American Idol: Top 13, recap 1

I've been waiting....not so patiently....for the top 12 on AI to commence so I could begin a new blog series. Well, now it's the Top 13 and here I go:

Lil Rounds: Um, yes. She is good, better, and best, all wrapped up into one. Loved her spin on "The Way You Make Me Feel". A little bluesy, a little soulfulness--loved it! So comfortable on the stage. That is the way to kick it off, Lil! And, contrary to Simon's critique on her style, I loved her top! The one-shoulder number suited her just fine.

Scott McIntyre: "Keep the Faith" I do like his piano skills. He is unbelievably talented, but his vocals, y'all, his vocals are not "Top 12 (13?)" material, in my book. I know that's going to be controversial for me to say that--you're thinking, "but he's blind! the obstacles he's overcome! doesn't that count for something?!?" And, yes it does. But I'm going to stand by my original stance that his vocals don't "wow."

Danny Gokey: "PYT." LOVE HIM. I was so fearful that he'd start to fall apart during the Top 12 (13?) when they started picking themes and was nervous that he wouldn't be able to handle a Michael Jackson song....but he did. With pizazz. And then some. Paula sees him going all the way to the finals and I believe we'll follow him all the way there.

Michael Sarver: "You are Not alone" Good vocals. But a touch boring. Sorry.

Jasmine Murray: "I'll be there." She has a great voice, but I'm going to agree with the judges that she needs to add some youthfulness to her vibe. Oh, there goes Randy with a "name drop." He cracks me up when he throws a name like "I recorded that with Mariah..." out there as if he's still trying to establish his credibility for being on the judging panel.

Kris Allen: "Remember the Time" Sadly, I don't 'remember the time' that this dude went to try outs or Hollywood Week and I don't 'remember the time' he sang during Top 36. So, I was a little confused when he showed up on stage with a guitar--he was brand new to me. But, IMPRESS ME he did! Loved his version of the song. Couldn't hear the guitar at all, though--I kept asking Michael if he could hear it or if they had it unplugged or what? So, was that just for "looks" or stage-comfyness so he didn't have to feel awkward to figure out what to do with his hands/make up dance moves? Who knows. Hopefully, next week we shall find out! I liked him--really, really liked him! I felt so bad for his wife when Simon suggested that he should've kept her hidden for a while [in order to get more female votes, I guess]. She looked extremely uncomfortable. Randy redeemed the comment though when he said "love the song....love the wife...." or something like that.

Allison Iraheta: "Give in to Me" Song was fine. She's cornered the market on the "edgy rocker chick" personna. Please, stylist, make her change her hair to a normal color. PLEASE.

Anoop Desai: "Beat It." I like this guy. But. I did not like this song. WAY too karaoke. And I have seen my fair share of karaoke, so trust me on this one.

Jorge Nunez: "Never Can Say Goodbye" Great vocals. But, like I said about Michael Sarver: BORING. We ended up fast forwarding (I finally have DVR!!!) through part of his song. And, like I told Michael last night, generally I am biased against men who weigh less than me, so this was a strike against him before the song even began. Sorry, Jorge.

Megan Joy Corkey: "Rockin' Robin." Seriously? Did she just sing this song? Did she just tweet & caw her way through this? It was cute, but more like "cruise ship revue flash back to the 50's" cute, not "American Idol Top 12 (13?)" cute. I think this is going to send her home!

Adam Lambert: "Black and White" Do you remember the video for this song back in the day? It had people staring at the camera, doing a little dance, then suddenly, they'd morph into someone else...different nationality, etc-- Well, my sibs & I would stand in front of a mirror and try to re-enact that. We'd sing the song, then take turns stepping up to the mirror for a quick dance before going to the back of the line. ANYWAYS. That had nothing to do with Adam Lambert's performance last night, which was nothing less than that of a very seasoned performer who knows who he is and what his angle/market is going to be. There are all kinds of people like him here in Nashville who have been trying to make it in Country Music for YEARS and they are talented beyond belief. Anyways, he knocked it out of the park.

Matt Giraud: "Human Nature" Good vocals, nice piano. Forgettable, though. And, Yes, he still looks like Justin Timberlake.

Alexis Grace: "Dirty Diana" I thought she did a great job. She seems so emotion-less when facing the judges, though--you don't get any sense of her personality when she's interacting with them. But, judging on the performance, she's confident, sassy, got an incredible vocal range, and cute as a button. Even with the hot pink streaks in her hair.

Want some more reviews? Check out Boomama's blog and recaps by clicking here.