American Idol Show Review: April 7, 2009

American Idol featured Songs From Birth Years on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. This episode featured the top eight contestants remaining in the competition. Here is a recap of the best performances from the night, with a detailed rundown of each performance.

Best Performances of the Night

Adam Lambert

Song Choice: "Mad World"

Lambert started out his performance in this episode sitting with a blue lighted background behind him. The performance was extremely heartfelt at the beginning. About the middle of the song, he stood up and really hit his powerful notes like we knew he was capable of doing.

Simon gave him a standing ovation-that never happens on American Idol! Unfortunately, the episode had to come to an end before the rest of the judges could give their analysis (even if it was just going to piggy back on what Simon said), but Lambert once again proved that he has incredible vocals, heart, and stage presence.

Another week with Adam at the top-he has firmly established himself as the vocalist to beat in the competition.

Allison Iraheta

Song Choice: "I Can't Make You Love Me"

Allison selected "I Can't Make You Love Me." Sporting her bright pink hair, she hit every note of her performance almost perfectly. Simon continued to give her a hard time, but Randy loved the performance.

One thing we saw from Allison this week (and it is not like it is a big surprise at all), is that the girl can really sing with heart. It is easy to get caught up on the fact that Allison loves to rock out, but she can pull off a different genre like this one she did tonight. It seems like Simon almost doesn't want her to win the competition, which is s shame, because she is undoubtedly the best female vocalist left, and a top four contestant at that. Look for Allison to stick around for another week and continue establishing her presence as a real competitor in the American Idol competition.

Matt Giraud

Song Choice: "Part-Time Lover"

Giraud was one of the American Idol contestants who really needed a big performance this week, and he sang an incredibly catchy song in "Part-Time Lover." In my opinion, his song choice was exceptional, and the performance was one of his best to date.

One thing that really helped Matt out this week (as crazy as it may sound) was the way he was dressed. Matt's outfit really fit the lightheartedness of the song, and his personality seemed to shine through moreso than other contestants from this week.

The performance was great, and despite a few slight note misses, look for Matt to be firmly safe this week.

Anoop Desai

Song Choice: "True Colors"

Anoop picked a slower, controlled song in "True Colors." The performance was chuck-full of heart and soul, and I felt he did a great job at connecting the song's lyrics with the overall feel. He did not oversing the song at all, and unlike some of Anoop's previous song choices, this one was great at proving his worthiness in other genres.

Like Matt, Anoop should be safe to stay on for one more week.