Michael Sarver – Performance Profile, American Idol 2009 Season 8

March 25, 2009 by vongsundara · Leave a Comment 

Michael Sarver has a good voice but not quite good enough. Michael doesn’t have the goods to be a true R&B singer, though I suppose he maybe could have a career in country music, seeing as how a great voice isn’t exactly a requirement in that genre (sorry country fans, but it’s true).

Michael Sarver performs Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations), American Idol 2009 Season 8, Week 3 (March 25) Top 10: Motown (Smokey Robinson, mentor)

Michael Sarver performs Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations), American Idol 2009 Season 8, Week 3 (March 25) Top 10: Motown (Smokey Robinson, mentor)

Michael Sarver performs Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations), American Idol 2009 Season 8, Week 3 (March 25) Top 10: Motown (Smokey Robinson, mentor)

Michael Sarver has a nice tone to his voice, but he struggled badly with his upper range in this performance. The performance came off as a little too weak for the subject matter, similar to his performance of I Don’t Want To Be. The ending of the song was also way too over the top.

Michael Sarver used the stage well, and his performances have become less and less horrible from week to week.

Review Score: ★★☆☆☆ 

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Adam Lambert stuns Randy Travis with Ring of Fire Egyptian Remix, American Idol 8 Top 11

March 17, 2009 by vongsundara · 1 Comment 

Tonight is American Idol’s annual trek into the world of country music, this week’s theme being the Grand Ole Opry. I’m glad that the guest vocal coach is Randy Travis, as he has an incredible amount of credibility in the country music world.

The big story of the night is Adam Lambert’s bizarre but memorable take on Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. He shocked me with his bold choice. I’m not sure what to make of it, which is a sign of good art I suppose. It’s always a good idea to change things up and deliver something unexpected; otherwise, people will get bored no matter how great your performances are.

Matt Giraud most definitely stole the night away with his mesmerizing performance to close the show.

I have to give big props to the stylists this week. Last week, I was upset that some obviously horrible hair and style choices were still around despite it being the first week that the stylists had access to the contestants. This week, all the horrible hair from last week was corrected: namely Scott MacIntyre and Lil Rounds looked a lot better.

The American Idol producers went a bit too far trying to push this week’s show to two hours. There are commercial breaks between every single performance with only one exception. That’s a little bit too much in my opinion. I can’t fault them, though, since it does bring in more advertiser dollars during a time of economic downturn. Still, I’m allowed to be annoyed.

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Adam Lambert vs. MJ’s Black or White, American Idol 8 Top 13, Michael Jackson

March 14, 2009 by vongsundara · 2 Comments 

I’m surprised American Idol decided to go with Michael Jackson night. Michael Jackson is the type of artist that the judges always warn contestants to stay away from. Michael’s vocal range is incredibly high and his style is something that can’t be mimicked. On top of that, Michael Jackson is the best dancer ever to grace the stage as a pop icon. His moves are ridiculous, particularly his footwork and isolations. Because of this, I went into the night expecting a train wreck. I wasn’t completely wrong, though there were a couple of performances that stood out.

The new stage is absolutely incredible. It’s huge and allows far more cinematic camera angles.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the contests look. The Top 13 are allowed access to stylists. In years past, some American Idol contestants went from horrible-looking wannabes to full-blown pop icon hotties. David Cook went from looking greasy and boring to being a bonafide sex symbol, not to mention what the stylists did for Clay Aiken.

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Tatiana Del Toro impresses with passionate vocal, American Idol 8 Top 36 Group 1

March 1, 2009 by vongsundara · 1 Comment 

Wow, it’s that time of year again. American Idol has returned for its eighth season. I’ve been following the audition rounds and Hollywood rounds. I suppose I could have written up reviews for those performances, but I really feel like the show doesn’t start until the semi-final rounds when viewers get to vote.

This year, the format has changed. The 36 semi-finalists are split into three groups of 12. Each group will perform over the next three weeks, with the top three vote-getters moving into the American Idol Season Eight Top 12 (and thus on to the Top 12 nationwide tour). There will also be a fourth week Wildcard group, which will provide a second chance for performers who blew their first chance. I don’t mind this new format, as it’s similar to how the show was run in the first couple of seasons. The great part is that horrible singers are eliminated much sooner.

I’ll be judging the performers on their vocals, their wardrobe and style and finally their stage performance. Let’s get started! I’ve ordered the performances from most memorable to most forgettable.

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