Motown Week on Idol Serves Up a Reversal of Fortunes

 Dark Horse Adam Lambert Steals the Show

Posted March 29, 2009   
............................................................................................
Motown week created big expectations for at least three of the Idol top ten last week. Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey, and Anoop Desai have all made this far in large part to their soulful sound and a Motown theme week should have given them a huge advantage and a chance for them to shine in their element, but instead  another idol stole the Motown spotlight .

If there ever was a theme night that “belonged” to an idol finalist, the theme would be Motown and the contestant would be Lil Rounds. She has voice that harkens back to Aretha and a presence reminiscent of the great soulful ballad singers that Motown produced so elegantly in its day. Indeed when the finalists flew to Motor City and tour the house where Motown was built, the camera caught Lil Rounds in an emotional moment of inspiration, thanks, and awe as she took in the many great Motown artists that donned the wall of Barry Gordy’s home. Her inspiration translated into mild hysteria though when she performed “ Heatwave “ by Martha and the Vandellas. The judges said she seemed rushed and that she didn’t showcase her rich singing voice with her mostly unchanged rendition of the song.

Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai suffered similar fates. While neither of the three; Gokey, Desai, or Rounds, were close to being bad, they were all crushed under the weight of high Motown expectations based on their soulful singing styles. They all appeared detached, overdone, and slightly bland. The night was full of soulless, forgettable performances. That is, until Adam Lambert hit the stage.

Adam had much work to do for Motown night since he was coming off a rather controversial performance of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” from the previous week that may have offended some and confused others for its rather bohemian remix of a great country standard. To some, that performance was akin to taking a lighter to the American flag right there on stage. To others, it was like an old-fashioned person watching porn; you get mad at yourself for being aroused. His mixed reviews after taking liberties with Johnny Cash did not stop Adam from singing an exquisite rendition of Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears.” Lambert set the stage with a beautiful and intimate ensemble of instruments in place of the band, crafted an iconic look for himself that was reminiscent of Elvis, and stripped down Smokey’s ballad to its bare essentials. The result was a masterful performance already being compared to David Cook’s stirring rendition of “Billy Jean” in Season 7.  A standing ovation from the audience, the judges, and an almost tearful approval from Smokey himself as he stood up in the audience and gave Adam that serious proud papa look.