American Idol: Top 11 Perform

Joe,
It sure is great to find out that I am not the only person who thinks that Johnny Cash had a terrible singing voice! It was tuneless and had little range. Mostly it was just a deep rumble, and he had a tendency to speak his songs, rather than sing them. But I respect him for the body of his work, if not the quality, if that makes any sense.
However, I dont think Adam was dissing country music or Johnny Cash or anything else. I just think he was just stateing in a humorous, good natured way that country was not his thing. I dont understand why people get so up in arms about things like this. I like rock, but I dont pitch a fit every time someone makes a derogatory remark about it. I dont care who likes it or doesnt like it, it takes nothing away from my enjoyment of it.

The best and most surprising performance was Adam Lambert's. I know he was imitating someone else's version of Ring of Fire, just as David Cook did with Billie Jean. I just can't think of the name of the artist who performed ROF that way.

Personally, I'm glad he had the nuggets to dis Country music when he said what he said to Randy Travis (who, BTW, is NOT getting better looking with age); it was just an acknowledgment that the genre was not is, and he was not interested in any part of it. So, good on Adam!

Please remember that Ring of Fire is really a rather ordinary song, and the only reason anyone remembers it is because Johnny Cash sang it. Johnny Cash had one of the most atrocious singing voices ever to get spun onto a 45--couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, as they used to say. I don't revere him the way some of the rednecks who also cannot sing do. He remained on the scene way too long. So I rather enjoy how the rednecks are all bummed out and upset that Adam sang the song in the style he selected.

Hey! Country music ppl! Your preferred genre isn't so precious after all. Get used to guys like Adam. HE has a singing voice. Johnny Cash DIDN'T!

I don't know how people can say Adam was trying to diss the country genre. I thought it was completely obvious that he was acknowledging that he completely realizes that a lot of country people are going to absolutely think he's from Mars- as Randy Travis obviously did- and that he holds no illusions that he'd ever be liked by those fans in general. It's also obvious that it's not his cup of tea, as with Simon, but he certainly didn't do or say anything disrespectful. I think he was just trying to maintain a sense of humor about the reality of the situation. And this being an "eye" contest? Haven't the naysayers noticed at all that he has, by far, the most powerful, searing vocals of all the contestants and is absolutely fearless about using the talent he was blessed with. I love to watch him as well but I don't need to. I can't wait to buy an album & play it a million times. His singing reminds me more of Ted Neely and Carl Anderson from Jesus Christ Superstar (the film) than Jim Morrison. Now THAT was singing talent. If it's not your style- that's your thing- but how can anyone not notice the range and power over the notes? I thought Ring of Fire was searing and gets better the more you play it.

I"M very tired of Danny, singing these "I had a hard life & feel sorry for me songs"! He just rubs me the wrong way. Also, I agree with Paula about about Scott, he does need to mix it up and sing to the audience. THey said the same things to Brooke last season.

I'm watching from Australia and it is absolutely excrutiating not being able to vote! If I could, I'd be trying my hardest to save Alexis right now. She's an awesome performer, and I thought she and Kris sounded more country than anyone else, but she needed to do a big song. I hope she has enough fans to get her through.

Adam is my favourite and yet every week I sort of watch him between my fingers because I'm scared that he'll bite off more than he can chew. He's the only one who is already excellent at everything he does and I hope he and Alexis go through to the top 2.


Megan drives me nuts. Sure, she's great at her genre but I don't think that her genre is mainstream enough. Can you actually imagine sitting through a concert or listening to a full album? She's not versatile enough-and why does she have a weird accent when she sings and not when she talks?

I thought Danny-who I usually love-was pitchy, but he still did well. Kris was awesome, and Anoop blew me away. But can he do it 2 weeks in a row?

Lil Rounds butchered that song in my opinion, although she does have an awesome voice, I think she's too similar to Fantasia.

Michael ran out of breath and spoke the song more than he sang it, and Scott was....well I got up and did the dishes during his performance lest I should fall asleep. Same with the last guy, whose name I can't remember. They were good but do they make me jump to my feet and applaud? No.

Allison rocked-as always. I won't be able to wait until it airs here tonight to find out-I'll be back here around lunch which I think is your night time.

Kris didn't copy Garth Brooks' version of the song, that's true.

He copied Adele's version. And it's a Bob Dylan song.

Hopefully, Kris can come forward and fess up, just like David Cook last season with Chris Cornell's version of "Billie Jean."

I think Michael is going home tonight. He has a nice voice, but it seems very limited and I agree that he is simply out of his league when compared to the other contestants.
Its interesting that Jane mentions that Megan reminds her of a 1940s pinup girl, because as I was listening to her perform, I was thinking she looked and sounded like what they called a "torch" singer in that era, with the glamorous dresses and sultry singing. Megan has a decent voice and it is very distinctive, it doesnt sound like anyone else, due to phrasing, pronunciation or something that I cant quite identify. Her biggest problem is a lack of experience, which shows in her quirky movements and awkward stage presence.
Anoop was my favorite performer last night. He gave a restrained but passionate performance, which he needed after his last two were subpar.
I honestly dont know what to make of Adams version of Ring of Fire. It took a while to wrap my head around it, but it was entertaining, it was gutsy, it was far and away the oddest thing I have heard from a contestant on AI. But I kind of liked it. If I listened to it again I may hate it though, so I am just going to go with my initial impression of bemused appreciation. By the way, I did not take any of Adams comments about Nashville or country music to be disrespectful or negative. To me it came off as just lighthearted banter with no harm intended. The dude aint country,ok? It aint how he rolls, and there is nothing wrong with that, we all have our own tastes in music.
I am likeing Allison more and more all the time. Her voice is fantastic and she just has her own vibe. She also does a good job of finding songs that fit her voice and style.
Scott seems to be struggling. His vocals are not strong and he lacks versatility. If Michael doesnt go , then Scott should.
I didnt care for Dannys performance, I hate that song to begin with, and he did nothing with it to thrill me. I fast forwarded through most of it. The judges said the last part was better, but I didnt care enough to rewind and find out.
Kris and Matt did very well, but Lil and Alexis were subpar.
As others have mentioned, Paula seems oddly coherent most of the time this season. She still doesnt verbalize her thoughts well, but she is at least making sense and making some good observations and comments.

Adam continued his artistic mastery this week. He's the best singer, the biggest risk-taker, the most original artist, and the most likely to sell a ton of records out of this whole group. Adam Lambert IS this season's American Idol. Nobody else even comes close to what he does on that stage.

I thought Kris was the best. I did like Adam. I think he has a great range. I don't see him winning AI this year cause I don't think America is ready for a goth freak but I am sure he will go far and get a record deal.
I can't stand Anoop and even though the judges liked him, I wish he was voted off.

Ok, so let me start by saying that I hate everything about Adam. His look, his posing, his screeching and the way he sticks his tongue out of his mouth when he does said screeching, BUT I absolutely loved his rendition of "Ring of Fire". I couldn't wait to see where he was taking the song next - I was completely fascinated. Go figure!!!