Kristin WolgemuthAmerican Idol- Motown Night
March 26th 2009 02:02
To kick off the show, the top ten idol contestants get to go to the Hitsville USA and the Motown Museum and met Smokey Robinson and Motown’s founder, Berry Gordon.
Matt Giraud is up first to be mentored by Smokey Robinson. He sits at the piano playing the song and singing “Let’s Get It On” soulfully. His falsetto is perfect, and the transition between that and his regular singing voice is seamless. The high notes are fantastic and a real crowd-pleaser. The judges said he had a solid performance and put himself in front of other contestants.
Next up is Kris Allen singing “How Sweet It Is” while playing his guitar. He mixes up the melody a bit, but not too much that the song is discredited. In one of her infamous moves, Paula Abdul stands up to dance to the song. The crowd roars as his finishes. The judges said he did everything right on that performance, and that he did the song his way.
Scott MacIntyre sits at the piano to play “You Can’t Hurry Love.” He starts off slow and then quickly ups the tempo to give it a contemporary vibe. He ends the song with a bang. The female judges said he made a good choice in singing that song, but Simon and Randy said it was the wrong song, that it sounded “honky tonk” and cheap.
Megan Joy decided to sing “For Once in My Life.” Smokey Robinson said she is one of the most original contestants they have ever had on the show. Backed up by the brass, she belts out the classic, all the while doing her silly corkscrew dance. The judges started out by saying her song was a “train wreck” and “bizarre.” They said her notes were all over the place and her phrasing was weird.
Anoop Desai sings “Oh, Baby, Baby” and can hit those high notes really well. Smokey Robinson said he did a beautiful job. The song is right in his range, and the notes come out soft and smooth. The judges said he “did a pretty good job” but that his falsetto was not always on point. They challenged him to turn it up a notch for next week.
Michael Sarver was coached by Smokey to “pound it” a little more, to not be too sweet with the song. Michael comes on strong with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” from the very beginning. He adds a lot of soul to the song and gets a standing ovation from the crowd. The judges said the song dominated him rather than the other way around. Simon Cowell said he has no chance of winning the competition based on a vocal like that.
Lil Rounds comes on stage after her session with Smokey and she just sings the heart into the song “Heatwave.” This woman cannot only sing, but she also has great charisma and stage presence. The audience is on its feet again! The judges said that are certain parts she screamed and it sounded strained and rushed. Paula Abdul said it sounded fresh. All the judges agreed that she is one of the best singers they’ve had in this competition.
Adam Lambert decided to sing a song by Smokey Robinson himself, “Tears of a Clown.” Smokey approved of Adam’s interpretation of the song. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, Adam gives the song a desperately sad feeling. It’s a very soulful rendition of the song, and his falsetto is perfection personified. He gets a standing ovation from Smokey Robinson. The judges said he exhibited true artistry with his performance.
Danny Gokey was next to be mentored by Smokey, and he helped Danny figure out the best arrangement for the song. Danny’s voice is perfect for a song like this, fast but full of soul. His range is excellent as he shows it off in a couple of runs during the song. The judges’ reviews were mixed, saying he was “dope” but also “clumsy.” It was “good but not great.”
The last contestant of the night is Allison Iraheta. She decided to sing “Papa was a Rolling Stone.” Her raspiness added to the soft, sultry parts of the song. She ended the song in a big way- with big notes and a big voice. At only 16, she is one of the best singers in the competition. The judges loved her. They said it was one of the best performances she’s ever done.
So tomorrow night we’ll see what America decides. I’m sure Anoop, Kris, Lil, Adam, Danny, and Allison won’t be going home. As for the others, only time will now tell.
Matt Giraud is up first to be mentored by Smokey Robinson. He sits at the piano playing the song and singing “Let’s Get It On” soulfully. His falsetto is perfect, and the transition between that and his regular singing voice is seamless. The high notes are fantastic and a real crowd-pleaser. The judges said he had a solid performance and put himself in front of other contestants.
Next up is Kris Allen singing “How Sweet It Is” while playing his guitar. He mixes up the melody a bit, but not too much that the song is discredited. In one of her infamous moves, Paula Abdul stands up to dance to the song. The crowd roars as his finishes. The judges said he did everything right on that performance, and that he did the song his way.
Scott MacIntyre sits at the piano to play “You Can’t Hurry Love.” He starts off slow and then quickly ups the tempo to give it a contemporary vibe. He ends the song with a bang. The female judges said he made a good choice in singing that song, but Simon and Randy said it was the wrong song, that it sounded “honky tonk” and cheap.
Megan Joy decided to sing “For Once in My Life.” Smokey Robinson said she is one of the most original contestants they have ever had on the show. Backed up by the brass, she belts out the classic, all the while doing her silly corkscrew dance. The judges started out by saying her song was a “train wreck” and “bizarre.” They said her notes were all over the place and her phrasing was weird.
Anoop Desai sings “Oh, Baby, Baby” and can hit those high notes really well. Smokey Robinson said he did a beautiful job. The song is right in his range, and the notes come out soft and smooth. The judges said he “did a pretty good job” but that his falsetto was not always on point. They challenged him to turn it up a notch for next week.
Michael Sarver was coached by Smokey to “pound it” a little more, to not be too sweet with the song. Michael comes on strong with “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” from the very beginning. He adds a lot of soul to the song and gets a standing ovation from the crowd. The judges said the song dominated him rather than the other way around. Simon Cowell said he has no chance of winning the competition based on a vocal like that.
Lil Rounds comes on stage after her session with Smokey and she just sings the heart into the song “Heatwave.” This woman cannot only sing, but she also has great charisma and stage presence. The audience is on its feet again! The judges said that are certain parts she screamed and it sounded strained and rushed. Paula Abdul said it sounded fresh. All the judges agreed that she is one of the best singers they’ve had in this competition.
Adam Lambert decided to sing a song by Smokey Robinson himself, “Tears of a Clown.” Smokey approved of Adam’s interpretation of the song. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, Adam gives the song a desperately sad feeling. It’s a very soulful rendition of the song, and his falsetto is perfection personified. He gets a standing ovation from Smokey Robinson. The judges said he exhibited true artistry with his performance.
Danny Gokey was next to be mentored by Smokey, and he helped Danny figure out the best arrangement for the song. Danny’s voice is perfect for a song like this, fast but full of soul. His range is excellent as he shows it off in a couple of runs during the song. The judges’ reviews were mixed, saying he was “dope” but also “clumsy.” It was “good but not great.”
The last contestant of the night is Allison Iraheta. She decided to sing “Papa was a Rolling Stone.” Her raspiness added to the soft, sultry parts of the song. She ended the song in a big way- with big notes and a big voice. At only 16, she is one of the best singers in the competition. The judges loved her. They said it was one of the best performances she’s ever done.
So tomorrow night we’ll see what America decides. I’m sure Anoop, Kris, Lil, Adam, Danny, and Allison won’t be going home. As for the others, only time will now tell.
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