Top 9 iTunes Performance Review – It’s a Free For All!

I’m far from the hippest chick on the planet, but I also thought Adam’s studio version screamed dance club. In a good way.

Loved Anoops recording this week! He has the best recording voice out of the bunch.

As much as I like Adam, feel he has a good chance at being “current” (yay for catchphrases), would consider following his post-Idol career… I cannot bring myself to buy “Play That Funky Music” on iTunes. Even with everyone saying how good it is and how surprised I was that I enjoyed his performance. I just can’t.

I loved Anoop’s studio. His vocals are amazing and its one of my faves from him. Makes me wanna get up and dance. lol.

Anoop’s vocals are phenomenal on the studio version of “Caught Up”. I purchased the studio version & the performance video on iTunes. I enjoy watching the performance & I see it’s gotten a lot of views already on You Tube as well.

Do you guys have a any insight whether the iTunes variable pricing starting April 7th will affect the Idol recordings? They shouldn’t qualify as the “hottest downloads”, ala Lady Gaga, IMO, so I’m hoping they won’t increase to $1.29, cuz I’ve been putting off downloading the Idol tunes until later in the season when I have a broader perspective of what the best ones are… so I’m just hoping there’s no price increase next week haha.

Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vocals are phenomenal on the studio version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Caught Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . I purchased the studio version & the performance video on iTunes. I enjoy watching the performance & I see ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s gotten a lot of views already on You Tube as well.”

I know I bought the video too. He is so entertaining and always puts a smile on my face.

Calliope ~ I wish you would buy it because it’s really good (but you can always go listen to it on youtube). The background singers are a tad overwhelming (a fault of the song itself) but Adam’s voice and phrasing are awesome.

mj ~ I know you’ve said before that Adam doesn’t sound “current” but do you think he at least has the potential for that? I know I’m relatively new here, but I really value your opinion and insight.

Agree with the comments on Anoop’s phenomenal vocals. Last 3 weeks have been amazing. Really, really worried that he’s too much competition for Danny though and the judges will find a way to force him out this week.

Then we’ll have more boring Scott and dull Lil.

Not a fan of PTFMWB but love Adam’s studio version. I could see him making a kick ass pop/dance record, I really could.

He reminds me a bit of Leona Lewis: an exceptional voice desperately needing a high profile launch and some decent material to sing. On the X-Factor I doubted if she could be current because she sounded too early-90′s Mariah to me, but given quality songwriters and producers she came up with the goods. I think Adam could too if he had those advantages.

Anyway, I’m enjoying building my little Adam playlist…4 songs and counting. Long may he stay…

I got Matt’s, Kris’, and Allison’s studio cuts:

I really love Matt’s You Found Me. Better than The Fray.

Kris’ Ain’t No Sunshine is good but too short, and doesn’t have the energy of the live perf.

Allison’s Don’t Speak was better than her live, if only cause this week wasn’t my favorite performance from her.

I will probably check out Anoop’s too now…I wish he and Matt could translate this well live!

I don’t get the Adam doesn’t seem current thing either. I think Adam just wants to put on a show and he certainly does that. Plus he shows that he can change a song into anything he wants, even a craptastic song like PTFM. Adam is the only contestant that has “made a song his own” every single week. Which says to me that he can do very well in the business. Adam has the best vocal ability of any of them, he can literally sing anything, his performance skills are amazing, isn’t that all you need?
With good material this kid has Star written al over him.

Anyway, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m enjoying building my little Adam playlistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦4 songs and counting. Long may he stayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I have 5 Adam songs from iTunes. Satisfaction was available after the Group 2 show but only as the live version.

Last year, when the kids got to the 2 and 3 song rounds, were all the songs they did that week available to buy? S7 fizzled out for me before they got to that point, so I don’t know how it went down.

LakesideUK ~ I like that comparison to Leona Lewis. I remember seeing her each week on youtube back during her reign on the show and, frankly, wasn’t really impressed. Her Summertime, for example, was nothing compared to Fantasia’s. But post-show, with some great material, I think Leona’s pretty awesome.

Adam reminds me a lot of the 70′s & 80′s, which is fine, but then I don’t see why he’s seen as original, because I’ve seen it all before. Maybe it’s so old it’s new again to alot of people?

I’m glad others are giving Anoop’s recording good reviews. I thought maybe I thought it was so great just because he’s my one and only favorite. I have never listened to Usher so I don’t know how he sang it, but I’ve had it on repeat here today and I just love it!!

mj: my first time, i really love your site, ty! our favorites this year are anoop, adam and allison. i posted my observation on the expected rankings based on itunes ratings numbers alone – on idk forums this afternoon, thought will share it here as well –
AL DG KA MG AH AD SM LR
Top 12 1681 811 334 369 443 311 198 183
Top 11 2662 635 552 423 313 495 287 146
Top 10 1887 353 317 357 415 230 174 106
Top 9 623 385 543 249 159 115 107 27

Avg # Ratings 1713.25 546 436.5 349.5 332.5 287.75 191.5 115.5

RANK 1(AL) 2(DG) 3(KA) 4(MG) 5(AH) 6(AD) 7(SM) 8(LR)

i think this also lines up well with this week’s top 8 group photo where Anoop, Scott and Lil are grouped to one side while the other 5 are grouped together. Seems to me this what TPTB are thinking, and will do the required pipming and de-pimping to get the desired results. however, anoop being one of our favorites we do feel the onus is on him to do really well this week that should force the judges to give a ve feedback even if it against their plan. Anoop’s problem so far has been in his song choices and has a vocal at least better than scott, lil, matt and to some extent allison. our wish is see him at least in top 5. this is really possible if he does well next week. as is evident from the ratings of allison, matt and anoop in their best weeks, anoop outnumbers the number in ratings. this gives us hope that he can make it to the top 5. it will also make it exciting to see someone with anoop’s intelligence and good vocal skills to see if he can turn the judges against their chosen ones at least as far as the top 5. finally, we strongly believe it is going to be between adam and danny.

his studio recording is indeed very good, so is allison’s. adam not so much when he starts to scream.

I can’t bring myself to put PTFM on my iPod, but I’ll definitely head over to YouTube to listen to the whole thing. Matt does seems to sound much better in the studio version, but it almost doesn’t sound like the same person to me. Allison’s seems just OK this week.

If Danny gets signed, please let him be a country artist – that would ensure that I never accidentally hear him again.

I’m not going to buy Kris’s if the live version was better (and nearly the same length)

I bought Anoop’s and really like it – works much better without the “dancing.” The instrumentation is kind of pathetic and the backup singers suck, but he sounds really good.

Scott is ZZzzzz and Lil’s 30 second snippet made me want to jump off a cliff.

Really liked Adam and Matt was good, liked Allison – Anoop as awful as he was on Idol. I cant stand him anymore – that evil glare he gave Simon gave me the heebie jeebies – I swear – pure evil and scary – totally turned me off of him for good. Lil and Scott – uhh no

background_noise : I did go listen on Youtube and I must say, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed that. Still, like cheese, I don’t think can bring myself to add any version of “Play That Funky Music” to my music library. Well, besides the Vanilla Ice version I have on CD, as that was not my doing — I was a child and it was a gift. Doesn’t count!

Still, props to Adam for taking such a horrid song and making it palatable to me.

That’s interesting, zs, but I honestly think it’s hard to rate Lil based on internet ratings or polls. Her fans don’t seem to be online; she tails most of the polls that I’ve seen, and she doesn’t have much activity in her fan threads. But her fans apparently vote when it counts, because she’s never been in the bottom three. Her poll numbers would indicate she should have hit the seal already.

I don’t like her, but I expect her to be there for a while.

But, I’m like you, I love to look for anything that could indicate what the ranking really is.

And, of course, I LOVE Matt’s recording.

I’ve got all 6 of Anoop’s studio versions & all 4 performance videos currently available on iTunes. I wish there was an iTunes video for Anoop’s “My Prerogative” & “Angel of Mine”.

It’s not the dance moves that are distracting with Anoop, it’s the facial expressions. He gives old Clay Aiken a run for his money!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Matt’s recording.And I agree, he sounds better than The Fray. He injects so much personality and emotion on his studio recordings
Fantastic.

I am just like ready to buy his album, no matter where he ends in this show, I am sure a record label will snatch him. He definitely has so much potential and his voice is so current and perfect for radio.

And i disagree about his performances on the Idol stage. Most of them have been very good :”Human Nature” and “So Small” were excellent in my opinion.
“Let’s Get It On” was also pretty solid.
“So Small” was one of his best moments in this competition. I hope he can still bring it and have many more moments.
If he could just control his nerves for the rest of this competition he might havea shot to get to that finale. Can someone of the idol people coach him on his nerves?
I am still dreaming of an Adam/Matt finale. I know, very far fetched, but a girl can dream, can she?

Allison- I really like the first half of the song. When it hit the chorus and the background vocals came in…ugh. It wasn’t produced very well.

Matt- His version of “You Found Me” is fabulous, but I’m still partial to the original. I’m glad I bought it though.

Kris- You’re right, the live performance was better. However, I think this is one of his better studio recordings.

Anoop’s studio recording of “Caught Up” is awesome. He has a wonderful recording voice. I love it. I also like Matt’s studio version better than his performance on Tuesday night.

my favorite recordings this week are anoop’s and matt’s

I really love Mattà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s You Found Me. Better than The Fray.

I might have to get that. My problem with The Fray is that while I like their songs (I agree with Matt that You Found Me is a powerful song), I cannot stand listening to the lead singer Isaac’s whiney voice for too long because it totally grates. Similar situation with Rascal Flatts. It’s a good song, but I can’t stand the Rascal Flatt’s guy’s voice, and I do like Danny’s recorded vocals when I’m not staring at his mug, so I might have to check out Danny’s tune this week also.

^^Yeah, I can’t get through an entire “You Found Me” on the radio either. Matt’s voice is less…whatever annoys me about the original.

“Really liked Adam and Matt was good, liked Allison – Anoop as awful as he was on Idol. I cant stand him anymore – that evil glare he gave Simon gave me the heebie jeebies – I swear – pure evil and scary – totally turned me off of him for good. Lil and Scott – uhh no”

your hatred for Anoop is well founded as HE is the ONLY threat to Matt’s Top 5 lock in position. Adam, Danny, Kris and Allison (they need to have at least one female and she is the one TPTB will want to have/SAVE? even she gets lower votes than Anoop that I believe she is getting week-week). If Anoop can somehow deliver in performance in the weeks to come and avoid cynical comments from the judges (they cannot touch him on his vocals which they can to Matt who is quite vulnerable in his vocal ability week to week), he can step into the Top 5. For now, you are safe w/Matt as luckily fo ryou, TPTB has a more favorable opinion towards him than they have towards Anoop.

If Anoop gets past Lil and Scott, then it will be a duel to the top 5 between anoop’s fans and matt’s fans. should make interesting watch….

I only got Adam’s and Lil’s. I am over the moon with Adam’s. It was so much better than the live version. I liked Lil’s itunes this week. If she had done it this way on the show she would have shone, imho.

Those ratings make no sense for so many reasons.

Anyway, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m enjoying building my little Adam playlistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦4 songs and counting. Long may he stayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

From your lips…….

I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bring myself to put PTFM on my iPod, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll definitely head over to YouTube to listen to the whole thing. Matt does seems to sound much better in the studio version, but it almost doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sound like the same person to me. Allisonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s seems just OK this week.

I swore I’d never buy that shit song either, but I couldn’t help myself. I knew I’d regret not having the full “Adam Catalogue” some distant day in the future when the songs are no longer available on iTunes, so I just bit the bullet and bought it. And, you know what? It’s awesome! Of course, I have all kinds of shit on my iPod (big ol’ Classic), including HSM and Camp Rock since I buy music for my kid, so really, this is far better.

I also bought Matt’s (which is as awesome as his live performance was not), Kris’s and Allison’s. I love them all. I wasn’t familiar with Anoop’s song and really didn’t care for his performance, so I’m passing on him this week. I think I’m done with him unless he knocks one out of the park in the future. My kid has lost interest in Anoop, as well, and he’s just not consistent enough for me at this point. (Plus I had a famous folklorist in my family and I’d love to see Anoop go that route. :mrgreen_wp: )

Kris- Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re right, the live performance was better. However, I think this is one of his better studio recordings.

This is my “problem” with Kris. I really think that he is likeable, I just don’t find his voice distinct at all.

I only purchased a couple. Very disappointed with Adam’s this week as I have a hard time not thinking of Sam Harris every time I hear Adam — and this recording just made it worst. I think the live performance of PTFMWB is much better because at least I was distracted by watching Adam. His voice is soooo good, I wish he would just stop with the vocal theatrics.

I am probably the only one, but I really love Megan’s and think this weird funky music is a perfect fit.

Also purchased Anoop’s/Kris’s and !!Gokey!!’s (don’t ask, a sacrifice I make for a friend of mine) and pretty much agree with MJ on them. I really think Anoop get’s short shrift from the judges, but I live on the Grassy Knoll so maybe it’s just my perspective…or prerogative

Yes, “leave me cold” is the perfect way to describe the effect of Megan’s intonation and phrasing. It doesn’t sound bad, or grating, or anything like that. It just sounds contrived and self-conscious. Normally that would bug me, but in this case it’s just boring.

As for Anoop, most of you have seen his Cleftones performances on YouTube. He really shines. A cappela is really a perfect medium for him. Problem is, it’s that very ability to blend in and balance with a bunch of other singers that works against him in AI and results in the lack of distinct, likable identity as a singer that MJ’s always talking about.

As for Anoop, most of you have seen his Cleftones performances on YouTube. He really shines. A cappela is really a perfect medium for him. Problem is, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that very ability to blend in and balance with a bunch of other singers that works against him in AI and results in the lack of distinct, likable identity as a singer that MJà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s always talking about.

I agree. I hope Anoop goes completely acapella or acoustic this week so he doesn’t have to try sing over the backup singers.

Anoop’s Acapella group at UNC is The Clefhangers.

the good:
danny – although his phrasing is a little weird. it seems like he’s trying to enunciate each word in the verses instead of it flowing in one exhale
anoop – his dancing really did distract his perfectly fine vocals.
kris – definitely prefer the live version though…especially the ending.
adam (and i’m not even an adam fan)

the meh:
matt – it still sounds like fray’s version….and that stupid falsetto near the end made me click the next button.
allison – very disappointed with this recording. she doesn’t quite capture the emotion of the song

the bad:
megan – phrasing was just not fitting with the song
lil – it was just not up to par with everyone else. i couldn’t even finish the entire song
scott – i’m never gonna get the hype on this guy. i was falling asleep…

funny how some of the contestants excel better on live performances (allison, kris, adam), while others fair better in recordings (matt, anoop, danny)

I only bought Anoop’s recording this week. I would buy an album by that kid tomorrow, I love his voice and his vibe.
I also love Adam’s voice but hate the song so I won’t listen to it if I buy it, same with Allison’s and I was all set to buy Kris’s recording Wednesday night after his performance but now that i’ve previewed it I think i’ll skip it, I prefer the original, Kris has a nice voice but if I want to hear the song i’ll stick with Bill Withers.
The rest just aren’t worth the money.

MJ’s comment:

Anoop Desai – à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Caught Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  by Usher – I love the smooth quality of Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice, especially his middle register. That nice, rich quality comes through in this recording, moreso than on the Idol stage.

It’s that smooth, rich quality of Anoop’s vocals that distinguishes him & makes me want to hear more from Anoop every week!!!

funny how some of the contestants excel better on live performances (allison, kris, adam), while others fair better in recordings (matt, anoop, danny)

As much as I love Adam “live,” I think his voice was made for the recording studio and radio. To me, it’s not a matter of having one version “better” than the other, it’s having two awesome versions each week.

So does any remember from last year … when they do two songs are both available on iTunes?

I never thought my iPod music library would contain “Play That Funky Music.” Thanks, Adam. :rolleyes_tb:

So does any remember from last year à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ when they do two songs are both available on iTunes?

No, only one.

No, once they start performing more than one song per week, they only record one for iTunes

I bought Adam’s this week for support. I didn’t expect to play it much, but I love it. I can’t stay in my seat, and it really makes me smile! :biggrin_wp:

I quite like Megan’s studio track. I was very pleasantly surprised. I almost didn’t get it since I didn’t care for the live performance but she sounds worlds better here.

Allison’s is very good, but it was a little disappointing compared to the live version. Like mj says, it is a little too smoothed out.

No, once they start performing more than one song per week, they only record one for iTunes

They did put out a video for each of the songs performed, though, and a performance single as well for each of the Davids’ songs from Top 2 week. Just no full length studio versions of those songs. I still miss having a studio version of All I Really Need Is You (among others).

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not going to buy Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s if the live version was better (and nearly the same length)

Kris’s live version was totally better. It had more energy and I loved the piano/strings combo. But the recording was good.
It’s like the iTunes version was good but the live version was hot.

Love both Adam’s and Matt’s tracks. That is all.

Matt sounds incredible!

Re: Anoop

Problem is, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that very ability to blend in and balance with a bunch of other singers that works against him in AI and results in the lack of distinct, likable identity as a singer….

Yes, this very well could be the problem and why he seems to be sort of meh for me. That, and the preppy frat boy never was my thang. I kid, I kid. He’s just not a stand out for me. At. All. Apologies to all his fans. YMMV, of course.

Re: Adam

To me, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a matter of having one version à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“betterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  than the other, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s having two awesome versions each week.

This is what I’m finding too. And, I’ll admit to being a little bit amazed by it, really. Often I feel it’s the visual and energy of the live performance that brings it home for Adam. And, it does, although his killer vocals really make me smile, BIG — especially when he ends Satisfaction and PTFM as he does !WOW!. Then I hear the studio and find myself just as amazed and revvved, and yes, this time, dancey. LOL

And no, for the record, I really cannot believe I have PTFM on my iPod (or B&W or RoF for that matter — Motown’s #1s and the Stones aren’t as much of a reach for me though lol.)

MJ, thanks so much for doing these (and, well, all that you do really!) I look forward to hearing from you each week about the recordings.

I still prefer Matt’s live performances over his studio version. But I think he records the best as well. I can’t stop listening to You Found Me.

I don’t really like Anoop’s studio version, but it’s better than the live. I think it’s the backup singers and the arrangement that I don’t like though. ANOOP, PLEASE DITCH THE BACKUP SINGERS.

And yeah, I agree with the person who said Anoop has weird facial expressions when he sings.

Ooh, Anoop’s is really good too.

I absolutely LOATHE the original “Play that Funky Music”

And I think this is my favorite download of Adam’s to date.

Funny how that works.

I just adore his studio version.

Leave it to Adam Lambert to turn a dated, corny tune like PTFM and make it current and hot. Just that little snippet and I foud myself dancing in my chair.

Correction:

Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Acapella group at UNC is called The Clef Hangers.

Count me as one who never thought my itunes playlist would include a version of “Play That Funky Music.” Gah. Damn you, Lambert. LOL! I guess I really do have it bad because I never even contemplated not buying Adam’s track this week, and I actually like the recorded version quite a bit. So I’m glad I did.

Also bought Allison’s and Kris’s. Allison’s is kinda blah. I’ve only bought her past two tracks, and I much prefer PWARS to this one. mj, I think you’re right… her vocals are too smoothed out and not raspy enough.

Kris’s voice is smooth as buttah. Love love love it. I don’t care so much that his voice isn’t “distinctive.” I like the way it sounds, and that’s what would lead me to purchasing a track or an album from him. Not how “distinct” his voice is.

None of the others inspired me to go download their tracks based on their live performances.

Not a fan of PTFMWB but love Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s studio version. I could see him making a kick ass pop/dance record, I really could.

He reminds me a bit of Leona Lewis: an exceptional voice desperately needing a high profile launch and some decent material to sing. On the X-Factor I doubted if she could be current because she sounded too early-90à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Mariah to me, but given quality songwriters and producers she came up with the goods. I think Adam could too if he had those advantages.

Hmmm interesting points. I think he could make a kickass pop/dance record too. I think I’ve seen some people saying that for a while now – kind of the male version of a Lady GaGa, Britney, Katy Perry… whoever.

Like you said – given the right songwriters and producers, he could do it.

This:

I absolutely LOATHE the original à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Play that Funky Musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

And like so many before me have said, I never, ever, imaginged I would own a copy of that horrid tune, (even for free).

Yet, here I am loving it!

(still can’t believe that song is now residing on my PC)

I absolutely LOVE Anoop’s studio version. Not just because I’m a fan and feel I have to say it. But damn, his voice is smooth like buttah and rich like chocolate in this recording. Once he sorts out his confidence issues on stage, he’s golden. Seriously. So good.

Matt’s also sounds fantastic! What up, Mr. Giraud? Why can’t you sound like that on stage? I don’t know if they process some of the vibrato out in the studio, or if it’s just his nerves that drive the vibrato into overdrive and falsetto into sharpness when he’s live?

Alison’s isn’t as great as I’d have liked. You’re right, MJ. I think they soften the raspiness out of her voice, and it makes the recordings less powerful. I wish they wouldn’t do that.

I was disappointed in Kris’s recording. It lacked the punch of the live performance. His voice sounds fine, but there’s something about the instrumentation or … something that I’m not digging about this. To me, it was much better stripped down with just keyboard and strings.

Those are the only ones I got.

I feel like a broken record but…. Who in the heck is voting for Lil Rounds? That was not good at all.

If anyone wants the mp3′s of this week’s show, they are up along with videos at http://www.idoljunkie.com. I love her site as the vid’s are full screen and great quality. She has the group song and the Ford commercials also. It always takes her a few days to get them posted but it’s worth the wait. I have all of Adam’s I-Tunes and really find the studio version exceptional. I usually vote for more than one contestant for the first few weeks but this year I seem to only want to vote for Adam. He’s cast a spell over me, I think, but I like it.

I have only purchased Matt’s but I have listened to all of the clips and didn’t like any of them enough to buy.

I love Matt’s live performances. They are so raw and passionate. IMO you can tell the man is feeling whatever he is singing unlike some of the Idols who act their way through their performances. When I pick a musician to support I like to see heartfelt passionate performance. All the passion needs to feel real for me to connect with an artist. Acting IMO is for the Broadway stage.

I love You Found Me by Fray and was worried Matt’s might not be as good but I love Matt’s version! IMO it sounds totally different and much clearer than the Fray’s version. It sounds like a new song and not a copycat at all.

First time poster here, but I visit often. Love the site MJ! I come here first for all my AI updates.

My Season 8 favorites are Adam and Kris. I had some time to kill, so I listened to all of the downloads.

The biggest surprise for me was Anoop’s. Even though it was one of the first I listened to, it’s the one I keep going back to. His vocals are really smooth and I think he captured the R&B vibe. It’s also really catchy and upbeat. I ended up listening to it three times while cleaning the kitchen. I didn’t care for his performance the other night. His facial expressions were distracting during his and he looked like he was in pain (or taking a dump). I also agree that the background singers aren’t doing much for Anoop. He would probably do great with an 80′s power ballad and no backup singers.

Of course Adam’s and Kris’s were great, but I hate PTFMWB so much that I can’t get over my disgust for the song enough to love his version. For some reason, I liked Kris’ live performance better than the studio. I think it’s the lovely visual….

Sorry Scot and Lil, but I don’t think I’ll be listening to those again.

Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice is smooth as buttah. Love love love it. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care so much that his voice isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“distinctive.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I like the way it sounds, and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what would lead me to purchasing a track or an album from him. Not how à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“distinctà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  his voice is.

This. I bought both the performance vid and the studio. I listen to them back to back and the performance is definitely better to listen to, but enjoy the studio as well. At first I was disappointed that the studio was short, but am glad to be supporting this boy. I have also bought all of his other studios and wasn’t crazy about Remember the Time and How Sweet it Is at first, but now absolutely love each and every one, one right after the other because of that smooth as buttah voice!

Of course watching the vid is awesome too!

I also love Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s studio recording more than his live performance of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Play That Funky Musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . It makes me want to get up and dance. Adam took such an old stale song that Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve never liked and made it sound fresh. I could definitely hear it on the radio today. Great job once again, Adam!

I also love Adam’s studio recording of PTFMWB. I’m really surprised at how much I love it!!

!

ANOOP SANG:

Top 36 – “Angel of Mine”
Wildcard – “My Prerogative”
Top 13 – “Beat It”
Top 11 – “Always on My Mind”
Top 10 – “Ooo Baby Baby”
Top 9 – “Caught Up”

Anoop — I really, really enjoyed his performance of Caught Up. I’m not an Usher fan and didin’t know the song, but Anoop and Bandzilla made me love it instantly. It was the first time since My Prerogative that Anoop held my attention.

Allison — Maybe the judges aren’t pimping her because she’s a potential voting threat to The Chosen Ones, Adam and Lil. I know that Danny, who may or may not still be a TCO, is a threat to them, too. But right now Danny is probably not splitting votes with Adam and Lil and Allison could be. Otherwise, TIIC are just being stupid and that is always possible, as well as redundant.

Adam — Still not loving PTFM and worry that it may have hurt him strategically. For birth year week, I just visited the MTV Yearbook: 1982 that features links to each song’s video. The MTV list is below.

My choices are in bold:

Joan Jett “I Love Rock N’ Roll”

Peter Gabriel “Shock the Monkey” — More like Shock Simon. Heh.

Van Halen “(Oh) Pretty Woman”

Sparks “I Predict”

The Cars “Shake It Up”

The Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited”

Lindsey Buckingham “Trouble” — Another falsetto fest. I flove Lindsey.

The Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat”

Joan Jett “Crimson and Clover”

Fleetwood Mac “Hold Me”

Fleetwood Mac “Gypsy”

.38 Special “Caught Up in You”

The Clash “Rock the Casbah” — No explanation needed.

Olivia Newton-John “Physical”

Michael McDonald “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” — The judges likey Mikey.

Quarterflash “Harden My Heart”

Scorpions “No One Like You” — Adam does hair bands. Yeah, baby.

Yazoo “Only You” — Alf had awesome pipes, but “Don’t Go” and “Situation” from 1982 would be better vocal showcases.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “The Message” — Adam does old school rap. I bet he can.

Afrika Bambaataa “Planet Rock”

Eddie Money “Think I’m In Love”

Tom Tom Club “Genius of Love” — Epic dance club. I would vote for 2 hours plus if he sings “Me and my boyfriend.” Heh.

Scandal “Goodbye to You”

The Pretenders “Back on the Chain Gang”

The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed”

Tom Petty “You Got Lucky”

Would Adam kill these or what?

Remember the Time and How Sweet it Is

Kris Allen sang those two songs

Remember the Time and How Sweet it Is

Kris Allen sang those two songs

That’s who I was talking about in reference to Sarah saying his voice is as smooth as buttah.

Whenever I see someone’s voice described as smooth, rich, or sexy I automatically think of Anoop!!!

favorite iTunes recording of this week:
Megan: i know i’m in a minority here, but i just love it, the song perfectly suits her.

Matt: Matt sounds fantastic as usual.

Kris: i like Kris’ recording, though i like his live more.

Danny: i’m surprised i liked his recording this week, i never did. i think he is a good ballad singer. way better than he sings uptemo songs.

Allison: i kinda liked Allison’s, but, i think the problem occured in “Give In To Me” appeared in “Don’t Speak”: compared to orignals, she should add more emotion to her singing when it comes to such songs, she just sounds a little flat.

others are just not good to me.

I downloaded Tracks of My Tears by Adam and Ain’t No Sunshine and How Sweet it Is by Kris. Love the videos of the performance nights, but the studio versions of these songs on Itunes are really fantastic. Some really talented guys on the show this year. Glad to have their music in my music library.

Sigh… Here I am. Apparently the only poste that LOVES the Wild Cherry version of PTFM and is not gushing over Adam’s “new and impoved” version. Oh well, mileage and all that. Count me in as one who really likes Matt’s recording voice!!!!

Love:
- Adam, I’m meant to love anything and everything this boy does apparently.
- Allison, love this song and she has mad vocals and she brought a raspy rock quality to it.
- Danny, surprise, surprise! I love this song and he did a great recording.

Like:
- Anoop, why is it that Anoop sounds different to me in every recording he makes? Weird. I couldn’t pick his voice out of a lineup. Really nice and smooth but totally indistinct.
- Kris, good arrangement but his recording voice does nothing for me and plus the recording seems to short and doesn’t come full circle.
- Megan, I really like the quality of her voice… too bad she just doesn’t know how to use it. But the uniqueness does jump out at you.
- Matt, I liked his recording well enough but when I first typed this… I completely forgot about him. Goes to show how unmemorable I think he is.

Do not want:
- Lil, shouty shouty shouty! Don’t like this song, don’t like the quality of her voice, don’t like the total lack of control in her singing.
- Scott, I like this song but the boy’s recording voice is really nothing special for me. Doesn’t move me, doesn’t make me feel anything. You’re a sweet boy Scott, but sorry.

Apparently the only poste that LOVES the Wild Cherry version of PTFM and is not gushing over Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“new and impovedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  version.

You are not alone. I am here with you.

I think I may be in the minority of loving both the studio version and the live performance of Kris. They are different, but I am really enjoying both. I like to watch him so the videos are fun, but I think he sounds fantastic on the studio versions of these songs. I only have the last two weeks so far, but may go back and check out the other ones that are available. I didn’t like Adam’s PTFM nor did I like his ROF, but may go back before Nashville week and see what else he has. I really love Tracks of My Tears. I also want to check out Danny’s music. I like his voice a lot.

Matt, Matt. Why is it your recorded vocals sound so fantastic, but you suck so flipping hard on the Idol stage?

I wouldn’t say he sucks so flipping hard on stage, lol, but I agree, his recorded versions are much better.

———-

So, thoughts:

Anoop: I know I was really ticked off after his performance on Tuesday, but I have to say he did sing the song pretty well. At the time I didn’t like how he handled the criticism, though I admit it was a little harsh.

Danny: Hm, I have to say I did like his live performance, and the recording isn’t bad either. I’m still not sure what to think of him personality-wise, though. :\

Allison: Live performance was better, but I still really enjoy her voice.

Matt: I have all of his studio recordings so far (this one is no exception). Love his voice. =)

Adam: Adam is just an enjoyable singer — even with Tracks of my Tears. This was good, too.

Kris: I’m drawing a blank. I don’t know if I like it yet…

Megan, Scott, and Lil don’t do anything for me, so I don’t listen to their studio recording.

I think I may be in the minority of loving both the studio version and the live performance of Kris.

I may just need some time to appreciate the recording for what it is. I was very disappointed at first the recorded How Sweet It Is compared to the live version but now, I kind of love it. All that gorgeous falsetto. le sigh.

I think I may be in the minority of loving both the studio version and the live performance of Kris. They are different, but I am really enjoying both.

I like them both Shari!:) I just like the passion in the performance better, the studio is beautiful though!

“To Make You Feel My Love” is so wonderful!!!! “Remember the Time” is nice too, love the vocals, the song however isn’t generally something I would listen to, but adds variety to his play list.

I think I may be in the minority of loving both the studio version and the live performance of Kris. They are different, but I am really enjoying both.

I enjoy both, too. The guitar riffs in the studio version bug me for some reason, so I much prefer the live arrangment with the keyboard, but his studio voice is so nice. So very smooth – and then to contrast that smoothness, there are a few points in the recording where his voice takes on a certain bluesy, raspy quality that I really like (most noticeable during the lines ‘anytime she goes away’).

Matt’s studio version is my favorite from this week, though. Dude kills it in the studio. Now if only he could do the same live… *sigh*

plz visit
http://anoop-desai.webs.com/

Wow……Lambert puts down a dance groove. I’ve played it 10x in a row. A great song to listen too on the uphill part of my runs!

Adam was fantastic, Kris was good, Matt was way better than live. Anoop was just blah….really blah. Anoop rhymes with….

Lu, I didn’t really care for Adam’s PTFM either. I think he’s an amazing singer, but would I ever download or buy anything from him? Probably not.

Just listened to Anoop’s recording….WOW!!! He really does have a voice for R & B!!! It would have been so much better if the background singers werent there..If this were a song released on the radio I’m sure alot of ppl would be eating it up and really not caring about his performance. Although he just needs to work on his stage presence a bit…I know we all have our personal faves, but it takes a lot of guts to do what these kids are doing week after week. They really are a talented bunch and credit should be given to all of them for making it this far.

After listening to them all…

Matt, in my opinion, is the only contestant ready for the radio right now.

If AI is looking for the next best “recording artist”…then I think they found him with Matt Giraud.

I’ve been listening to Matt on my ipod all day! I also liked Allison, Danny (I can’t believe it) and Kris’ recordings. Will listen to Anoop now since so many people said he was good.

I listened to all the clips, and only purchased one – Anoop’s ‘Caught Up’ and I am SO caught up by his take on the song. Totally lovin’ it. Playing it over and over and over…

I thought I would be purchasing maybe Kris or Matt or Adam or maybe Allison’s since I also voted for them last week. But their studio clips did nothing for me. They just didn’t. In fact, I do wonder how well Kris or Allison really translate to recordings. Even though I’ve been voting for them, I find both kind of get washed out in the studio and I have not been moved to purchase any of their recordings.

Matt sounded like he was carbon copying The Fray which didn’t interest me. And, at least in my opinion, Adam is more interesting with the visuals. Just hearing his voice tends to irritate rather than delight me. But Anoop’s voice has this silky smooth R&B thing going, both in the studio and live which I happen to really dig. I do agree that he needs to work on his stagecraft in order to better sell his performances, and based on his comments Wednesday night, I think he would be the first to agree on that. Even he said that after watching tapes of his performance, that he deserved to be in the bottom 3. So there you go.

I so want Anoop to find a way to translate that smooth voice of his into some killer performances and I hope he has a good while left on the show to prove to us that he can do just that.

Didn’t buy anything this week, but I gotta agree with the peeps who said that Anoop’s recording fits him like a glove and far surpasses the live performance. It’s weird…I think the problem with the visual was that Usher’s stuff is so strongly associated with the videos and the dancing, and nobody can compete with Usher on that front, really, because he’s pretty much amazing.

Conversely, Kris has a pleasant recording voice, but the visuals added a helluva lot to this song, and the recording is a bit boring.

Of the rest, Adam’s recording sounds like fun, and I have been on the Adam could make dance music train for awhile now, so yeah.

Lil’s clip is, um, the opposite of fun.

Matt and Kris both record beautifully. They’re the only two whose recordings I really enjoy from week to week. I did buy one each from Adam and Danny a few weeks ago, and they’re good, but I don’t have much desire to listen to them. Maybe Matt and Kris are just more my style. Yet, I still think at this point that Adam should win the whole thing. I’m just not sure whether I’d actually buy his music…

I liked Adam, Kris, Matt and Danny’s the best. I usually like Allison’s but I don’t like that song, but I thought that was good also.

I also like that the ones I liked are great performers and can’t wait to see them on tour…LIVE. yay!

The others were really lacking.

edit: keep your opinions focused on the subject and off your fellow posters. please read my guidelines.

I have been rooting for Anoop & Matt G after watching their auditions.
I really wish everyone could see Matt’s potential.

I sent Matt G an e-mail on Facebook after his audition & he wrote me back asking for my support if he made it to the top 12/13.
Yes…I’m a dork.

I like people during auditions but I wait until the show really starts and if the people who I liked during the auditions aren’t as good as some of those who were not featured or got little camera time I usually change my mind. I don’t stick with someone just because I liked them during the auditions. They have to show me that they are worthy.

edit: don’t bait other posters

I still think Adam can be very current and relevant in today’s music. There are many alternative rock artists that have hits on the charts like White Tie Affair or Kings of Leon. There’s also huge international club dance artists like Ida Corr or Basshunter that overtake the dance charts.

I think an Adam Lambert album can go two ways: 1.) An alt-rock album like Muse (take a listen to Supermassive Black Hole).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsp3_a-PMTw

or 2.) A clubby dance-funk album, think anything from Ministry of Sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDo1XVYPTag

Kris and Adam are my faves, along with Allison, and I like Matt a lot, too. I’m planning to get a bunch of downloads (performance and studio): probably all of Kris‘s, and most of Adam‘s (sorry, not sure I can get PTFMWB – because of the song, not Adam – but I’ll listen to the clip before deciding). I’ll also get some of Allison‘s and Matt‘s. I’m very excited to hear Matt‘s recording voice after all the good reports here. (I almost cried for happy when he was safe this week. I voted for Kris mostly, but also voted a few times for Matt. Didn’t vote for Adam, because I knew he didn’t need my votes. Might have to vote some for Allison this week, too.)

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been listening to Matt on my ipod all day!

Carlaria, I have really enjoyed most of Matt’s recordings. I’ve taken a long time to warm up to him for some reason. His live performances haven’t conviced me, but his studio recordings are starting to.

So at this stage I’m really pulling for both Anoop and Matt to make it into the Top 5. They both have great voices and record so well. They both have lots of talent and potential, and I think staying on the Idol stage for a few more weeks would really benefit them both as performers, too.

My ideal Top 5 would be Matt, Anoop, Allison, Adam and Kris. Is that likely to happen? No. But I can hope!

It’s the first time I post something here. I downloaded all the studio versions but I haven’t heard Lil’s and Scott’s yet. I really like Danny’s, Allison’s and Matt’s. Danny’s is amazing. Matt’s good too.
I can’t hear Adam’s more than twice, not my cup of tea. Kris’s “Ain’t no sunshine” isn’t good as the live performance, less emotion and quite different.

Lu
Apr 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Sighà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Here I am. Apparently the only poste that LOVES the Wild Cherry version of PTFM and is not gushing over Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“new and impovedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  version. Oh well, mileage and all that. Count me in as one who really likes Mattà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s recording voice!!!!

Lu — you are not alone.

I’m with you, T2! the wild cherry version rocks.

I loved Matt’s recording best of all. I also really loved his performance. He puts so much passion into singing that you feel it, too. I thought he sounded better than The Fray. Also, if you’ve noticed, “You Found Me” [the Frays version] has been moving up the charts more so ever since Matt sang it. [:

DeeJay:

Maybe Matt and Kris are just more my style. Yet, I still think at this point that Adam should win the whole thing. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just not sure whether Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d actually buy his musicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

These are my thoughts exactly!!!

My ideal Top 5 would be Matt, Anoop, Allison, Adam and Kris. Is that likely to happen? No. But I can hope!

Danica_K,
That’s also my ideal Top 5. Unfortunately, I believe Danny (who would be in my Top 6) and Lil :thumbdown_tb: are pretty much a lock for Top 5, along with Adam. That leaves Kris (who, I believe, currently has the best shot at it, though certainly subject to change), Matt, Allison and Anoop to struggle for the remaining two slots. If I were picking from them for the two slots, I’d pick Kris and Allison. Poor Allison though, doesn’t have much chance for whatever reason, even with her mad vocal chops, so I’d pick Matt to take her slot, and believe he probably will, in the most likely scenario.

I can see Adam’s appeal even if I don’t feel it myself but sometimes wonder there’s a little of the Emperor’s new Clothes thing going on when he does something like ROF or this week’s PTFMWB. ie – he’s talented therefore this must be artistic or a fresh look at a song even if it’s not. I just didn’t see him making a bad 70′s song (YMMV) any better and certainly not current. I actually have less trouble with ROF because it was different if not exactly his own version. I will say that I enjoyed his Motown song, maybe because he dialed back on the oversinging.

I’ve been listening to Anoop’s song a lot and wonder if he’d done it like that on the show without quite as much dancing, etc if he’d gotten better comments from the judges? I’m thinking not because I have a feeling they were going to say that in any case and his singing was pretty good live as it was.

I actually rather liked Anoop‘s performance. He sang it pretty well, imo. And I thought his gangsta (or whatever it was, I’m not hip. At. All.) moves and stank face were rather comical, but in an endearing way. He made me smile.

For me, Adam is the best. I don’t get Anoop…never did and never will. While Matt has an amazing recorded voice, his live performances fairly suck. I don’t think he can win on his recorded voice because the vast majority of voters don’t give two shits let alone one. The fact that it’s very karaoke won’t get him far either, but ultimately I think it’s because people don’t really vote on iTunes versions. The rest, I just didn’t care for. PTFMWB is probably one of the only disco songs I actually liked. I was alive and partying (hard) back in the day. I, however, would have never been caught dead partying at a disco party. I always found that song rather tongue-in-cheek and, therefore, would sing along and laugh. Yeah, so it probably has a fond place in my long hardened heart.

But the best part is that I’m not invested in anybody this year. I’ve not bought any iTunes version. I seriously doubt I will. I’m just enjoying the ride and watching people live and die over their favorites. Nobody makes me care that much this year.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been listening to Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s song a lot and wonder if heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d done it like that on the show without quite as much dancing, etc if heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d gotten better comments from the judges? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking not because I have a feeling they were going to say that in any case and his singing was pretty good live as it was.

Doing Usher without the attitude and the dance moves is pretty pointless.
Anoop doing his angry face (pretty much the same as Beat It) won’t cut it if he wants to be a RnB singer like he claims.
Simon was accurate in his assessment, he came of as a wannabe.

Also, if youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve noticed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You Found Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  [the Frays version] has been moving up the charts more so ever since Matt sang it. [:

It has. last week, The Fray’s original version had a decrease in sells, so Matt singing it has likely helped the song find a new audience. Plus, I think they wrote it, so they get a cut of Matt’s sales as well.

For those watching the popularity bars on iTunes, the number one song write now is the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”. Billbboard is predicting that they will shift more than 400K so that gives you a measuring stick (although, popularity bars can be deceiving).

Earlier, somebody asked if the Idol songs will be affected by the new iTunes pricing policing (new/popular songs will be more expensive at $1.29, some songs will remain at $0.99, and some will be as cheap as $0.69 starting April 7th). I don’t think we’ve been given official word, but given how TPTB normally behave, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go for the highest tier. It’s about revenue for them and they will probably get more revenue. They have to know that the some of avid fans will pay the price partially to get the song and partially to indicate to TPTB that “DAMMIT! This is the person who is commercial. Pimp them!”, so they know they have those fans in their pockets. The difference in price will cause some casual buyers not to buy, but they may think that mainly the “super” avid people are buying the songs anyway so that won’t lose much in sales.

Note that the higher price just generates more money for the label. From what I’ve read, it does not translate to higher royalty fees being paid to the artist.

Wow. Matt’s iTunes version sounds really good!

Scott MacIntyre- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Just the Way You Areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  by Billy Joel – Am I sitting in my dentists office? Oh right. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sitting at my computer listing to Scott sing Billy Joel. So. Freaking. Boring. -

LMAO!!!!!!!

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been listening to Anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s song a lot and wonder if heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d done it like that on the show without quite as much dancing, etc if heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d gotten better comments from the judges? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking not because I have a feeling they were going to say that in any case and his singing was pretty good live as it was.

I agree. The judges are sticking to their original (danny/adam) predictions and ignoring the performances. Would be nice if they’d include an honest review of the download versions. Something like, “I still don’t like your stage presence but your voice records beautifully.”

Doing Usher without the attitude and the dance moves is pretty pointless.
Anoop doing his angry face (pretty much the same as Beat It) wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t cut it if he wants to be a RnB singer like he claims.

Anoop’s type of RnB is not the Usher type that is just as much about dancing as it is singing. He’s the type of RnB that Brian McKnight is…that Boys to Men were. There IS a difference. He just chose the wrong song.

Would be nice if theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d include an honest review of the download versions. Something like, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I still donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like your stage presence but your voice records beautifully.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

But the judges aren’t there to judge the downloads. I don;t think they’ve ever even mentioned them. Ryan does, but that’s to promote sales.

I can see Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s appeal even if I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel it myself but sometimes wonder thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a little of the Emperorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new Clothes thing going on when he does something like ROF or this weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s PTFMWB. ie – heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talented therefore this must be artistic or a fresh look at a song even if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not. I just didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see him making a bad 70à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s song (YMMV) any better and certainly not current. I actually have less trouble with ROF because it was different if not exactly his own version.

These are my feelings exactly. I like Adam’s personality and think he is a talented singer — I just don’t get that he makes songs like PTFM and Satisfaction “current.” These performances seem very Vegas revue to me — I could seem them as part of a tribute to the 80s. The one exception for me is Ring of Fire. I guess its typical that the one performance the judges hated, I liked. That did sound fresh and different to me. Also I thought it was a song where the alt/sexy vibe he throws off worked very naturally in conjunction with the material. Otherwise, I find the leering to be a stagey affect.

bean99
Apr 4th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I can see Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s appeal even if I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel it myself but sometimes wonder thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a little of the Emperorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new Clothes thing going on when he does something like ROF or this weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s PTFMWB. ie – heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talented therefore this must be artistic or a fresh look at a song even if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not

ROF is amazing, IMO.
For what it’s worth, ROF is my absolute favorite Adam cut, especially the studio version. I have listened to it numerous times. It sounds really good with the volume turned way up. The music surrounds you and is somewhat hypnotic and very sensual…. So no, I don’t think any emperors are without clothing on that one.

PTFMWB, is okay in the context of an Adam catalog, but I don’t know if I would have downloaded it had it not been one of Adam’s. The band is much too loud most of the time, but when Adam’s voice rises above the band, he really does sound good.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve been given official word, but given how TPTB normally behave, I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be surprised if they go for the highest tier. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s about revenue for them and they will probably get more revenue.

UGH, those greedy bastards, you’re probably right. I guess I’ll pony up for the Matt G recordings I’ve been wanting and check out the studio streams to see what else is good.

As an aside, regarding who from season 8 might have the highest downloads, I saw on David Cook’s iTunes page in the “Listeners also bought” section, we have both Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey listed there. No Matt. I went to Archie’s page, and his “Listeners also bought” didn’t have any season 8′ers. Just thought that was interesting. DC fans, at least, seem to be buying the two “frontrunners” tunes most.

I thought it was very odd for Kara to say Anoop should perform more like Usher with his runs & dancing, because if he had done that he would have been called a copycat. She didn’t tell Adam he should sing & perform more like Johnny Cash on ROF, for example.

I can see Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s appeal even if I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel it myself but sometimes wonder thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a little of the Emperorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new Clothes thing going on when he does something like ROF or this weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s PTFMWB. ie – heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talented therefore this must be artistic or a fresh look at a song even if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not…

IMHO, ROF was not only Adam’s best performance (and best studio recording as well), but one of the best things I’ve ever seen on Idol. For me, it was a “moment” even if none of the judges (except maybe Paula) and 95% of the American public didn’t get it. I don’t give a rat’s ass what anybody else thinks if I love something. Was it a smart move on Adam’s part? Possibly not, but if he was going to do it, he did it early enough that he could cause buzz and recover from any negative reaction and subsequent reverse momentum. I also think he may have picked up a lot of fans who only watch Idol to deride its mediocrity and predictability and, therefore, never voted before.

I actually think this year’s group has a lot of great potential recording artists. Not so many great performers who also translate well to the studio, however. I really think to win the title, American Idol, and to have that appropriate level of expected success, you need to have both. If you have the chops (why did Kara have to ruin that word for me?), you can learn to perform (see: Carrie Underwood). If you’re a great entertainer, but have dubious taste in music and a less-than-stellar voice (e.g., Taylor Hicks), you risk winning the competition but, in the long run, being viewed as a colossal failure.

For me, Adam, Allison and Kris, so far, have demonstrated they can perform well, are great singers, and sound good on recordings. They’ve also shown weekly consistency, even if some perrformances stand out more than others. Matt, while he sounds good in the studio, has not proven to be a great live performer. Anoop has been inconsistent at best, but he also has a great recording voice. Danny, I just don’t get: Not a great performer and a mediocre singer at best. Lil and Scott are Bland and Blander. Wouldn’t buy anything by either one of them.

Well, I believe I counted at least 3 MJers that liked Wild Cherry’s PTFM…yay! I was feeling pretty lonely.

Adam is entertaining for sure but not everything he changes up is OMG amazing – jmo, mileage and all that stuff. Still lovin Matt’s recorded voice and Kris’s performances. I think if the stars and moon are aligned properly, Kris could possible win this thing… eventhough I still think it’s Adam’s contest to lose.

Honestly, I don’t think any artist could entice me enough to purchase and listen to a recording of PTFMWB.

However, I would probably rewind and view more than once a live performance of Fantasia performing this one. I ranked Adam third that night from a crappy evening of AI performances but I never want to see or hear Adam or Taylor sing that horrid song again.

From listening to the brief clips, Matt still has the best recording voice of the lot. At least there’s one area he is consistent on.

My ideal Top 5 would be Matt, Anoop, Allison, Adam and Kris. Is that likely to happen? No. But I can hope!

My ideal top 5 would definitely include Anoop, Allison, Matt and Adam. I would be okay with either Kris or Danny rounding out the top 5. But I don’t think that we are going to get Matt, Allison, and Anoop in the top 5. I think that it’s a strong possibility that one if not two of them will go home before Scott does, and not make the top 5.

And I think that it’s a strong possibility that Lil will make the top 5. I think that the top 5 will be Danny, Adam, Lil, Kris, and Matt/Anoop/Allison are going to have to fight hard for that last spot, unless Scott somehow breaks through to the top 5, leaving all three of them in the dust.

I think that the bus is headed for Anoop again next week, and I don’t know if he’s going to be able to outrun it again. But if by some miracle, he does manage to outrun it again, and last at least another week, then ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to run over Allison or Matt. I think that if Anoop doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t go home next week, then either Allison or Matt will no matter how well they might perform.

Allison is constantly ending up in the bottom even when she does decently. Which is almost all of the time. Matt for some reason isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t connecting with a lot of people, and could just as easily fall into the bottom three next week and get voted off. The people who should really be in the bottom three, IMHO, like Scott and Lil arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to be in it.

Because a lot of people are voting for Scott, and the judges always go really easy on him about his vocals, even though he is constantly giving mediocre performances, They never really criticize his vocals. The judges are constantly overpraising Lil, even though she hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really given that many good performances.

So IMO, even though Scott and Lil should be the ones that have a greater chance of falling into the bottom three, I think that we will probably have a bottom three of Anoop/Allison/Matt and one of them will end up going home. Even though IMO, none of them should go home before Scott does.

And ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s quite possible that two of them will go home before Scott does. If this happens, I think that it will be Anoop(if he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really step it up) and either Allison or Matt who will go the following week.

Adam did a pretty good job of singing Dilana’s cover of ROF which was a new arrangement of ROF. Adam didn’t create the innovative arrangement himself, he borrowed it.

Because a lot of people are voting for Scott, and the judges always go really easy on him about his vocals, even though he is constantly giving mediocre performances, They never really criticize his vocals. The judges are constantly overpraising Lil, even though she hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really given that many good performances.

I can understand people voting for Lil (those who prefer female R&B singers or the more traditional “big-voiced” contestants), but, seriously, who the hell is voting for Scott? And what kind of music do they listen to now? It’s not that I don’t think he’s a great guy, but this is a person with, at best, very mediocre musical talent. Is he just getting the “nice guy” or pity vote, or does somebody actually like the way he sings? Why would someone pay for Scott when you can listen to Billy Joel or Josh Groban or any number of more talented, non-threatening singers? Scott, for me, is one of the worst singers they’ve ever had on the show. I know he’s supposed to be a great pianist, but I hear more people compliment the self-taught, can’t-read-music Matt than Scott. I just don’t get it.

Jx224, I have to agree with your assessment of how the competition is shaping out. I hate to say it but Scott has a chance of outlasting Anoop, Matt, and *GASP*…even Allison! Ugh.

However, I the sad thing is can see (har har) how people would vote for Scott even if does have the weakest voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEQqeK7wil4

L…O…L!!!!! The clothes! The shoes! hahaha

Jx224, I have to agree with your assessment of how the competition is shaping out. I hate to say it but Scott has a chance of outlasting Anoop, Matt, and *GASP*à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦even Allison! Ugh.

I think Scott is going to make the Top 5, especially if he becomes the VFTW pick, which seems likely at this point. Lil is a sure thing for the Top 5. Even if she goes out earlier, the judges WILL save her.

Matt/Anoop/Kris are splitting votes. Kris will outlast them both. As long as the judges refuse to support her, Allison is destined to go out mid pack. There’s an outside chance she could squeak in at 5, but I can’t imagine she’ll go higher. I think Matt and Anoop will also go out before the Top 5.

As far as the iTunes recordings go–they don’t help at all. If a contesant can’t sing and perform well on stage, they are toast.

ETA: By the way, I like both versions of PTFMWB. But, I think Adam is a better singer than Rob Parissi.

Here’s the real deal funky music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

As far as the iTunes recordings goà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t help at all. If a contesant canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing and perform well on stage, they are toast.

Yep, that’s the way it goes!
So…Top 5 = Adam, Danny, Lil, Kris, Scott.

It’s a little to predictable with Kris being the only possible spoiler. Since I like only 2 of them, and pretty much strongly dislike 3, I’ll just watch the performances online. (That’s what I did for Season 6 after Phil left).

As long as the judges refuse to support her, Allison is destined to go out mid pack.

This is a sin because Allison has the talent to win it. I’d put her even ahead of Jordin and Archie.

Ugh, Season 8 = Worst. Season. Ever.

Soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Top 5 = Adam, Danny, Lil, Kris, Scott.

Yep.

My motto is “Don’t let the bastards get you down”, so I won’t be swallowing all the hype.

You’re really pessimistic MJ, maybee a counter-jinx method?
Lil is losing the support of the judges and she is due for an appearance in the first half next tuesday.
Allison has had good critics untill last week and even then only Simon criticized her singing. She has the talent to pull off good performances till the top 5.
Kris has to prove that this week is not a fluke, Matt and Allison were unable to build on their previous pimp spot, it’s not guarenteed that Kris will.

There are only 2 sure thing for the top 5 IMO, Danny and Adam, the rest will be decided in the next 3 weeks.

DeGarmo in the top two makes that the worst season ever.

Ugh, Season 8 = Worst. Season. Ever.

ROFL! I love this place! Just proves how different we all are.

For me, Season 8 is the best season of AI I have ever seen.

Scott in the Top 5! Oh noes! Pray that’s not going to happen. I’ll take any combination of Allison, Matt or Anoop to take his place. (And Danny’s place too, for that matter – lolz.)

DeGarmo in the top two makes that the worst season ever.

Oh, right. I forgot about Season 3. Okay, well Season 8 for me just seems extra bad coming off the high of Season 7, where I liked everyone in the Top 5 (except for Syesha).

ETA: The Fray’s “You Found Me” is now #7 on the itunes chart. (Either people bought it because they liked the song Matt was singing, or they just wanted to wash their ears out of the not-so-great live performance).

I don’t think you can take a studio recorded, pro-tools, etc., song and say how great someone sounds. They need to sound great live. If I go to somebody’s concert and they sound like shit, probably won’t be going back.
The reason some people think so and so sounds current is because they sound exactly like a less talented version of someone already in the market place. Does anyone really think some Idol contestant who sounds kinda like Justin Timberlake or whoever has any chance really selling anything, unless they are 10 times better than the original.

Lil is losing the support of the judges and she is due for an appearance in the first half next tuesday.

I remember last season, when peeps kept picking Syesha as their pool pick, and I kept saying…nope nope nope, not yet. There’s never been a Top 5 without an African American R&B singer in it. This year will be no exception.

Allison has had good critics untill last week and even then only Simon criticized her singing. She has the talent to pull off good performances till the top 5.

Allison has languished near the bottom nearly every week, despite singing well. The lack of judges support isn’t helping her either.

Kris has to prove that this week is not a fluke, Matt and Allison were unable to build on their previous pimp spot, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not guarenteed that Kris will.

I think Kris is on a roll. He’s been performing well for the past few weeks. He’s beyond the “fluke” stage in my opinion. Folks are taking to Kris in a way that they aren’t taking to Matt and Allison.

There are only 2 sure thing for the top 5 IMO, Danny and Adam, the rest will be decided in the next 3 weeks.

There could be a dramatic turn, depending on future performances and the whims of the judges. Sure. We’ll see.

Also, if youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve noticed, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You Found Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  [the Frays version] has been moving up the charts more so ever since Matt sang it. [:

I’ll certainly give Matt his due, as I enjoyed his performance a whole lot more than the judges did Tues night. But, I also saw The Fray perform “You Found Me” on Letterman this week. So, I also have to give The Fray props for promoting and potentially selling their own song.

On Adam and the Emperor, I’m not one of those claiming everything he does sounds “current” or “new and improved,” as opposed to fantastic or amazing in its own right. I’m ok that he’s doing some throwback sounds and some dance club performances. RoF was really amazing to me though, and in listening back, I believe it may just be his best vocal to date. Adam never claimed to have created the arrangement, he said he “found” it. But he sure as hell, imo, sang the socks off that Del— chick! LOL TOMT was gorgeous too.

In the end, I guess I really don’t see why anyone would question or doubt the validity of the support that Adam receives for the amazing talent that he is.

If Scott and Lil are in the Top 5, without stepping it WAY up in the coming weeks, I think I’ll puke. They just are not bringing it, and well, anyone else would be better in my view.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll certainly give Matt his due, as I enjoyed his performance a whole lot more than the judges did Tues night. But, I also saw The Fray perform à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You Found Meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  on Letterman this week. So, I also have to give The Fray props for promoting and potentially selling their own song.

Bingo. That’s probably why it’s moving up the charts.

I hate the idea of Lil and Scott in the top 5. I don’t understand why tptb are so high on Lil. She doesn’t bring anything new to idol. I’d love to see Allison supplant her and make top 3 or 4 but don’t see that happening without a major shift in support/fans. I love Anoop but am realistic and know he’ll be going soon. I’d like to see Matt or Anoop outlast Kris but doubt that will happen either. I still find him rather boring and the least interesting vocals of the 3. I know Adam will last but hate the thought of hearing his oversinging for weeks to come. I have no problem with Danny but my 3 favorites are Anoop, Allison, and Matt. I think I’m destined to be unhappy with the finals, lol.

I can understand people voting for Lil (those who prefer female R&B singers or the more traditional à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“big-voicedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  contestants), but, seriously, who the hell is voting for Scott? And what kind of music do they listen to now? Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not that I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a great guy, but this is a person with, at best, very mediocre musical talent. Is he just getting the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“nice guyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  or pity vote, or does somebody actually like the way he sings?

I think that some people that are voting for Scott genuinely do like his voice and his style of music, but I think that he is getting mostly nice guy/sympathy votes.

Soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Top 5 = Adam, Danny, Lil, Kris, Scott.

Unfortunately, IMO, I think that this will be the top 5 and I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that there is really anything that can be done to change this outcome.

Anoop had a shot of changing it, but now heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got so many things working against him, including:

1.)He hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t been very consistant, even though he has had some decent performances.

2.)TPTB want him gone. The judges like some of us had thought they would do during Motown week threw him under the bus last week. Now IMO, granted his performance was awkward and definitely not his best, but it was not as bad as the judges made it out to be.

Simon and Kara didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really give him any credit for his vocals, which for the most part were decent. And they ripped into him pretty harshly, with the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“frat boyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  comments.

Telling him his performance is awkward would have been one thing, but telling he looks like some frat boys dared him to sing that song is another, and IMO, implies that he hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t been taking this show seriously.

And I think that he has, he is the only one that has really followed all of the advice that the judges have given him. And I think that the frat boys comments angered him, especially since his friends were in the audience.

But I wish that he hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t said what he did. Not because it bothered me, but because it bothered a lot of other people, including a lot of casual voters and some of his fans even who now think he is arrogant, and probably didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote for him or wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote for him because of that.

I think that last week the only people that really voted for him were his fanbase, and they managed to save him, but he was still in 8th place.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if Anoop can recover from all that has happened to him, and I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that his fanbase is going to be able to save him next week, without a good amount of help from the casual voters.

And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if he is going to get a lot of casual voters voting for him next week, unless he gives a really, good performance, and if the judges give him credit for doing that.

I honeslty do not trust the judges to give him due credit if he does well next week. At this point I expect them to throw him under the bus again and finish off, no matter how he does next week.

But I do think that he is talented, he does have a big fanbase and if he had been more consistant and TPTB werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t so against him, then he would have had a chance at least cracking the top 5, but at this point, sadly I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he will.

Allison, is talented, can sing well, but she just doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have the fanbase or even enough of the casual voters votes each week, to make it look like she has a solid chance of making the top 5.

There is a small chance that she might make it that far, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that likely. I think that she is probably going to be out before top 5.

Matt has the talent, but doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a really big fanbase and for some reason like Allison is not really connecting with a lot of people. Plus I think that TPTB are starting to lose faith in him, and I wonder how long it will be before they no longer have use for him and throw him underneath the bus like they have done Anoop.

Especially now since Kris is gaining momentum. I could see TPTB throwing more support behind Kris, and abandoning Matt.

If Adam, Danny, Lil, Scott and Kris are this yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Top, 5 I think that it is going to be one of the most boring if not the most boring top 5 that AI has ever had. I love Adam, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really care about the rest of the people from that potential top 5 as singers. Even though I would be okay with Kris outlasting Scott and Lil. But Kris doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really do anything for me.

I feel sad for people who don’t have a mind of their own & vote like sheep according to whatever the judges say each week.

I really hope Scott goes home this week. Enough is enough. I seriously don’t see him becoming a successful artist.

And I am also deep inside hoping Matt gives another “So Small” performance and returns to his frontrunner position with the judges. He needs to be in that Top 5. The Top 5 should be for me:
Adam, Matt, Kris Allison and Danny with Danny being the shock elimination.
Oh man.. That would be sweet.

Just a few comments concerning Matt that’s I’ve read on here…

Point 1 – He CAN sing very well live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWNvExh8y7E

Point 2 – He DOES have a rather large fanbase.
http://myidol.americanidol.com/go/thread/view/32575/13118306/THE_GIRAUD_SQUAD?num=20&pg=1

Point 3 – There are a TON of people connecting to his music.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Matt-Giraud/48611983461

He is far and above more talented than Kris. I can’t imagine Kris ever getting farther in this competition than Matt. Kris is limited vocally and all of his performances are very “safe” and “forgettable” that’s why we haven’t seen him get nailed for a performance yet. But, I think it’s coming…

maracaibo Apr 4th, 2009 at 3:44 pm

“I really hope Scott goes home this week. Enough is enough. I seriously donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see him becoming a successful artist.”

I want him to go home! It’s so uncomfortable watching him.
It’s becoming a joke.

Can someone please post the songs from itunes. I cannot download them…ughhhh

The reason some people think so and so sounds current is because they sound exactly like a less talented version of someone already in the market place. Does anyone really think some Idol contestant who sounds kinda like Justin Timberlake or whoever has any chance really selling anything, unless they are 10 times better than the original.

Heh. This reminds me of last year’s X-Factor where we had no less than 3 girls who were directly aimed at the Duffy/Winehouse sector of the market. None of them even made top 3 so the public was clearly nowhere near as enamoured as the casting/judging panel :cool1_tb:

But this is the nature of the game. Simon and his cohorts are not looking for originality or someone to break the mould: they are mostly looking for soundalikes of people who are already doing well in the industry, plus a few “characters” to make good teevee.

So I take scant notice of who sounds “current” myself. “Current” now could well mean “missed the boat” anyway by the time the winner’s album comes out! Trends have a nasty habit of moving on.

I figure that if you have the voice, the looks and the charisma then you’ve as good a chance as anyone of making it big after the show provided you get the right material. Find your “Bleeding Love” or “Since U Been Gone” and Bob’s your uncle…

I feel sad for people who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a mind of their own & vote like sheep according to whatever the judges say each week.

Unfortunately, I think that the judges comments (especially Simon) influence how a lot of people think and vote. Not everyone but a lot. I think that Simon is the biggest reason why Michael Sarver, advanced over Anoop and Ricky Braddy in the semifinals, even though I thought that both Anoop and Ricky Braddy outsung Michael.

He told Michael that he hoped that people would give him a chance and they did, right over Anoop and Ricky Braddy who IMO, definitely outsung Michael, and who deserved a chance as well, especially with the 3 seconds of airtime he got before he performed on the idol stage. But Simon basically told him that even though he had a good voice he had no charisma.

I think that he is one of the biggest reasons why Scott advanced over Juà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Not and Von in the semfinals, even though IMO, both Juà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Not and Von sung better than Scott as did some of the girls like Felicia.

But Simon said something to Scott, like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I know you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have the best voice but I will be very surprised if you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make it to through the top 12.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  And Scott advanced over a lot more people who were better singers than he was.

There are a lot of people that think that whatever the judges say is the gospel truth, and label anything that the contestants might say that doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t agree with the judges as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talking back. I was watching Idol Chat yesterday, and there was a woman there from Billboard, who was talking about how she really disliked the contestants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talking backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to the judges.

And said that they should just basically just be quiet and take what the judges said as constructive criticism. And Kim Caldwell agreed with her. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t always think that whenever a contestants responds back to whatever the judges say, and if they disagree with them is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talking backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

Sometimes, there have been some contestants that have acted rude to the judges comments, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that every time one of them disagrees with the judges ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talking about. And IMO, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that they can always take what the judges say as constructive criticism, because the judges arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t always giving constructive criticism, and can be downright rude themselves to the contestants.

The judges spending too much time commenting on Allisonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s clothes instead of her vocals is not constructive, or drawing mustaches on each other during her performance, isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t constructive. Not really telling Anoop exactly what they want from him, but telling him 30 different things, is not constructive and then not giving him credit for attempting to do all those things is not constructive.

Telling David Cook last year that his jacket made him look pompous, or smug, or whatever exact word Simon ussd is not constructive. The judges are definitely do not always give constructive criticism, so I can understand why the contestants get frustrated with them sometimes.

But if they happen to disagree with the judges and respond to them, a lot of folks automatically label it as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talking backà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and hold that against the contestant.. Because they think the judges are right, and like to follow the judges opinions.

I remember last season, when peeps kept picking Syesha as their pool pick, and I kept sayingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦nope nope nope, not yet. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s never been a Top 5 without an African American R&B singer in it. This year will be no exception.

But at least Syesha had turned in some pretty good performances. Beatles Redux night, IIR, she was reallly good. She didn’t have a lot of personality, but she did have several decent nights, even though she was in the bottom 3, what, I think 3 times.

So far the only decent performance Lil has given was in the semis, and that wasn’t even what I would consider stellar, just passable. Since then she hasn’t turned in a great, or even what I would consider good, performance. She’s been pretty bland and her sining hasn’t wowed. I guess I’m hoping for a miracle and that she’ll be gone before T5.

Although I wouldn’t put it past the producers to stick her in the B3 and do a fake-out elimination with her, have her sing for her life, and let the judges Dramatically! Save! Her! I mean, it’s the new rule, and they’ve got the power so I would imagine they want to use it, even if just for dramatic effect.

And I get pissed at the judges. Lil has turned in lackluster, off pitch performances but they still prop her up. Her I Surrender was just awful and she only managed to hit the right notes at the end, yet they still insist on convincing us that she can sing. And the criticism she got was way soft. Then there was the thing with her kids. Gag.

Scott has turned in pitchy, boring performances and they still prop him up. Not to mention Danny’s performance this past week, which was tuneless in the beginning and had him gasping for breath every third word. Yet they say it was his best. WTF, judges?

I hope both Anoop and Matt throw caution, nerves any angst they may have to the wind this week and both deliver something amazing (please, God!!). I hope Allison hits a homerun, too.

I feel sad for people who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a mind of their own & vote like sheep according to whatever the judges say each week.

Tell that to Simon the year Taylor Hicks won. :laugh_tb:

He spent weeks either damning Taylor with faint praise or outright slamming his performances but it didn’t make a scrap of difference to the outcome.

The trick is to catch the public’s imagination in some way. Just having a decent voice really isn’t enough.

That’s why I’m reckoning on a Gokey win this year because decent voice/tragic backstory could be enough to do the trick.

But I guess time will tell.

The way I see it, the only contestants who are locked in for the Top 5 are Adam (the number of fans he has is incredible, but deserved) and Danny (who the producers will not let go of, and who also has many fans).

I seriously doubt Scott makes the Top 5. Actually, I have a feeling this is his week to go.

First off, he’s way out of his league – everyone else can sing better than him now that Megan’s gone. Even more, it’s not like VFTW picks are invincible; yeah, Megan held on for a while, but there have to be many more people supporting a VFTW pick, too. Scott, I think, doesn’t have many fans based on his voice.

He’s a nice guy, and that, coupled with the unjustified praise from the judge’s last week, helped him escape the bottom 3. If he messes up this week, or is simply just mediocre, he gets the boot.

Anoop goes in the next three weeks. He’s been the most inconsistent, is losing fans to that attitude, and isn’t getting any love from the producers/judges.

Allison, though she is amazingly talented, many not make it. I think she has established herself as a different type of artist (and a good one at that, *cough* Megan), but she gets lost in the shuffle for reasons I don’t know.

Lil is extremely overrated. I’m sure that’s been said. But every time I check DialIdol she’s near the top! Seriously, who votes for that woman??? If I get lucky, lol, she’ll be gone in the next three weeks, too (most likely the 6th place finisher). Keep your fingers crossed.

And then there’s the rising star, Kris. I have to say, though, I liked him better when he wasn’t as noticeable to the judges. Don’t know why, haha. Anyway, Kris, I think, is almost a lock for the Top 5, but not quite yet. I mean, he’s been doing really, really well, but I’m wondering if he’ll keep growing or if he does badly one week and then falls from grace. I think cacity87 is right about his vocal limitations. To me, his performances seem to blend together as the same type – kinda like Scott’s.

Can’t forget Mr. Matt Giraud. I’m not liking how the judges tore him to pieces for trying something different (save Kara, somewhat). “You Found Me” was not as bad a performance as they made it out to be and certainly nowhere near “Viva La Vida”. Yeah, it was a bit shaky, but not bad. However, coming off “Human Nature”, “So Small”, and “Let’s Get It On”, his last performance was just okay. This must have been the week he tried pop music again. I’m not sure if he’ll go back to his soulful side next week, though. I think he might try and showcase something different.

In a nutshell, this is how I think things shape up to be:

8th place: Scott MacIntyre
7th place: Anoop Desai
6th place: Allison Iraheta (but there’s a good chance Lil Rounds ends up here)

So yeah, that leaves a Top 5 of Adam, Danny, Kris, Matt, and one of the girls (Go Allison!). I think that’s pretty likely.

Cacity, thanks a million for posting that link to Matt singing in the bar. Holy crap, he’s sexy as hell in his natural habitat……

What I find to be a problem with Allison is that everything she sings sounds the same. I’m not saying Lil is any different, no not at all. I will say, however that rocker chicks haven’t seemed to fare as well on the show historically as R&B divas (not that I’d ever classify Lil as a diva but she’s the closest we have). I honestly think Allison will go out before Lil, and it will be a shame.

I figure that if you have the voice, the looks and the charisma then youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve as good a chance as anyone of making it big after the show provided you get the right material. Find your à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Bleeding Loveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Since U Been Goneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and Bobà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s your uncleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Couldn’t agree more.

If the judges are really THAT good at manipulating the outcome, then I hope they have something up their sleeve other than the obvious 2 guys (Adam & Danny) they have been promoting all along this year. It would be so predictable if the top 2 they have been promoting all along end up in the top 2 spots! That makes for a very dull show. I’m rooting for an uberdogg underdog finish!

I think that the bus is headed for Anoop again next week, and I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to be able to outrun it again. But if by some miracle, he does manage to outrun it again, and last at least another week, then ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to run over Allison or Matt. I think that if Anoop doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t go home next week, then either Allison or Matt will no matter how well they might perform.

I hope you’re right about the last part of your post. Anoop will bring it this week!

Yep, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the way it goes!
Soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Top 5 = Adam, Danny, Lil, Kris, Scott.

What a shitty top 5 would that be…..Holy mother of God. That would be worse than season 6′s

I feel sad for people who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a mind of their own & vote like sheep according to whatever the judges say each week.

Same here

I hope both Anoop and Matt throw caution, nerves any angst they may have to the wind this week and both deliver something amazing (please, God!!). I hope Allison hits a homerun, too.

Same! Just so Scott, Kris or Lil go the *f* home already.

To me, his performances seem to blend together as the same type – kinda like Scottà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s.

Yep

mj – really, really hope you’re wrong about Scott making top 5. Can’t imagine what he could do this week to outshine everyone else.

My dream top 5: Kris, Matt, Anoop, Alison, Adam. All of them can sing and elimination order could keep the show entertaining.

Worst (and highly probable) top 5: Danny, Lil, Scott, Adam, Kris. Lil and Scott will remain forgettable, Danny and Kris will split votes and Adam will be able to do whatever he wants with no competition from Alison.

He is far and above more talented than Kris. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t imagine Kris ever getting farther in this competition than Matt. Kris is limited vocally and all of his performances are very à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“safeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“forgettableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why we havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seen him get nailed for a performance yet. But, I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s comingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I like Matt and I definitely prefer him to Kris, who I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really care for. And I think that he does have a decent sized a online fan base, but I think that his online fan base, combined with his offline fan base, doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t give him as many fans as a lot of the other contestants has, and that is one of the biggest reasons why he is in trouble right now, along with Anoop and Allison.

Plus I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that he is picking up that many casual voters. I think that him, Anoop and Allison are in a lot of trouble and that any of them could go home next week if they give a bad performance, or even if they give a good performance depending on how the other two in that group do.

I wish this wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the case because I love Anoop, like Allison and I like Matt, and do like him more than Kris, the way that he interprets songs better and his piano playing better than do I Scottà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s.

And I get pissed at the judges. Lil has turned in lackluster, off pitch performances but they still prop her up. Scott has turned in pitchy, boring performances and they still prop him up. Not to mention Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance this past week, which was tuneless in the beginning and had him gasping for breath every third word. Yet they say it was his best. WTF, judges?

I hope both Anoop and Matt throw caution, nerves any angst they may have to the wind this week and both deliver something amazing (please, God!!). I hope Allison hits a homerun, too.

I get at the mad at the judges for the same reasons, and also because they have been too harsh on Anoop and have not given him enough credit for his voice and some of the vocals that he’s given.

The judges try to make Lil out to be better than what she is, and donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really criticize her when she doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do that well, and gives lackluster performances, which has been most of the time so far in this competiton.

They donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t ever really criticize Scott for his vocals or his consistently mediocre performances.. Yet they slam Anoop and donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t give him credit for his vocals on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Caught Upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  which were I thought were decent if his dancing was not.

Not to mention Kara told him that she didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know he could sing that well, after he performed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ooh, Baby, Babyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , even though he had
performed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Always on My Mindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  the week before, and which was IMO, a better performance than à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ooh, Baby, Babyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I think that Danny has overall been consistant, but the times, that he hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t done well, they havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really called him out for it.

I think that it may just be a matter of time, before they throw Allison, and Matt underneath the bus. Even though I feel like they are already losing faith in Matt.

I wish that Anoop, Matt, and Allison would do so well, next week that they would knock Lil and Scott into the bottom three. Danny, Adam, and Kris probably wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t land in the bottom three, so unfortunately one either Anoop, Matt or Allison would probably have to land there. And that the judges would give them their rightful praise for doing well.

But I wish that they would all do so well that no more than one of them would land there, and that they would have done enough to save themselves, and Scott would go home.

Unfortunately, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that these things will happen, especially the judges giving their due praise if they all do well, and them all getting a whole lot of votes but I can hope.

The Top 5 should be for me:
Adam, Matt, Kris Allison and Danny with Danny being the shock elimination. Oh man.. That would be sweet.

From your mouth to God’s ears.

Seriously, this is how I’d like to see it go down, and I believe it’s accurate based on comparative talent and performances so far too.

Mileage varies, of course!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7xpVB8momE&feature=PlayList&p=709A9262EB34E218&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=73

This is a link to Phil Collins ’86 hit, ‘Take Me Home’. Would love to hear a stripped down version by Anoop but kinda superstitious about the title :biggrin_wp:

I remember last season, when peeps kept picking Syesha as their pool pick, and I kept sayingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦nope nope nope, not yet. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s never been a Top 5 without an African American R&B singer in it. This year will be no exception.

I can understand the comparison between Syesha and Lil, but Syesha survived until the top 3 only because she was arguably the best performer from top 6 to top 3 (One Rock and Roll Too Many, A Change Is Gonna Come are her two best performances of the whole competition) and had shown some pretty good performances before that (notably Yesterday). She was in danger every week before that. The other years had african american contestants that absolutely deserved to be top 5 (Melinda, Paris, Vonzell, Fantasia, K. Locke, Tamyra) and were all way more talented than Lil.

Lil is simply completely overrated while Syesha was so despised that she became underrated, everyone who saw Lil’s Hollywood auditions and her IWALY were already aware that something wasn’t quite right.

Furthemore, Lil seems more and more desperate, “I surrender” was one of the worst song she could have chosen and the only thing that saved her (at least in my mind) is the shameless pimping with her sons.

Arguably Allison is in the same position of Carly last year, except Carly had way more detractors than her. Carly was despised because she was a foreigner, she had a big tatoo and she already had a contract with a label before.
Meanwhile Allison is really likeable, she’s just a normal teenager with an incredible talent, people should warm up to her and she should get most of the Megan voters. She’s one of only two girls in the competition and is way younger than the other contestants.

Statiscal trends such as “every year has an african-american in the top 5″ are not trustworthy because there hasn’t been enough years of competition.

Hmmm. Just caught up with everyone’s comments. I haven’t heard much talk about who folks think will be getting Megan’s votes. Because at this point, that strongly determines how things shake out. The fewer the contestants left, the more people start honing in on their faves and stop spreading their votes around.

I can’t quite figure out who would get Megan’s votes. Alot of her votes were for her looks and quirkiness – maybe these folks won’t vote at all. Then, there’s the VFTW crowd – looks likely to go to Scott. We’ll see.

I’m really hoping that Scott and then Lil go next. Each week we get the same from them – boring, musically lukewarm from Scott and not-quite-there, over-praised from Lil. You’d have to think that eventually people will realize that the promise just isn’t going to happen. I’ve always been surprised at how high they’re rated on DI. I truly hope that we’ve come to the end of the line for them, because I don’t want to see Anoop, Allison or Matt go yet.

I think almost anyone could be in danger if they stumble badly, even Danny or Adam. I know they’re not likely to stumble and yes, they’d probably be saved by the judges (or the viewers) if they did. But I think both Scott and Lil have been coddled enough by the judges that one unmistakeable fall could spell the end. I’m not convinced that they would save Lil given the chance. It does seem like Anoop, Allison and Matt are not considered unanimously high enough in the judge’s eyes to expect a save for them.

Lil has stumbled each and every week. It doesn’t seem to hurt her. I’m so unimpressed with this year that I guess I don’t even care. While Syesha was never even close to being a favorite of mine, at least she sang well. I could actually understand people voting for her. Lil, not so much.

I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t quite figure out who would get Meganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s votes. Alot of her votes were for her looks and quirkiness – maybe these folks wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote at all. Then, thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the VFTW crowd – looks likely to go to Scott.

I think that maybe Allison will pick up some of Megan’s voters. Or maybe a lot of her voters will vote for Scott, since a lot of her voters were from Vote For The Worst.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really hoping that Scott and then Lil go next. Each week we get the same from them – boring, musically lukewarm from Scott and not-quite-there, over-praised from Lil. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have to think that eventually people will realize that the promise just isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to happen. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always been surprised at how high theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re rated on DI. I truly hope that weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve come to the end of the line for them, because I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to see Anoop, Allison or Matt go yet.

I hope so too.

I hope that the ones going home for the next 2 week are lil and scott…sorry but they do nothing for me.. I even forget that they are in the competition. I cant name any of the songs that any of the have done.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really hoping that Scott and then Lil go next. Each week we get the same from them – boring, musically lukewarm from Scott and not-quite-there, over-praised from Lil. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have to think that eventually people will realize that the promise just isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to happen. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always been surprised at how high theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re rated on DI. I truly hope that weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve come to the end of the line for them, because I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to see Anoop, Allison or Matt go yet.

It does seem like Anoop, Allison and Matt are not considered unanimously high enough in the judgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s eyes to expect a save for them.

Agree with all of this. I just hope Anoop makes the Top 5.

My favorites are coming on strong every week. Adam, Allison, Kris are still my top 3. They are still doing great every week during the show. They would make a great Live concert. I am starting to appreciate Danny Gokey’s talent. Danny is showing that he can entertain a crowd. Too bad people aren’t seeing that Allison has been constantly good every week.

Lil has fallen back imo, and Matt fluctuates but I think he keeps getting better. I think the judges weren’t correct on Matt’s performance. I have to say Scott improved and got better from his previous performances. Anoop has not been consistent.

Performances on the show are the most important because most people judge everything off the shows performance. That is why Adam is great because he make the best of the shows live performance.