It kind of figures that the theme week with the best source material would have the poorest cumulative performances overall. It was Motown week, and that meant more recycled Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations - songs we've heard on this show a million times over. They're great songs, don't get me wrong. But the Motown catalogue is so much deeper than this show ever lets on. Sometimes I wonder if the contestants are given an extremely slim list to pick from, but Barry Gordy was in the audience, for goodness sake. Certainly he'd allow the show the keys to the kingdom.
Anyway, a couple great performances, a few solid ones, and several just plain lousy outings. I think the competition is starting to take its toll on some of these kids.
Matt Giraud "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye. Giraud predictably went for a song that plays to his Timberfake sweet spot. I found it boring, and I don't think he did anything really interesting with the song - it was a pretty standard take. It was sung competently, and his falsettos in particular sounded good. But I just find him the opposite of compelling. I also thought he looked especially terrifying; pale, almost strung out. I wonder if Megan passed on her plague.
Kris Allen "How Sweet It Is" by Marvin Gaye. Although his take was probably more in line with James Taylor's version. The beginning was a little corny and indulgent, as he started super soft and slow. Then he got into it, strumming on his guitar, all smiles. He sounded great, but the song is just so dippy that I found it hard to really get into it. Ultimately I'm afraid it was kind of forgettable, and Kris can't afford to be forgettable at this stage in the competition.
Scott MacIntyre "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes. It started out with more of the soft adult-contempo sounds of Scott, and it was terrible. Then he kicked it up a bit, which I appreciated, but the voice didn't get energized. It sounded nasal and pinched and totally uninspiring. Things got moderately better when he started yelling, but even the boogie-woogie bit remained oddly boring. I think I'm over Scott. Randy said that he's a better singer than that performance, but I don't think he is. I think he's passable, but he's not exactly the second coming of Barry Manilow or Elton John or Billy Joel, or any other piano crooners.
Megan Joy "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder. This is one of my favorite songs, so I immediately cringed when I heard she picked it. It was worse than I could have imagined. She was SO CHEESY and sounded SO BAD. Was she wearing a bubblegum wrapper? Even Simon looked uncomfortable. Forget sorrow; her SINGING was hurting me. It sounded like bad airport lounge cabaret, and Megan was outsung by the back-up singers (she wasn't the only one of the night, I should add). With her terrible jazz affectations - she is not the second coming of Lady Day, folks - it just seemed corny and throwback. Oh, and her voice was cracking. Nice! Kara suggested that she should have picked "My Guy" - maybe something that doesn't require a good singing voice? It was not the song's problem. The problem is that she is terrible. Let me put it this way: she got savaged by the judges, and not ONE BOO from the audience. Ha! I hope her bloom is off Simon's rose, or however that works.
Anoop Desai "Oooo Baby Baby" by The Temptations. He sounded weak, and flat. I agree with mentor Smokey Robinson, that it's a sensuous song. But this completely lacked any nuts. He was good on the "ooooo"s, dreadful on the "baby baby"s. It was by no means a great vocal, as Simon said. I never thought this song could be too plaintive, but, well, there have you have it. Oh, and boring. Deadly boring. It certainly was not a "star" performance. I've already forgotten it.
Michael Sarver "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations. He does not have the chops to sing this song. We knew it. Smokey knew it. I think even he knew it. He lacks the grit and soul. It was totally karaoke, and not even GOOD karaoke. His growls were unconvincing, his runs were strained, his falsettos were just plain terrible. His faces were...really bad. Like, embarrassingly bad. And when he wasn't contorting his face, he had a goofy smile on his face, which showed that he had no connection with the song. And he really butchered a couple of those notes. Paula called it Las Vegas lounge, and I think she was dead on. There were times in the song where he called to mind Fat Elvis. He has such pretty eyes, though...
Lil Rounds "Heat Wave" by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. LOVE THIS SONG. It was good - one of the best of the night - but I wanted more. Certainly more grit. This song is about longing, yearning for someone so bad you can't do anything else. I felt like Lil was holding back in parts, especially in the big, bombastic "Yeah yeah yeah yeah" portion of the chorus. There was a look of almost panic in her eyes. Randy was totally off when he said that this was the wrong song for her. This is EXACTLY the right kind of song for her. What was Martha Reeves if not a power singer? Simon said the song didn't give her "a moment." That song is all ABOUT moments. Although maybe he meant her "Idol" moment, and I agree that she has yet to have it in the finals. But the song was not the issue, it was the performance. She promised that next week she'll blow us away. "Let's just do it." YES! LIL! Let's just DO IT!
Adam Lambert "Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson. Adam has terrible skin. I just need to say that; it's especially confronting in high definition. That aside, another Adam performance I legitimately enjoyed, because he toned down the faux rock star thing and just sang it like I think he authentically would, and it was beautiful. Stripped down, all falsetto, and really gorgeous and sincere. See, my problem with Adam is, I feel like the bargain bin Hot Topic thing is all an act to appear "commercial," and he's really a Broadway type of guy. And last night he did the showtune thing - meaning he sang it like it was almost part of a musical -- and it was great. With the slicked-back hair and the suit, he looked weirdly like young Kurt Russell. It's a huge improvement from his usual mess, that's for sure.
Danny Gokey "Get Ready" by The Temptations. Gokey's gritty voice suits this type of music well, so I figured he'd do well. He sounded a little out of breath in parts, but overall it was a decent showing. The vocals have been getting worse week to week, I think. He got better when he started to play with the song a bit toward the end, and even busted out the Tina Turner moves with the back-up singers. That's really why I think Danny will be sticking around - he's a solid singer, and he's a very good entertainer.
Allison Iraheta "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations. Smart choice for Allison, who I thought would have trouble this week. She commanded that stage; I can't believe this girl is 16. She has real star quality, and is a total surprise. She was sassy on the verse, bluesy throughout, and ripped the shit out of those big final notes. Second week in a row where she really impressed me. Also, the hair is getting better. Go Allison!
Predictions: The bottom three are pretty clearly Michael, Megan, and Anoop, with Scott possibly taking the spot for Megan or Anoop because of their fanbases. I don't think whatever bump Michael will have gotten after being in danger last week is going to save him, though, and he'll probably get cut. He certainly deserves to be at this point. (Although I would happily see Megan get culled, that goes without saying.) I'm also slightly worried about Kris. That song was too easy going to make an impact, and he could be in danger.