Revelation

Just listened to Fight for Love, the follow-up album to the debut disc by Elliott Yamin. We all knew the man from American Idol Season Five could sing, but whoa!

This is the work I've been waiting for. Quite the surprise! Elliott wraps his warm but manly voice around some pretty excellent tunes. The title song is really the first great one on the album, but it just keeps getting better. From You Say all the way through Someday, the artistry and heart felt delivery result in a disc that is stronger than the first one. No sophomore slump here! Production is crisp and styles are varied. But it is Elliott's voice that's the defining element, and it is used to wonderful effect on all the backgound vocals.

The biggest revelation? Elliott can write them as well as sing them. In fact, the best songs here come right from his pen.

Messing with the Pack

Adam Lambert can sing. He can peform. He can also get a bit full of himself as evidenced by Tuesday and Wednesday night's American Idol. The voters had it wrong. He deserved to go home. Why?

Pure and simple, he disrespected the genre. Messed with the Rat Pack. Sang as if he was above the great masters like Sinatra and Martin. Or even the new leaders of the pack like Michael Buble. Between the ego and the performance, it was time to go.
Matt Giraud deserved to stay. His song choice was awful- "My Funny Valentine" is just a boring song- but he is a talented, soulful singer.

Kris Allen was good and convincing (as usual), but it was Danny Gokey who rocked the night with the best peformance of his Idol career.

Let's be honest, Adam will shine next week and should probably do a Queen song. He does have the right combination of showmanship, lounge singer and sleaze. (Kara DioGuardi totally nailed the "x" factor here- the thing I couldn't put my finger on!) The next few weeks will be very, very interesting!

Rising and Falling Stars

Recapping last night's American Idol:

Danny Gokey- Nice guy, great voice, warm smile. Totally authentic. I like him, but why don’t I think he’ll go the distance? Must be song choice. "PYT" was terrific, but it has been a mixed bag since. Very, very solid. I’m rooting for him to hit the top three. Yes, sometimes, nice guys do finish first.

Adam Lambert- Last night’s performance showed a delicate phrasing reminiscent of a young George Michael. Definite stage presence, but he is a bit difficult to watch since his Elvis look a couple of weeks ago. I keep thinking kd lang here. Is America ready for its first gay idol? Probably, we’ve had them before- just didn’t always know it up front!

Kris Allen- He keeps getting better. Terrific voice and growing confidence. Knows how to "play" with the songs, changing each one to make it his own. Maybe last night’s Don Henley cover wasn’t his best- it was original- but give the kid a break. It was his first average performance so far. He may not end up the top dog, but he’s got my vote for best and most versatile voice.

Matt Giraud- Too cool. To tackle Stevie Wonder and give his song a new swing and lift it never had- wow! I’ll buy this song. Growing in confidence as a performer. A family friendly young Justin Timberlake. Give the man a contract.

Allison Iraheta - Once I heard she was going to cover the classic Bonnie Raitt song, I said, "If she can show some restraint with this, it will be amazing." She did- and finally won me over by showing she is more than a one trick rocking horse.

The rest: Lil Rounds, it’s time to go. Powerful voice, nice gal, but predictable. Anoop, above average potential with the right producer and image maker. Scott, hate to say it, but he should have departed a long time ago. Nice, talented folks, but none are in the league of those above.