Top 4: Rock Week

We’re gonna rock and roll all night on American Idol!

Slash says, “I never thought of myself as a mentor on American Idol,” and I don’t know that I thought so either.  Slash is a guitarist, not a singer.  On the other hand, his contribution to rock music is undeniable, and he knows how to rock.

Adam Lambert is singing “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.  Tonight Turn up the Volume! comes to you from a couch with several girls, and their comments on Adam do not bear repeating, but let’s say there was lamentation for his sexual preferences as he came up onstage!  Adam looks like a rocker tonight, and I don’t know what that note is that came out of his mouth, but it is amazing.  I am continually in awe at the range he can produce, and the gymnastics he can do with his voice.  It’s a little over the top, but he’s allowed to be over the top, this is freaking rock week.  Adam is consistently on pitch, and he is on stage to rock the house tonight!  Randy is right: Adam is a rock star waiting to happen!

Simon said, “The problem is, nobody can touch that now.”  Um, guys—don’t put Adam in the front if you want everyone else to look bad.

Allison Iraheta is singing Janis Joplin’s “Crybaby.”  Slash is right that Allison is predisposed to sing Janis.  Allison has a great voice that’s capable of some gravel and she has one hell of a range.  Next to Adam, this doesn’t look like a rock concert, but here’s the thing.  Allison has the subtlety to really put her inflection on this song.  She doesn’t have the professionalism that Adam has, but she is a diamond in the rough.  This song didn’t let her show off all that she can do, but it is a really solid performance that will help her out.  Simon, however, is right that "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane would have been a better choice.  But PS--her hair is amazing.

Kris and Danny are singing the Stix, which is actually surprisingly good.  I was worried that Danny's sheer capability for volume would overwhelm Kris, and it does a little bit, but Kris is really holding up for himself.  He's an unlikely rock star, but look at him lift that mic and headbang!  Danny is powering through, while Kris is clearly at the top of his range, but there is not a bad note in there and they're both having a lot of fun.  Not a great performance, but Kara and Randy are right that the sum of the parts were greater than either separate and that they complemented each other.  I'd go see their show!

Kris Allen is singing the Beatles tonight, which is a perfect choice (even if I was hoping for "The Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie.)  Unfortunately, he is singing "Come Together," which could either be good or a trainwreck.  The guitar is a good choice, it gives him more rock star cred.  I like his decision to really go for these notes, even though you can tell he doesn't have the power.  Unfortunately, although this is a good execution, he is paling in comparison to everything that we just heard, and I suspect he will pale against Danny as well.  Now, I say that, and he cranks the volume and the power up for the last 30 seconds and amps it up.  Ultimately, Kris is not a rocker, but he damn well bloody tried, and I thought that he did the best he could for tonight.

Danny Gokey is singing "Dream On" by Aerosmith.  Now, this could be good or bad for him.  Michael Johns nailed this song last year, and if Danny gets compared to him, that's really bad for Danny.  If people forget about Michael, or compare Danny to the song instead of to past performance, it could be either good or bad, depending on how well he does.  Ultimately I don't think that Danny has the falsetto to kill this song (although he might kill it dead in the water,) and that he'll just power through, but we'll see what he does.  He certainly doesn't start off inspiringly, he sounds karaeoke here, and the "everybody's gone" line is just a joke.  The chorus is better, but still, Danny sounds like he's playing Rock Band and he doesn't know the words so he's just going through the motions.  That scream killed my ears.  This was not a good performance.

Adam and Allison are singing "Slow Ride" by Foghat, which is a great choice for both of them because they can KILL it. I love that they're splitting the lines. This sounds like a fuckin' rock concert, guys, the two of them playing off each other and having a blast doing it. They sound great all the way through, whether backed by the guitar or just the drums. I wouldn't have picked ending it like that, but these two have some serious on-stage chemistry and that little leap-hug at the end was adorable. ROCK ON GUYS!