Reviews of this week’s iTunes recordings, just for y’all.
My favorites: Allison Iraheta–For the mother ‘effing win baby. Love her country-fried take on Patty Loveless. Kris Allen’s gorgeous “To Make You Feel My Love” and Adam Lambert’s vocally stunning “Ring of Fire.”
- Michael Sarver -Aint Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up by Garth Brooks – I’m not drinking the Michael Sarver haterade along with most folks. He’s not the best singer, but I think he’s a good singer, and his voice records beautifully. The arrangement of this song could use a little more punch, but I think Michael sounds great. – iTunes
- Allison Iraheta – …Blame it on Your Heart by Patty Loveless – Allison reminds me of Roseanne Cash here–a huge compliment. I was pissed when Simon tried to throw her under the bus this week–her performance was one of the best of the night. This recording is even better. Loves it. I gotta start voting for this girl. I don’t want to lose her too. – iTunes
- Kris Allen – …To Make You Feel My Love by Garth Brooks – Gorgeous. Kris brings a couple more twists and turns to his phrasing here making it even better than his fine live performance. – iTunes
- Lil Rounds – …Independence Day by Martina McBride – Last week, I thought Lil’s live performance was better than the recording, this week it’s the opposite. Lil was pitchy and boring live. On the recording she brings it on the verses, and pulls off the chorus without belting it out, making the entire performance more consistent, and heartfelt. – iTunes
- Adam Lambert – …Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash – While Adam’s performance of “Ring of Fire” was over-the-top, his vocals were not. This week, he pulled back the heavy metal screaming to give a skilled and subtle vocal performance. Ditto the recorded version. Adam slithers around the notes, using his dazzling falsetto to great effect. I’m totally hearing the Jeff Buckley comparisons. Me likes. – Tunes
- Scott MacIntyre – …Wild Angels by Martina McBride – I don’t have much more to say about Scott that I haven’t said before. Scott’s vocals are pleasant, but he sounds exactly the same, no matter the genre. His recordings sound better than his pitchy live performances. But you know…Zz. – iTunes
- Alexis Grace – …Jolene by Dolly Parton – It was the awkward arrangement of “Jolene” that killed Alexis’ Idol run, not the song choice. It’s such a shame too. I feel robbed of seeing a talented singer grow throughout this competition. While I’m still hating on the arrangement, she’s got some fine vocal moments in this recording. Damn. – iTunes
- Danny Gokey – …Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood – The recording is a big improvement on the live version, where Danny alternated between sounding like ass on the verses, and Screamy McScreamerton on the choruses. The recording is nice, if a little dull. I can totally hear Danny doing country flavored Christian Contemporary. In fact, I think Danny will end up a Christian recording artist once all is said and done. – iTunes
- Anoop Desai – …You Were Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson – After Anoop finally brought the vocals this week, I was so excited. He can sing y’all! I can root for him after all. But now, sitting at my computer listening to the recording, I’m not quite as thrilled. He’s still got it going on vocally–nice riffing in the last verse. A little flat, the recording fails to capture Anoop’s charisma. – iTunes
- Megan Joy Corkrey – …Walking After Midnight by Patsy Cline – A ha! I just figured out what bugs me about Megan’s singing. While she’s got an unusual and interesting vocal tone, she has no clue how to interpret a song. She brings the the exact same vocal affectation to every one of her performances, no matter what it is. Megan records well, but the result is a little empty. – iTunes
- Matt Giraud – …So Small by Carrie Underwood – The recording sounds more countrified than the live recording, which had more of a soul vibe going. While Matt’s vocal’s became a little unweildy toward the end of his live performance, they’re just perfect here. Matt still gets my vote as most commercially viable performer of the whole bunch. – iTunes
