American Idol, Country Week

I am not a fan of country music, so when I heard that it was going to be Country Week, I groaned. I believe all the things they say about country music - lots of twangy guitars, hillbilly accents, corny tunes, and songs that talk about loss and sadness, sometimes in a way that's just plain ridiculous. There's the joke about what happens when you play a country record backwards - you get your dog back, you get your truck back, you get your wife back...

There was a lot of, well, interesting music last night. Randy Travis coached the contestants. I recognize his name, but I can't name one song he's performed. So sue me.

Michael Sarver led off the evening with a song I actually like: "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" by Garth Brooks. LaToya London did this song in Season 3 (I know this because I have a - ssh! - slightly illegal download of it on my iPod). The song is characterized by a stream of words done in what's essentially a monotone, with an upbeat chorus. Michael handled the tongue-twisting lyrics very well. I didn't like him coming into this season, but he's made a fan out of me these past two weeks. Okay, the song isn't a huge challenge, and it doesn't have a big range, but it's catchy and fun. The judges weren't impressed, though. Simon summed it up in his usual disdainful manner. He couldn't understand a single word. He thought it was a bit clumsy. "It could have been karaoke night in a country/western club." On a scale of 1 to 10, he gave it a 1.2.

Allison Iraheta performed "Blame It on Your Heart" by Patty Loveless. What a classic name for a country singer, "Loveless"! I've never heard of her, and I didn't like this song. Allison, however, is a great performer, and she carried it off. Kara said she could sing the alphabet and do it well. I suppose that beats singing the phone book... Paula thought she should experiment a little more, at least I think that's what she was trying to say. Simon thought it was good, although tuneless in parts. Randy thought it was “dope”, which I think means he liked it.

Kris Allen (still not one of my favorite performers) did another Garth Brooks song, "To Make You Feel My Love." He wasn't playing the guitar; instead, he sat on a stool to sing. His voice has weaknesses in the low register; all the ends of lines were kind of whispered. There were nice moments, though. The last note wasn't one of them, however; he was screechy and off key. Paula was pleasantly surprised; she thought it was honest, pure and vulnerable. She pointed out that he had pitchy moments; if even Paula noticed them, they had to have been glaringly obvious. Simon, however, thought it was terrific. Great choice of song, completely in control, didn't go over the top. I don't know what Simon sees in Kris, but he'll forgive things he wouldn't forgive in performers he doesn't like. Randy thought he went out on a limb to do these tender moments. “You're a tender dog.”

Lil Rounds proved she isn't a country singer with "Independence Day", by Martina McBride. It was her weakest performance so far. I was cringing for her. All of the judges remarked on how uncomfortable she was with country music. Some of them questioned her song choice. Randy called it "interesting" and "ambitious". He thought she might have done better with a song like "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton. (That song has been horribly overdone, so I'm glad she didn't do it.) Simon, for some reason, insisted on calling her "Little". Okay, there's Lil Wayne, in which the "lil" means "little", but in this case it's a woman's name, a nickname for Lillian or Lily.

At this point the evening took a turn for the bizarre. Adam Lambert, who is in a class by himself, did an arrangement of Johnny Cash's classic "Ring of Fire" that had jaws dropping all over the place. He did a kind of Indian or Egyptian take on it, doing it in a minor key and hitting notes that were definitely not in the original. He reminded me of Freddie Mercury. I've been irritated when Kara makes remarks about not messing with the classics, but in this case, I wonder if Adam should have stayed away from that song... This one has to be seen to be believed. American Idol links don't stay up very long on YouTube, but if you can find it, watch it. Simon said “What the hell was that?” He said there were a lot of people throwing their television sets out the window. “Absolute indulgent rubbish... Really, really horrific.” Randy thought it was great. “If you can imagine Nine Inch Nails doing a country song, that's what it was. It's current, it's young, it's fresh, it's hot!” (Doesn't he remember that Johnny Cash covered a Nine Inch Nails song, "Hurt", and did an awesome job on it? He must.) Randy Travis, in the audience, was speechless.

Back to the mundane with Scott MacIntyre, the blind pianist, performing "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride. His piano playing was wonderful. His singing, not so much. He really can't hit the low notes. But he was clearly enjoying himself, and that carried him through. The judges were mostly critical, though. Paula thought he was using the piano as a crutch; it separates him from the audience. “We can move it closer,” Scott retorted. Simon thought he didn't choose good songs this week or last week. He thought they were both forgettable. Randy was looking for "hot, crazy unbelievable vocals" from him, and he's not getting them. Kara says they want him to up his game a little bit. “You bring class and poise to that stage.”

Alexis Grace did "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Brooke White made a mess of this song last year. Alexis was better. I really liked her take on it. There were some pitch problems, but generally it was a very strong performance. The judges disagreed with me. Randy thought she tried to make it bluesy, but it didn't quite work. He mentioned the pitch problems. Kara thought she's lost her edge. It was a little flat for Kara. (I don't think she was talking about pitch, either.) Paula thought it was effective. She enjoyed the vulnerable, soft side of Alexis. Simon thought it was okay, a little bit sound-alike (I.e., she sounded like Dolly Parton). Kara and Paula miss the "dirty". Alexis promised to bring the dirty back if she gets through. With a comment like that, she's sure to be here next week.

I wonder about the contestants who choose to perform songs by past American Idol winners. Danny Gokey picked a Carrie Underwood song, "Jesus Take the Wheel". I never liked this song. (Probably it's the Unitarian-Universalist in my; I wince at anything mentioning Jesus doing something in the present.) Danny sang it well, though. He was stronger on the chorus than he was on the verses, something the judges mentioned. (That's true of a lot of performers on a lot of songs.) Paula thought he was brilliant. She thought Carrie Underwood would go out and buy that record. Simon hated what he was wearing, though (this from a man who only wears black t-shirts?!). It was a white kind of safari jacket. I didn't like it, either.

Anoop Desai was back on track tonight with a stellar performance of "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson. I remember the Elvis performance from the early '70s. I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but I loved this song. Paula said “Anoop is back!” She was really proud of him. Tender, honest, amazing, sweet vocals. Simon thought he went from zero to hero. One of his favorite performances of the whole night. Randy said this is the reason they wanted him in the competition. He liked the arrangement. Kara thought it was amazing, probably the best performance of the night, and the biggest surprise.

Megan Joy has dropped the Corkrey again; she did "I Go Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline. I did not like this song one bit, and not just because I don't like Megan. It suited her style. Randy thought it was going to be a train wreck, but it was all right. A perfect choice for her. Kara said perfect song, perfect look, and the fact that she has the flu shows what a serious artist she is. Paula pointed out she's been in the hospital with this flu. Simon said she should have flu every week. He didn't like her outfit. She was wearing a long, sleeveless dress that in my opinion would have looked better if she didn't have the tattooed arm.

And last, but probably least...Matt Giraud, the judges' favorite, did "So Small" by Carrie Underwood. Apparently he's like Justin Timberlake, another performer whose appeal I don't understand. I've gotta say, the last note he sang was "so small" it didn't quite get where it was supposed to. But this all slides right by the judges. Kara said he was an artist, a true talent. Paula thought he was an authentic performer. Simon thought he outsang Danny Gokey. Randy thought it was his favorite performance of the night. I have no idea what they see in him.

There were no really strong performances tonight, with the possible exception of Adam Lambert's, although his was so bizarre it's hard to lump it in with the others. One of the weakest performances of the night was by Lil Rounds, but I don't think she'll be voted off. Probably that honor will go to Megan Joy (at last!). It's really hard to judge.