Photo: FOX
With only nine singers left on American Idol, the show let the hopefuls pick their own fate this week, opening up track choice to “any song as long as it’s a popular iTunes download.” That dubious criteria yielded Billy Joel, Usher, No Doubt and Rascal Flatts — and drove home a vital point the hard-headed Idols never seem to get: just because you like a song doesn’t mean you should sing it. It’s just like putting quarters in the bar jukebox — just because you get tickled hearing “Fitter, Happier” doesn’t mean you should subject a few dozen folks who’d rather hear “Karma Police” to your whim. At the end of the night, Paula Abdul was woozy and a third of the contestants really blew it. Here’s a rundown:
Ones to Watch:
• Kris Allen finally broke out of his Mraz-haze and the pack, playing keyboard on “Ain’t No Sunshine,” adding bluesy a cappella flourishes and real heart.
• Adam Lambert’s screeching version of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” was the definition of “something else.” It earned him a standing ovation and a wacky Paula comparison to Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. Kara, clearly in another numeric K-hole, combined Studio 54 and Heinz 57 sauce, noting it was like Studio 57.
Meh:
• Everyone went nuts over Danny Gokey’s Rascal Flatts song, “What Hurts the Most.” Kara had goosebumps, but we had the yawns.
• Props to Allison Iraheta for playing guitar to No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” but 10 demerits for her Tokio Hotel hair — and for being shouty and pitchy.
• Kara told Scott MacIntyre he made smart decisions by playing a stripped-down rendition of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” Teasing his hair wasn’t one of them.
• Yes, Kelly Clarkson also sang Celine Dion’s “I Surrender” on Idol, but she didn’t do it in a perky wig. Lil Rounds’ tune was a bit of a snooze, so Ryan Seacrest trotted out her adorable children for a little pity-vote action.
Ones to Wipe From Your Memory With Bleach:
• Megan Joy did Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” proving she has finally morphed into Jason Castro. Per Paula, all she needs to fix her annoying performances is a stool. Yeah, that ought to do it.
Thanks for the Memories:
• Matt Giraud pulled a Chris Martin and played the Fray’s “You Found Me” in the middle of the crowd. But the judges instructed him to “let that flavor out,” nudging him back to soul.
• Anoop Desai dared to cover Usher’s “Caught Up” with no dance moves. That’s illegal in 10 states, dawg. Unfortunately for Rock Daily fave Anoop, when Kara made the ridiculous statement that she believes a bunch of frat guys dared him to sing Usher the camera cut to … Anoop’s fratty looking friends.
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
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