This is it, the big night! American Idol is down to the final two contestants – Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Based on their performance in the finals, one will be crowned the 2009 Idol winner. Here’s how each one did, and who might be the next American Idol:
Adam Lambert: “Mad World” by Tears for Fears
Adam brought back his Gary Jules-inspired version of the Tears for Fears song he sang on the Top-8 show, and the same qualities that made it such a great performance then had the same effect this time around. Despite the fact that this was Adam’s best song of the season, he was taking a little bit of a risk on this one; it is not a very well known song, but Adam’s performance should completely overshadow the tune’s popularity.
Kris Allen – “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers
Kris chose this song from his Top-9 performance on iTunes download night. It is difficult to judge Kris on this one, because the original was so iconic that it is impossible for Kris, Adam or anybody to capture the pure grit and emotion that Bill Withers put into the song every time he sang it. Comparisons to the original aside, Kris did a much better job than he did with his Top-9 performance, and while his interpretation was not quite as locked-in as Adam’s, it was a very strong effort.
Adam Lambert – “Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
This song was picked by Simon Fuller, and provided some big shoes for Adam to fill. But while Kris’ performance of the Bill Withers song left something lacking compared to the original, Adam actually did a great job of capturing the bluesy emotion of the song while still making it distinctly his own. When you compare this to Kris’ performance of the Bill Withers tune, it is clear that Adam was a step ahead.
Kris Allen – “What’s Goin On” by Marvin Gaye
Like his first song, this one lacked a little soul. Kris’ thing to do with R&B songs is to make them acoustic and funky, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it sounded like a bit of a repeat of his first performance. Knowing that Simon Fuller picked this particular song for him, Kris probably should have done something different on his first offering to give this one a little more impact. Kris did a good job, but once again was a step behind Adam.
Adam Lambert – “No Boundaries” by Kara DioGuardi, Cathy Dennis and Mitch Allen
Every year, the two Idol finalists are given a sappy, overdone and overtly uplifting song about emerging from the shadows and becoming a big star to be their first single, and this was it. As it was pointed out numerous times, Idol judge Kara DioGuardi co-wrote the tune. Adam did the best with what he was given; it simply was not a very good song, but Adam sang it big, with the feel of a rock-ballad, and it worked as well as it could have.
Kris Allen – “No Boundaries” by Kara DioGuardi, Cathy Dennis and Mitch Allen
In theory, this song was slightly better for Kris than it was for Adam; the way it was written, Kris could make it sound a little more contemporary. In practice, however, it was a bit of a train wreck; Kris struggled with the words, the vocals and generally looked uncomfortable on stage. It was the song’s fault more than it was Kris’. Kara DioGuardi co-wrote it, by the way – the Idol producers wanted to make sure nobody forgot.
It was disappointing that American Idol decided to finish the show with the original song, because it ended a great show on a down note. Kris and Adam both did a great job, and there is no question that the vote will be incredibly close, but based on their performance in the Finale, Adam should have the edge.
Todd Butts - Coming from the world of newspaper and radio, I have been covering NASCAR and other motorsports for over 8 years. I started as the host ...
