American Idol: Top 4 Perform

Last night it was Classic Rock Night on American Idol. "Classic Rock" is a term that makes me wince - it smacks of Oldies, and I was afraid we might get Classic Pop instead. But the mentor turned out to be Slash, the guitarist from Guns n' Roses and Velvet Revolver. Now, he can rock. So I thought it might turn out to be fun. I was expecting great things, especially of Adam and Allison.

It didn't quite live up to my expectations, although it wasn't too bad. Here goes:

Adam Lambert went first. He had chosen "Whole Lotta Love," by Led Zeppelin. Good choice - it's definitely classic rock. I thought he looked more like Elvis in Las Vegas than a rock god, though. He was wearing a silver beaded jacket, and had his hair done spiky and falling over the left side of his face. Adam definitely has the pipes for this. His singing is faultless. Absolutely wonderful ending, the pause and the great finale. (Although it seemed odd to hear Adam, who is widely assumed to be gay, singing "WOMAAAAN"...) Randy was effusive: "This is the Adam that I love." He's a rock star waiting to happen. Kara said Adam's a rock god. Paula thought it was perfect. Simon thought it was one of his favorite performances that Adam's ever done. "The problem is, nobody can top that now."

American Idol's Rock Goddess, Allison Iraheta, was up next. She told us she'd visited Adam's hair stylist for this. I don't know how to describe her hair; it was pink with purple highlights and I think she had extensions. She said couldn't decide between "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane or "Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin. She went with the Joplin. I'm willing to bet she would have made a great Grace Slick, too, but she was in her element doing Joplin. She's got the right voice for it, the huskiness and the raw passion. I just love to hear Allison sing. The judges weren't all that enthusiastic about her song choice, though. Randy didn't love the song choice; it didn't have a lot of melody in it. Kara thought Janis was the right choice for her, but "Piece of My Heart" might have been a better song. Later, after all the judges had spoken, Allison commented that "Piece of My Heart" had already been done so often on the show, and she's got a point. Paula thought she was peerless, and could play Janis in a biopic. Simon was amazed at how far she's come during the competition. He thought she had complete confidence, and her vocal was good, but it wasn't that original.

For the first time, American Idol featured two duets by the Top Four. The first one featured Kris Allen and Danny Gokey performing "Renegade", by Styx. These two singers were well-matched; they're the weaker singers, the ones who aren't exactly rockers. They tried hard, and they looked like they were having fun. But Kris, as usual, was a little pitchy. Danny's the clear star of the two of them. Randy really liked the harmonies; thought they complemented each other greatly. The individual vocals were okay, but the harmonies were outstanding. Kara thought they couldn't always hear themselves; there were pitchy moments. But together they were strong. Paula thought it was powerful and compelling. Simon said Danny was better than Kris. That's the only thing he said. Sheesh. Even though he's right, I wish he'd said more.

Kris Allen did his solo piece after the break. He'd chosen "Come Together", by the Beatles. I groaned. Carly Smithson did this so well last season - how did he dare try it again? But Kris looked as if he was having fun with the clearly drug-influenced words. (Example: "He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football / He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola / He say "I know you, you know me" / One thing I can tell you is you got to be free...") He was accompanying himself on the guitar, and he always looks more confident on stage when he's got it. I thought he did a creditable job; he was different enough from Carly to make it interesting. He did one part an octave lower, and I thought that worked well. It was weaker at the end, though. Randy appreciated that Kris (not a rocker) picked something where he could still be himself. He loved what he was playing on the guitar. Kara said he's the softer side of rock, but she didn't think it was a good performance. Paula thought it was risky to do a Beatles song, but she thought he did well, at least I think that's what she was trying to say. Simon didn't like it that much, it was "rather like eating ice for lunch...it will leave you with nothing to remember afterwards." He thought it was quite a boring song, a safe performance.

Danny Gokey chose "Dream On" by Aerosmith. He's got guts to attempt this song, and he didn't do all that well. I don't think this was a good choice for him. The high notes were just shrieked, horrible. The ending, where Steve Tyler screams in clear falsetto, came out like subway brakes squealing. Randy said he knows this isn't Danny's genre; it was all right for him, not perfect, but he'll give him an A+ for effort. Kara thinks he took it a little too far. But she likes to see growth, risks, more edge. She commends him for taking chances. Paula doesn't think this was the right song for him, but she's a fan of his. Simon said the last note was like watching a horror movie. A scream. It didn't work, but Simon still thinks Danny will be safe. I'm not so sure. If fans keep remembering that last note, Danny will be the one going home tonight.

Finally, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta did their duet, "Slow Ride" by Foghat. (I've never heard of them.) Adam and Allison are still my Top Two. Their voices work well together. Randy thought they were two seasoned rock stars; they should do a duet on their albums. Kara said they're a rock god and rock goddess, pushing each other to be better. Paula said the two of them are a perfect blend. Simon said they win the battle of the duets.

If they still do a Bottom Three tonight, it's clear that somebody undeserving will be in it. The Bottom Two are Danny Gokey (because of Dream On) and Kris Allen (just because he's a weak singer). I'd prefer to see Kris go home, because I think Danny will redeem himself next week. If Allison or Adam get sent home, I'm going to be furious.