As expected, Michael Sarver will grace us no longer with his, well, whatever he brought to the table.
Here's how I see the remaining nine stacking up, for now...
The Favorite
1. Adam Lambert - Too good not to be #1.
The Contenders
2. Danny Gokey - Safest bet to make the final two.
3. Kris Allen - I hate doing this, but he's steady and popular.
4. Allison Iraheta - Best of the ladies.
Contending To Contend
5. Anoop Desai - If he can bring some energy back next week...
Outside Looking In
6. Lil Rounds - Slipping a bit, but certainly not out of it.
7. Matt Giraud - He was good, but a Bottom 3 visit sure ain't.
Danger! Danger!
8. Megan Joy - I've heard she's pretty.
9. Scott MacIntyre - It's time to go.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Morning After
The detailed analysis is here, but here's my short-and-sweet rundown of who hit and who missed last night.
1) Adam Lambert - Rather stunning.
2) Allison Iraheta - Brings it every week.
3) Danny Gokey - Steady as always.
4) Matt Giraud - Danny's still the better singer.
5) Anoop Desai - Comeback complete, now must step it up.
6) Lil Rounds - Disappointing, but she'll survive.
7) Kris Allen - Can't sing with the six above.
8) Michael Sarver - Seems the judges want him gone.
9) Megan Joy - Won't be long now.
10) Scott MacIntyre - Worst singer in a singing contest.
1) Adam Lambert - Rather stunning.
2) Allison Iraheta - Brings it every week.
3) Danny Gokey - Steady as always.
4) Matt Giraud - Danny's still the better singer.
5) Anoop Desai - Comeback complete, now must step it up.
6) Lil Rounds - Disappointing, but she'll survive.
7) Kris Allen - Can't sing with the six above.
8) Michael Sarver - Seems the judges want him gone.
9) Megan Joy - Won't be long now.
10) Scott MacIntyre - Worst singer in a singing contest.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Top 10 - Motown
Here's your Top 10, glorious and inglorious alike.
Here's my previous analysis of the Top 11 and Top 13 in case you'd like to compare my notes.
Oh, and here's what I thought would happen tonight.
____________________________________________
Matt Giraud - "Let's Get It On"
Vocal ability: 55
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 50
Star power: 55
Song choice: 55
Smart to get up from piano when he did. Still don't love his "false" like the judges say they do, but, he's pretty good. It was a modest change of pace from what we'd been getting from him in the previous weeks. It was nothing that radically changed what I think about him, but it was different enough that I stayed interested. He wasn't as good tonight as I thought he might be, but he was still solid. At the same time, though the judges have started talking him up a bit, I'm still not convinced he has anything more than this to offer.
____________________________________________
Kris Allen - "How Sweet It Is"
Vocal ability: 50
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 50
Star power: 60
Song choice: 55
Good on stage. Simon was right when he said Kris is having "a nice competition." He is. People like him, he's been pretty consistent, so it makes sense that he's popular and still in it. I've really tried to listen to him with fresh ears a number of times now, though, and I still just don't think he's nearly as good as a number of other people. I was lukewarm on Matt in much the same way for a while, but whereas Matt has begun to change my mind just a bit, Kris hasn't been able to do that.
____________________________________________
Scott MacIntyre - "You Can't Hurry Love"
Vocal ability: 40
Consistency: 45
Versatility: 45
Star power: 40
Song choice: 45
He did nothing to make me reconsider anything I've written previously, so I won't spend time repeating myself. It wasn't good, and unlike Simon and Randy curiously suggesting otherwise, he just can't do any better. He's the weakest contestant by far.
____________________________________________
Megan Joy - "For Once In My Life"
Vocal ability: 45
Consistency: 40
Versatility: 40
Star power: 50
Song choice: 45
Vocally, she's very limited. I kind of liked it as a performance, but as an alleged showcase of talent it wasn't good. Yes, the camera loves her, but that's not going to be enough anymore. She probably has another week in her, since Michael has to be the likely loser tomorrow night. But she's clearly running on fumes, and was never ever really running on much more.
____________________________________________
Anoop Desai - "Ooh Baby Baby"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 50
Versatility: 50
Star power: 50
Song choice: 60
Anoop can effing sing. He's only shown that he can master ballads thus far after coming back from the Michael Jackson disaster, so he'll have to do more going forward. But this was excellent once again. The problem is that the energy and personality people like about him gets lost when he sings these kinds of songs, and you have to wonder if he'll be able to strike the right balance of pep and technical performance. Randy openly encouraged him to crank it back up, and I agree he needs to do that to seriously contend. But, after "Beat It," call me skeptical that he can pull it all off in the same performance. I'd like to be wrong, though.
____________________________________________
Michael Sarver - "Ain't Too Proud Too Beg"
Vocal ability: 50
Consistency: 45
Versatility: 50
Star power: 45
Song choice: 50
Harsh, harsh words from the judges. I think he's a decent singer and don't believe it was as bad as they said. But, having already been in the bottom two last week, plus a so-so effort this week plus the brutal comments, this likely spells the end of Michael's run on the show. Not much else to say. This was probably his last time on the Idol stage.
____________________________________________
Lil Rounds - "Heatwave"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 55
Versatility: 55
Star power: 60
Song choice: 55
Was a little shouty at points, but she can really sing. Basically, the trouble she had tonight, and that the judges pointed out, is the same kind of trouble that Anoop ran into with "Beat It" (I'm not trying to mention that performance fifty times tonight, it's just happening). It's hard to sing a nearly flawless song when you're also trying to really a performer, too. I mean, when you go see a concert, you don't demand perfect vocals at the expense of general entertainment. I think Lil can really own a stage. She owned it tonight and still sang very well, which I think is something that every contestant needs to do now and then. Singing really well most of the time is most important, but you also want to show some star power. At this stage, she's still good enough to go high-energy and skimp on the technical stuff a little bit and still get by.
____________________________________________
Adam Lambert - "Tracks Of My Tears"
Vocal ability: 70
Consistency: 65
Versatility: 70
Star power: 70
Song choice: 65
Let me get right to the heart of it and just say that Adam is operating on higher intellectual and artistic plane than the other competitors. I hesitate to toss around the word "artist" about people who, though good singers, are still only up there singing other people's songs. But tonight I think he crossed that line for me. He doesn't need this show anymore, and truthfully I hope he doesn't win, just so he can avoid being beholden to too many Idol interests once it's all over. I don't know what kind of music he wants to make, but it's becoming more apparent each week that he can do whatever he wants. He can just do things vocally and interpretively that no one else can. Lots of people hated "Ring of Fire" from last week, but the cold hard truth is that no one else on the show could even have considered doing something so radical. They're stuck thinking in Idol terms, while he's beyond them thinking in artistic terms. Tonight he entirely reinvented his appearance, persona, and style, all while delivering by far the best song of the night. It's one thing to be brave enough to try such a thing, but something wholly more impressive to pull it off so convincingly and effortlessly. I could go on, but I think the point has been made.
____________________________________________
Danny Gokey - "Get Ready"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 60
Star power: 55
Song choice: 55
Sure, good, and following just about any other singer it might have even seemed very good. But he drew the unlucky number tonight and had to follow the best performance of the season thus far. He fell prey to the same criticism Lil did, in that his vocals were compromised by the energy he put into the performance. Again, I think that's kind of a cheap shot. Of course you sing worse when you're trucking around a stage. But no one wants to watch someone who sings well but stays rooted in one place like a tree. Heck, even Adam's first two performances had some "shouty" moments, despite the overwhelming praise from the judges. So, personally, I'm not going to be too tough on anyone in that respect. But, that said, while he may still be the favorite to win because his style is more accessible than Adam's, he's not in the same class as a singer.
____________________________________________
Allison Iraheta - "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 55
Star power: 60
Song choice: 60
I'm very glad my bad feeling about her tonight was completely proven wrong. Hopefully she's in no danger come tomorrow night, because I'm starting to think she's the second-best contestant this season. She hasn't made the leap to "artist" territory that Adam did tonight, but I think if there's anyone else this season who can do it, it's Allison. Though she's clearly quite precocious, her only being 16 will probably still preclude her from pulling off something like Adam did tonight. Her voice is also something of an acquired taste, I think, but it's undeniably good. There are other good singers, but Allison and Adam are the only ones who have moments on stage that make you feel like you're watching their concert, not a television show.
Here's my previous analysis of the Top 11 and Top 13 in case you'd like to compare my notes.
Oh, and here's what I thought would happen tonight.
____________________________________________
Matt Giraud - "Let's Get It On"
Vocal ability: 55
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 50
Star power: 55
Song choice: 55
Smart to get up from piano when he did. Still don't love his "false" like the judges say they do, but, he's pretty good. It was a modest change of pace from what we'd been getting from him in the previous weeks. It was nothing that radically changed what I think about him, but it was different enough that I stayed interested. He wasn't as good tonight as I thought he might be, but he was still solid. At the same time, though the judges have started talking him up a bit, I'm still not convinced he has anything more than this to offer.
____________________________________________
Kris Allen - "How Sweet It Is"
Vocal ability: 50
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 50
Star power: 60
Song choice: 55
Good on stage. Simon was right when he said Kris is having "a nice competition." He is. People like him, he's been pretty consistent, so it makes sense that he's popular and still in it. I've really tried to listen to him with fresh ears a number of times now, though, and I still just don't think he's nearly as good as a number of other people. I was lukewarm on Matt in much the same way for a while, but whereas Matt has begun to change my mind just a bit, Kris hasn't been able to do that.
____________________________________________
Scott MacIntyre - "You Can't Hurry Love"
Vocal ability: 40
Consistency: 45
Versatility: 45
Star power: 40
Song choice: 45
He did nothing to make me reconsider anything I've written previously, so I won't spend time repeating myself. It wasn't good, and unlike Simon and Randy curiously suggesting otherwise, he just can't do any better. He's the weakest contestant by far.
____________________________________________
Megan Joy - "For Once In My Life"
Vocal ability: 45
Consistency: 40
Versatility: 40
Star power: 50
Song choice: 45
Vocally, she's very limited. I kind of liked it as a performance, but as an alleged showcase of talent it wasn't good. Yes, the camera loves her, but that's not going to be enough anymore. She probably has another week in her, since Michael has to be the likely loser tomorrow night. But she's clearly running on fumes, and was never ever really running on much more.
____________________________________________
Anoop Desai - "Ooh Baby Baby"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 50
Versatility: 50
Star power: 50
Song choice: 60
Anoop can effing sing. He's only shown that he can master ballads thus far after coming back from the Michael Jackson disaster, so he'll have to do more going forward. But this was excellent once again. The problem is that the energy and personality people like about him gets lost when he sings these kinds of songs, and you have to wonder if he'll be able to strike the right balance of pep and technical performance. Randy openly encouraged him to crank it back up, and I agree he needs to do that to seriously contend. But, after "Beat It," call me skeptical that he can pull it all off in the same performance. I'd like to be wrong, though.
____________________________________________
Michael Sarver - "Ain't Too Proud Too Beg"
Vocal ability: 50
Consistency: 45
Versatility: 50
Star power: 45
Song choice: 50
Harsh, harsh words from the judges. I think he's a decent singer and don't believe it was as bad as they said. But, having already been in the bottom two last week, plus a so-so effort this week plus the brutal comments, this likely spells the end of Michael's run on the show. Not much else to say. This was probably his last time on the Idol stage.
____________________________________________
Lil Rounds - "Heatwave"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 55
Versatility: 55
Star power: 60
Song choice: 55
Was a little shouty at points, but she can really sing. Basically, the trouble she had tonight, and that the judges pointed out, is the same kind of trouble that Anoop ran into with "Beat It" (I'm not trying to mention that performance fifty times tonight, it's just happening). It's hard to sing a nearly flawless song when you're also trying to really a performer, too. I mean, when you go see a concert, you don't demand perfect vocals at the expense of general entertainment. I think Lil can really own a stage. She owned it tonight and still sang very well, which I think is something that every contestant needs to do now and then. Singing really well most of the time is most important, but you also want to show some star power. At this stage, she's still good enough to go high-energy and skimp on the technical stuff a little bit and still get by.
____________________________________________
Adam Lambert - "Tracks Of My Tears"
Vocal ability: 70
Consistency: 65
Versatility: 70
Star power: 70
Song choice: 65
Let me get right to the heart of it and just say that Adam is operating on higher intellectual and artistic plane than the other competitors. I hesitate to toss around the word "artist" about people who, though good singers, are still only up there singing other people's songs. But tonight I think he crossed that line for me. He doesn't need this show anymore, and truthfully I hope he doesn't win, just so he can avoid being beholden to too many Idol interests once it's all over. I don't know what kind of music he wants to make, but it's becoming more apparent each week that he can do whatever he wants. He can just do things vocally and interpretively that no one else can. Lots of people hated "Ring of Fire" from last week, but the cold hard truth is that no one else on the show could even have considered doing something so radical. They're stuck thinking in Idol terms, while he's beyond them thinking in artistic terms. Tonight he entirely reinvented his appearance, persona, and style, all while delivering by far the best song of the night. It's one thing to be brave enough to try such a thing, but something wholly more impressive to pull it off so convincingly and effortlessly. I could go on, but I think the point has been made.
____________________________________________
Danny Gokey - "Get Ready"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 60
Star power: 55
Song choice: 55
Sure, good, and following just about any other singer it might have even seemed very good. But he drew the unlucky number tonight and had to follow the best performance of the season thus far. He fell prey to the same criticism Lil did, in that his vocals were compromised by the energy he put into the performance. Again, I think that's kind of a cheap shot. Of course you sing worse when you're trucking around a stage. But no one wants to watch someone who sings well but stays rooted in one place like a tree. Heck, even Adam's first two performances had some "shouty" moments, despite the overwhelming praise from the judges. So, personally, I'm not going to be too tough on anyone in that respect. But, that said, while he may still be the favorite to win because his style is more accessible than Adam's, he's not in the same class as a singer.
____________________________________________
Allison Iraheta - "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"
Vocal ability: 60
Consistency: 60
Versatility: 55
Star power: 60
Song choice: 60
I'm very glad my bad feeling about her tonight was completely proven wrong. Hopefully she's in no danger come tomorrow night, because I'm starting to think she's the second-best contestant this season. She hasn't made the leap to "artist" territory that Adam did tonight, but I think if there's anyone else this season who can do it, it's Allison. Though she's clearly quite precocious, her only being 16 will probably still preclude her from pulling off something like Adam did tonight. Her voice is also something of an acquired taste, I think, but it's undeniably good. There are other good singers, but Allison and Adam are the only ones who have moments on stage that make you feel like you're watching their concert, not a television show.
Fearless Forecast: Motown
Just like last week, here's my gut feeling about how tonight's performances shape up, best to worst.
1) Lil Rounds - Home field advantage.
2) Danny Gokey - In his comfort zone, as well.
3) Matt Giraud - Could be a turning point for him.
4) Anoop Desai - Good, but not as good as last week.
5) Adam Lambert - God only knows.
6) Michael Sarver - One more pretty good one?
7) Kris Allen - Expect nice comments regardless.
8) Allison Iraheta - I'm afraid she stumbles.
9) Megan Joy - There's a chance she'll look good.
10) Scott MacIntyre - Please fail. Please fail.
We'll see.
1) Lil Rounds - Home field advantage.
2) Danny Gokey - In his comfort zone, as well.
3) Matt Giraud - Could be a turning point for him.
4) Anoop Desai - Good, but not as good as last week.
5) Adam Lambert - God only knows.
6) Michael Sarver - One more pretty good one?
7) Kris Allen - Expect nice comments regardless.
8) Allison Iraheta - I'm afraid she stumbles.
9) Megan Joy - There's a chance she'll look good.
10) Scott MacIntyre - Please fail. Please fail.
We'll see.
Top 11 Stuido Recording Reviews
A little late, seeing as how it's Top 10 day. But, I'll post this anyway.
I love the studios because you see what each person can do when they have a chance to build a song through its natural progression. The often forced 0-60 nature of the live performances can come off awkward at times simply because of the time constraints.
Surely many will take issue with my high ranking of Adam's decidedly un-country recording, but I just think it's fantastic.
So here's my take, with an occasional comment thrown in.
1) Anoop Desai
2) Adam Lambert
3) Allison Iraheta
4) Matt Giraud -- Really liked this. I could come around on him.
5) Alexis Grace -- Had been looking forward to more of these from her...
6) Lil Rounds
7) Danny Gokey
8) Kris Allen -- He's okay, but I just do not get the intense love for him. In his comfort zone, fine, his voice is nice. But he has limited range, doesn't hit his high notes, and is thoroughly unspectacular. I relistened to his live performance a few times, and went into this with an open mind, too. Maybe I was just missing something. But I'm really not. He's unspectacular. I obviously need to account for the fact that many people like him, but he is not a great singer.
9) Megan Joy -- Quirky in a good way? Yes. Particularly good? Not really.
10) Michael Sarver
11) Scott MacIntyre
I love the studios because you see what each person can do when they have a chance to build a song through its natural progression. The often forced 0-60 nature of the live performances can come off awkward at times simply because of the time constraints.
Surely many will take issue with my high ranking of Adam's decidedly un-country recording, but I just think it's fantastic.
So here's my take, with an occasional comment thrown in.
1) Anoop Desai
2) Adam Lambert
3) Allison Iraheta
4) Matt Giraud -- Really liked this. I could come around on him.
5) Alexis Grace -- Had been looking forward to more of these from her...
6) Lil Rounds
7) Danny Gokey
8) Kris Allen -- He's okay, but I just do not get the intense love for him. In his comfort zone, fine, his voice is nice. But he has limited range, doesn't hit his high notes, and is thoroughly unspectacular. I relistened to his live performance a few times, and went into this with an open mind, too. Maybe I was just missing something. But I'm really not. He's unspectacular. I obviously need to account for the fact that many people like him, but he is not a great singer.
9) Megan Joy -- Quirky in a good way? Yes. Particularly good? Not really.
10) Michael Sarver
11) Scott MacIntyre
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