[IMG:L]Below are my assessments of Tuesday night’s iTunes-themed (?!) performances, followed by a sure-to-be-dead-wrong prediction of Wednesday night’s bottom three and elimination.
Anoop Desai: “Caught Up,” by Usher
A long-overdue return to Anoop’s energetic side did not turn out well. The swagger was back, sure, but this time it came off a bit contrived, and there was nothing at all special about those hurried vocals. Perhaps he’s better off as a sloooow crooner?
Grade: C
Megan Joy: “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” by Bob Marley
Unlike the judges, I actually thought the song choice was perfect, but yeah, the execution thereof was horrendous. It was beyond boring, and those hand-wave motions immediately rank among her worst dance moves to date. After so many bad performances by Meg, I think I’ve finally snapped out of the spell cast on me by her gorgeousness enough to admit what is already obvious to many people: She probably doesn’t deserve to be here anymore.
Grade: D+
Danny Gokey: “What Hurts the Most,” by Rascal Flatts
This was pretty close to perfection even during the tenderness of the opening moments, but Gokey truly thrived, as he always does, when the song’s pace and volume picked up. He remains at or near the top of the pack in terms of elimination immunity.
Grade: A-
Allison Iraheta: “Don’t Speak,” by No Doubt
Yes, the opening was quite rough for Allison — and fine, the outfit-and-hair ensemble was absurd — but once the drums kicked in (and she was able to ditch that silly guitar), the teenyrocker got it going. Still, far from her best, and a slight letdown considering the seemingly suitable song choice.
Grade: B-
Scott MacIntyre: “Just the Way You Are,” by Billy Joel
Wow — a good performance from Scott? Did NOT see that coming! His piano playing and singing seemed a bit at odds with each other, but Scott might’ve finally found his comfort zone: slowed-down, stripped-down songs that are actually played on the piano in the first place. Far and away Scott’s best performance thus far, and it’s suddenly fathomable that he’ll survive to see another week.
Grade: B+
Matt Giraud: “You Found Me,” by The Fray
Another decent performance for Matt, but it was safe and, like Paula said, it sounded too much like the original. For a guy who was shockingly in the bottom three last week and who viewers/voters are clearly struggling to get a read on, this was not a good choice at all.
Grade: C+
Lil Rounds: “I Surrender,” by Celine Dion
Yikes — Celine Dion seemed like a corny, unbecoming song choice for Lil right from the get-go. Luckily, the second verse allowed her to show off that ridiculously powerful voice of hers. But, Lil, like the judges said: Mary J., not Celine D.!
Grade: B
Adam Lambert: “Play That Funky Music,” by Wild Cherry
Adam once again went with the cleaned-up look that he first sported last week, but he was back to his old tricks Tuesday night — which is to say sheer craziness! Paula lumping him in with the likes of Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler might’ve been just a tad premature, but the dude can put on a show and is consistently the No. 1 reason to tune in: Even those who despise him have to be excited every week to see what he’ll do. The only thing that can stop Lambert at this point is if he loses his voice from shriek-singing!
Grade: A-
Kris Allen: “Ain’t No Sunshine,” by Bill Withers (and countless cover versions)
Kris displayed yet another talent by playing the piano — and he might wanna retire the guitar after this climactic show-closer. Musically, he mixed loud and soft perfectly; vocally, he showed more range than ever before; and the background arrangement complemented his performance very well. Two weeks in a row now, the best has been saved for last.
Grade: A
PREDICTIONS
Bottom Three: Megan Joy, Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud
Eliminated: Megan Joy
LAST WEEK’S RECAP: Motown Night!
