Week 2

Sorry guys, I'm in Arizona this week with my family for Spring Break. I didn't have internet until now, so my post is late. No worries though, I took notes during the show and results.

This week the theme was Grand Ole Opry; Randy Travis was the celebrity mentor.

Michael Sarver--He sang Garth Brooks' "Aint Going Down Til the Sun Comes Up." It didn't showcase his voice enough. While he remembered all the words, this country boy should have a bigger library from which to choose.

Allison Iraheta--She sang "Blame it on Your Heart" by Patty Loveless. I remember jamming to this song when I was younger, so Allison's performance made me smile. I thought it was a great song choice for her voice, but that's really all I can say about it.

Kris Allen--He sang "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks. Kris is just so cute! I love him, but I missed his guitar tonight. He was shaky when he went up into his falsetto, but it was nice to hear him sing a straight out ballad that showcased his vocal range. Simon said that he has a chance to go far in this competition, and I agree.

Lil Rounds--She sang Martina McBride's "Independence Day." As soon as she said what song she was singing, I got nervous. You can't touch Martina, especially if you're an R&B vibrato and runs singer. Martina has such a straight and pure voice that Lil didn't even come close to honoring the song. I will give her props for wanting to honor the country theme, but this show is about showcasing who you are as an artist. Lil should have picked a Dolly Parton song and made it her own. She messed up the words in the beginning too.

Adam Lambert--Oh boy. He sang Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." It was just plain creepy and weird. I didn't care for his interpretation at all. Adam is obviously not a country singer, but he could have done much better than this. I think Simon summed it up by saying, "what the hell was that?"

Scott McIntyre--He sang Martina McBride's "Wild Angels." I loved his arrangement with the pickup and the drums halfway through the song, though his vocals were a little shaky in the crescendo. His falsetto was terrible.

Alexis Grace--She sang "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. It was too light and airy. Alexis has a powerful voice, but she didn't use it tonight. Kara said Alexis lost her edge. She had awkward breaths and pauses and was flat on the high notes at the bridge.

Danny Gokey--He sang "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Idol's own Carrie Underwood. The song is rather monotonous during the verses, and I wish Danny had told the story instead of just singing it. Then he hit that beautiful crescendo and the soulful chorus and the Danny I love was back. One of my favorites of the night.

Anoop Desai--He sang "You Were Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson. This song always creeps me out because it's in Practical Magic, but Anoop stole the show with this performance. He was back to the wild card we all rooted for. I loved that he brought a contemporary soulful edge to the song. It was a tender performance with great vocal control and melodic changes.

Megan Joy Corkrey--She sang "Walking after Midnight" by Patsy Cline. Even with the flu, this girl is awesome. I absolutely love her. She had a few issues at the key change, but considering she was extremely sick, it was a great performance. She showed some power at the end that I haven't heard from her before. Simon told her she should be sick every week.

Matt Giraud--He sang "So Small" by Carrie Underwood. I love watching Matt play the piano. His arrangement was awesome. His soulful and scruffy voice reminds me of Gavin DeGraw. This was also one of my favorite performances of the night.

I know results are over, but I predicted that Lil, Allison, and Michael would be in the bottom three.

My season favorites are Danny, Kris, Matt, Megan, and Anoop (in that order).


RESULTS

They finally found a solution for Scott during the group song by letting him play the piano while everyone else dances around him. Way to go. Did anyone else see Kris and his dancing feet at the end of the group performance? So cute.

Allison, Michael, and Alexis were in the bottom three.

Brad Paisley performed "Then."

Ryan announced that Allison was safe.

Randy totally forgot Alexis’ name. He paused way too long when Ryan asked him out of Adam and Alexis, who was in the bottom three. Are you kidding? Adam was freaky and weird but he’s a favorite. Easy choice. Randy then called Alexis, Allison. Oops.

Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis performed “I Told You So.” I’m really confused because Carrie's version of that song (originally by Randy Travis) is written as a duet during the chorus for a male and female, but Randy didn’t sing that with her. Then Randy stopped playing guitar half way through. Why was he even on stage?

Ryan announced that Michael was safe. The judges considered saving Alexis depending on her performance. She gave way more power, but it was not good enough for her to be saved. Alexis went home.

Top 10 going on tour—Danny, Lil, Anoop, Scott, Megan Joy, Matt, Kris, Adam, Allison, Michael

Next week is Motown!

What do you think of the new introduction? Is it too flashy? I think it takes way too long. I also think the judges talk/argue way more this season and they let the contestants respond too much. Just say your opinion and move on. We want to see the singing!