Wednesday night was “American Idol’s” annual salute to the music of Motown, and the standout performer wasn’t one that most would have expected.
The prospect of Adam Lambert singing “Tracks of My Tears” brought back memories of last week, when Lambert entertained the audience but stunned Randy Travis into silence after his unique take on “Ring of Fire.” After rehearsals, which saw Lambert strip down the song and make it slower and sweeter, guest mentor Smokey Robinson said, “I’ve never heard it sung like that,” which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
But Lambert stole the show with his slow and sweet performance. The big shock, however, was the look. Lambert looked as if he had travelled back to the 1950s, with hair slicked back with enough grease to keep a car running for three months or 3,000 miles.
Lambert was so good that he caused Kara DioGuardi to lose her basic math skills. She said she had six words for Lambert: “one of the best performances of the night.”
The judges also were impressed with Allison Iraheta and her take on “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” The teenager has an uphill battle, with a rocker style that doesn’t tend to play well in the competition, but after she was the third-lowest vote-getter a week ago, the judges did their part to drum up votes for her.
“You might be 16, but you are one of the dopest singers in the competition,” Randy Jackson said. “That was blazing hot.”
“America, you’ve got to vote for her this week,” Kara added. “That [vocal] was from God. You can’t teach that.”
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American Idol - Season 8
Kris Allen also won points for originality for performing “How Sweet It Is” with his guitar. The only criticism that came out was his confidence, since Allen still carries himself like someone who snuck onstage and is afraid of being found out. “Even the way you’re standing now, you could be at a bus stop,” Simon Cowell said.
The other singer to stand out was Matt Giraud, who did well once he stood up, backed away from the piano, and brought more than weird facial expressions to his stage management on “Let’s Get it On.”
“I think there a lot of girls out there going ‘yeahhhh. Let’s get it on,’” Kara said. Giraud is hoping she’s right, and that they stop fantasizing enough to vote.
Gokey, Rounds, slipped this weekA pair of favorites didn’t receive as much love.
The clip editors kneecapped Danny Gokey this week. After playing a clip where Robinson told him to sing the end of the lines for “Get Ready” rather than leaving them for the background singers, the actual performance saw Gokey ignore that advice and leave the vocals hanging. Most agreed that the result was good but not great.
Paula Abdul, however, had her prepared soundbite ready anyway. “You are undeniable, identifiable, always reliable for giving us a first-class performance every week,” she said.
Lil Rounds said she was singing for all of the great Motown women who paved her way, and she certainly looked the part in the 60s-hairstyle and dress. But apart from Paula, who stood up and danced, the judges weren’t thrilled.
Simon called it an authentic tribute to the sounds of Motown but he still didn’t like the song choice, saying she missed her chance at “a moment.” That was the fairest criticism of the night, as Rounds’ issue was mostly a lack of meeting expectations on a night they hoped she’d shine.
“You were the diva tonight that everyone was waiting to hear,” Kara said. “We need more from you right now.”
The rest of the singers were mostly forgettable, though Anoop Desai was bailed out by the judges. Desai slowed things down with “Ooh, Baby Baby,” a big risk given that it’s a slow and boring song that is difficult to sing. He’d have been in big trouble if the criticism had been harsher, and as it was, he’ll have to hope that his fans stayed awake long enough to write down the right number to call.
All four judges liked the vocals, for the most part, and agreed that he’d had two good weeks in a row. But they’d also like to see more energy from him in the coming weeks. “It was a great vocal, but I think you looked like you were half-asleep up there,” Simon said.
Paula warned Scott MacIntyre a week ago that he needed to take more risks on stage, though what kind of choreography she would prefer the first blind finalist in “Idol” history to go with instead was left unsaid. The background singers performed alongside MacIntyre’s piano this week, but that wasn’t enough to make it stand out as anything other than, as Randy put it, “a very hotel kind of performance.”
“That, as a standalone performance, I’ve heard that a million billion times,” Simon added.
However, Simon’s comment prompted Paula to break out crayons and two coloring books that she had prepared as props, apparently considering Simon a child sitting next to her. It cracked him up, if no one else.
For once in the competition, Megan Joy sang with confidence when she performed “For Once in My Life.” It may be a long time before she does so again.
Robinson praised her rehearsal and loved that she was “a half-jazz, half-cabaret-type singer.” The issue with that is that “Idol” is rarely kind to either jazz or cabaret singers, much less a hybrid.
“The good news is you look good. The bad news it was horrible,” Simon said. “Whoever is advising you, I would fire … I think you could be in serious trouble after tonight’s performance." Remember, this is from the judge who praised her performing through illness last time, saying she should perform with the flu every week.
Speaking of illness, Michael Sarver missed the contestants' Detroit trip because he was sick. When Smokey Robinson came to Hollywood, he was less impressed with Sarver than he was with the other finalists, and that carried over to the judges’ station as well. Even Paula didn’t approve, saying, “It kind of felt a little Las Vegas loungey for me.”
Sarver agreed that it wasn’t great, but said he was satisfied with the effort. “I’ve made it to the top 10 of American Idol, the greatest show in the world. I’m having a blast. This is amazing,” he said.
But if the viewers liked it as little as the judges did, that amazing experience might not last much longer.
Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.