American Idol Top 9: Anoop Desai Takes a Step Back with 'Caught Up'

With the pantheon that was at his disposal during download week, Anoop Desai chose Usher's "Caught Up" on the March 31 American Idol show and it was an unfortunate choice. Try as he might he couldn't deliver. Anoop Desai ended up sounding like a glee club guy singing a song that is completely out of his comfort zone. It seemed to go on forever and at times bordered on painful to watch. His over enunciation made the performance more wedding singer than soul singer. Kara gave an apt description of the performance saying it sounded as if his frat brother's had dared him to get up and sing Usher. I concur wholeheartedly with her assessment.

Bend It To Your Will

Anoop has the talent. However, it seems that he's not clear about who he is as an artist. He knows who he wants to be but he hasn't quite figured out how to get there. Again the culprit for Anoop seemed to be song choice. He has a pure clear tone and is great as a balladeer but at this point in the competition it's time for versatility. If he advances this week then he's going to have to do a self-assessment and get clear about his goals musically. Perhaps something by Ne-Yo or Chris Brown would be a more suitable choice. He maintains that he wants to be an R&B artist. No one's stopping you. Lauren Hill took "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and delivered a mega hit. If you know who you are then you can bend the material to your will.

What You're Working With

The lament heard from Anoop and others throughout the competition has been 'but I love that song'. That's all well and good but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right song. The judges and us, the avid fans are looking for those performers who rise to the challenge. Who like Kris Allen who took a 30 year gem in Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine" and polished it up until it shone like a brand new gem. For another example, let's look to Adam Lambert, who takes a song and renders it virtually unrecognizable. What he does may not always be understandable but it's never boring. Even with "Caught Up", it felt like Anoop was playing it safe. What we want is for Anoop to be 'off the chain'; to take some chances. Show us what you are working with Anoop. You've made the promise and now it's time to deliver the goods.

While unfortunate song choice continues to be a problem for Anoop Desai, it should not be enough to get him sent home this week but the field is narrowing rapidly, so it's time to make it happen.