AI8 Redux Part 15: Adam Lambert Has Us “Feeling Good”

"Idolholic"

By guest blogger “Idolholic”

It was April 28, 2009 when Adam Lambert made his dramatic descent down the lighted staircase on the American Idol stage.  And IMHO, no one since has used that staircase in such a mesmerizing, breathtaking way!  The theme for the Top 5 contestants this week was “Standards from the Rat Pack Era”.  Adam scored the coveted “pimp spot” and sang last, which was the perfect spot for his dramatic entrance and incredible vocals.   Sadly, he ended up in the Bottom Two this week, which to me is completely inexplicable!  But then again, I often disagree with the voters’ choices on American Idol.  And Kris Allen also landed in the Bottom Three, so obviously this was an “off” week for the voters!  (Of course, technically speaking, since there were five contestants, Kris being in the Bottom Three also meant he was in the Top Three…just depends on how you spin it!)

Here’s what the contestants sang (in order; bottom three in italics; eliminated contestant in bold):

1.  Kris Allen, “The Way You Look Tonight”

2.  Allison Iraheta, “Someone to Watch Over Me”

3.  Matt Giraud, “My Funny Valentine”

4.  Danny Gokey, “Come Rain or Come Shine”

5.  Adam Lambert, “Feeling Good”

Here’s Michael Slezak’s review on ew.com (notice how he slyly predicts that Adam will be the winner at the finale, and later gushes over Adam’s final, incredible note).

And here’s Slezak’s recap of the results show

Here’s what I had to say about the Top 5 in my emails to my fellow Idolholics:

Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:47 AM
Subject: RE: Rat Pack Night

All right, all you Adam-haters out there, I gotta put in a good word for the MOST TALENTED SINGER EVER on American Idol!

1. Adam.  Yes, they gave him the pimp spot…and a lot more.  The Dramatic Entrance!  The Dramatic Lighting!  And the Dramatic Reverb on his voice at the end!  In other words, the way the producers packaged his song was dramatically different from the other four…makes me think the producers want him to win (I’ve made this comment about other contestants in past years too…) I thought his clothes were great.  Didn’t like the tongue..  But…that note WAS amazing…not just because it was so high & he held it so long, but because he down-shifted IN THE MIDDLE of singing that note and pulled it back to a soft, tender sound…that is just nearly impossible to do as a singer, SO Adam continues to have my respect for his technical abilities!  [My DH] says, “He’s not doing Broadway, he’s doing Freddie Mercury or David Bowie and the whole glam rocker thing.”  So, you might not like his style or his music but he is a GREAT SINGER!!!  I rest my case :0)
2. Allison.  I thought she looked good and I was relieved to see that she can sing ballads!  I thought this song was a great choice for her (shades of rocker Linda Ronstadt who made this same song a crossover hit).  I got goose bumps when she hit the high note!  I sincerely hope she does NOT go home tonight!
3. Kris.  His singing was great…til the first falsetto note.  I always get worried when he sings falsetto because it sounds shaky & uncertain.  Didn’t like his wispy moustache…ugh.  He’s very dreamy-looking otherwise!  And overall he did seem more confident tonight.  I think if he could kick his confidence up to Adam’s level, he just might win the whole shootin’ match!!
4. Danny.  I kind of liked his nice bluesy sound on this song, and I thought it was a good choice of song for him.  It was just a little boring.  He’s too spastic for me (movement-wise).  The ending was very good, I did agree with the judges on that.  I read online that he is getting all the rightwing conservative Christian votes, and I suspect that is true.  The other 4 contestants are all a little “out there” compared to Danny…
5. Matt.  Well, at least he hid the mole with his hat.  At times, his singing seemed better…but then he gave in to the urge to do wild & random vocal runs near the end.  I liked him better when he sang the melody straight, but here is his problem:  when he sings straight, his pitch is wobbly, and it shows.

So, I hope Matt goes home tonight. Have fun watching!  And show Adam some love!!!!!!

“Idolholic”

The next day, I had even more to say:

Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 6:48 AM
Subject: In Defense of Adam!

Ok, Ladies, I just have to point out a couple of things:

1.  Did anyone else notice that Ryan did NOT say “here are your bottom two” when it was down to Adam & Matt?  In fact, when he sent Kris back to safety, he simply said “Kris is one of the top 4” or something like that.  My theory is that Adam was, in fact, in third place, meaning that while he was technically in the bottom 3, he was also in the Top 3!  It’s all in how you spin it!  Well, if they were trying to get Adam fans scared into voting like crazy next week, that strategy has definitely worked on me! [Note:  When I watched later, I did hear Ryan say that Matt & Adam were the Bottom Two. My mistake!]

2.  Did anyone else see it coming, from the beginning of the show, that Ryan was going to make Adam pick between the 2 groups?  I was sad that Adam didn’t realize what was going on, and that he didn’t sit down in the middle of the stage like others in the past have done…that would have been classy….

3.  Adam’s song WAS from the Rat Pack era ([my DH]  complained that it was not).  It was recorded in 1965 by Nina Simone.  More recently, Michael Buble recorded it.

4.  Who in their right mind would pick Jamie Foxx to mentor during “Rat Pack Week” when they could have picked NATALIE COLE??????  She is one of my all-time favorite recording artists, with her spot-on interpretations of the beautiful old standards.  I have her “Unforgettable” album, now I’m going to go and buy “Still Unforgettable”.  She is a genius in this genre!!!  Loved her performance last night.  (I guess they picked Jamie because he has the #1 song on the charts AND a new movie and he’s SOOOOOO in need of advertising and promotion…NOT!!!)

5.  Did anyone else notice how much Taylor Hicks and Danny Gokey sound alike????  Not sure that’s good for Danny, as I think Taylor does it better…

Til Tuesday,

“Idolholic”

And now, as your reward for making it to the end of this blog, I have four video clips for you! First, here’s a clip from the Idol website, which was posted for Top 5 week in 2009.  It’s a great, nearly four-minute interview with Adam, in which we get an early glimpse of the charming, open, honest man we’ve all come to know and love:

Interview with Adam

Here’s Adam’s incredible performance of “Feeling Good”:

Here’s another video of “Feeling Good”.  In this one, the video & sound are a bit out of synch, but it is more complete, with comments from Jamie Foxx in the pre-performance package, and comments from the judges, which I think you’ll enjoy:

Finally, here’s a link to the group performance, a medley of “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and “I Got Rhythm.”  As I watched this clip, I was struck by how awesome all five of these singers were!    This video is a long one, as it includes the announcement of the results, which Ryan Seacrest managed to drag out over several suspenseful minutes and an unending barrage of commercial breaks!  Most of us were probably sitting on the edge of our seats during this nerve-wracking portion of the show, as Adam landed in the dreaded Bottom Two for the first time ever:

What did you think of Adam’s performances?  Post a comment below and let me know your reactions!

To Be Continued…

American Idol Season 8 Redux Series:

The First Time Ever We Saw His Face
Part Two: The Auditions Go On…and On…and On….
Part Three: Hooray for Hollywood Week!
Part Four:  And Then There Were 36
Part Five:  Let The Voting Begin!!!
Part Six:  Adam Gives Us “Satisfaction” and We Give Him Votes!
Part Seven: Lucky 13!
Part Eight: Adam and Those Twelve Other Finalists
Part Nine: Adam’s “Ring of Fire” Leaves Us “Confused…and Sort of Happy”
Part 10: Adam Gets a Standing O from Smokey Robinson!
Part 11: Adam Gets “Funky” !
Part 12: Adam’s “Mad World” Gets a Standing O from Simon!
Part 13: Adam Tells Us He Was “Born to be Wild”
Part 14: Adam Lambert Soulfully Sings “If I Can’t Have You”
Part 15:  Adam Lambert Has Us “Feeling Good”
Part 16:  Adam Lambert Gives Us Every Inch of His Love
Part 17:  Adam Lambert has us cryin’
Part 18: A Change is Gonna Come for Adam Lambert