American Idol – Recap & Review – Top 4

photo: fox

American Idol
Top 4

Original Air Date: May 5, 2009

Patricia Morris Buckley — Associate Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Only two singers — Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta — last night proved they can really perform rock’n’roll. And yet only one of them — Adam — is assured a spot in the semi-finals. It just ain’t fair.

You know what else ain’t fair? That Danny Gokey can perform a travesty on our ears with that scream at the end of “Dream On” and still get the judges’ praise. And probably will still go on to the next round.

The night started with Ryan warning us that this show would be “very live.” Before we got too confused by that statement, the camera showed us that several pieces of the set had fallen. In fact, stage manager Debbie Williams had been injured and taken an ambulance to the hospital (she’s doing OK). As a result, contestants had only a 30-minute dress rehearsal that day.

Yes, very live indeed.

Ryan announced a couple of “firsts.” As rocker Slash of Guns ‘n Roses would be the mentor, he took them to a club (Roxie on the Sunset Strip) to work with him instead of to the contestants’ mansion. There, Slash’s band worked through the contestants’ songs at full volume. Second, each contestant would pair up for a duet, so we would hear six songs total during the show.

Surprisingly, Adam went first. It feels as if he’s had the last “pimp spot” more than any other contestant in history. Perhaps this is just fair play.

ADAM LAMBERT: Whole Lotta Love by Led Zepplin

For the first time in a while, Adam doesn’t travel far from the original. He’s in his full rocker regalia and clearly shows us he is very comfortable and masterful in this genre. Not my cup of tea, but it’s obviously one hell of a performance.

Randy says this is the Adam he loves and calls him a “rock star.” Kara ups Randy’s bid by calling Adam a “rock god.” Paula adds that he’s “a whole lot of perfect.” Simon jokes that the performance is a little understated, but admits it could have been a disaster, yet its one of Adam’s best performances and claims that “no one can top that now.”

ALLISON IRAHETA: Cry Baby by Janis Joplin

Allison has new hair that looks great on her (she tells us Adam’s hairdresser had done it). This doesn’t seem like the best song for her. She’s wonderful, but the song doesn’t do her justice.

Randy didn’t like the song choice as there’s little melody. Kara thinks the bluesy sound suits her and liked that we saw her personality. Paula calls her “fearless” and thinks she’d be good in a Joplin biopic. Simon notes that she’s grown in the last eight weeks and calls her vocals terrific, but thinks she tried to sound too much like the original. Allison points out that she liked the song, and Simon says he likes the fact that she’s arguing for herself (yeah, sure he did).

KRIS ALLEN and DANNY GOKEY: Renegade by Styx

It doesn’t seem fair that they have to do a duet before singing their solos for the competition… or maybe this is a good warm up. But right away, we can tell they’re not having fun. Kris does not look happy when they finish.

Randy likes the harmonies and thinks they compliment each other. Kara says there were pitchy moments, but they were strong when they sang together. Paula calls it powerful and compelling. Simon tells Kris that Danny was better and Kris now looks pissed.

KRIS ALLEN: Come Together by the Beatles

In the short interview, Kris shows he hasn’t really improved on his public speaking. This song sounds more in his comfort zone and might appeal to voters who don’t like the harder edge of Adam and Allison. He changes it up more than the others, but still not very much.

Randy appreciates that he can be himself. Kara says he’s the definitely the softer side of rock, but wasn’t thrilled by the performance and felt he tried too hard. Paula likes that he put his signature all over it. Simon didn’t like it at all and compares it to eating ice for lunch because it “leaves you with nothing to remember after.”

DANNY GOKEY: Dream On by Aerosmith

At first it seems a good fit for his raspy voice, but in the mentor video, Slash tells him it only works if kills the scream at the end. Danny doesn’t even come close – in fact, what he does is downright painful. Like a hyena-giving-birth painful. And what was with that scatting doo-doo-doo in the middle of the chorus? Don’t think Aerosmith would approve.

Randy points out (duh) that this isn’t his genre, says it’s all right and gives him an A+ for effort. Kara likes how he added swagger and edge to his voice, but thinks he took it too far. Paula agrees that the song choice is wrong but gives him A++ for effort. Simon says that the last scream was like watching a horror movie but predicts he’ll still be safe.

ALLISON and ADAM: Slow Ride by Foghat

There isn’t much harmony and mostly it’s a “you got this line, I’ve got the next” kind of duet. But their voices definitely compliment each other and you can feel they’re having fun singing together. Probably the best performance of the night because of that alone.

Randy calls them true seasoned rockers and begs them to do a duet on their future albums. Kara says they pushed each other to do better. Paula calls their blend “perfect” and adds that they are totally in sync with each other. Simon tells Adam that he may have helped Allison stay in the competition because of that.

So Adam (and Allison) ended up with the pimp spot after all. And rightly so. I hope Simon is right and that this last number is enough to keep Allison in the competition.

For a long time now, I’ve really wanted an Adam-Kris-Allison semifinal. But after last night, I think the only one safe is Adam (more so because he was in the bottom two last week – his fans probably came out full force voting for him this week). I really could see Allison, Kris or Danny going,

Kris had an OK performance this week, but Simon’s right that it wasn’t that memorable. I hope people remember all the times he changed up a song so perfectly and that he and Adam are the top downloaded AI artists on iTunes.

Danny, despite a strong performance last week, really bombed last night and should clearly be the one to go home. But the judges still praised him and that could tip the scale to his benefit. Plus, he has a huge fan base.

And by talking back to the judges, Allison could have come off as cute or too sassy (think Lil Rounds) – depending on your point of view.

I think Danny should go, but I’m more worried about Kris. Meanwhile, I voted until my fingers ached last night for Adam and Allison.

Who did you vote for? Who do you think should go home? And does it even matter to their careers at this stage of the game/ Give us your Two Cents…