Idol Rock Week Rundown

Posted on 06. May, 2009 by fondue in Entertainment, Video

This is the week of American Idol I’ve been waiting for: rock and roll. Slash was the mentor and he had the contestants practice at the Roxy nightclub on stage with a rock band, which was a good idea.

I’ve been dying to hear Adam Lambert sing Led Zepplin all season, and tonight I got it. He covered “Whole Lotta Love,” a classic song not many would have the guts to take on, but he ripped it to shreds. Kara nailed it when she said he is a rock god and should make a classic rock album. Simon said no one would be able to top Adam’s performance. Duh.

Allison Iraheta kicked ass with Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby.” It was a great song choice for her. She’s got serious rock and roll chops. The judges gave her mixed reviews, but I think she was the second best of the night. And it sucks to have to follow Adam.

Next up was the first duet of the evening: Kris Allen and Danny Gokey singing “Renegade” by Styx. It was okay. No biggie. I still can’t stand Gokey, and rock is not his genre. I like Kris Allen but his rock performance was a little weak. They sounded good when singing in harmony, but overall I was disappointed. The judges felt the same way.

Kris came back for a solo performance of the Beatles’ “Come Together” and did a much better job than in the duet. He jammed on the electric guitar and created an arrangement that made the song more his own. That was imperative because the Beatles are so classic and have been covered so many times. He got pretty bad reviews from the judges, but I think he was good.

I’m bummed that Danny sang “Dream On” by Aerosmith because I love that song (and we all know I don’t love him). He didn’t make an effort to look very rock and roll and came across like a wimpy, doughy, white boy trying to be cool at a karaoke bar. Why he chose such a hardcore tough rock song is beyond me. And his scream at the end was horrifying. He should not have tried to cross into Adam’s territory; no one can scream-sing like Adam. The judges’ reviews weren’t positive, but Simon said he still thinks Danny is safe this week. I hope he’s wrong.

This was another performance I’ve been praying for all season: a rock duet between natural rockers Adam and Allison. But “Slow Ride” by Foghat? What a weird choice. Still they sounded great – way more rock and roll than the other duet. And they played off each other in a fun and supportive way; really like a team. And the judges totally agreed, insisting that they do a duet on an album together. Adam and Allison were so sweet afterwards, with their arms around each other and laughing together. Simon said Adam may have helped keep Allison in the competition for another week. I hope so. They’re my favorites.

Please make this the week Danny Gokey goes home. I hope that awful scream scared his fans away from their phones.

Tags: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, American Idol, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Slash