StoneRose Valley My Thoughts, Expressions, and Passions

Meant to post this a LONG time ago….well, here it is finally. Hope you enjoy!

Kara DioGuardi…she is an incredible songwriter…and a pretty good singer too.

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Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Video's

Once again, it’s that time of year. The Finale of finales’ has arrived.

We have Rod Stewart, Black-Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper, Lional Richie, Keith Urban, Queen Latifah, Carlos Santana, Jason Mraz, and David Cook, all gracing the stage tonight (reportedly).

Right now, we have the top thirteen performing Pink’s “So What”; great to see some old faces-Alexis Grace, for example! That was interesting; hearing the last words uttered by these thirteen contestants “I want to start a fight!”, while all decked out in white….yeah, this is american idol.

David Cook is performing “Permament” in honor of his brother, Adam, who passed away a few weeks ago. All the proceeds from the I-tunes sales of this song will go to charity.
It is wonderful to see David on this stage again…this man, is, IMO, hands-down the BEST american idol winner ever. He is the embodiment of everything that an A-I is supposed to be. He was obviously very touched by this song. That was another thing I loved about DC, the emotion he showed during his performances.

Now we get a tribute…Norman Gentle, anyone?
And I was right, Nick Mitchel, aka, Norman Gentle wins the male contestant tribute. And he takes the stage, singing for us one more time…wasn’t that something.

Queen Latifah is singing “Cue the Rain” with Lil Rounds…this is the kind of music Lil should be singing. But I’m tired of it already; can we move on now?

The top thirteen (minus Adam and Kris) are performing “I’m Yours” now with Jason Mraz; love Alexis Grace, as usual. She and Anoop each got their little solo’s.

Now we watch Kris’ journey through A-I…was so proud of him as I watched this.
We get to hear Kris perform with Keith Urban, “Kiss A Girl”.  These guys sound great together! Great choice putting Kris with Keith. Thoroughly enjoyed this performance.

The girls are performing now. Not liking Megan Joy or her outfit. Allison looks nice; Jasmine is darling! And Allison introduces Fergie…not one of my favorite singers out there. Now that number is over; Allison introduces Black-Eyed Peas. A-I blacks out a bit of the number…and when they brought it back, I changed the channel.

Back to the “Golden Idol”; tribute to those with the “best attitude”. Katrina; Tiffany Shedd; another girl in there; are the contenders….but the winner is Katrina. Yeah. Wasn’t a fan of her, either. So, once again, the channel changed.

Allison Iraheta takes the stage with Cyndi Lauper, singing “Time After Time”. Great performance by Allison. There’s something about this night; maybe because it’s no longer a competition, but more a time to have fun. Just much more relaxed.

Ryan talks with both Kris and Adam’s parents.

Back to the stage is Danny Gokey, singing “Hello”. Awesome song-one of my fav’s ever since DC did it last year. Danny’s performance is no David, but still quite enjoyable. Good song for him. Now Danny introduces Lional Richie for their duet; they’re doing a medley of Richie’s songs. Loved this! Also, this was the sort of music Danny said he wanted to do. I would definitely buy his album.

Now we get a glimpse of Adam’s journey….What in the world is he wearing?! That was a boring song….Now he’s singing with Kiss. All I can say is…did we just get transported to the circus?! These people are seriously disturbing. But Adam fits right in. I can’t say anything more about this. The scream in the middle didn’t even sound like it fit in the song, but it was like they said, “oh, we have to put an Adam signature scream in”, and so did. Just weird.

Guitar legend Carlos Santana is performing “Black Magic Woman”….we hear an awesome solo by Matt. Now we get the top thirteen for “Smooth”. Adam heads the group up; Jorge follows with some creepy moves; and then some awesome solo’s by Kris and Danny. Great number! Absolutely loved it!

Ryan promises the results soon. Final Ford Music Video…nice one; featuring clips from all the video’s this season…the song is “I Will Remember You”. David Cook shows up to hand over the keys for the guys new Ford Fusions….man, I need to get on this show.

Steve Martin, Megan Joy, and Michael Sarver are all on-stage singing “Pretty Flowers”…Steve with a banjo. What is this? Hilarious…my fam called it the “Clampett’s”. lol  Enjoyed Micheal…but he and Megan didn’t sound good together…I think that was Megan. Steve slips in a joke; when asked who he hope’s is the winner after tonight, Steve replied “I know it’s kind of a long shot, but I hope I do!”.

The guys from the top thirteen are back singing a pretty cool (and a bit funny) version of “Do You Think I’m Sexy”. Adam introduces Rod Stewart  after the guys are finished. Stewart is singing his “Maggie May”.

Last Golden Idol of the evening we are told…”Outstanding Female”….nominees are Chelsea, Irene, Dana, and Tatiana Del Torro. Tatiana is going to win this one….I was right. Of course, there’s a lot of drama here; Ryan says he’s out of time and has to cut to the commercial…Tatiana forces her way on stage, grabs the trophy and bursts into song…some escorts try to get her off-stage, but we cut to the commercial before anything else….this was so totally staged.

One of the best numbers tonight, Kris and Adam sing “We Are The Champions” together. Queen joins onstage with the guitar. The top thirteen join the chorus. Must be nearing the very end. Love watching the comraderie between the two guys as they share the stage here at the end. These guys sounded great together.

Soon, we will hear the results. My guess is that Kris wins….but it really could be either of them.

Simon said that either one could win and deserve it. 100 million votes…wow.
And the winner is….KRIS ALLEN!!!!! So totally deserved…and he still remains humble.
The judges make me so embarrassed…they really had a look as if to say “this is SO wrong”. I think Kris has shown amazing artistry this season; consistently growing each week, more so than any other contestant.
He sings once more “No Boundaries”…I like him singing this; and despite what others say, calling it a ‘corny’ song-I like it. Afterwards, before the station cuts, we see Kris locked into a hug with his wife. This man is amazing, I’ll say it again.

And so ends another season of american idol. I have to admit, I’m relieved that I don’t have to keep up with this show twice a week anymore. It will be nice to have my Tuesday and Wednesday evenings back.

“American Idol Hall of Fame”

Kelly Clarkson
Reuben Studdard
Fantasia Barrino
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Hicks
Jordan Sparks
David Cook
Kris Allen

“These names will go down in musical history as some of the best. Congratulations to each of you. And welcome to Kris Allen. Sometimes, slow and steady still wins the race.”

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music

My favorites from last night…I think Adam and Allison both did good jobs, just didn’t catch my attention and hold it.

As usual, Kris put in a fantabulous performance. It didn’t really sound disco to me…but that’s what makes him so good. He was able to take a disco song (the requirement) and turn it into himself. As Kara said, I could see this on Kris’ album.

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Matt Giraud set out to prove that that judges save last week wasn’t used for nothing. I really liked his rendition of Staying Alive…

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Danny Gokey brought back some punch to his music…I was thinking that his voice sounded strained the last two weeks; much better last night.

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Anoop Desai…this guy is getting better each week. I’m just not sure that it happened soon enough; don’t think his fan base is large enough to pull him through unfortunately.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Video's

The disco week is here! Still, not really excited about this, contrary to Ryan calling this night a “very exciting week”.

We still have seven contestants due to Matt’s win of the save last week (great performance!), so two will be leaving tomorrow night.

Lil Rounds is singing “I’m Every Woman”. She definitely is getting better at picking her songs. That Lil with the big voice we heard in the beginning of the season is back. I really didn’t have any complaints to make.

Randy said it “sounded so wild; still didn’t show us what kind of artist you are and what you can really do in this competition; or your vocal control”.
Kara told Lil, “we’ve all been waiting to hear you sing Chaka Khan…maybe not worth the wait”.
Paula told us that Lil had “no voice yesterday; I applaud your recovery. You were hot tonight, but maybe not boiling; remarkable recovery though”.
Simon thinks this is the “last week for you. There was no originality; the arrangement, vocals were a mess”.
I think the judges were all way too harsh with Lil tonight. It’s like they’ve made up their minds that she just has to go no matter what.

Kris Allen chose “She Works Hard For The Money” by Donna Summer. Interesting choice; I gotta say I love the stage setup. Reminds me of Katherine McPhee’s “Black Horse and The Cherry Tree” several seasons ago. No one can complain that this isn’t original. Has Kris written all over it. That last phrase was fantastic. Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Polls

Well, here we are again. Another results show. Who’s leaving? I’m going to say either Lil or Matt….I hope it’s not Matt.

The top seven performed ‘She’s A Maniac’ by Hall and Oates. I have to say I LOVED this group number. Especially Kris, Anoop, and Matt’s parts. Have to say I wasn’t a fan of Adam, Danny, or Allison on this one…

I missed the Ford Music Video this week…my TV completely lost the signal. If you missed it like me, catch it here.

Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Quotes

It’s the night: Songs of the Cinema! And we have Quentin Tarantino working with the contestants. I’m not expecting him to be lenient with them.

Missed the intro due to my TV not receiving the channel correctly…same ole’ story.

OK, so same format as always, right? I’ll sum up my thoughts on a contestant, tell you what they’re singing, and what the judges said. After that, I’ll share which were my favorites, and who was a dissapointment. And finally, I’ll include a poll or two at the end…a little interaction, since you all are scared stiff to leave any sort of comment…lol

Allison Iraheta picked, from the movie Armaggedon, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”. My initial thought: Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Music, Polls

Polls are at the end of this post.

Danny Gokey starts the night out with Micky Gilley’s version of “Stand by Me”. Not Danny’s best, but a solid performance nonetheless. His voice is carrying him straight through this part of the contest.

Randy told Danny “You…came out with the gospel/jazz, r&b chords. Even though I didn’t love the arrangement you made me love the song”.
Kara was thinking “what kind of arrangement is this?” but said Danny “killed it…turned it on it’s head; really unique!”
Paula said he “opened the show, and set the bar so high, everyone’s going to have to run to catch up”; also loving his “creative liberties, and the chord subsidies”.
Simon called the beginning good, the middle lazy, and the end terrific; saying that overall it was “great!”

Kris Allen chose “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”. Kris also chose to sing in the pit, playing his guitar; this gave off a very relaxed atmosphere during his song. I didn’t think this was Kris’ best either, but it was also a solid performance. Nothing stood out greatly to me, unfortunately.

Kara said it “felt like jazz/funk homework. It kinda lost a lot of it’s youth”.
Paula called it “heartfelt and genuine”; also calling Kris “one of the most likable contestants we’ve ever had”.
Simon agreed that Kris is likable, but called the performance “indulgent, boring, and forgettable. You came over as a guitarist who wanted to sing instead of a singer playing guitar”.
Randy agreed with Simon that the “arrangement was a little self indulgent”. He said that Kris got lost; reminding him “You’re the singer; you’re in the competition, not the song”.

“What’s Love Got To Do With It” was the song Lil Rounds chose this week. Personally, I’m not a fan of her stylist; I feel like the personality of Lil has been lost in her ‘new style’. But as regards her voice and performance: I think the girl is finally getting back to picking the right songs! The note at the end broke, but other than that, one of Lil’s best performances; certainly better than the last couple of weeks.

Paula called Lil a “brilliant vocalist, but that only gets you so far”. Paula felt that Lil didn’t make the song her own.
Simon said “we’re not looking for a second or third rate Tina Turner…other than some nice parts at the end, it was literally like we’ve lost you”.
Randy said Lil has “mad, mad talent”, but said she just was “not clicking right now”.
Kara said this competition is “about making that leap from a singer to an artist’, and didn’t think Lil has made that leap.

Anoop Desai is singing “True Colors”; I think this was a really wise choice for him. I thought his transitions from chest to head voice went very smoothly overall. Very nice vocal tonight from Anoop.

Randy thought the vocal “very nice…very controlled” and told Anoop “you can actually sing!”
Kara said that Anoop showed that he “can take a pop song and interpret it with soul!”
Paula thought the “choice of song: flawless. Phrasing: beautiful. You showed your true colors”.
Simon called him “a singing yo-yo. Last week was [terrible]; this week was very good. Take a song and make it your version. Wasn’t fantastic though”.

Scott MacIntyre went with “The Search Is Over”, also playing guitar. I have to say I love seeing a new side to Scott; he’s keeping things interesting. And I enjoyed his vocal.

Kara said he “took on a very difficult song; it had some good moments but also had some off moments. Not your best; there were parts I liked and parts that were too ambitious for you”.
Paula gave him credit for stepping away from the comfort zone of the piano. When she commented on the guitar, Scott remarked that it was his “punk side coming out”; Paula laughed and said he had a “wonderful sense of humor”. She thought some of the high notes came out a “little bit screeching, but overall good”.
Simon recommended he “go back to the piano”, calling the song “atrocious. The guitar and song didn’t go together…the choice was wrong”.
Randy said it was all just “OK. The song, vocals…Didn’t show you as a star. I want to see you leap off the stage vocally”.
I totally had to disagree with Simon here….

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”, to me at first thought a strange choice for Allison Iraheta, I have to change my mind. I think she put her own touch on the song. Good vocal, great interpretation! Also, the outfit was 10 x’s better than last week!

Paula said the “great thing about having you in this competition is you just hear one note and it’s undeniably Allison. You gave all of your heart in this song. This was the same arrangement as the original, but you made it our own”.
Simon thinks “you’re really good, I really do. We need to sort you out and make you more likable though. I still don’t know much about you”.
Randy said Allison “remind[s] me so much of a contestant from season one; she can sing her face off and so can you”!
Kara said that “to take adult content like that song and make it believable and young; that’s talent”.

Matt Giraud is singing Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lovers”.
Not as good as ‘So Small’ or “Who’s Loving You’, so not Matt’s best, but better than most of what we’ve seen tonight…

Randy said that it was “vocally one of the best of the night”.
Kara called Matt “incredibly talented”.
Paula gave Matt a “standing O”.
Simon had two words; “well done”.

Adam Lambert is singing “Mad World” by Tears for Fears; this is honestly his best vocal EVER! This performance, for the first time, made me think that Adam really could make it in the music industry. This was amazing!

Simon said “the bad news is we’re running out of time. Good news is I’m the only one who is going to say anything. Words aren’t necesarry but I’m going to give you a standing ovation”, and he proceeded to do so.
Totally deserved!

Best of the night: Adam. Usually, I think he’s so overrated with all the talk of “in a league of his own”…but tonight, he truly was.
Other standouts: Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey, and Allison Iraheta.
People in Trouble: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Kris Allen. I’m worried about Kris, not that he did badly tonight…but it was forgettable. He has put so much in the past weeks, rising head and shoulders above the rest; I just hope people remember the past couple of weeks, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “How Sweet It Is“, and “To Make You Feel My Love” while they’re voting.

Note to self: I wonder how much Adam’s standing ovation from Simon had to do with the fact that they cheated him on the time and had to end the show instead of letting al of the judges comment…? Think about it, would Simon still have given him a standing O? I really don’t think so…I think Adam did deserve an ovation, possibly by Paula or Kara, maybe even Randy…but hardcore Simon? I think that was just to keep people happy. What do you think?

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Verses, Video's

Kris Allen, during Grand Ole Opry week, blew everyone away; by far the best of the night! Well, IMO. This young man has brought his game up each week. He sang “To Make You Feel My Love”, putting his own twist on the song and making it completely his own. I loved seeing him take a huge chance by choosing to quietly sit onstage and sing instead of jumping around with some crowd-pleaser song. I mean, come on; this was country week! No-one would have blamed him. This guy is a gutsy performer, and a progressing artist. I fall in love with this artist more each and every time I hear him.
This video doesn’t have the clearest picture, but all you really need are the vocals anyway.

Matt Giraud is another artist that just gets better each time he performs. To be honest, I really disliked him when the competition began…no more. He’s proven that he is deserving of recognition and in this to win. And his hands on those ivory keys! He not only is a talented singer, but an extraordinary pianist as well. And Matt shows he can be gutsy too by taking Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” and turning it into his own.

I have to say that I really enjoyed Alexis Grace’s “Jolene”. I loved hearing that softer side to her. This is a young mom; she seemed like such a sweet girl in her audition. All the “dirty”, well, it had it’s places, but I would have liked to see more of this side of her. I thought she did a wonderful job; loved hearing her use her head voice in addition to the chest voice she usually uses. So, no; I don’t believe she should have gone yet at all.
Here’s the studio version, I couldn’t find another that had the complete song.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Video's

The results show is here. We will be hearing Brady Paisley, and I duet from Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood before the show is over.

Who will be leaving tonight? After yesterday’s performances, there is no telling. The favorites came out towards the bottom, and some of the tail catchers showed up with what they really can do.

The top eleven is giving out a rousing rendition of…I’m not sure. Maybe TROUBLE; that or a medley. But it sure is good and rousing. Genius putting Scott on the piano. Probably makes him a whole lot more comfortable and allows the other guys to get out some choreography on the floor.

“Here It Goes Again” was the song for the Ford Music Video. IMO, it wasn’t nearly as good as last weeks.

Enjoyed seeing the clips from the going away party for Jorge and Jasmine. And LOVED Jorge’s comment; “Don’t get too comfortable, ’cause we’re not the only ones who will be eliminated!” And all this with a twinkle in his eye! Loved it!

Ryan was pretty hilarious tonight; with all the flu talk.

But to the results.

Danny is up first; and will be heading on to the tour.
Lil is next; her song was Independence Day…was probably not her best performance in retrospect. But she is safe.
Anoop is also safe after his very good performance last night.
Allison and Michael are standing now. Allison was called “dope” by Randy….Michael was criticized a little more. Ryan asks Paula who she thinks should be in the bottom…to which Paula is rather flustered. Ryan, from her ramblings, brought out the comment that Paula would be surprised to see anyone in the bottom three! Hilarious! Paula is so sweet, but sometimes….well, she makes for some comic relief also. Of course, Ryan egged that on some too.
We are told that Allison is in the bottom three. But with a cruel twist, after making Michael think that he is safe, he also is told to head for the three stools on-stage and join Allison.

At this point, we get to hear Brad Paisley perform his single, “Then”. I really like Brad’s voice. I told my youngest sister earlier today that he was performing tonight; usually, she’s not a fan of A-I, but she said she was definitely going to watch it tonight with me just to see him. Strange, but Paisley looks a lot like a friend of mine. They both are singers, both in the country genre, but they have very different voices. But now I’m just rambling. Paisley just finished and I really liked it. My sister loved it. And my ‘baby’ brother walked in with this comment; “Oh, is that the one they’re kicking off tonight?” To which my sisters and I burst out in laughter, “Of course, they’re kicking Brad Paisley off American Idol!” Gave the four of us some kicks. lol.

Now we are continuing with the results.
Scott is up. He is safe. We’ll be seeing Scott on the tour.
Megan is up…and I wonder, with panic, why she’s already standing up?! She’s safe; I really don’t believe this.
Matt is standing…and is safe.
That leaves us with Kris and Adam. What?! Kris is safe, and Adam–?!
Oh, no. I forgot Alexis. Now we have Alexis and Adam. Randy thinks Alexis will be in the bottom three. And he is right.
Adam is safe, leaving Alexis to join Michael and Allison on the stage.

One is sent back to safety…and that is Allison.
We now have to suffer through another commercial break. After the break, we’ll probably hear from Randy and Carrie…and then we will finally learn if it will be Alexis or Michael leaving. Personally, I think it’ll be Michael. As you may have already noted, only one of my original bottom three guesses are actually in the bottom three. I didn’t expect to see Alexis here at all. If she is the bottom pick this week, I hope the judges exercise their save, ’cause Alexis is really so talented and has so much potential; it would be just so wrong for her to leave.

Back to the show. Indeed, we do get to hear Carrie and Randy’s duet. My sisters and I are wondering what in the world happened to her hair?
For the first time ever together live, here is Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis performing “I Told You So”.
This song is so sweet! I love it.

Back to the bottom two. Simon shares, at Ryan’s prompting, that they would consider saving one of the two. I think that would be Alexis. We’ll see, though.

OMW–Alexis is the last. Michael is safe. Simon said she was the one who they were thinking of saving. We get to hear her one more time. I don’t think her vocals are as good as they were last night, but she is showing a whole lot more fight.

The verdict is: a good performance, but not good enough. I am still in shock. She is going to go so far. Honestly, she was the one with, by far, the most marketability. I believe someone will offer this girl a record deal; if they don’t, they’re fools.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Music

We’re going country this week with Randy Travis. Rumored guest appearances for tomorrow evening are Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley! That’ll be nice.

Keep checking back here, as I will be adding to this post; writing live time as the night unfolds.

As usual, I will also be opening a poll immediately following the show-so be sure to share your own opinions!

Randy Travis called this season’s group the strongest he has seen yet on American Idol. Very true.

Michael Sarver is opening this night with “Ain’t Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up”. I thought he would do very well in country night…but it proved to be just a “fun” song, and didn’t end up really showcasing his voice; in my opinion.

Randy ; to be honest, I didn’t catch what he said.
Kara loved the personality Michael showed; but was sad that “we didn’t get to hear the big notes”. She did find it “impressive that you got all those words in!”
Paula said it was a great song; “allowed us to see you having fun and let us have fun consequently. I love the harmonica player!”
Simon thought it should have been good, given that this genre is the one that Michael would seem to do quite well in. “But,” Simon said, “I couldn’t understand a word”. He called it a “bit clumsy. Point is, this is about you coming over as a star. Instead, you came over as a likeable guy…at a kareoke night. On a scale of 1-10 I’d give you a 1.2″.

Allison Iraheta seems to be the one contestant that I always miss the song title of their performance. But I think she’s proving to be quite good in her selection.

Kara said Allison could sing the alphabet and sing it well. “You made that song your own. You keep getting better; really solid”.
Paula called it “another rock solid performance”. Commenting on the “power of your voice and rock edge. Amazing artist!”
Simon thought it “good”, but “a little tuneless in parts”. But said it was rock solid, only verging on precocious a little bit.
Randy “thought it was doped!” What exactly is that suppose to mean?

Kris Allen is singing “To Make You Feel My Love”. I thought this was really nice; this is a solid performance, and he did an amazing job of truly making it his own.

Paula was pleasantly surprised; and loved his “honest, pure, and vulnerable performance”. Commenting on how this song reminded her of “how nice your vocals are. But, make sure your lower vocals are on pitch”.
Simon called it terrific. “Really, really good. A great, great, great choice of song. You were completely in control; didn’t go over the top. This is the first time I genuinely think you have a shot in this competition”. Some good words here.
Randy said Kris “went out on a limb. Tender moments from my dog Kris. I loved it!”
Kara thought it “was beautiful. I didn’t even realize this was country”.

Lil Rounds is singing Martina McBrides “Independence Day”. This was amazing! My favorite performance of hers to date. Of course, I like the song anyway.

Randy thought it a very interesting, ambitious song choice. “The front part was struggling, but chorus got better. Didn’t feel comfortable on you. Just keeping it real”.
Kara said “part of being an artist is to do what you feel. You’re a great singer. There were other songs you could have chosen. But props for standing your ground on this one”.
Paula thought that tonight, “Everything’s spot on for you. But you should have only done one verse and headed on to the chorus ’cause that’s where you shone”.
Simon said that “kinda’ came over as a girl forced to sing at a wedding; it felt and looked uncomfortable. Just wasn’t you”.

Adam Lambert chose “Ring of Fire”. Randy Travis said this version of the song “threw me for a loop”. Hmmm. Props to Adam to staying true to himself. There are some wonderful moments in this…but to be honest, this performance is creeping me out completely. My mum called it “Phantom of the Opera meets Johnny Cash”. I’m sure the judges love it though.

Kara said it was definitely “Adam does country music”. Saying she’d “never seen that rendition” coming,; and calling it “all a little strange. I got the drama…” but she was almost speechless, “strange. I kinda liked it”.
Paula said he was “really someone who stands out; who is true to who you are as an artist. Choice of song was great. Loved the version”. She called him a “quick study and natural talent. We’ll keep  expecting more and more from you”.
Simon’s comment: “what the h-ll was that? There must be a lot of people throwing their TV’s out the window at this point. Was absolute, indulgent, rubbish!”
Randy: “nine-inch nails doing country! Current, young, fresh!”

Scott MacIntyre is singing “Wild Angels”; what a choice! There were some pitch problems in the verse. But the chorus is really quite nice. The back-up singers and the band really were doing some awful stuff. There were good and bad moments in there; but that last note was superb!

Paula said “to me, it was another impressive, lovely performance. You work harder than most people on that stage”. But she thought that the “piano may be turning into a bit of a crutch”; to which Scott replied “we can move it closer!”. Paula said she just wanted to see him “mix it up a bit”.
Simon thought Scott should sit behind that piano as much as he wants. “Both performances last week and this were very similar. I like you a lot; but you’re picking songs that go over my head and I forget them after-wards”.
Randy is “looking for those hot, crazy, unbelievable vocals from you. Looking for the standout vocals”.
Kara summed up the judges comments, saying “we want you to up your game. But you always bring class and poise to that stage”.

Alexis Grace chose a song from Dolly Parton; “Jolene”. I remember Brooke White sang this song last season. But I think Alexis will do a far better job. I’ve got goosebumps listening to her. I love her transitioning from her high register to her low one…it’s hard to make those smooth, but she did an awesome job.

Randy was not sure Alexis “hit the notes quite well. Good song choice but not a great performance”.
Kara thought she lost her edge a bit. Personally, I really liked seeing this part of her.
Paula disagreed, saying it was “more effective than the others think”. Paula loved how Alexis “took an artistic approach. Enjoyed the vulnerable soft side of you”.
Simon said it “was okay. A little sound alike; just not a lot of originality. I think this is going to be one of those performances we’ll forget about later tonight”

Danny Gokey is singing the so popular Carrie Underwood hit, “Jesus Take the Wheel”. In the early part of this song, I really want to see some more personality. The verse was a little bland. Had some great notes in there. The chorus is pretty good. But overall, this wasn’t a great, solid performance by Danny; not like what I know he is capable. Still, it was good. I do like seeing him stay true to who he is. It would be easy to think “That song is way to popular” and not do it. But the message is such a good one. Props for braving it out, Danny.

Kara said “when you hit your stride it’s like none other. The front half was not spectacular”. But she said he “came out of your shell and went soaring straight up”.
Paula disagreed “in some sense. I love it when an artist tells a story. I think Carrie would not only be proud of that, but I think she’d buy the single”.
Simon doesn’t think Carrie would rush out to buy it, but he does “agree with Paula; you can’t start that song head on”. Simon did, on the other hand, have a problem with Danny’s outfit. “What you’re wearing is like you’re going on some polar expedition!”
Randy agreed with Kara. “You got to support the verses; they were a little pitchy in the middle”.

Anoop Desai is singing “Always On My Mind”. I agreed with Randy Travis–”heck, that was good, man!” I don’t think I have anything else to add.

Paula announced that “Anoop is back; he’s back everybody”. She loved how that song “allowed you to have your own interpretation. It fit you like a glove; when you’re allowed to have that space you have such tender, honest, amazing, sweet vocals”.
Simon said Anoop managed, in one week, “to go from zero to hero”. He thought it a great choice of song, and called it “one of my favorite performances tonight. Take it back from last week; you definitely deserve to be in this show. Glad to have you back.”
Randy: “let me just say; this is the reason we wanted you back in this season. I like the arrangement; that was dope!”
Kara called the song a classic one, “almost untouchable”, but thought Anoop did a fantastic job.

Megan Joy Corkrey picked “Walking After Midnight”. I think this was a good choice…given her quirky and very different voice. Not my cup of tea; so I’m afraid I can’t offer much commentary on this one.

Randy was impressed; saying it was the “perfect choice for you”.
Kara agreed; “perfrect song; perfect look”. Kara also shared with us that Megan has the flu. Given that consideration, she did quite good.
Paula commented that Megan had already been to the hospital and back; calling her very professional.
Simon thinks Megan should have flu every week; “Quite good”.

Matt Giraud is the last performer tonight. I’m curious to see how he does in country week. Matt chose “So Small” by Carrie Underwood. I think this was also a good choice, one that Matt can lend his bluesy vibe to. Matt, like Scott did, is playing piano with his performance. Crutch? I don’t think so; the piano is a part of Matt and his artistry. Have you watched those hands of his?! Incredible as they run over the keys; and even in the midst of all that, his vocals still stay strong. This is one talented guy.

Kara said there is “nothing small about you. You’re a true artist; amazing. I just love you”.
Paula applauds the “autheniticity that you bring and your honesty is unparrelled. You are piercing peoples hearts”.
Simon doesn’t think Matt’s had enough credit for his vocals. “Tonight you out-sang Danny. You remind me of Michael Buble”.
Randy called it the “performance of the night. You got it going on!”

Personally, I would place Scott, Adam, and Megan in the bottom three tomorrow night. However, I believe the bottom three will be Scott, Megan, and probably Micheal Sarver.

As always, would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Music