song and that the note at the end (the high A?) was great. Simon called it a smart song choice, but wants him to believe in himself more. Randy called him very consistent and that it’s all good. I think Kris should survive next week, but his ceiling is the top 6 or 7.

03 – Scott MacIntyre, You Can’t Hurry Love (Diana Ross & the Supremes)
When Scott came out with his pink pants and paisley shirt, I immediately thought the wardrobe department was having a little fun with the blind guy. At the end Scott mentioned that people need to vote for him because of the pink pants and that they only told him 10 minutes before he went on that he was wearing pink pants. I like Scott. He’s refreshing. And for the record, I think Paula is on crack when she tells him that he needs to ditch the piano. How ridiculous is that advice? That’s like telling Shaq to just lay the ball up instead of dunking it. Or telling him to go ahead and get fouled to prove he can make free throws. It just doesn’t make any sense. Why have someone shy away from an obvious strength? Trying to change it up for the sake of the competition is a recipe for disaster. Because if Scott does get a record deal out of this, I’m guessing he’ll be playing the piano in each and every song. I’m a little biased when it comes to Scott, so I thought he was good tonight. Paula liked the singers at the piano. Simon said it was the completely wrong song. Randy called it a hotel-type performance. Kara thought he brought tempo tonight. I still don’t think Scott is in trouble yet. Maybe in a few weeks, but not just yet.

04 – Megan Joy, For Once In My Life (Stevie Wonder)
So is Joy her middle name or maiden name? I’m guessing she dropped Corkrey, as it was probably her married name and we’ve found out that she’s divorced. She looked like the Little Mermaid tonight. Her tattoo sleeve matched her dress. It’s so funny how the judges keep saying that she is so “current” and “relevant,” as my wife Kristin thinks the exact opposite. She thinks she sounds like an older singer. I think she sounds like a club singer during the Prohibition in the ‘20s or ‘30s. I think Megan is very good looking, but her phrasing and accent just bug the heck out of me. I know she’s from Utah, but she sounds like she’s from Fargo sometimes. Randy called it a train wreck and added it was rushed and hectic. Kara said it was all over the place, that the phrasing was weird (like it hasn’t been that way for the last few weeks?) and that the song dominated her. Simon said it sounded horrible, it was an atrocious song and a horrible arrangement. But it all just rolled off Megan’s back and she asked her fans to vote for her. She may be okay tomorrow, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her go.

05 – Anoop Desai, Ooo Baby Baby (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles)
Anoop is such a contradiction. When you look at him, you expect him to talk/sing like Apu from the Kwik-E Mart in The Simpsons. But he’s like a frat boy. He’s becoming the Ballad Boy, with back-to-back ballads. But I’m good with that because his Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson songs were bad. Anoop showed a nice falsetto and a smooth voice tonight. He should be safe tomorrow. Kara said, overall, it was pretty good. But wanted him to be more creative in changing the melodies. This may be hard for him to do though. I get the impression that Anoop can sing, but that he doesn’t know music like Danny or Adam. So asking him to change something up would be difficult for him. And another recipe for disaster. Paula called his phrasing and falsetto sweet. Simon called it a great vocal, but asked for more showmanship. Randy wants him to turn up the energy next week (NOOOOOOOOOOOO!).

06 – Michael Sarver, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg (The Temptations)
So my wife Kristin (it’s our 9th anniversary today, by the way; we got to celebrate it by watching AI. Good times.) is a member of the Mike Police and she was writing Michael a violation tonight for the way he taps the mike when he sings. Michael reminds me of Kevin James a bit. He doesn’t really connect with the songs that he sings and gets a lot of false hype during his songs (ie, the bouncing with the Gavin DeGraw song and how he went to the crowd not once, but twice during this song). Paula called it a tough performance and very Las Vegas “lounge-y.” Simon couldn’t wait for it to end. And put more salt in the wound by saying he is just a participant in the competition because he has no shot of winning. Randy called the song too big for him, which is ironic being that Michael is such a big guy. Kara wants him to bring artistry to his songs. Michael should be gone soon.

07 – Lil Rounds, Heat Wave (Martha and the Vandellas)
I really dug Lil’s outfit tonight. She put on her Motown wig and wore a dress reminiscent of the ‘60s Motown. Her look reminded me of the show “American Dreams,” where current singers/actors played actual singers (since it was a period show). I never really watched the show, but I know that people played “real life” singers on the show (which was set to an American Bandstand-type show). Like Wayne Brady played Jackie Wilson and Jennifer Love Hewitt played Nancy Sinatra and Kelly Rowland played Martha Reeves. This song was a lil more up her alley than last week’s Country song, but she didn’t kill it like we expected her to. Lil needs some coaching in that either she’s being stubborn or naïve in her choices. Her decision to not R&B-up a Country song last week was questionable. Her choice to be “authentic” in this song instead of changing it up or picking a different song to change up was also a head scratcher. There’s no doubt that Lil can sing, but that’s not good enough in this format. Randy said the front of the song was torture. Kara thought she was the diva everyone was waiting to hear, but it was not the right song. She stayed too true to it. Paula (predictably) disagreed; but did so only so that she could get the crowd to cheer for her. Simon didn’t mind that she gave an authentic tribute to Motown, but conceded that this song didn’t give her the chance to have a “moment.” I don’t think Lil is in trouble tomorrow, but Allison seems to be passing her in performances.

08 – Adam Lambert, The Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson)
One thing that stood out in the intro was how Adam asked Smokey about the motivation behind the lyrics of the song. That was a pretty cool moment. Surprisingly, Adam played it straight this week and wore a suit, slicked back his hair and sat the whole time. Reginald VelJohnson was sitting next to him playing the guitar. I guess he’s doing this gig now since he hasn’t had steady work since “Family Matters” went off the air in 1998. Although he’s been in most of the “Die Hards,” but not in the 2007 release of “Live Free or Die Hard.” Adam looks like a lot of people. My former manager KC thinks he looks like a cross between Elvis and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. I wouldn’t know Pete, except he was in “One Tree Hill” for a bit and dated Peyton. I also think tonight Adam looked a bit like Tom Brady and even Leonardo DiCaprio (which is funny because both are linked to Gisele Bundchen). Adam was great tonight. And the last note he hit was so high that I didn’t really hear it. But my dog (Oski) heard it and told me it was spot on. He got a standing O from Smokey himself, which is pretty darn cool. Evidently Kara doesn’t know how to count because she said she only has 6 words for him “one of the best performances of the night.” Maybe she wasn’t counting prepositions or articles? Simon disagreed and called it THE best performance of the night. Randy called it unbelievably hot. I didn’t want to like Adam at first. Partly because he was so over the top and Broadway. I thought every performance would be like the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial with pyrotechnics and the whole nine, but I’m strangely drawn to Adam and now consider him the front runner for this competition. I still may not want to listen to a whole record of his, but his talent is undeniable.

09 – Danny Gokey, Get Ready (The Temptations)
Kind of a throw away performance for Danny. Not bad, but not memorable either. The judges rushed through his comments, although Simon called it clumsy and amateurish. Randy loved the energy. Kara called it good but not great. Is the hype catching up to Danny? Is he a one trick pony? I think he needs to do another ballad next week and remind us how good his voice is. His stronghold on this competition is weakening. It’s tough to have that much hype so early on. Ask Michelle Wie…

10 – Allison Iraheta, Papa Was A Rolling Stone (The Temptations)
I can’t believe this girl is only 17. I love the fact that they show her mom crying after every performance. Man this girl has pipes. I thought she killed this song, although the USA Today guy hates Allison. He says she sounds remarkably like Miley Cyrus and called this song merely for her vocal showcase, as her version didn’t tell the story of the song. But it’s a singing competition and she’s got an unbelievable voice (that’s my take). I think Allison’s the best gal right now, but I don’t know if she has a following. Randy called her the dopest singer and blazing hot. Kara said a lot, but I took “ah-mazing” from it. Simon said it was really one of the best performances. She should be safe tomorrow night, but I don’t see her getting to the finals. She should be the top gal though.

Top 3: Adam, Allison, Matt
Bottom 2: Megan, Michael

Once Megan and Michael go, cuts will become very hard.