American Idol 2009 Analysis, 3/17/2009 - Day 5
Now that I am fully encapsulated in this year's American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top-13 remaining contestants. Today's focus will be on Matt Giraud, Megan Corkrey, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre.
Matt Giraud - Kalamazoo, Michigan
A dueling piano player, Giraud is a very talented musician and singer. Matt has released two albums to date but has yet to catch the break that really allows him to take off. Giraud has an amazing bluesy voice and is incredibly impressive when he is behind his piano. However Matt has struggled with his song selection and has paid dearly for it. During the top 36 performances, Matt sang "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay and the judges ripped him to shreds. This poor decision even sent Matt into the bottom rung of contestants and into the Wild Card show. Fortunately Matt came back strong with "Who's Lovin' You" by the Miracles and was chosen to continue as one of the four wild cards. Yet, after this experience it was clear to everybody that they preferred that Matt stick with the Gavin Degraw style of music. Hopefully Matt has learned his lesson and puts a little more thought into his song choice from this point forward. I think that Matt is a favorite for a fair amount of viewers but continues to have a lot to prove as he goes on round by round. We'll quickly see how much he has learned as tonight is Grand Ole Opry night! This could be dangerous style for a guy like Giraud.
Megan Joy - Sandy, Utah
Before Megan, who even knew that Font Designer was a real job? I guess that new fonts have to come from somewhere. Megan Joy, formerly known as Megan Joy Corkrey (after the wild card round she dropped her ex-husbands last name) is a single mother who was musically inspired by Bjork. If you're thinking that Bjork is an odd choice for inspiration you're definitely not alone. One thing is sure, Megan's voice has not kept her in the competition to this point. It's not a bad voice, but it's not in the same league as many of the other contestants. Yet she continues to return, week after week. She did receive a scare when she was sent to the Wild Card round. Yet Mr. Cowell thought that she was pretty and sent her through to the top 13. OK I may have embellished that last fact a little bit, however to this point her looks are what's keeping her in the competition. Strangely Megan went through the entire Hollywood week without being aired on TV once, so maybe we have not seen the potential that she truly holds? Honestly, unless she begins to blow us away I can't see Megan lasting more than 2 more weeks.
Michael Sarver - Jasper, TX
If Teddy Bears were real walking, talking, living beings Michael Sarver would be one! Anybody who honestly dislikes Michael must not have a heart. Michael is married and has two kids whom he only gets to see on an every other week basis. You see Michael is a roughneck on the oil rigs in Eastern Texas. Michael's soft heart has warranted him a good amount of TV time and we've been able to view all of Michaels performances to this point. From his rendition of Boys II Men to his favorite Gavin Degraw, Michael has remained very solid. Unfortunately for him, solid doesn't quite cut it in this competition. He's such a nice guy that the judges, with the exception of Simon, have not criticized him too harshly. I could see Michael finding success with this weeks Grand Ole Opry theme, but he's going to need a great performance in order to stick around. My feeling is that Michael will be sent home this week, maybe next week at the very latest.
Scott MacIntyre - Scottsdale, AZ
Scott was the first contestant of the 2009 season to really grab hold of the viewing audience. Having the benefit of being on the first audition show in Phoenix, Scott's story was featured right off the bat. You see Scott is about 98% blind and suffers from tunnel vision with his remaining 2% visibility. His story opened this season with a bang. With this and his extreme musical talent, Scott jumped to the front of the line of possible finalists. Since then Scott has both struggled and triumphed through his performances. Scott truly shines when he is behind his piano. You can really tell that this is when he feels most comfortable on stage. Behind the scenes Scott seems to be a musical genius. He produced his first CD at the age of eleven and has since put out five more albums. Scott's life revolves around music and this competition will only open doors for him. As far as this particular competition, Scott will most likely join Megan Joy and Michael Sarver as the next three contestants sent home. But during his time on the show he has surely inspired viewers and young musicians to follow their dreams.
Now that I am fully encapsulated in this year's American Idol, thanks in part to my lovely wife and lovely mother, here is my analysis of the Top-13 remaining contestants. Today's focus will be on Matt Giraud, Megan Corkrey, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre.
Matt Giraud - Kalamazoo, MichiganA dueling piano player, Giraud is a very talented musician and singer. Matt has released two albums to date but has yet to catch the break that really allows him to take off. Giraud has an amazing bluesy voice and is incredibly impressive when he is behind his piano. However Matt has struggled with his song selection and has paid dearly for it. During the top 36 performances, Matt sang "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay and the judges ripped him to shreds. This poor decision even sent Matt into the bottom rung of contestants and into the Wild Card show. Fortunately Matt came back strong with "Who's Lovin' You" by the Miracles and was chosen to continue as one of the four wild cards. Yet, after this experience it was clear to everybody that they preferred that Matt stick with the Gavin Degraw style of music. Hopefully Matt has learned his lesson and puts a little more thought into his song choice from this point forward. I think that Matt is a favorite for a fair amount of viewers but continues to have a lot to prove as he goes on round by round. We'll quickly see how much he has learned as tonight is Grand Ole Opry night! This could be dangerous style for a guy like Giraud.
Megan Joy - Sandy, UtahBefore Megan, who even knew that Font Designer was a real job? I guess that new fonts have to come from somewhere. Megan Joy, formerly known as Megan Joy Corkrey (after the wild card round she dropped her ex-husbands last name) is a single mother who was musically inspired by Bjork. If you're thinking that Bjork is an odd choice for inspiration you're definitely not alone. One thing is sure, Megan's voice has not kept her in the competition to this point. It's not a bad voice, but it's not in the same league as many of the other contestants. Yet she continues to return, week after week. She did receive a scare when she was sent to the Wild Card round. Yet Mr. Cowell thought that she was pretty and sent her through to the top 13. OK I may have embellished that last fact a little bit, however to this point her looks are what's keeping her in the competition. Strangely Megan went through the entire Hollywood week without being aired on TV once, so maybe we have not seen the potential that she truly holds? Honestly, unless she begins to blow us away I can't see Megan lasting more than 2 more weeks.
Michael Sarver - Jasper, TXIf Teddy Bears were real walking, talking, living beings Michael Sarver would be one! Anybody who honestly dislikes Michael must not have a heart. Michael is married and has two kids whom he only gets to see on an every other week basis. You see Michael is a roughneck on the oil rigs in Eastern Texas. Michael's soft heart has warranted him a good amount of TV time and we've been able to view all of Michaels performances to this point. From his rendition of Boys II Men to his favorite Gavin Degraw, Michael has remained very solid. Unfortunately for him, solid doesn't quite cut it in this competition. He's such a nice guy that the judges, with the exception of Simon, have not criticized him too harshly. I could see Michael finding success with this weeks Grand Ole Opry theme, but he's going to need a great performance in order to stick around. My feeling is that Michael will be sent home this week, maybe next week at the very latest.
Scott MacIntyre - Scottsdale, AZScott was the first contestant of the 2009 season to really grab hold of the viewing audience. Having the benefit of being on the first audition show in Phoenix, Scott's story was featured right off the bat. You see Scott is about 98% blind and suffers from tunnel vision with his remaining 2% visibility. His story opened this season with a bang. With this and his extreme musical talent, Scott jumped to the front of the line of possible finalists. Since then Scott has both struggled and triumphed through his performances. Scott truly shines when he is behind his piano. You can really tell that this is when he feels most comfortable on stage. Behind the scenes Scott seems to be a musical genius. He produced his first CD at the age of eleven and has since put out five more albums. Scott's life revolves around music and this competition will only open doors for him. As far as this particular competition, Scott will most likely join Megan Joy and Michael Sarver as the next three contestants sent home. But during his time on the show he has surely inspired viewers and young musicians to follow their dreams.
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