American Idol Top 7 Perform (again)

In one of those statements I can't believe I'm making: It was Disco Night last night. I don't know what the American Idol producers see in disco music; maybe it's a deliberate challenge to the performers. Here, take this reeking pile of, um, discs and turn it into something that's, if not exactly beautiful, at least bearable. And several of them rose to the challenge. There were seven performers again this week, because the judges chose not to send Matt Giraud home last week. That means two will be going home tonight.

Yesterday Michael Slezak (who writes about American Idol for ew.com) posted a little article on what he thought the top 7 should perform on Disco Night. He made 14 selections, of which I'd heard of one. Before that, he said:

Of course, if the top 7 are stupefyingly uncreative -- or limited to the same tiny list of songs the Idol producers seem destined to hear on the show over and over and over -- then we'll be hearing three Donna Summer tunes, three tracks off the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and Danny Gokey's cover of "Grease."

Geez, he got it almost perfect.

Plagued with lengthy shows, they plunged right in: as soon as Ryan gave the intro, Lil Rounds was up there on stage performing Chaka Khan's “I'm Every Woman”. This seems like a song that would suit Lil well. But, once again, she didn't live up to her earlier promise. She wasn't always on key, and she flubbed a few notes. Randy thought it lacked vocal control. Kara made her standard complaint that Lil didn't tell us who she was as an artist (anybody else getting sick of Kara's constant harping on artistry?). Paula pointed out that Lil had been suffering from laryngitis yesterday. Even so, Paula didn't think Lil had reached the boiling point (hot, but not hot enough). Simon, predictably, hated it. No originality, vocals and arrangement were a mess. He thinks Lil will be going home this week. I agree - I thought she was going home last week.

Kris Allen made an unusual choice for his song; he did “She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer. It was hard to imagine what it might sound like sung by a guy. He accompanied himself on the guitar, and surprisingly, the arrangement was wonderful. It was kind of Latin, with those large drums - congas? - and a slower, softer tempo. I thought it was the best Kris has ever done. Kara thought he took a real risk, and it paid off big time. Paula said it had a classy Santana feel to it. Simon thought it was original, well thought out, not karaoke, a fantastic performance. Randy thinks he's ready for the big time.

That was the first Donna Summer song...

Danny Gokey didn't do "Grease", however; he did “September”, by Earth, Wind and Fire. This is one of those songs that I've certainly heard before, ad nauseam, but I had no idea what it was called or who performed it. (I was in my classical music phase in the 70s.) I wasn't all that thrilled with his performance. I thought it didn't deviate that much from the original, and was expecting the judges to throw the K word (karaoke) around. But they didn't. At least three of them think Danny can do no wrong. I was wondering if they heard the same song I did. Randy thought the song worked for him. Kara thought it was pitch perfect, another solid performance. Paula said he has one of the sexiest voices ever. Simon, at least, had a similar experience to mine. He didn't get any star power from the performance. He thought it was a bit awkward and clumsy.

Allison Iraheta chose “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. I rolled my eyes when I heard what she was performing. But she carried it off well. She started out sitting on a red-lit staircase, singing the song very slowly, and I was concerned for a minute. But then she swung into the up-tempo version. She was strutting around the stage in a black minidress, and I thought she looked the part of a 70s disco singer. She sounded great, too, as always. Randy didn't love the arrangement (it was a little overindulgent for him) but he still thinks she's one of the best singers in the competition. Kara didn't love the arrangement, either; she didn't like the slower tempo, but she agrees Allison is one of the best singers in the competition. Paula liked it. Simon thought it was a brilliant performance.

That's two Donna Summer songs...

Ryan pointed out that Adam Lambert had already performed a disco song, "Play that Funky Music." (That was disco?!) Adam, of course, had to be tremendously original. He was dressed in a black suit with his hair in a kind of puffy style, and he sang “If I Can't Have You,” from Saturday Night Fever. I had to look up who performed it originally; it was Yvonne Elliman. Never heard of her. And I don't remember the song, but that may just be due to the arrangement Adam did. He did it as a ballad, slow and romantic, crying his heart out with his singing. Randy said he's ready right now (something I've been saying all season). Kara said he was brilliant. Paula liked it. Simon had thought Adam would choose a Donna Summer song, but he loved this because it was original, memorable and the vocals were immaculate.

One Saturday Night Fever song...

I guess it's no big surprise that Matt Giraud, who got the Judges' Save last week, chose “Staying Alive,” by the Bee Gees, also from Saturday Night Fever. The fedora was back. I thought he sounded amazingly good. This song suited his style. His pitch was pretty good, and I thought he conveyed the excitement very well. Randy didn't love the song choice or the arrangement, but said that Matt can really sing. Kara said it wasn't original, but he gave a solid performance. Paula said he'll be staying. Simon didn't like the performance; a bit desperate, he didn't think the vocals were great, he didn't hear any originality.

That was the second Saturday Night Fever song.

And, last but not least, Anoop Desai sang “Dim All the Lights”, by Donna Summer. He's grown some facial hair that I thought made him look scary. He gave it a slow intro, and I held my breath, but he finally brought it up to rhythm. But his notes weren't true, and I thought his performance was just boring. And I usually love Anoop's performances. I think he's going to be going home after this. Randy thought he could sing even though he didn't like the arrangement. “Nice, baby, nice.” Kara thought it was a great song choice. She thinks he's hitting his stride. Paula thought he looked fantastic. He was wearing a pink sweater under a gray suit. She thinks he should smile more. Simon disagreed; he thought it was mediocre at best. A horrible version of that song, his worst performance by a mile. Yeah, Simon hit the nail on the head.

And that was the third Donna Summer song. Michael Slezak was right. Almost. I think that's funny. Also a little sad. At least Disco Week is over.

I think that Lil and Anoop will be going home tonight. It's sad; we can't keep everybody all the way to the end, of course, or what would be the point? But there is a lot of talent in this group.