Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Here’s comes some Motown.

Which might mean we’re in for a special night on Idol.

After all, way back when Hollywood Week started, Idol posted video interviews with each contestant. They were asked what type of music they prefer.

None of this year’s finalists expressed enthusiasm about singing Grand Ole Opry tunes, last week’s theme.

Several seemed to lean more toward music with a Motown sound.

Of course, then there’s Adam Lambert. All Idol watchers are likely wondering what he’ll do as a followup to last week’s strange take on “Ring of Fire.”

As usual, I’ll be blogging live throughout tonight’s show, grading each performance as soon as it ends.

First up in week three, Matt Giraud with his take on “Let’s Get It On.” Performing first is a vulnerable spot to be in, so Matt will need a performance viewers will remember two hours from now when the voting starts. OK, that wasn’t bad, but I’m hoping it’s not the most memorable performance of the night. Sounded pitchy in spots, especially when Matt reaches for the really high notes (like when he tried to sing Coldplay a couple of weeks back). But all in all, a nice start to tonight’s show. I sorta disagree with the judges on Matt being a frontrunner. You become a frontrunner when you match a couple of Adam Lambert’s best performances, not when you do pretty well. Grade: B-.

Kris Allen up next with “How Sweet It Is.” To this point, for some reason, I’ve been more impressed with Kris than with Matt. Hey, nice intro by Kris, giving the song a little different twist. And, for those who checked out yesterday’s ranking, just like I guessed, the guitar that was missing on country week is back. Oh, and then in true Idol fashion, he ends with a big note. Not the most challenging song in the world, but a really nice performance. Grade: B+

Scott MacIntyre will perform “Can’t Hurry Love” and, no, he’s not straying from behind the piano, not tonight anyway. Oh, this isn’t going well. You can’t hurry love, but Scott seems to be hurrying the song in some spots, and he and the background singers don’t seem in sync at all. No, sorry Scott, but that was a bit of a mess. Grade: C-

OK, here we go into wacky land. Scott is asking people to vote for his pink pants. Paula is pulling out crayons and a coloring book for the child sitting beside her (Simon, of course). She gets annoyed because Simon wants a straight answer when Ryan asks Paula a pointed question, and anyone who has watched Idol knows Paula can’t deliver a straight answer. Especially not when she’s asked a question like Ryan just asked — how would she compare Scott’s performance to the two that came earlier in the night.

Megan Joy next with “For Once in My Life.” Full recovery from the flu, we’re told. Not sure I like tonight’s look. But, hey, we’re supposed to be rating the singing, right? Megan’s got a quirky quality to her voice. Tonight, she seemed to be shouting in spots. And the judges, who were so considerate of her illness last week, aren’t giving her much love tonight. I’d agree, that was far from great. But it wasn’t any worse than the performance Scott turned in. Grade: C-

Anoop Desai up now, with “Oh, Baby, Baby.” The question: Can Anoop maintain last week’s momentum? Proficient performance. Not as good as last week. Not as bad as “Beat It.” Nothing really unique. A little boring. I’m sure the gals looking on will appreciate it more than I did. Grade: B

Michael Sarver follows Anoop, singing “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.” Can’t wait to hear what the judges say about this. OK, Paula is struggling because she needs to criticize the performance. Guess what? Simon isn’t having any trouble with criticism. He gives Michael zero chance of winning Idol. I’d have to agree. That song just didn’t suit Michael at all. Grade: D

Next, Lil Rounds with “Heat Wave.” Wow, look at Lil’s new look. Wow, listen to her oversing that song. Seriously, when I heard the song she was going to sing, I thought, “OK, here we go. This is going to be one of the best performances of the night.” Nope. Not in my book anyway. Way overblown. The new look gets an A. The song grade, though: C.

Adam Lambert is going to sing “Track of My Tears,” a Smokey Robinson song. Another performer sporting a new look tonight. And gone is the strange vibe of last week’s performance. This is tender Adam, delivering a vocal that far, far surpasses anything else we’ve heard so far tonight. Grade: A

Danny Gokey goes up-tempo with “Get Ready.” Motown Week is in Danny’s wheelhouse, and you can tell it. He looks self-assured on stage and he’s having fun with a fun song. Look at him dance with the background singers. Nice, solid performance. Not an Adam Lambert vocal, but a really, really strong performance. Grade: B+

Allison Iraheta ends the night with “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone.” OK, I wasn’t as crazy about that vocal as the judges were. But, bottom line, this gal does not perform like the youngest contestant in the competition. And there’s no way she should have been in the bottom three last week, or should wind up there any week in the near future. There are about four other contestants who need to go home first — Michael, Megan, Scott and Matt. Grade: B