Disco?

Well all I can say is I am glad the hype about “the save" is over. Let’s face it; Anoop, Lil and Matt are all going to go before the other four. Does it really matter in what order? Disco is the theme, which should be interesting. Simon’s t-shirt is amazingly thin tonight. Ryan dives right in, so I will too.
Lil Rounds "I'm Every Woman"
Lil Rounds does not understand the whole originality concept. This performance had only one thing going for it, she did look beautiful and she did have fun, like most of us do when we have had a few drinks and get a microphone in our hands. The actual lyrics mostly went to the backup girls. I am not sure what exactly she was singing up there, but I am pretty convinced that no amount of coaching at this point is going to get through to her. Randy said it was all over the place. Kara thought she didn’t find her inner goddess. Paula started the first of many painful analogies. Simon told her it was her last chance and she blew it.

Kris Allen "She Works Hard For the Money"
After the last few weeks, I think this guy deserves to win this whole thing. This was a fantastic version of the song and without any theatrics or flash. He has a great voice, but he also has a deep understanding of music. The arrangement was surprising and original, and just like last week I could listen to it again. Kara was blown away. Paula went into something about not caring if he shopped the women’s department. I have to say, I was as confused as Simon. Simon thought it was brilliant and so did Randy.

Danny Gokey "September"
Danny always delivers a solid vocal every week, and this was no exception. He has a really beautiful voice and a ton of passion, but for me the performance was almost a little lazy. It was definitely better than Lil, but I am not sure I will necessarily be hearing that tune in my head at the end of the show. The judges love him, but Simon brings a dose of reality. He didn’t bring anything special to piece, and at this point you have to. Danny is going to have to up his game, because there is too much talent in the room.

Allison Iraheta "Hot Stuff"
From the first note I am blown away at how this young girl can make any song she sings sound like she wrote it. I was completely worried about her trying to stand in those ungodly high heels, but she worked it out and had a great performance. Even the “hot hot hot hot, stuuufff” worked, which was a shocker. Randy and Kara didn’t care for the arrangement but loved her. Let’s just leave Paula out of it. Simon thought it was brilliant. On a side note, her hair looked the best it has all season.

Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You"
I still think Adam is a little too theatrical for my pop radio taste, but he has an amazing voice and I can’t wait every week to see what he will fearlessly commit himself to. I thought his arrangement of the song was original and as always he had a perfect vocal. I definitely prefer cleaned up Adam to eyeliner Adam, but this was not a song that I would buy. That being said, it was a memorable performance, although I wasn't feeling that the emotion was quite as real as Paula thought it was. Randy thinks he is ready, and even though I don’t care for the song, he is probably right. He is a seasoned performer and he was born to be on that stage. Ryan points out that Paula is a pool of Abdul. Egad.

Matt Giraud "Stayin' Alive"
Matt gave a really solid vocal on this, and although he got a little out of breath, he had a decent performance. He will still be in the bottom three, but it was a much better performance than last week, so at least if he goes it is on a good note. Randy, Kara, and Paula thought it was great, but Simon said it was fine for “Idol Land” but in the real world it didn’t work. Isn’t that true of most of these songs?

Anoop Desai "Dim All the Lights"
Vocally this was pleasant, but Anoop has no charisma. You can scruff up his face all you want to, he doesn’t have the”it” factor like the others do. I was confused as to why he picked this song, and even more confused by the way they arranged it, but he did sing it well. If I don’t watch the cheesy performance it is a little more tolerable. The judges thought he hit his stride, except for Simon who thought it was his worst performance. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it was probably the most forgettable one.

Bottom three: Lil, Anoop, and Matt.
Going home: Lil. Tune in tonight….