Ah, a rock theme on Idol. This is a first for the show and I don't think they've ever had a more reluctant mentor on the show than Slash. I don't really think he was all that thrilled in being a mentor, however, he made the most of it. I actually enjoyed that he had the whole band playing while the contestants sang. It truly was a nice effect. With that being said, we are getting closer and closer to the finale; only three weeks away! Hard to believe how quickly this season has come to a close. And with all things considered, we really haven't had a shocking elimination yet this season. Could that still be in the cards after this week's performances? Only time will tell. Let's get on with the recaps, why don't we?
Adam Lambert - "Whole Lotta Love" : For the first time this season, Adam is performing first. I think Adam is going to do quite well this week with the rock theme. I mean, people had the same thoughts going into disco week and he did well with that particular theme. He definitely picked the right song to fit his rocker-mentality and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. It's a very powerful performance with stellar vocals and he certainly has that rock star swagger. He's working it out tonight and this rock theme fits Adam like a hand fits a glove. I would say he's a bit more toned down than I thought he would be - not as many rock wails like he's known for. All things considered, Adam did very well tonight and it was a great way to start the night out.
Allison Iraheta - "Cry Baby" : No surprise here, but another one that should do quite well with this theme is Allison. I believe she's the first female rocker to make it as far as she has in this competition. Usually we have the R'nB Diva's to advance further, but not this season. Like with most of her performances in season eight, she had a few enunciation issues, especially earlier on in her performance. However, everything else about it was great. She's very confident on that stage and I will agree with Simon insomuch as to her growth from the beginning of her live performances to now. I mean sure, it's not the most familiar Janis Joplin song ever, but she really worked it out and made it her own. I believe she did a very smart thing in not picking "Another Little Piece of my Heart" because it had been done numerous times on the show. Well done Allison, well done.
Kris Allen & Danny Gokey - "Renegade" (DUET #1) : Now we come to the very first duet ever performed during a live performance show, other than the finale results show. And I've got to say, this will be a very interesting pairing, considering that this genre doesn't fit Kris or Danny all that well. They are more known for the Christian Contemporary music. I will agree with Randy in that their harmonizing together was wicked good. But their solo efforts in the song fell particularly flat. I heard a few off-pitch notes from both Kris and Danny at times. I didn't think they complemented each other that well on this duet. Maybe another song would've suited them both better. And Danny just might have taken the lead and picked this song without much input from Kris, seeing as they were having a difficult time choosing a song. And I didn't think Kris was that bad - he was probably about equal to Danny's performance.
Kris Allen - "Come Together" : It's kind of unfair how Kris had to sing back-to-back like this. The song order was especially odd and Kris is at a bit of a disadvantage this week because of it. I remember Carly Smithson's version of the song last year and she did an absolutely phenomenal job with it. Will Kris leave the same impression? I agree that this hard-rock genre doesn't fit Kris all that well. However, I really think he worked it out and it wasn't as bad as the judges made it out to be. I really loved his electric guitar playing skills and he is truly this season's musician. I didn't really notice a lot of pitchiness except for one note about two-thirds of the way through. I really enjoyed it when he slowed the tempo down for a brief moment and sung at a lower octave and encouraged the audience to clap along. Yes, this isn't the type of music suited for Kris, I get that. But quit throwing him under the bus just because he's not a judge's favorite.
Danny Gokey - "Dream On" : We are getting a lot of repeat song choices from season seven this week. Danny picks a classic Aerosmith song chosen by Michael Johns in season seven; the song that got him booted out in a shocking elimination. Could the same fate be set in stone for Danny? If that last note in the taped piece with Slash is any indication, this could be a total train wreck for Danny. I love the song but I think it's simply too big for Danny. He does a classic interpretation of the song from the start; as it's supposed to sound. He doesn't make a whole lot of changes with the melodies. He gradually builds the song up to its classic rock-sound. And then he sings the chorus over and over again. Finally, we get to the last few notes and oh my god ... my ears! It's like a combination of a fire alarm going off and a chorus of cats screeching. It really is that bad. I believe he should be eliminated simply because of that horrendous performance.
Adam Lambert & Allison Iraheta - "Slow Ride" (DUET #2) : Thank god for this last duet; I can't imagine the show ending with Danny's horrible performance. The Adam and Allison pairing is like a match made in rock heaven. These two had the best solo performances of the night and I agree with Kara in that they complemented each other very well and pushed each other to do better. It was an outstanding vocal from them both and honestly, what more is there to say? They are truly in their element with this theme. I think the addition of duets this season is an interesting change and it obviously worked well for some contestants and not for others. It all comes down to being paired with the right people and the producers knew exactly what they were doing with this pairing. It ended up being the perfect way to end the show. Adam basically book-ended tonight's performance show!
Ah yes, now to the all important performance rankings. Who was the best and who did the absolute worst? Here are my picks:
1.) Adam Lambert (officially eliminated - 5/11/09)
2.) Allison Iraheta
3.) Kris Allen (eliminated)
4.) Danny Gokey (bottom two)
I included a space between Kris Allen and Danny Gokey in the rankings because Danny was just that bad. I think if he didn't push that final note, it would've been a little tolerable of a performance than it was. Obviously he had to know it wasn't going to work. I mean, even while Slash was mentoring him, it sounded horrendous. How could he be so misguided? Taking all things into consideration, I don't believe Danny will get voted off even though he was horrendously bad. The judges threw Kris Allen under the bus for a second consecutive week - in fact, I think overall they all were rather harsh with him. And of course, they are still pimping Danny for the finale even though he had a pretty rough night. They could've told him it was his worst performance to date or even said they simply did not like it. But no, they have to tell him they'll give him an A+ for effort and they commend him for taking risks. What is that all about?! Obviously I'm not very happy because I have a strong feeling Kris will get the boot and Danny will be saved. I HOPE I AM WRONG!
Please be sure to enjoy tonight's results show! Unfortunately I cannot watch it live and will have to watch it back later. Here's hoping Danny finally gets the boot!
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