Welcome back Idol fans. We’re down to the bottom 9, and right on cue, Ryan begins his introductory speech. As he speaks, the camera pans across the contestants and we’re treated to Scott’s hair who is doing what his pink pants did last week: Make him look insane. Allison looks like she and Scott started sharing hair people and her hair is doing its best Flock of Seagulls impression. Anoop has this crazy chain thing wrapping down his arm through a lapel on his shoulder, and I’m trying to figure out if that’s his rosary or maybe his wallet is attached. Anyway, the judges are announced, walk through the giant gate in the front of the stage (Paula is not wearing a tutu tonight, but she is still wearing a pink cocktail dress that looks like it was made for a 16 year old. Here we go! We’re on to the final 9!

Ryan chatters with the judges about nothing, and here come the contestants. We get a better look at everyone, and find out that the song choice is open to commercialization… er… anything that is a “popular download on iTunes.” Whatever that means… we find out that this means top 40 (plus some marketing dollars from iTunes). Actually, this could be pretty cool. Finally we can hear something up to date and fresh, but with a category like this, there’s no mercy on song choice.

ADMIN NOTE: SHITTY YOUTUBE VIDEOS AHEAD.

We’re starting with Anoop and he’s talking about people relating to him, high energy, and having fun. He’s singing an Usher song, and he sounds off right out of the gates. Seriously, he is not sounding good. Turns out his jacket is some army/Coldplay/U2 thing. It’s got ribbons on the shoulders, that stupid chain wrapping around his shoulder, and he’s wearing a dog tag. Anyway, I consider myself pretty up to date with music (not necessarily a huge Usher fan, but I like his popular stuff), but I’m not recognizing this song. Whatevs. He looks like he’s trying to pull off some sort of dance moves, but they come out awkward (especially compared to the UshUsh). Randy: The vocals were good, wrong song. Kara: You gotta go up in your range and do riffs. did “a bunch of frat guys dare you to get up and sing Usher?” Ouch. Paula: Playful, your vocals sounded really good (not true). Paula: Create signature hits with the band… create a break down with the band. Simon: “A complete and utter mess.” True. “Came over as a wannabe.” True. “It actually gave me a headache.” True. We find out (as Ryan talks with Anoop) that he ultimately wants to be an R&B artist (which is like me saying I want to lay golden eggs and sprout wings). It was not good.

ADMIN NOTE: THIS BETTER CAPTURES THE HOT MESS THAT WAS ANOOP THAN, SAY, AN ACTUAL AUDIO STREAM

(But if you must listen to him sing an Usher song, click here)

Megan and her tattoo are up, and singing “Turn Your Lights Down Low.” A little Bob Marley. Interesting choice. She “ABSOLUTELY LAAWWWWVES” this song. Here she goes… she’s wearing a green tank top, jeans, and about eight billion necklaces. she looks pretty good, except her hair which looks like a rat has taken up residence there. She’s singing, and I don’t like this song on her. I can’t put my finger on it, but Megan has a super stylized voice that is not working very well with this song… like, at all. Kara thinks she’s in trouble, and says she wants to hear Adelle (which would be a killer song for Megans voice). Paula thinks she needs to dig deep, take them by surprise, and sing something that rips hearts out of everyone (gross). Simon says the song was boring, indulgent, monotonous, and that no one will like it. Randy says it was like watching paint dry and that it took forever. Ryan asks what she thought as she was singing. She gets all snotty and says it doesn’t matter what the judges say since her “fans” are gonna vote for her. Okay Megan, that’s a pretty lame thing to say. Isn’t it a little early to think you have fans? Maybe I’m out on a limb here, but at this point in the competition, you’re a circus freak to us. You’re just something to look at… Nobody remembers the 9th finalist on American Idol (you’re lucky if they remember the 3rd to last in). Anyway, lame thing to say Megan.

Stream MP3 here

Side Note: So far, song selection is bad. How is it possible that with Top 40, these guys are choosing such crap for themselves?

Danny Gokey is up and he’s singing “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flats. Danny’s talking about emotion, and pulling things out of him, and singing his heart out, and… I don’t know… stuff (anyone else kinda bored with Gokey?). He’s singing, and it’s good. I don’t love this song, so maybe I’m a bad judge… he’s a little off pitch in some of the slow parts, and I think he’s using the death of his wife as a little bit of a marketing stunt here with this song. Smart, but a little tasteless at the same time. It’s not bad, but again, not really a show stopper. Paula says he thrived from the first note to the cadence (I completely disagree). Simon says “this is the best performance of the competition” (I’m certain he means of the night). Randy: “Tonight’s show starts right here.” Kara: “You moved everyone in this room emotionally.” Honestly, this was only comparatively good. If Anoop and Megan would have blown the doors down, he would’ve been average, but since they totally stunk up the place, Gokey sounded good. Believe me… it was just okay.

Allison (with two l’s) is up, still sporting the Flock of Seagulls, and “busting out the guitar.” I hate hearing her talk, but I usually love to hear her sing. This week she’s singing “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt, which could be awesome. Here she is in Paulas twin dress, but with black leggings. She has the guitar, and singing. The beginning sounds good. Her voice suits this song… right up until the chorus, which suddenly everything goes sideways. She’s done with the guitar too, and now it’s just hanging down at her side (she “played” that thing for a grand total of 15 seconds). She’s done quickly, and it turns out that half was good, half was okay. Randy says she was ahead of the beat, the guitar was cool, but he doesn’t like what she’s wearing. Kara says her clothes are distracting and she doesn’t have to try to be a great singer. Paula (and I have to quote this… remember this is Paula Abdul speaking): “Allison, I’m glad to see you brought your axe out with you.” YOUR AXE? What? Paula wants street cred bad enough to pretend like she can pull off calling the guitar an axe? Awesome. Simon hates the outfit and thought she was trying too hard to be a rock star… a bit dressy uppy. He also says she shouted the song, which is true.

Scott is up and he’s singing “Just the Way You Are” by Bill Joel song (best. move. ever. Joel is relevant, plays the piano, and universally loved). Scott’s hair is still totally fluffed up, but it’s just him and the piano, so here we go. This is the best he’s sounded so far. It’s a simple song, and it fits his simple, flowy voice. Less mustard on the hot dog is right up Scott’s alley. Jilly Boel (see what I did there) was a great choice, and Scott sounds really good. Good timing not to suck for Scott, since Megan and Anoop sucked so bad. Kara thought it was a great choice tonight (agreed). Loves his new look (no way). Paula is most proud of Scott of any contestant (which she says has nothing to do with his challenge… which is baloney). Liked the risks he took, and it paid off. Simon thought this was his best performance by a country mile (totally). Randy says it was one of the best of the night (which is a total hedge, since there was only one other performance that they liked tonight).

Stream MP3 Here

Matt (who, I just noticed, has a mole dead center on his forehead that is a little distracting) is up, and he’s doing the Fray’s “You Found Me.” Cool song too, so it’ll be interesting to see if he pulls it off. He starts out on the keys and standing in the audience. His pitch bounces right off the bat, but he recovers quickly. Unfortunately, as he breaks it down, his voice gets too grungy and it’s not right for this song. The extras that he’s throwing in are not on. I’ll be surprised if the judges like it. Paula says he aborted the things that they love most about him. Simon didn’t get it at all. The gravel in his voice sounded “put on.” Randy said it was the wrong song for him, which is true. He says he’s got more soul in his voice than rock. Kara concurs but says that he doesn’t deserve to go home.

Here’s Lil and she’s worried about song choice. She’s been nailed lately for the wrong choices. After a load of thought, she’s going with Celine Dion’s “I Surrender.” She’s got a bob going with the hair this week, and wearing a green greeky looking dress. She sounds good, but not Celine Dion good. Man, this could be the kiss of death for Lil. How are these guys having such a hard time picking songs when it’s top 40 week? She sounds better as it gets louder and as she breaks things down. Randy thought it was sung really, really well, but that it was too old fashioned for her. Kara thought it was too old, but the high notes were effortless. Paula wants less adult, more joy. Simon echoes everyone else and says it was a wedding performance.

Stream MP3 Here

Adam’s up and talking about being fresh. He’s singing “Play that Funky Music,” which could be a disaster, but since it’s Adam it’ll be amazing. He’s got the clean face, slicked back hair look going again. He looks comfortable on stage, and he’s wearing normal clothes tonight. He makes some messed up faces while he sings, but he’s a great performer. Seriously, he looks 100% natural up there and he just nails the high parts. This is really great, and I’ve decided that Adam should be in a 70’s glam rock band. This is the best of the night (so far), hands down. Paula compares Adam to Mick Jagger and Stephen Tyler (which may be a little much at this stage). Simon thought it was original and great. Randy thought he was in the star zone. Adam thanks Ricky Minor and the band. Kara can’t wait to see what Adam’s gonna do every week (that makes two of us). It was really, really good.

Stream MP3 Here

Kris with a K is ready to sing a current old song (which he loves to do). He’s singing “Ain’t No Sunshine” which I really love. He usually plays the guitar, but this week he’s playing the piano (that shattering noise is the sound of teenage hearts breaking). He’s singing, and it’s fantastic. It’s more understated than Adam’s song so it may not stand out for as long in people’s minds, but his pitch is spot on, it’s an original arrangement, and he is making it happen on the piano. Seriously, this is excellent! Kara (in the background) is waving her fist around and loving it. He finishes on kind of a weird note, but it was really good. Randy says it was creative, cool and one of the best performance of the night. Kara: “I’ve got three words for you… that (1) is (2) artistry (3).” Good for you Kara! Paula loved it. Simon loved the arrangement, said it was clever and his best performance yet. Great job Kris with a K.

Stream MP3 Here
ADMIN NOTE: I VOTE FOR THIS ONE

So, here’s my final breakdown:

Worst boy: Anoop Worst Girl: Megan
Best boy: Tie: Adam and Kris with a K. Best Girl: None were great, but Allison was the best, I guess.
Weirdest Jacket: Anoop and his stupid Army/Chris Martin monstrosity.
Bottom 3: Anoop, Megan, Lil
Going home? Megan. (If you watched til the end, she was doing this bizarre dance behind Ryan and mouthing “Vote, vote… vote, vote,vote.” She’s worn out her welcome… peace out Megan and your tattoo.)

Alright, that’s it for tonight. Let us know what you think in the comments. How did you like Adam and Kris tonight? Did Paula look more or less stoned than usual? If forced, who’s jacket would you wear on a date: Danny’s snow speeder, Allison’s white/pleather/half jacket thing, or Anoop’s Army/Coldplay suit coat?

Come back again tomorrow for the elimination recap! We’ll see how accurate I am on eliminations (1/2 so far).

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!

This article has been read 1,854 times since Tuesday, March 31st, 2009. It was posted on at 11:22 pm by Jeff Lind and is filed under Live Music, Live Performances, 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.