Theme? We don't need no stinkin' theme; it's iTunes downloads night, which means an odd hodgepodge of songs from the wannabes.
The rundown:
Anoop, "Caught Up" -- There something strange going on in the sound mix, because Anoop's enunciation has never been this incomprehensible, and tonight every word is vanishing. The performance certainly has energy, and I don't hear any glaring wrong notes or technical flaws, but he can't do much to make a dull song interesting.
Megan, "Turn Your Lights Down" -- Her phrasing actually sort of makes sense here, and there are some surprisingly pleasant moments. But as always, she's pushing too hard, trying to get a bigger sound than her voice can really produce, and all she's getting for her effort is a wide, wobbly vibrato. If she'd relax and accept the limitations of her voice, she'd sound a lot better.
Danny, "What Hurts the Most" -- Very nicely done. Smart song choice that plays well to his style and vocal strengths. It's a relatively restrained performance for Danny, with no obvious technical problems, and while I'm not getting goosebumps or anything, it's a solid piece of work.
Allison, "Don't Speak" -- Yeah, there are a few minor pitch problems in the chorus, but there's passion and commitment to her performances that almost no one else is giving us this year. She's got the confidence of a singer twice her age, and she's the one I look forward to hearing each week. (Whoever put her in that dress, though, should be shot.)
Scott, "Just the Way You Are" -- The tempo is ever so slightly too slow, giving the whole thing the feel of an uphill hike through molasses. Aside from that, it is exactly the performance you'd expect when you hear the words "Scott" and "Billy Joel" -- serviceable, polite, and boring.
Matt, "You Found Me" -- Trying to be a rocker gives his voice an unpleasant harshness, and the beginning is too low for him; he's having trouble keeping the bottom notes in tune. Not his best effort, and I fear he's likely to wind up at the bottom of the pack again.
Lil, "I Surrender" -- Now that's more like it. Yes, it's still that giant voice, but there's subtlety and restraint in the mix, too, in a way that reminds me vaguely of Shirley Bassey. What's still lacking, I think, is a strong emotional connection to the material; there is something a touch robotic about the performance. (The bit with the kids after the performance is a shameless bit of "please keep her" on the part of the producers.)
Adam, "Play That Funky Music" -- I can't stand his voice, especially in the upper register with which he's so pleased; it's a harsh shriek that grates on my ears. As for this week's persona, Adam 5.0 is no more real or sincere than Adams 1.0 through 4.0 were; he continues to be a hammy actor playing the roles of various bad pop singers. I know we're stuck with him for weeks, and I dread every minute.
Kris, "Ain't No Sunshine" -- Oh, hell, yeah. I had a big dumb goofy smile on my face all the way through that. (Well, I could have done without the gratuitous falsetto note at the very end.) Fabulous performance, by far the best of the night.
For the night: Kris, Danny, Allison, Lil, Anoop, Matt, Megan, Scott, Adam.
For the season: Kris, Danny, Allison, Anoop, Lil, Matt, Adam, Megan, Scott.
Deserving to go home: Since Adam clearly won't be leaving, I'll settle for either Scott or Megan.
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