American Idol--Top 11--Grand Ole Opry

I was out of town, so this is late. But here it is.


Country night? Eek! I am VERY frightened by this. This could be hideous!

BUT I thought the same last week, and Michael Jackson night was a welcome surprise. So who knows?

I HATE the judge introductions. Can they be more pompous?

Randy Travis is mentor? That could work.
Michael Sarver--"Ain't Going Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up"--Garth Brooks
Lot of words to get through. It sounds authentic country, but it also sounds forced. He really sounds out of breath after each phrase. I felt tired just listening to it. Just okay. Judges were high on the energy, but lower on the vocals.

Allison Iraheta--"Blame It on Your Heart"--Patty Loveless
Allison has really grown on me. I thought this was great. It was confident and well sung. She fit the genre, but still made the song work for her. Judges were overall positive. I am interested to see she sings every week. That's a win in my book.

Kris Allen--"To Make You Feel My Love"--Garth Brooks
He's singing a stripped-down version. That sounds promising. He doesn't look as comfortable without his guitar. His knee is bouncing throughout the whole intro. Outside of that though, he's great. Very smooth, very clear. He sings a great ballad. No doubt about that. Judges like it too. Good for him!

Lil Rounds--"Independence Day"--Martina McBride
Lil says that she's going to keep this country instead of 'R-and-B'-ing it up. I don't know how smart that is. Actually, it's not bad. Parts are really nice. I found the beginning to be a bit boring and lifeless, but she seemed to get into a groove as the song went on. Not my favorite performance by her, but it wasn't bad. It seems like Randy really wants her to stay in her "belt" box. Simon enjoys calling Lil, "Little."

Adam Lambert--"Ring of Fire"--Johnny Cash
Interesting choice. I'm interested to see if he can make this song his own AND not be obnoxious about it. I really like Adam, but I think he likes to walk a very thin line. Adam has apparently found a version with a Middle Eastern flair. Hmm... He left Randy Travis speechless. And he leaves me speechless. He was definitely unique and stayed true to his theatrical self. The rendition was odd, but it kind of worked. I know he will be panned by the judges, but I thought it was interesting. I think it's too different from the original for my tastes (Why mess with a good melody?), but you can't fault him for backing off. Simon was the only negative voice among the judges. At least it was interesting.


Scott MacIntyre--"Wild Angels"--Martina McBride
Another Martina song? No more country artists? The last week or so I have found myself increasingly bored with Scott's voice, but this week was a "bit" better. There were some pitch problems that stood out toward the end, but this was a more lively performance than weeks past. Judges were mixed, more negative towards song choice than Scott himself. The judges all disagreed with one another while pretty much saying the same thing.
Alexis Grace--"Jolene"--Dolly Parton
Mixed bag here. She started off well, but her money note was off. She emotes well. This was a misstep for Alexis. Kind of fell apart at times. Judges (minus Paula) were pretty negative as well.

Danny Gokey--"Jesus Take the Wheel"--Carrie Underwood
I was hoping he would sing "Next Time That He Cheats." Overall, a great job. There were moments that he sounded "slightly" off. Still, he is the best there is with emoting a lyric. He is guaranteed a career from this show. Judges were positive though Randy and Kara didn't like the beginning.

Anoop Desai--"You're Always on my Mind"--Willie Nelson
I love Willie's version of this. I hope I like Anoop's. And the verdict is... I like it. A lot. This is the same vein as Kris' performance earlier. It's not a lot of fireworks, but it's sweet, clear, and well sung. This made me forget the awful "Beat It" of last week. This is the Anoop that can last longer in this competition. Judges were wholly complimentary, saying that it might be the best performance of the night. It's hard for me to disagree.

Megan Joy Corkrey--"Walking After Midnight"--Patsy Cline
Umm... Megan ditched her last name? Now she's just Megan Joy? Whatever. She does have a quirky voice, but that is a positive for her. That having been said, I'm still on the fence with her. She's different, but I never feel totally comfortable with her. Maybe that's a knock more on me than on her. It was okay. She apparently was hospitalized with the flu. That might be why the judges were nicer than I was expecting.

Matt Giraud--"So Small"--Carrie Underwood
Um, I don't know this song. No knock against Carrie, but are two of her songs really among the best of all country music has to offer? Really? Though I don't know the original, it's obvious that he's changed this up to fit his voice. Bonus points to Matt for showing what kind of artist he is. He loses points for missing the last note. Overall, impressive showing for a song that is new to me. Judges are highly complimentary, some saying it was their favorite of the night.

Again, I am surprised. There were no out and out train wrecks (though many will hate Adam's). Maybe this is a better cast than we've had before. No one was flummoxed as we have seen in the past with country music.

Maybe this would be a good year to try Broadway again? I guess we shouldn't press our luck!

It's a hard choice picking who will go home. Maybe we will see the "Judge's Save" used. Nah!