Michael Slezak's EW Review

Read full article from EW's Idol guy Michael Slezak

Excerpt

I’d been warned by fellow Idoloonies that scores of Glamberts were likely to flee the auditorium for Kris Allen’s closing set, but I only saw a few such defectors in my section, and I’m assuming those folks need a hearing check, since they were making their escapes during Kris’ gorgeous rendition of “Heartless.” Anyone who thought Kris’ Idol success with that song owed more to the novelty of hearing Kanye West stripped to his acoustic bones than to the eventual Idol champ’s actual vocal should take note that the number remains as fresh and delicious as a home-grown tomato. And perhaps just as impressive: Kris was more than up to the task of tackling The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done,” which hopefully means the good folks at Jive won’t try to shackle him in the bland A.C. dungeon (which, sadly, he did to himself during a forgettable cover of Matchbox 20’s “Bright Lights”). Kris’ other two songs — a reprise of “Ain’t No Sunshine” and a new cover of “Hey Jude” — proved he’s got a knack for reinvigorating old-school jams in a way that speaks to everyone from screaming tweens to middle-aged dads (many of whom were on their feet and singing along during the latter track). Interestingly, Kris kept himself separated from the band by a screen throughout “Heartless,” “All the Things,” and the first half of “Ain’t No Sunshine,” giving his performance the intimacy of a soft summer breeze in comparison to the Category 5 bombast of Hurricanes Adam and Allison.