AI: Under the disco ball

It’s time for “American Idol,” and it’s disco night. I don’t know how I feel about this turn of events. Except I’m hoping against hope for a disco ball. (I’m also watching via DVR since I was at the Centricity label dinner during GMA and was hearing the likes of downhere, Andrew Peterson, Jason Gray, High Valley, and Lanae Hale sing.)

Ryan intros the show and discusses the fact that since the judges employed the save last week, two contestants will go home this week. Who will it be? I have a few guesses before the show even starts. . . .

The top 7 storm the stage and Matt is wearing a ridiculous Justin Timberlake inspired outfit, Adam has on a shiny suit, Anoop is wearing a pink sweater vest, and Lil has even longer extensions.

Lil is up first with “I’m Every Woman.” I’m also not sure what Lil is wearing. I think it’s a jumpsuit of sorts. And I feel like Lil is kind of floating near the right notes, but not exactly hitting them. There’s a lot of woo’s and I do give her props for being confident to wear that outfit. I’m just not sure this song and this performance showcased her talent. It was another attempt at trying on a diva song and forgetting Lil. Randy says it sounded wild but showed nothing about Lil as an artist; Kara says it may not have been worth the wait to hear her sing this song and that Lil was not herself; Paula tells us that Lil has been on vocal rest but the song wasn’t quite there; Simon mentions Lil looks sad, Lil talks too much, and Simon says he thinks it’s her final week because there was no originality. He speaks truth, but he speaks truth in a mean way that does nothing to edify Lil. Let your words be seasoned with salt, Simon.

Cutie Kris Allen is up next and he’s apparently singing “She Works Hard for the Money.” Hmm, interesting. . . I’m kind of excited to hear this. I like the arrangement with the congo drums and the Jack Johnson beachy, laid-back feel he brings to the song. His vocals are spot on and I have to say the boy is talented. And cute. And too young for me. And married. Stop it, Mandy! Overall, great performance. He made the song his own and did a great job! Kara says he took a risk with the arrangement and it paid off; Paula says it had a Santana feel and some mumbo jumbo about shopping in the women’s department (?); Simon says he needs a translator for Paula (word, Simon!) and says it was original and not karaoke; Randy says Kris knows who he is and brings it every week. I think you’re right, Randy. I think you’re right!

Up next, Danny. Ryan tells us to download the performances from iTunes and intros Danny doing Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September.” There’s screaming at the beginning and then he’s singing. And he’s apparently growing a beard. I should keep track of Danny’s increasing facial hair each week. The vocals are good because Danny can flat out sing and seems to enjoy each moment on the stage. It’s much better than last week. I’m not sure how original it is, but I enjoyed it. Randy says “check it” a lot and says Danny made a song without a big melodic range into something that worked; Kara says he has great pitch and was another solid performance; Paula says Danny has a sexy voice; Simon agrees with what everyone said but says he didn’t feel star power from it. He might be right about that, but I still like Danny!

Allison is up next and she’s singing “Hot Stuff.” She starts seated on the stairs and is wearing a lot of lycra/pleather and sequins. I’m not sure about the outfit, but it sort of works. For the first time ever, I kind of feel like Allison is a little shouty in this performance, but the girl is amazingly talented and her last note is nothing short of amazing. Randy says Allison is one of the best singers in the competition but didn’t love the arrangement; Kara says the slower pace wasn’t a good idea but agrees the girl can sing; Paula says things like “authenticity” and “vocals” and compliments the last note; Simon says it was brilliant, especially since Allison is for sure an underdog in disco week.

Adam Lambert is next. I always refer to him with first and last name. He’s got a faux hawk going on and is doing “If I Can’t Have You” from Saturday Night Fever. The suit is shiny and a bit hard to take. And therefore disco, so OK, since that is the theme. He starts out simply and straightforward. Adam has an amazing voice and amazing control of his range and falsetto. He’s perfect in the chorus, though I would have preferred less screaming. Oh, well. This isn’t about me, now, is it? Randy says Adam is ready to be a star right now (probably true); Kara calls him brilliant and inspiring; Paula says the words “visceral” and “vulnerability” but says he’s fascinating and awesome; Simon says he never would have expected this performance from Adam and it was original and memorable with immaculate vocals.

Matt Giraud is doing “Stayin’ Alive.” I think he’s picked a song that’s in his roundhouse, but I can’t quite understand him in the fast parts. It’s a good performance, but is it edgy and original enough? I will say Matt can perform the heck out of a song. His last note isn’t as stellar as Allison’s, but overall and OK, middle of the pack performance. Randy says “yo!” and didn’t love the song choice or arrangement but can REALLY sing (duh, Randy!); Kara says he turned the show back to disco and was solid, though not overly original; Paula talks about bowling and calls this performance a strike; Simon puts a damper on the mood and says he didn’t like the performance and that Matt needs to get his head in the real world. He says it wasn’t very original, which was my fear, too. I think he was better than Lil, though.

Anoop is the final performer, and he’s singing some song I don’t recognize. It starts out a little pitchy and boring for me. Oh, it’s “Dim All the Lights,” maybe? Anoop plays to the crowd and has apparently spent the week trying to grow Danny Gokey’s former gotee. Don’t get me wrong: Anoop can sing but I’m just a bit bored and his last phrase is pitchy and weird. Randy says it was a rough last note and that he didn’t like this a lot but Anoop can SING (Randy, for real, how many times are you going to say this tonight?); Kara says it was great song choice and that Anoop is hitting his stride; Paula compliments Anoop’s outfit and facial hair (?) and says that Anoop has beautiful teeth; Simon completely disagrees and says it was mediocre at best. I have to say, I agree with him. Not as mean as Simon says it and I don’t think it was his worst performance ever, but it wasn’t super.

Going home: My picks are Lil and Anoop. Matt G. will probably be in the bottom three with them.

Best: Kris Allen, Adam, Danny, Allison. In that order.