The President’s address pushed American Idol off by a day this week, so the Top 10 will perform the songs of Motown tonight.
This could be a really great show, because once again the variety of songs available offers the singers the ability to choose the perfect songs for their voices. I can’t wait to see Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud sing some funky bluesy songs, and Lil Rounds will have a chance to redeem herself after that abysmal country performance. We’ll also see how Megan Corkrey sings now that she’s over the flu.
And while I’m both appalled and impressed with Adam Lambert (I can’t really figure out how I feel about him; he’s super talented and yet so incredibly weird that I’m not sure if I love his performances or hate them), whatever he does tonight will be, at the very least, interesting and at best, brilliant.
I’ll be blogging live tonight – or trying to, at least. I’m going to pick up my new Border collie puppy this afternoon. Depending on how he and our current Border collie Scout and our cat Murphy get along, I could either be refereeing some spats or have three furry animals in my lap while I try to type. But you don’t care about that, do you? LOL (But if you do, you can see a pic of the puppy on my blog, Our Daily Dog Chow.)
Here we go!

Ryan’s asking the judges what they hope for tonight from the contestants, and Paula says she wants to see them challenge their artistic integrity, and Simon wants to see what they do to make these songs their own. Let’s hope they do both, as Idol celebrates the Motown 50th anniversary.
We watch a video as the Idols take a tour of Hitsville, USA and spend time with Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy. Then they’re back to LA where Smokey is their mentor for the week. (Little trivia: Smokey Robinson hosted the Dove Awards a few years ago.)
Up first is Matt Giraud, singing “Let’s Get It On.” Smokey says he has a sentimental spot for this song, and says Matt does more than justice to the song, saying “Marvin would love that.” He starts at the piano and then stands up. This guy is so stinking good. What a great voice and natural stage presence.The judges agree. Kara likes that he came out of his shell, Randy says it made him a frontrunner. Paula says he showed a “sexy cool vibe” and he was respectful of the melody … and some other stuff. Simon said it was a brilliant song choice and his voice absolutely suits this kind of music.
Kris Allen is singing “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” and Smokey loves it. Kris is playing the guitar tonight. It’s a lovely rendition, and he adds his little “Kris Allen” touch that makes it his own, which is a feat since the lyrics are pretty repetitive. He’s so cute – the girls are going to burn up the phone lines tonight. Kara loves “You didn’t do James Taylor, you didn’t do Marvin gaye, you did Kris,” and he did everything right. Paula likes seeing him come into his own and his personality is infectious. Simon says it was smart, but he needs to start believe more in himself, that he needs a little swagger and conceit. I’m not so sure about that; his charm comes from his humility. Randy says he’s hit his zone, and it’s all good.
Scott Macintyre is up, and Ryan asks about the discussion last week about not playing the piano. Scott explains that playing the piano is part of how he is and he’ll look for other ways to take risks. He’s singing, “You Can’t Hurry Love,” sung by Diana Ross. Smokey says Scott brought the song up to date and he’s going to “knock ’em dead.” Scout starts the song slowly, and builds up quickly to the jazzy verses. It’s nice, but not killer. (Oops, Cassie just came to see the new puppy … I’m distracted!) Paula thought he brought something different with the singers around the piano. Simon hated it and says it was the wrong song and goes on and on. Randy says it was a “hotel” kind of performance and it wasn’t the right song because it didn’t challenge it. Kara says he brought tempo, which she wanted, but he took liberties with the song but it didn’t pan out. Scott says he was going to sing, “Reach Out and Touch” and Simon says he should have sang that. The judges go on a debate about whether Scott should sing fast or slow songs. OK, total rabbit, trail, Paula gives Simon crayons and colorings books because he thinks he’s so childish. And lastly, Scott says they didn’t tell him until 10 mins before he went on that he was wearing flesh colored pink pants, and he apologizes.
Megan Corkery is up next, but not before Paula and Simon play with the coloring books. Megan is singing “For Once in My Life” and Smokey calls her a half jazz, half caberet singer and he likes it. Maybe she still has the flu? He says she’s one of the original contestants. I guess since he’s a professional and industry legend he knows what he’s talking about but she still sounds like a cruise ship singer to me. But hey, what do I know? Randy says he has “mad love” and she looks good, but it was a train wreck. Kara agrees with Randy, and says she should have sang “My Guy”, and this song was just all over. Paula says her “stunning beauty” takes her bfreath away but it was the wrong wrong for her. Simon says the good news is she looks good and the bad news it was horrible and she should fire whoever is advising her.
Anoop Desai is singing, “Ooo Baby Baby”. Smokey tells him the story of how the song came about, and he liked how Anoop sang it. Smokey says Anoop will blow it away. He has great vocals, but the song in general is kind of boring so it’s hard to make it exciting. but it showed how talented he is vocally. Kara says it’s one of the most beautiful song ever written, and there were some great points but some he didn’t, but she thinks he did a pretty good job. Paula says he has a newfound confidence but they need to see more; his phrasing, etc are spot on. Simon says it was a great vocal but he looked as if he was “half asleep.” Randy says next week to turn up the energy but it was great to see him “swoon and croon.” Ryan asks Randy where Anoop ranks with the guys, and Randy says it’s turning into a duel to the finish.
After the break, Michael Sarver is up.He didn’t get to travel to Detroit because he was sick, and he says the rest helped a lot. Michael’s singing “Ain’t To Proud To Beg.” He says he was going to “church it up”, add a little more gospel sound to it. Smokey told him it was a little weak and he needed to “pound it up” more. He’s doing a pretty good job, considering he’s sick. Don’t love the whole grabbing hands with the crowd moves. Paula says it was tough because she thought it was a little Las Vegas for her; she’s going to cry because she doesn’t like it. Simon speaks for all of us when he says he has no idea what Paula said. Simon says he couldn’t wait for it to end and that it wasn’t good enough. I’ve never thought Michael was a strong contender for the finals, and I really don’t like the way he responds back to the judges. I think he’ll go home soon. Randy says the song was a little too big for him, and he didn’t have the whole vibe to pull it off. Kara says it’s not about singing, it’s about artistry.
Lil Rounds is up next, singing “Heatwave.” She says her time with Smokey is emotional, and they talk about the time in Detroit, and how the history of Motown has left a legecy. OK, I love Lil Round’s voice,but I don’t love this peformance.There were some other great songs she could have picked. I don’t know if it’s wig or what. But she can sing, and this was a gazillion times better than that country nightmare. Randy isn’t thrilled either, says it sounded rushed. Kara says she was the diva everyone was waiting to hear, since this was her week, but she thinks she picked the wrong song. Paula disagrees, and says she looks classic Motown couture chic, and she liked the vocals. Simon says they understand it was an authentic tribute to Motown, but the song was too fast and didn’t give her a “moment”. He suggested she could have sang “Heard It Through The Grapevine”; he says she’s one of the best singers in the competition and is dying for her to blow them away again. She says next week she’ll blow them away, but she said that last week. OOOOO! She said “Obama #1”!! OK, time for her to go.
Adam is up next and oh boy, he looks like he’s dressed like Frankie Vallie. Ryan says that if we think we know Adam, think again. Like I said, whatever Adam does, it’s going to be interesting! He’s singing “Tracks Of My Tears”. Adam has a great voice and he sounds great in practice with Smokey, and Smokey says it was tender and sweet, and he was proud of Adam’s interpretation. He’s singing unplugged, just him a guitarist, upright bassist and percussion. Adam is really talented, and this is a great version of the song. The outfit looks great, and it’s more costume than the Adam we know, but he really brought that song home. Kara even stood up for it. Paula said he’s in his own league and has the element of surprise, adding she likes the “clean look” without make up and nail polish and says he looks handsome. Simon says it was the best performance of the night, and he was able to sum up everything they’ve been saying about originality, etc and it shows what a great songwriter Smokey is. Randy says from day one he knew Adam could do anything, and the he’s not just an indie cool rocker and it was unbelievably hot.
Danny Gokey’s up next, singing “Get Ready.” Smokey says Danny is a great singer but he left out the places where the background singers sing “You’re all right, you’re outta sight” and told him to add it back in. But he doesn’t do it. Hmmm. But he does go back to the back up singers and do a little funky dance move. I liked it and it was fun. Paula says he’s reliable, identifiable, etc. Simon says it was clumsy and amateurish. Randy says it wasn’t his best but he loved the energy and feeling. Kara loves his personalty, good, not great. I think he’s great.
And in the money spot, Allison Iraheta, singing “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.” Smokey says she just needs to study the lyrics and she’ll do great. And she did. Randy said she’s only 16 but she’s one of the “dopest” singers this year. Kara gushed all over her, too, and said her voice is “from God, you can’t teach that.” Paula has a maker mustache because Simon drew on her face, but she gets out that Allison was amazing. Simon says Allison is a survivor but he’s laughing to hard at Paula he can barely talk. Those two should be sent to the principal’s office.
So who’s going home tomorrow? I’m guessing Michael Sarver, but if I had to name the bottom two? I’d say Michael and Megan. Or maybe that last one is just wishful thinking.
But what about you? What did you think about tonight’s performances? I think there were some really strong performances tonight: Danny, Allison, Adam, Kris, Matt.
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