Motown Meets Idol

So I know I was MIA last week for my review but that is because I wasn't able to watch the performance show until Wednesday night just before the results show. I thought if I did my review after knowing the results it wouldn't seem as authentic. I went to the RS Birthday Party Enrichment night and although I had a good time, I was sad to miss Idol. Hopefully I won't have to miss any more weeks this season. Overall tonight was a great showing of the music of Motown and I still think this is a very strong top 10.

Matt Giraud - I'm not sure if I was singing Let's Get It On I would wear a button up shirt, skinny tie and cardigan, but it is clear to me that Matt thinks he is the next JT. All he was missing was a houndstooth fedora. He has a great voice and is very confident and I liked his performance tonight. I disagree with Kara that he should have pushed his performance tonight because I think it would have come over as awkward and oversung. I really like when contestants surprise you and show they are serious about being here. I was not Matt's biggest fan from the beginning, but he is growing on me week by week. Grade: A-

Kris Allen - So the judges and crowd went crazy but I am again only so so on him. He has a good voice and performs well, but I can't see him winning this competition. Something about him just reminds me of a guy I would see performing at Hogi Yogi in Provo on a Friday night. I can't put my finger on it, but just something about him annoys me. I know people are going to post that they really like him and he is a nice guy, yada yada. I don't care...he doesn't do it for me. Grade: B+

Scott MacIntyre - Guys on this show have usually had success adapting a female song to fit their interpretation. David Cook singing Mariah comes to mind. But this was not one of those moments for me. My, oh my, this was bad. Simon nailed it...it was all wrong. From the tight salmon pants, paisley shirt, Gene Wilder/Napoleon Dynamite hair and the awkward hand gestures it was all bad. Luckily he can't see Kara grooving in her chair when she said he had rhythm. Nice job Ryan patronizing him with explanations of Paula's "gift" to Simon and asking him how he knew what color his pants were. Ha ha the blind kid doesn't know how bad he looks. Hilarious. Back to his performance, it was not strong enough to compete with the other talent in this competition. Grade: C-

Megan Joy - Or the Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Megan-Joy-Corkrey. I loved the shot of Simon completely unimpressed at her performance when she came to sing by him. I guess I spoke too soon saying that Scott was not good enough for this competition. Through the whole shouty, pitchy performance I couldn't believe she made it to the top 10. I disagreed with Randy that the outfit was good. Teased up hair with feathers, bubble hem Asian satin dress and kindergarten necklace is not a good look. She is also alarmingly cocky that her fans are out there and voting for her which is REALLY annoying. She got in to the top 10 by the "I'm so sick" pity vote. I was not the biggest fan of Alexis or her song choice last week, but she is a far better singer than Megan. Alexis should be singing this week instead of Megan. Megan is getting worse each week. Grade: D-

Anoop Desai - Oooh baby baby...what a cutie! Anoop is proving that brown is the new black. After My Prerogative I was nervous that he was not the best singer but he is showing us not only that he has skills but he has the charisma to make it all work. I do agree that he needs to be a bit more confident to be able to compete with some of the other heavy hitters, but he is just so charming and has a very pleasant voice to listen to. Grade: B+

Michael Sarver - Ain't too proud to tell you that was not a great performance of that song. The "dance" moves were strange and stiff, the outfit looks like two separate outfits, and it was pitchy all over. It's like he and Megan went to the same singing school. Props to Simon and Randy for keeping it real with him in a very direct way. Even Kara made sense for once which was refreshing. I want to rip those stupid fake dog tags off his neck!! What is up with all the necklaces? Grade: C-

Lil Rounds - I fully expected for Motown week that Lil would excel and she did not disappoint. She has such a great voice and she looks amazing tonight. She finally figured out a way to cover the front and the back. I think she could have picked a better song but I don't think it was as bad as Randy and Kara were trying to make it out to be. She has true talent and she is not annoying. Grade: A-

Adam Lambert - The Wild Card strikes again! First of all, let me say I loved last week's performance. It was crazy, strange and completely unique and most of all well executed. I just love this kid! He totally gets how to be his own artist. Even with his Danny Zuko hair he still looks comfortable in his own skin and made the look his own. He has a way of being "over the top" without being completely annoying. Don't get me wrong I love musical theatre kids but sometimes they push it too far. Adam has a way of being creative and strange without being inaccessible. He still seems like a real guy with real feelings not just a drama freak. Grade: A+

Danny Gokey - Danny is completely cool and unique in a totally different way. Who doesn't love the cute Christian singing widower? I think tonight he proved he has a fantastic voice but the marching choreography with the background singers was funny to watch. I think because he is used to working with kids in his church group he has less of a barometer on what looks odd. He still deserves to be in this competition and I am excited to see/hear what he will do next. Grade: A

Allison Iraheta - Wow, wow, wow! She is such a seasoned performer and commands the stage in a way I wish other people would. The outfit was a bit of a mystery to me but maybe they are just rolling Alexis's wardrobe over to her. What I love about her is the same reason I love Adam. She knows who she is as an artist, sticks by it and executes it well. I cannot believe she was in the bottom three last week. I will definitely be voting for her this week to make sure that doesn't happen again. Grade: A+

If I had my way Megan would be the first sent home tomorrow. I was shocked that she stayed after Rockin' Robin, but tonights was just as bad if not worse. Second choice would be Scott and third choice Michael Sarver. What do you all think?