Alright Idol fans. It’s that time of the week. President Obama may have harshed the A.I. flow last night, but we’re ready to go tonight. This… is American Idol Recap (think of it the way Ryan says it).

The idols are lined up and there are all sorts of backlights shining. Ryan tells us that these guys are the most talked about singers in the nation, but that may be a little hyperbolic for my taste. Either way, we’re introduced and on our way. Thanks Seacrest!

The judges come out from behind the stage, and… WHAT IS PAULA WEARING? It’s 50% prom dress, 50% tutu, 100% strange. No wonder she loves Adam so much (they shop in the same stores). Conversely, Randy looks like he opened his closet, picked his favorite sweater, and was ready to roll.

Ryan asks filler questions about Alexis getting the boot. Randy pretends that he remembers her name this week (which he didn’t last time), Kara gets bummed, and Paula & Simon blather on about music choices. The A.I. stage opens up, and out walk the top 10.

It’s MOTOWN week, and idol gives us a historical montage explaining the MOTOWN history… which is actually pretty educational, and cool (this is already better than Grande Ole Opry week). A.I. actually took the contestants to MOTOWN Records to meet Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson (that’s pretty cool). Smokey says that every city in America has the same amount of talent and then he comes to LA to mentor. Can’t wait to see what he thinks of Adam.

Matt’s up, and he’s gonna sing “Let’s Get it On.” Smokey likes Marvin Gaye’s music, and he likes Matt’s version of Marvin Gaye’s music. Hopefully Matt doesn’t blow it once he gets on stage. He’s behind the piano, in a sweater and tie. He actually sounds GREAT. He dumps the piano and sings his way to the front of the stage. Yeah, he sounds really good, although he couldn’t look any whiter if he tried. I know MOTOWN isn’t black music (as Smokey tells us), but this is vintage Marvin Gaye, it just feels a little weird to see a white kid try to sing & dance to it. Still, it’s well sung and I’m sure the judges are going to like it. Randy thinks it’s top spot material. Kara says, “girls wanna get it on” (whatever). Paula likes the sexy, cool vibe, and his riffs, (then calls him an old pair of worn jeans). Simon thought it was cool, but can’t resist giving him a backhanded compliment. He did a nice job.

Here comes Kris with a K. and he’s got his guitar in tow. He’s also singing a Marvin Gaye song (“How Sweet It Is”). I’m a little nervous for Kris tonight. Not because I don’t think he’s going to do great, but because he has to follow Matt’s blow-the-doors-off performance with another Gaye song. Anyway, Matt’s up on stage, and wearing some odd army-looking shirt/tie combo. He sounds really good, but behind Matt, I don’t know if it’s going to stack up. He is a little more popcorn than Matt was, so voters may like that. Kris finishes nearly flawlessly. I think he’ll be fine this week for two reasons: 1) he sang really well. 2) he has a case of the Archulettas (cute enough to have a MASSIVE teen cult following). Kara says he did everything right, Paula says his personality is infectious (and I’d venture to guess Paula knows a thing or two about infection). Simon says it was smart but bags on his lack of swagger and confidence. Randy talks about the zone, which he says Kris is in.

Scott’s up and he needs to seriously consider firing his stylist (unless he’s his own stylist… in which case he needs to seriously consider hiring a stylist). He’s wearing salmon pants, a paisley shirt, and a brown striped jacket. I consider myself a moderately fashionable person, and I would be embarrassed to go to the bathroom in that getup, let alone go on national TV. Anyway, Scott is up and he’s singing Dianna Ross (seriously Scott?). Last week he said that he’s always losing the song lottery, but I’m beginning to wonder if by “song lottery” he actually means “ability to know what kind of songs a man should sing.” Surely there are enough MOTOWN songs written for dudes that he doesn’t have to sing a ladies song every week (last week he sang Martina McBride’s “Wild Angels”). Anyway, he’s on the keys and playing “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It starts out slow, but picks up quickly. Just like last week, he’s doing a respectable job, but respectable isn’t good enough to legitimately go anywhere in this caliber of competition. He’s just (unfortunately) not a solo artist. Paula thinks he brought something new by organizing the singers around the piano. Simon is, again, the only honest one in the room when he says “it was completely the wrong song for you.” Randy says it was a “hotel performance” and agrees with Simon. Kara says he brought “tempo” tonight (but she says it like a complete moron with way too much emphasis on the -po. Like “tem-Po”).

SIDE NOTE: Scott gets a pass on his salmon pants. Turns out (and I’m laughing hysterically right now… because Scott is too, so it’s okay) Scott’s stylists didn’t tell him what color the pants were until 10 minutes before the show. WOW! Talk about all time meanest trick to pull on a blind guy! Scott has a great sense of humor about it though, which makes me like him more than ever.

Megan and her tattoo are up and she’s talking in the third person (which makes you sound like the Queen of England, Megan). She seems to have developed a bit of an attitude and it does not suit her. I like Megan too, so the last thing I want is for her to be a catty pre-Madonna. She’s singing “For Once in My Life,” wearing a little Hawaiian dress, and she looks great. Thing is… she’s not doing great. I don’t like this song on her (Man, this is a serious Megan wake up call). Wait… she’s shimmying, again, and I can hardly remember what I was just writing… oh yeah, wake up calls. Yeah, she seems cocky, this song is not great, and she spoke in third person… not a good night for her. Randy likes the outfit, but he says the song was a train wreck (agreed). Kara: the “song’s dominating you.” Paula tells her that her stunning beauty takes her breath away (unfortunately it’s not a beauty contest Paula). Simon patronizes her by telling her she looks great, but he says the song was “atrocious” and the “vocals are all over the place.” Harsh.

Anoop’s up and getting mentored. Smokey tells us about “Oh Baby Baby” and then says the same thing to Anoop that he’s said to the last four contestants: “I wouldn’t change a thing” (he must have gotten tips from Randy T. on how to mentor). Anoop starts singing. He’s wearing this letterman jacket looking thing, which looks out of place with his dischevled shirt, tie, sweater, jeans combo. He’s doing a fine job, and even has a nice falsetto, but the song is doing little to nothing for me. It’s boring with a capital B. It feels a tad sleepy for this show. Kara says something about his chest and head, and ultimately thinks it was “pretty good” (which is a pretty lame comment). Paula says, “you’re just doing a good job.” Simon says, “You looked like you were falling asleep” (agreed). Randy (who calls him Anoop-dog again) tells him to “get the party on!” Overall, they like it.

Sarver’s turn. He’s clean shaven today, and he’s singin’ a little gospel (anyone else think that if Sarver lost 15 lbs, he’d look like a superhero?). Anyway, Michael’s up on stage and he seems to be trying really, really hard. He’s uber smiley tonight, but he looks sharp. He’s trying to work the crowd by touching hands (which is really only something real rock stars should do… Sarver looks awkward), and he’s really trying to belt it. He sounds decent (it’s one of those songs that sounds easier than it is, so if you don’t nail it, you sound bad. He’s not nailing it). Despite his lack of nailage, he is full of energy (which Anoop totally lacked). I don’t think the judges are gonna like this for two reasons: A) Sarver really isn’t that great. B) He’s this season’s whipping boy. Paula is trying to get some street cred at Michaels expense and says it was Las Vegas-y (which, when you consider that the source here is wearing a prom ready tutu, he shouldn’t feel too bad). Simon couldn’t wait for it to end. Randy doesn’t like it, and Kara babbles something about artistry vs. vocals. They hated it, and although I didn’t love it, they were a little mean.

Lil is singing “Heat Wave” (which is an awesome song). This is the first time tonight that I’m actually excited to hear what a contestant has to offer. This could really be Lil’s week if she nails this. She wearing a stringy dress that flails around when she moves, and she’s got new extensions that don’t look natural at all. She sounds… decent. She’s not doing much on the stage, body wise, but her voice is cruising through this song. Lil’s version sounds just like the original… but in a bad way. No changes to phrasing, music, or anything. It’s good, but not what I was hoping with Lil. This could get dicey. Randy: didn’t like the front of the song… in fact, he goes far enough to call it torture (which makes us realize that Randy, although sharing the same network as 24, has no concept of torture. Maybe next week Randy can interrogate terrorists, and Jack Bauer can judge a singing competition). Kara starts off telling her she looks beautiful (which is never a good sign), and tells her it was the wrong song. Paula loved it. Simon thought it was too authentic, but that it didn’t have enough oomph. I thought there was plenty of oomph, just not enough originality.

Adam Lambert is up, and he’s singing “Tracks in My Tears” which happens to be written by… guess… come on guess… Yep! Smokey himself (if anyone thinks that Lambert didn’t calculate that one, they’re kidding themselves)!! Smokey likes it (of course), and Adam laughs a maniacal laugh while simultaneously thinking how much better he is than the other contestants. We’re on the stage, and we see Adam. He’s got an Elvis hair slick, and is wearing a grey suit. He actually doesn’t make me want to vomit then eat it tonight, so that’s a good sign. He starts singing, and he sounds awesome. Still, here’s the problem with Adam: this week he’s convinced me that he’s a normal functioning person… but next week he’ll be wearing another Hot Topic original and writhing around on stage making pleasure/pain noises while he sings. One minute he’s blowing your mind, and the next he’s turning your stomach! Love or hate him, he’s a phenomenal singer and he does a fantastic job. Smokey stands to ovate, as does Kara. She then says this (count with me): “I got six words for ya: ONE (1) OF (2) THE (3) BEST (4) PERFORMANCES (5) OF (6) THE (7) NIGHT (8)!” Paula: Loves the clean look. Loves him. Simon: “The best performance of the night.” Randy calls him indie (which any readers of mine know, I hate), but also loves him.

Danny Gokey is on and thank goodness he lost that stupid jacket. Smokey mentors, and we’re back to the stage. He’s wearing a bizarre black shirt that looks like it has a red paint, or blood, or something splattered on its chest. He sounds really good. His smokey voice is great for this song. He is a great showman… I just don’t know how much mass appeal he’s gonna have if he were to win this thing. He’s one of those singers that seems like a good idea right now, but I don’t think will actually sell (ala Taylor Hicks).

Paula: loved it. Simon: clumsy and amateurish. Randy: “Energy, feeling, BLAH!” Kara: “Good not great. Huge Danny fan.”

Alison is last on our list and she’s singing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” which like Lil’s has great potential. When Alison is on, she can sound legit. I can’t stand her interviews, but I love her scratchy voice. Here we go… she’s slow to open, but it has an edge to it that I like. She gets going on the song, and actually finds some soul. I hate her white pleather half jacket, but she sounds so good, I’ll get over it. She does an awesome job. Top 3 tonight for me, easy. Randy: “You’re one of the dopest singers in this thing.” Kara: “OMG!!!!!!! AMAZING! YOU CAN’T TEACH THAT!!!” Paula (who now has a mustache… seriously): “you’re awesome, amazing, beautiful.” Simon: “You’re a survivor. Best performance you’ve done.” It really was great.

So, MOTOWN is in the books. My final recap?

Worst boy: Scott… Sarver… no Scott. Yeah, Scott. Worst girl: Megan and her tattoo.

Best boy: Adam (that actually hurt to type). Best girl: Alison.

Weirdest jacket: Alison’s pleather white half monstrosity.

Bottom 3: Scott, Megan, Sarver

Going home: It should be Scott or Megan (based on vocals) but Scott’s gonna get saved by backstory votes, and Megan gets saved by best-looking-girl-left votes. Sarver… I’m voting you off the Idol Island (again).

What do you think? How did you like tonight’s episode? Who do you want to go home? Comment and let us know.

Stop by tomorrow for the elimination recap. We’ll see how things shake out and how close my predictions are.

While he’s not writing reviews for us, Jeff Lind covers American Idol for Pretty Much Amazing. Do yourself a favor and follow Jeff Lind on Twitter!

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Tags: American Idol

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 12:24 pm by Jeff Lind and is filed under Live Performances, MP3, Music, Videos, YouTube Tidbits. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.