Summer is coming and the American Idol season is coming to a close.  Tonight, the final four will compete for a spot in the final three.  The contestants haven’t gotten to do a runthrough because of a technical difficulty with one of the large, stage structures.  They will be performing in duets.  Oh dear God, I’m nervous.  

Tonight, the contestants will be singing rock classics and mentored by Slash.  Yes, the man with black, poodle hair, aviators, a hat and a nose ring.  Hey, nerves?  Start jumping again.  Ok, here we go.

Adam takes the first spot and sings “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zepplin.  First thoughts: he’s wearing far too much make up and jewelry.  I realize that this isn’t a competition based on appearance, but for the first time in the season, I am a bit freaked out by the way Adam looks.  Musically, the performance was pretty classic Adam Lambert.  He didn’t miss a single note, and finished the piece with a high belt.  He certainly shook off his broadway shackles and became a rockstar.  (Sidenote–Why are Adam and Kara wearing the same exact thing?)

Ah, here comes Allison Iraheta singing “Cry, baby” by Janis Joplin.  Although she has yet to sing, I’m thinking this is a good song choice for her.  She sounds like a much less coked out version of Janis Joplin, anyway.  Also, thumbs up on the hair extensions.  Your whole birdnest thing was not working.  Awww yay!  Slash agrees with me–>the girl already sounds like Janis Joplin.  And we were right.  The song fit the timbre of her voice perfectly.  Unfortunately, she did miss a couple of the notes.  Hitting the low notes were a bit difficult for her and she skirted out on one of the high notes.  Hm, the judges are split!  And, wow, Simon and Paula slightly agree.  That may be a first in American Idol history.  Yikes, Allison is getting a little feisty.  You’re singing in front of judges, girlfriend.  Expect to get criticized.

Ok, now the duets are here.  Our first “couple” is Kris and Danny.  Please, please, please let them do well.  They have chosen to sing “Renegade” by Styx.  This song made two things apparent rather quickly: Danny Gokey is better at singing this kind of rock music, and the two of them are impeccable when they harmonize.  In fact, I would have preferred if the two of them could have harmonized the entire time.   The solo portions?  Eh…not so much.  Yup, and the judges agree.  (Another wardrobe sidenote-Do rockstars only wear black and red?  So far, these are the only colors the contestants have been wearing.  Also, stop with the excessive jewelry.  Danny Gokey should NOT be wearing a dog collaresque necklace.)

Kris Allen is next and will be singing a Beatles song.  My guess: Come Together.

Now Kris Allen has a chance to bring himself back.  He has chosen to sing “Come Together” by the Beatles.  Score one for the Idol obsessor.  Once again, Allen is joined by his guitar on stage.  That’s fine.  The guitar works for him and his comfort level increases as soon as his hands touch the instrument.  Welcome back, Kris Allen.  Awesome performance.  Somehow, he finds a way to make his voice fit with nearly every song he performs.  It is absolutely ridiculous.  Simon, what are you talking about?  He just compared the performance to eating ice for lunch, which apparently means that it won’t be memorable.  I’m pretty sure that if I ever ate ice for lunch I would remember doing so…because that’s just weird.

Hooray!  Danny Gokey is wearing purple!  He hasn’t been confined to black with a splash of red, or red with a hint of black.  This week, he has chosen to sing “Dream On” by Aerosmith.  Normally, Danny is praised for the purity of his tone.   Tonight, he sounds a bit nasally and unsure of a couple of notes.  Right in the beginning, his voice danced upon a couple of notes but they never fully locked.  He tends to have a bit of trouble picking things up from the get-go.  The middle was perfect…and then the “Dream ooon, dream oooon” shouts came along.  His voice sounded tired, and who could blame him if he’s been rehearsing that song all week?  

Judges–why do you tell the contestants that their voices aren’t good for a particular genre when you, the administration, the big dogs, the head honchos, help to pick the themes?

Now time for the Adam and Allison duo.  First thought: why is Adam wearing Beetle Juice pants and what does Allison have on her feet?  Aside from the scary appearances, Adam and Allison’s rendition of “Slow Ride” by Foghat was flawless.  Then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less.  The two have proven to have the strongest voices of the competition, so coming together to sing “Slow Ride” would deliver nothing less than an awesome performance.  

Prediction:  I fear that this is the end of the road for Danny Gokey.  Thoughts?  Feel free to share them below.

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