Why in the world did they call this "the rat pack" week? Tonight the top five finalists are singing pop standards, some of which may have been performed at one time by members of the Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. etc. in addition to numerous other artists having nothing to do with the Rat Pack. And why is the mentor for this theme Jamie Foxx? He's never done an album of pop standards. I guess when you won an Oscar for Best Actor playing Ray Charles, you have a hit single, Blame It, in the top 5 on the Billboard HOT 100 this week and your movie, The Soloist, is new in theaters this week you can rationalize that it's a good fit.
Kris Allen was first selecting to sing the tender ballad, The Way You Look Tonight, that Fred Astaire took to #1 all the way back in 1936 - long before the Rat Pack era. Kris gave a very sincere and straightforward rendition of this song. While gazing into his dreamy eyes is all that some may need to become completely entranced, his vocals were quite pure and on the mark. I've said before that he doesn't have the greatest voice in the world, but he continues to make up for it with his winning personality.
Allison Iraheta, who just turned 17 yesterday, performed Someone To Watch Over Me. This was a huge departure for her that allowed her to show she can do more than just sing everything with a hard rock edge. This mature ballad allowed her actually sing a full range of different notes we haven't heard from her before. She belted them out with a rawness and intensity that was still very true to her personal style her fans have come to love and expect from her.
Matt Giraud demonstrated once again that he should have gone home weeks ago as he took on a song that is way too big for his limited abilities, My Funny Valentine. The first three quarters of the song was just painful to listen to as every note sounded flat and emotionless. The big notes he threw in at the end were simply too little too late.
After hearing his version of Come Rain or Come Shine I am left once again asking how in the world Danny Gokey has made it this far in the competition. He has no star quality whatsoever. It's like watching some drunk doofus get up on stage at your cousin's wedding every week. While in that environment his limited vocal range that is really just different levels of screaming might be considered mildly entertaining, here on the American Idol stage it's just insulting.
Adam Lambert has star quality in every sense of the word. He genuinely has stage presence and he can take command every time he stands up there. You can tell that he has a passion for providing entertainment that is worth paying for. His vocal range is everything you would want it to be. As he showcased with his performance of Feeling Good, he can go from low notes to beautiful high notes effortlessly. In addition, when he belts out the big notes, he has mastered the art of making it sound like SINGING and not just screaming like a doofus.
The four American Idol judges serve no purpose at all. They gushed praise all over all five finalists tonight. It's as if they weren't listening to how awful Matt and Danny were at all. My prediction for the bottom three is Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta. I don't really think Allison belongs there, but unfortunately she has been struggling to get votes every week and she's been there before. If things go as they should, Matt should finally be the one going home.
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