Adam Lambert: Whole Lotta Love

This was Rock Week on American Idol.

Slash was the mentor.

The four remaining contestants each sang twice. They all sang solo and there was an Idol first. They paired up for duets. Danny Gokey and Kris Allen were one pair, singing "Renegade." Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta closed the show with "Slow Ride."

The genre worked in favor of Adam and Allison, but I think Danny and Kris did well, too.

The performances:

Adam - "Whole Lotta Love"

Allison - "Cry Baby"

Duet, Danny and Kris - "Renegade"

Kris - "Come Together"

Danny - "Dream On"

Duet, Adam and Allison - "Slow Ride"

Of course, the judges were gushing over Adam's performance of "Whole Lotta Love."

He screamed and strutted around and mugged.

There's no question that he has incredible vocal ability, but I didn't think it was that fantastic. Adam is no Robert Plant. Kara DioGuardi called Adam a "rock god." That's too much. He hasn't earned that title, not even close. Let's not water down the term by applying it too freely. Good grief.

Video of Adam's performance.



I'm sure Anderson Cooper is impressed.

Bottom line: Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" is untouchable.

Allison's solo performance was rather weak. She's a tremendous talent but she's not Janis Joplin.

Kris and Danny's duet was pretty good overall. The harmonies were excellent.

I didn't like the arrangement Kris used for his solo, "Come Together," but he did much better than the judges made his performance out to be.

Danny's performance of "Dream On" was not his best. The final note was rough, but I think it was pretty much on par with Adam's "Whole Lotta Love."

Video of Danny's performance.



Both performances paled in comparison to the originals.

The duet of Allison and Adam was OK but, again, not as great as the judges made it out to be.

At this point, I really don't think the contestant who will be going home tomorrow has much to do with the performances tonight. I think fans have pretty much determined their allegiances.

My guess is Kris or Allison will be leaving.

Now, about the week's theme, Rock...

Every song that was sung was over thirty years old!

No one picked a song that was more recent than the late '70s!

That's stunning to me.

Did rock die thirty years ago? They were stuck in the '60s and '70s.

None of the arrangements were very original. I wasn't impressed.

Yes, they all can sing. All four are very talented people.

Nonetheless, there were a lot of missed opportunities this week. Too bad.