Music Blogs

Before I go into details of this week's American Idol results show, I just want to officially and emphatically state that I'm thrilled and relieved that Adam Lambert wasn't in the bottom this week, after delivering what just might be THE most polarizing and controversial performance in AmIdol history: his Egyptian goth-metal version of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire." Judging from message board activity this week, there were a lot of people in America who hated Adam's Cash cover, but fortunately many voters loved it as well. That makes sense, since the best way to describe Adam's performance is it was a "love it or hate it" sort of affair.

I, of course, loooooovvvvved it.

I do just want to make one very important point here: Regardless of whether or not Adam's "Ring Of Fire" had you burning up or just burning mad, it was NOT at all a disgrace to Johnny Cash's legacy, okay? Please note that Johnny was always sort of outside the country establishment. He was a real rebel, the Man In Black, the country singer who dared to record a live album at a prison, a guy who in his later years not only covered songs by alternative artists like Beck, Soundgarden, and most famously Nine Inch Nails, but also took out a full-page ad in trade magazines with a photo of him flipping the bird to the country music business that he felt had abandoned him.

Johnny was a man who, regardless of whether or not he would have particularly liked Adam's cover of his signature song, probably would have appreciated Adam's guts and originality, and the fact that in a way Adam "flipped the bird" to Idol this week by sticking to his guns and never backing down.

So yes, I am relieved that Adam is still in the race--although the extreme reaction he generated Tuesday night has me worried that he might have trouble winning this competition in the long run.

As for the person who most definitinely won't be winning this competition in the short run...well, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Every season of American Idol has its "shocker" elimination. But usually the shocker doesn't come this early, before the top 10 are even announced. The fact that Alexis Grace--a seeming frontrunner who until now I assumed would at least make the top five, even after Tuesday night's disappointing, not-down-'n'-dirty-enough "Jolene" performance--got cut in 11th place has really thrown me for a loop.

I'm also loop-thrown about my girl Allison Iraheta, who inexplicably joined Alexis and Michael Sarver in the bottom three this week. Allison was great on Country Night! Why didn't America vote for her??? Did her little Randy Travis-offending hoedown jig during her mentor session alienate country-purist voters or something? That can't be it, if even Adam's performance wasn't alienating enough to country purists to land him in the bottom. So I'm baffled.

I'm also a little baffled my Michael's near-brush with elimination this week. While I am still no fan of Michael's, I did think that Grand Ole Opry Night showcased him at his best and that his feelgood, high-energy Garth performance would appeal to the country crowd. He also sang first, in one of the "pimp spots," which I believed would further help his chances.

Anyway, I'm sad and not a little confused about Alexis's exit, Allison's failure to connect with voters, and Adam's out-of-control "controversial" status. At this rate, I think Simon and his cronies are going to have to use that Judges' Save option a whole lot sooner than they'd assumed.