I've been watching American Idol Season 8 for the past month, and have some definite favorites, but I'd like to talk about my objective opinion about the performances during "Country Week."
The Guest Mentor this week was Randy Travis. He met with each of the contestants, and listened to them sing the songs they chose to perform on the show, critiquing each of them. Some of them left him speechless, while others left him awestruck. Would the contestants take his advice? Read on to find out.
First up was Michael Sarver. Michael chose to sing Garth Brooks' "Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up." During Michael's actual live performance, he has a harmonica player sitting on the steps, playing along, and Michael strolls into the audience. I like the fact that he interacted with the crowd, but it still seemed rather mediocre, and he did forget a few words. Not horribly noticable, but if you know the lyrics well, you can hear the mistakes.
I gave him a 7.5 out of 10 score.
Listen to Garth sing "Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up."
Next to sing is Alison Ihreta. Alison chose Patty Loveless' "Blame It On Your Heart." When I hear the song title, I know that Alison is going to totally blow this out of the water. From the first note to the last, she is flawless. She totally made the song her own!
I gave her a 9.5 out of 10 score.
Watch Patty Loveless sing "Blame It On Your Heart"
Download/Purchase Patty Loveless' original version.
Kris Allen is next to sing. He chooses to sing Garth Brooks' "To Make You Feel My Love." In the practice session with Randy Travis, Kris plays his guitar, but in his live performance, it's just him on a stool. The performance is very mellow, and I think that Kris truly made this song his own.
I gave him a 9.0 out of 10 score.
Listen to Garth Brooks sing "To Make You Feel My Love."
Lil Rounds was the next to perform. She decided to sing Martina McBride's "Independence Day." Why, I'll never know. She says she wants to honor the song, and not change it to sound like an R&B sound. On the verses, she's so-so, but when she reaches the chorus, you get to hear the beauty that is Lil Rounds voice.
I gave her an 8.5 out of 10 score.
Watch Martina McBride's video for "Independence Day."
Download/Purchase Martina McBride's original version.
Next up is Adam Lambert. He decides to perform "Ring of Fire," but it's not anything like Johnny Cash's version. Instead, he gives it a Middle-Eastern twist, and sings it in a minor key. The performance is a train wreck. I've never been an Adam Lambert fan, as I think he screams too much. He's talented, but just not my cup of tea.
I gave him a 4 out of 10 score.
Watch Johnny Cash perform "Ring of Fire."
Download/Purchase Martina McBride's original version.
Scott MacIntyre performed next. He chooses to sing Martina McBride's "Wild Angels." Huh? That's not what I'd have picked for him, but ok. He plays the piano on this song, but I think the key is too low to start with. It's a little too slow, also. By the time he hits the chorus, he's sounding a lot better, and when he goes up in key at the end, it's even better still. There are parts where he sounds a bit pitchy, but it's a pretty good performance.
I gavehim a 7.5 out of 10 score.
Watch Martina McBride perform "Wild Angels" live.
Download/Purchase Martina McBride's original version.
Next to perform is Alexis Grace. She decides she will sing Dolly Parton's "Jolene." As soon as she starts singing, I think this is a great song choice for her. She sings it somewhere in between the Dolly version and the Mindy Smith version, and I loved it. Much more than the judges did.
I gave her a 9.0 out of 10 score.
Watch Dolly Parton perform "Jolene."
Download/Purchase Dolly Parton's original version.
I've been waiting all night to see what song Danny Gokey would choose to perform. He decides to take on Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel." I had to groan at the announcement. If you read my blog post on my suggested song choices, you'll see that I said they should stay away from any previous Idol winner's songs, especially Carrie, unless you can sing it better than her.
Danny started a little shakey. It seemed to be too low in key for him, but by the time he got to the chorus, he seemed to have gained his confidence, and he was sounding pretty darn good.
I gave him an 8.0 out of 10 score.
Watch Carrie Underwood's video for "Jesus Take the Wheel."
Download/Purchase Carrie Underwood's original version.
Anoop Desai was next. I had been dreading what he might pick, as I don't think he fits the country genre very well. He totally surprised me by not only picking a ballad, but one by the legendary Willie Nelson with "Always On My Mind." Again, if you read my blog post, you would see that I said the contestants should avoid any of the older works, and stick to the more country pop songs. But Anoop did a terrific job on this, showcasing his vocals to their best effect.
I gave him an 8.0 out of 10 score.
Watch Willie Nelson sing "Always On My Mind."
Download/Purchase Willie Nelson's original version.
Megan Joy Corkery was next to perform. She decided to sing Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight." When I heard the song title, I thought she might do a good job with it, as it has that sort of jazzy/bluesy style that would fit Megan's voice well. Unfortunately for Megan, she had the flu, and really sounded a bit off to me. I made a note on my sheet of paper that she sounded like she was singing with a mouth full of marbles. The judges praised the heck out of her, but I didn't much care for it.
I gave her a 7.0 out of 10 score.
Watch Patsy Cline singing "Walkin' After Midnight."
Download/Purchase Patsy Cline's original version.
The final contestant to perform was Matt Giraud. Matt decided to take on Carrie Underwood's "So Small." Again, I wondered at the song choice, but Matt added a soulful style to the song, as he played piano and sang. I really thought it was a great song choice, and performance.
I gave him an 8.0 out of 10 score.
Watch Carrie Underwood sing "So Small" from the 2007 CMA Awards.
Download/Purchase Carrie Underwood's original version.
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