American Idol--Top 10--Motown

It's Motown night, and for some reason I feel optimistic about tonight's show.

They are still doing the dreadful judge introductions. That is the easiest announcer job on TV. He reads five names and then goes home to cash his paycheck. Blech.

So Simon is looking for the singers to make the songs original. We'll see.

Smokey Robinson is the mentor, so that should be good.

It is amazing how much plastic surgery Smokey has had. He must have gone to the same guy who took care of Kenny Rogers.

Matt Giraud--"Let's Get It On"--Marvin Gaye
I love this song. I hope it goes well. I think it is great. He does a great job of starting with the piano and then moving to stage performer. A few notes got away from him, but Matt seems to really be in a groove these last couple of weeks. He's entertaining. As far as original, it didn't set the world on fire, but it was truly him. My only complaint was I would have prefered this WITHOUT backup singers. Judges are aboard the Matt love train. I might check out this version on iTunes.

Strangely enough, Simon wants originality, but the version you download on iTunes will be the original instrumental backing. So original is good enough for the show, but not good enough for the downloads? I wonder if this Motown's way of preventing a Middle Eastern version of a song being released. Sorry, Adam!

Kris Allen--"How Sweet It Is"--Marvin Gaye
Another great song! I love me some Marvin Gaye, but I also am rather fond of James Taylor's version of this. Again, I thought this was great. The first half was pretty faithful to the James Taylor version, but the second half was more original. Nice! In my opinion we are two-for-two this evening. It's lame that he hasn't gone later in the show. I hope he gets some votes, because he deserves to stay. Judges are nice to him.

Scott MacIntyre--"You Can't Hurry Love"--Diana Ross and the Supremes
I hope Scott is more energetic this week with his performance as he is starting to bore me. This is his best job since the Top 13. He still has some valleys in his song that bore me, but the vocals were stronger, and he made some interesting choices with the melody. Not as good as the first two. Not a miss by any means though. Judges were mixed. I agree with Simon that I would have much preferred to hear him sing "Reach Out and Touch."

We have to witness some pre-planned schtick where Paula gives Simon some coloring books and crayons. Yawn.

Megan Joy (Corkrey)--"For Once in My Life"--Stevie Wonder
I am actually bracing myself for a mess here. It's actually not the worst thing I've ever heard, but here's the deal. I get the whole strange vocal thing, but she really comes across as someone I would hear on a cruise ship. That cabaret approach is different, but I don't think that quirk is enough to make her great. She's good, yes. Better than good? Nope. Pitchy and inconcistent. Judges are not feeling it.

Anoop Desai--"Ooh Baby Baby"--Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
I'm expecting this to be good. It's not as wonderful as I wanted. It's very competently done. He has a nice falsetto, but I didn't get goosebumps. He seemed behind the beat, and that made it seem sluggish. However, there is nothing awful about it. Judges are positive but cautiously so.

Michael Sarver--"Ain't Too Proud to Beg"--The Temptations
Smokey warns him not to make this too sweet. He sang the song okay, but I don't think he "sang" it well at all. I didn't feel any connection between him and the lyrics. Also, the vocals were weak. Meh. Truly. Judges aren't kind.

Lil Rounds--"Heat Wave"--Martha and the Vandellas
This should be good. Nice job! Honestly I think her lower range is weaker than her high, but she was still in her element. I thought it would be better. Not perfect, but this showed some hints of what she is capable. Judges are more negative than I was.

Adam Lambert--"Tracks of My Tears"--Smokey Robinson
Just Adam and acoustic backing. Wow! He looks like young Elvis (with gauge earrings, natch). And I loved the emotional, minimalist approach. His voice really stand out in this. Great job! I will download this version off of iTunes (though I would rather get THIS arrangement rather than the original instrumentation). He gets a standing O from Smokey and the audience. Someone should tell Kara that "One of the best performances of the night" is eight words, not six. Judges praise him highly and deservedly so.

Danny Gokey--"Get Ready"--The Temptations
I just love the tone of Danny's voice. Again, he's energetic and in the pocket. The build at the end wasn't the best, but this was great. Nice job!

Allison Iraheta--"Papa Was a Rolling Stone"--The Temptations
I love this song. A small lyrical bobble aside, this kicked some major butt. Allison sings with grit and emotion. I will download this one as well. Way to end the show! Judges loved her.

Some obvious weak points tonight, but overall, I really liked this show. Some great songs sung well.The final three seems pretty easy to pick, but the one going home? Who knows?