Tonight's Idol felt a little off tonight, maybe because one less contestant should have been on the stage, or maybe because, really, three less contestants should be there. I'm ready just to see Adam, Danny, Allison and Kris battle it out onstage but we have to sort through the other contestants, first. The episode cut back on any frills like package material or mentors or even a little look back at tonight's genre, disco, let alone an explanation of why it was chosen. We just got right to it (which I'm not complaining about).
Lil got us started with "I'm Every Woman" and before she even sang I knew it wouldn't be good. Every time Lil changes her look I don't expect much from her: it's like she's thinking, "This time, with the long hair/big makeup/boobies/tight outfit they'll like me!" Her whole presence in the competition can be summed up by her jumpsuit: nice body, wrong outfit. Her performance sounded like the proverbial wedding singer and all the judges agreed with me—Paula tried to get an out by saying that Lil had been on vocal rest the day before, but Simon summed it up: this is probably her last week. Lil looked incredibly salty as the judges gave her their verdicts and then tried to save herself by saying that she had fun, but nobody cares about that. There's no point in saying the judges are wrong when three out of four of them are saying the same thing and the fourth is just too much of a sissy to say what she's really thinking.
Kris sang "She Works Hard for the Money" which, despite being by Donna Summer, is not really disco to me. He slowed it down and did his acoustic singer/songwriter thing and while it wasn't my favorite arrangement ever it was a smart move for him—he definitely showed off his voice and who he would be as a performer outside Idol. Kara told Kris he took a big risk, and while she did so Simon gave her the old "I'm just scratching my eye with my middle finger.” Paula, in a strangely lucid comment, praised Kris for taking on a woman’s song, but her metaphor got immaturely tossed around and ruined. Simon said Kris' performance was the polar opposite to Lil's: it was original and well thought-out. I'm just happy that Kris, the most conventionally good-looking of the group (despite his sometimes-disappearing lips), isn't just coasting on cuteness. The guy can sing. He might not be the best but it doesn't fill me with rage that he's there.
Danny sang "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire, once again channeling Michael McDonald. I like that song a lot and he did his Gokey thing. I can't really fault his voice too much (although the arrangement seemed a tad high for him) but I just can't imagine anyone in Idol's true demographic buying his albums. He is not so much Dead Wife Guy to me as he is Taylor Too. The judges loved his performance but Simon, being awesome, questioned Danny's star power.