ThrillersIf it ends up being Adam v. Danny as the dominant narrative, that could get interesting -- humble and aw-shucksy v. theatrical and occasionally show-offy; "I can't dance" v "I own the stage." One week at a time; there's some chaff to remove first.
Danny Gokey, a/k/a RDJJ, a/k/a DWG: Wow. I didn't know he was planning to cut into Anoop's market share this early. Entertaining as all heck, and just needs to keep the dancing appropriately dorky. It's Taylor Hicks, without all the sucking we had come to expect.
Adam Lambert, Who Happens To Be "Theatrical": Okay, so he has this gift in that upper register. No question. But we don't hand out gifts every day; we know when to hand them out. A bit indulgent, but I want to see more. Totally at ease on that stage.
Dangerous
Alexis Grace: Great song choice. Solid job.
Megan Joy: One of many pleasant, safe, competent performances tonight. "Rockin' Robin," really?
Matt Giraud: Just a lovely take on "Human Nature". Nice falsetto. Looks a lot like Timberlake + 30 pounds or so.
Rigger: Solid vocals on a song, "You Are Not Alone," that I despise.
Allison Iraheta: Being Li'l Gina Glocksen is not going to win this competition, but that's still a hell of a voice for a 16 year old. We're not grading on a curve, however. [Was she bleeped, or did our TiVo spazz out for a second?]
They Don't Care About Us
Lil Rounds: Lil Unmemorable, but nothing wrong with it.
Kris Allen: I have no idea what the purpose of his guitar was. But perfectly pleasant.
Bad
Jasmine Murray: You can't scale Mt. Mariah with insufficient gear
Scott Macintyre, a/k/a Fedorov 2.0: Yuck.
Anooooooop: Sigh. All I kept hearing was the gap between his version and the original. If you can't dance like Michael Jackson, if you can't do all the vocal ruffles and flourishes, what's the point? At some point, we have to stop giving bonus points just because it's someone named "Anoop" who's drawn towards new jack swing, and evaluate it on its own merits. I'd like to see him with another chance, but out of three songs so far, he's made two bad choices.
HIStory
Jorge Nuñez, a/k/a Agador Spartacus: Oh, there were some bad notes in there. "Never" can say goodbye? Try tomorrow.
D-Fi: "Is anybody else ready for Adam's take on Guns 'n' Roses night? I am? I'll bet he does a spectacular Axl Rose. Is Adam theatrical? Yes. Is he frantic? Yes. Is his showmanship off the charts? Yes. His phrasing is better than anything we've seen on 'Idol' since Melinda Doolittle. He plays ever word."
Sepinwall: "Dammit. I like Anoop so much, and want to see him stick around because I think he adds an element of fun to the show that few of the other finalists are capable of bringing. But if I'm not grading him on a curve (and I really can't after what I wrote about Scott), then that was every bit the karaoke bar take on Michael the judges said it was. No edge, not challenging himself vocally, and if he wasn't so comfortable working the audience, it would have been a complete disaster."
Rushfield: "Looking up at the stage, it is impossible not to look backward, to dwell on thoughts of the titans whose careers began under these lights –- Clarkson, Aiken, Hudson, Underwood, Daughtry, Sparks, Cook and Smithson."
Powers: "Desai is a strong but basically tactless singer, the kind who could benefit from the trial and error of a few weeks on the show. But he may not survive this overstep.... [His and Jorge's] harried turns revealed the trickiness of Jackson’s repertoire. His hits are so familiar that we forget how intricate they can be. In some, a singer must be able to go from feather-light melodicism to heavy aggression in the span of a single breath; in others, the build is everything, and so easily overdone."
Weiss, who's doing a weekly 10am postgame chat: "I'm a little confused about Alexis. She's got a great, strong voice, I like her bluesiness, but her kewpie-doll looks don't match the hard edge she was trying to project, and I wonder how many voters will have liked that song."
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