American Idol Review: Finals Edition
Theme: No real theme tonight as it’s the showdown between my two favorites, Adam and Kris. The contestants sing their favorite season performance, a song picked by Simon Fuller, and a crappy ballad that the show will make the winner produce as his first single. Here we go…
Round 1: Contestant’s Favorite
Adam Lambert – “Mad World” by Tears For Fears/Gary Jules: I called this one at the beginning of the show. I had said that if the contestants were to pick a favorite performance to re-sing, Adam would do this song. After all, it’s the one that brought Simon to his feet! No surprises here, Adam performed this amazingly well. I won’t take points off for the cheesy fake smoke, as I’m sure that was the producers’ decision and not his. Great start for Adam.
GCT Rating = 9/10
Kris Allen – “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers: I thought he might do “Falling Slowly” but this was probably a good pick for him. I’m a big fan of Kris singing this song and thought he did amazing as well. I actually think this might have been better than the first time he sang it, especially that last note. Kris is in this to win it.
GCT Rating = 9/10
Round 2: Simon Fuller’s Choice
Adam Lambert: “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke: This is a favorite of mine and I was a bit nervous with the song choice for Adam. However, after listening to it, it’s very clear that Adam can make the most out of anything he’s given. I absolutely loved this and felt he nailed it. I couldn’t help but think about all the gay haters when he sang this song, but perhaps I’m making too much of it. Adam totally delivered raw emotion and amazing vocals on this one. This might be my favorite performance of the year.
GCT Rating: 10/10
Kris Allen: “What’s Goin On” by Marvin Gaye: Meh. Kris sings very well, and he looks cute with his guitar, but this was a bit boring for me. I know he didn’t pick the song, but I didn’t feel like he really went after it. He played it cool and safe and delivered a pretty good performance. But it’s the last show of the season and I’m looking for more. By the way, I’m sensing a theme from Simon Fuller with these feel-good, socially conscious songs! Hmm…
GCT Rating: 7/10
Round 3: “The Single”
Adam Lambert: “No Boundaries” by Kara and some other people: I really didn’t like this song, and won’t blame either contestant for this performance. Adam did alright, but nothing about this performance excited me.
Kris Allen: “No Boundaries” by that other girl and some of her friends: Again, bad song, too big for Kris, blah.
GCT Rating: I refuse to rate either of these because the song was terrible and it’s not fair to hold them accountable. Sorry for the ambivalence toward this round.
Prediction: I do have a feeling that the majority of Danny fans will vote for Kris. Depending on what the disparity was between the three last week, it could make a difference. That being said, I think I’m pulling for Adam to win this thing tonight. I love both of them, but have always been cheering on Adam from the beginning. I think it’s going to be a close one, but I’ll just go ahead and call it for Adam.
