Idol Thots 26Mar09

Motown night one day later. i was pleasantly surprised by this show. They chose some songs that were not your norms and i liked that.

Let's get started. i'll go in order from worst to first from what i thought of the performances last night.

Michael got the pre-performance interview, some kind-yet-generic words from Smokey Robinson and then came out and turned in a very bland performance. Smokey tried to get him to feel the song and lay it out there yet there he was smiling as he warbled "please stay" to his leaving girl. i figured out that he makes me nervous when he sings. he just doesn't seem comfortable and you never know where he's going vocally.

Megan sang For Once in My Life and i'm glad it was only once. she did so much better with just the piano in front of Smokey. she should've stripped the song down and just had a piano and sparse lighting and given it that smokey jazz bar treatment. instead, it was a fast, furious, shouty "train wreck" as Randy called it. i'm a Megan fan, but not that performance.

Scott stayed at the piano and stayed with the all AC AM radio hits. He started You Can't Hurry Love waaay slow and then sped up. he had the bg vocals there at the piano with him and they blew him away when they sang with him. they made his voice sound very thin. Simon called it "cheap" - i agree.

Lil went old-school with Heatwave. she looked the part and sang it ok and kept it pretty much a redo of the original. the judges hounded her for just running through the song and not giving herself room for any "moments" and that was so true. i expected a big Diana Ross song with plenty of room to be the diva, but...no.

i almost fell asleep as Anoop sang Oooh Baby Baby. i thought Anoop might fall asleep as well. he looked bored and didn't have a great connection. he wasn't bad vocally, just not spot on.

Matt started the show off with a bang with Let's Get it On. his vocal wasn't maybe as good as Anoop but he connected with the song and it made all the difference. he is a solid performer with good energy and keeps getting better and better. the judges used words like "comfortable", "solid" and "tasteful."

Kris did an amazing job with How Sweet It Is. i was scared he would make it all James Taylor, but he did an amazing Kris version with some very cool phrasing that was fun, playful and strong. i'm like this guy more and more.

Danny rocked Get Ready with some great vocals but freakish dancing. good phrasing, great energy...he really has a gift of getting the crowd involved and turning up the energy level.

Allison continues to blow me away. She OWNED Pappa Was a Rolling Stone. She totally carries a song and doesn't get carried by it. Randy summed it up - "Blazing hot!"

Adam totally surprised me and created a great moment. He kept Tracks of My Tears so tender and sweet. did i just say those words? no makeup, no nail polish, suit, accoustic band - WOW! he showed so much control in his vocal and performance. i was amazed.

Bottom three: Michael, Megan and Scott but Lil is not totally safe.

thots?