American Idol: Top 11 Performance Night

Week 2 of the the American Idol finals is now half over, and with a theme like "Country", one would expect at least a few contestants to fall from grace. But once again, there were no clear weak links -- just a few people who were probably forgotten about come the end of the show. There were, however, a couple of stand-outs and they were not the ones that we might have expected. That was a pleasant surprise. Here's the breakdown:

1) Michael Sarver, "Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up": It was a fun performance, and Sarver has better lung capacity than I expected. He's definitely a country boy, and in that vein, I expected him to shine. And he didn't. By the end of the show, he was the furthest thing from my mind. Which is a little sad and ironic given that he is the country artist.

2) Allison Iraheta, "Blame It on Your Heart": Alison is not a country artist, but I thought that she adapted well. She picked a good song for her abilities, and it afforded her a nice showcase for her voice. I want her to challenge herself, though. I think that she has a wealth of talent, but I'm longing to see her as more than just the "rocker chick". Yes, that's the record she'll ultimately make, but until she gets to the professional arena, I want a little variety.

3) Kris Allen, "To Make You Feel My Love": Kris stripped down the song and the performance and went for a purely honest take. And it worked. The result was simple and beautiful, and I think that his fanbase fell a little bit more in love with him.

4) Lil Rounds, "Independence Day": I appreciate that she wanted to honor the weekly theme, but in doing so, she removed a little too much of herself from the performance. A theme can be honored while still bending the song to the artist's flavor. That said, I thought that her vocal was quite good -- a little dicey at the beginning, but ultimately controlled, powerful, and strong.

5) Adam Lambert, "Ring of Fire": That was... kind of awesome. Weird, scary, bewildering, but somehow sexy. Adam is incredibly authentic and he knows exactly who he is, and he applies that every week, thank gods. This performance was no doubt totally polarizing, but it evoked thoughts of The Doors for me. And that's cool.

6) Scott MacIntyre, "Wild Angels": Scott's home is very clearly at the piano, but I got what Paula was saying. His performances of the last two weeks are rather interchangeable to me, which is not a good thing. The piano is a crutch for him and as long as he leans on it, his range is going to seem rather limited. I think he has talent, but I want to see him challenge himself and do something completely unexpected. I do think that he has it in him.

7) Alexis Grace, "Jolene": The judges commented that she wasn't "dirty enough", but in my opinion, that was a good thing. Her performance was spare, vulnerable, and very passionate. She lost a bit of control at the end, but it kind of worked for the story of the song. I thought she was good, and I hope that she's around for long while.

8) Danny Gokey, "Jesus Take the Wheel": This was not the first time that Danny applied a gender-bending approach to his song selection (Cher, Mariah Carey), and I suspect that it won't be the last. And that's fine -- it works for him. It allows him to add texture to a song that might not have otherwise had it. I just wish that he had chosen a better song. Sigh.

9) Anoop Desai, "You're Always on My Mind": Unequivocally, my favorite of the night. Anoop brought tears to my eyes and showed America what spectacular pipes he has. And he somehow managed to add his own personal flavor to a very iconic song. I just hope that his metaphorical beatings in recent weeks and his overwhelming response to this performance don't scare the "fun" out of him. If he can blend the amazing vocals and the energetic personality, I think he has a shot at becoming a dark horse in this competition.

10) Megan Joy, "Walkin' After Midnight": Megan definitely hit some bad notes, probably thanks in no small part to her terrible flu, but her rendition was actually pretty cool. I knew that Patsy Cline would suit her voice and I wasn't disappointed. Because of her unique vocals, I think she evoked elements of Shirley Bassey and Billie Holiday. And wow, is she gorgeous!

11) Matt Giraud, "So Small": The second Carrie Underwood song of the night, and in my opinion, the better one. Not only do I prefer this song, but I preferred these vocals. Matt was original and soulful, and his somewhat ambitious choice definitely paid off. His voice clearly has the ability to run the spectrum, and I look forward to him every week. He's quickly becoming a favorite of mine.


*The Journey Continues: Anoop, Matt, and Kris, based on their performances, are guaranteed another week.

*Pack Your Bags: Michael, Scott, and either Adam or Megan should mentally prepare to face the Bottom Three, with Michael going home.

Thoughts?