Your American Idol 2010 IS.....

I called it last week, didn't I?  I'm not sure a girl will ever win again with the demographics this show pulls...

Both singers were well deserving of the title.  It's to see how well they do in the contemporary marketplace.  I think Lee will do much better than Crystal.

It's interesting to me that they are releasing covers instead of the usual climb another mountain/magic rainbows/moment like this schlock...

The most boring season of American Idol is done and SYTYCD starts tomorrow. :)

My 6 year old nephew complained all night that we were watching American Idol...he thinks it's boring and says no one really watches it.  As a joke I said "So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow..." He ran around all excited and cheering.  I forgot this had become an annual summer treat for him.  He loves the hip hop/B-boy(girl) dancers.  So You Think You Can Dance is welcomed by all after this lackluster season....Welcome Back Mark and Neil (my two favorite dancers, ever :))

Top 3...I declare Lee Dewyze the winner...

Holy crap...have we had a more clear cut winner since Carrie Underwood?  All the hyping  Crystal is for naught...Lee Dewyze will be the American Idol 2010..and despite a lackluster season, I think (hope) he's more successful than anyone from Season 8.

I'm going to start this blog with the statement that Glen Hansard should mentor in season 10...he was one of the most balls to the wall performers I've ever seen live...and could teach the contestants a lot...plus they've featured his Oscar winning song, Falling Slowly twice...should be enough to get a mentorship...

Casey James "Ok It's Alright"
Ok, this was alright.   I'm going to compare every performance to last season's top 3...since this is when Kris Allen did "Heartless", and basically won the whole competition.  Not a moment for Casey...he's pretty...

Crystal Bowersox "Come To My Window"
This song did everything to support my complaints against Crystal...mid-90s Lesbian folk/blues/alternarock...she did nothing with the arrangement to make it current...my mom said maybe she'd bring about a resurgence, but what says we need that artistically?

Lee Dewyze "Simple Man"
While it was no "Heartless", it was exactly what Lee needed to do to push past the mediocracy of this season.  He felt the song...had a connection.  It's more than hitting every note with perfection. It's about telling a story. Lee did that this week.

Casey James "Daughters"
John Mayer....douchetard extraordinaire.....uh...casey is better than this

Crystal Bowersox "Maybe I'm Amazed"
I'm confused why Crystal didn't change the pronoun.  I felt a bit of disconnect because she wasn't singing from her perspective. It wasn't as good as the judges gave her credit for.  And did a detect a bit of smugness from Kara?  Ellen picked a perfectly great song...it was just the arrangement that didn't suit Crystal.

Lee Dewyze "Hallelujah"
If Lee had kept this totally acoustic, it would have been an amazing moment.  I'm still calling Lee as AI 2010.

Falling Slowly

Proof of an amazing song...

Lee and Crystal (Season 9)

Kris Allen (Season 8)

The Swell Season (The Original)

I'm seeing The Swell Season on Saturday, totally stoked!!! That said, Lee Dewyze is the next American Idol...

Idol Gives Back Top 7 Recap

I'm writing this recap after watching half of the Idol Gives Back Two Hour Extravaganza....I already know who went home, but not who I expected to...

I'm going to restate what I've already said on Twitter. No matter what u have 2 say abt Am. Idol,#idolgivesback does great things. Children need health care. It doesn't matter where they r from. (Sorry for the Twitterspeak, I had to get it in 140 characters.)

On to the Inspirational Songs week...

Casey James "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow"

Casey has some amazing potential...He may be the contestant that has not lived up to his potential the most of any contestant, ever...What key did he start in?  Not the one he arranged...His guitar playing continues to outshine anyone that has ever been on this show, but this isn't Guitar Idol.  I hope he was watching Steve Vai and Oranthi tonight.  Goat vibrato was in full effect tonight.

Lee Dewyze "The Boxer"

My mother was commenting that she was not inspired to download a single song from this season on Itunes.  Then Lee performed.  Her exact comment was, "I'd download that one."  This was emotional and authentic.  Bless Alicia for having him speak the lyrics.  Not vocally perfect, but is this a song that needs to be perfect?  I have a theory about Lee's background...we'll see if a story emerges after the press ban is lifted.  I doubt he'll be as candid as Glambert, but maybe...

Tim Urban "Better Days" 

On first listen,  I didn't hate this.  I liked him belting.  He needs to work on his phrasing, but someday, he may actually work all this out.  His lower range is really quite nice.  Sometimes, I think the judges give too much credit to popular recording artists.  There are a few out there that arent' as good as they give them credit for...

Aaron Kelly "I Believe I Can Fly"

I'm so surprised he didn't go this week.  Aaron doesn't have a big enough voice for this song, nor should anyone have a big enough voice for this song...why would you pick an R. Kelly song from the movie Space Jam?  He was consistently flat through the whole song.  I couldn't even listen to it for a second time to write the recap...just plain and bland and out of tune...

Siobhan Magnus "When You Believe"

Sure white girl, sing a Mariah/Whitney song.  You are no Mariah/Whitney...let alone a Christina or even Pink...I've over the weeks come to loathe her lower register...how can you be throaty and nasally at the same time.  She has this middle register that is magic, then she shrieks....time to go home Siobhan...

Michael Lynche "Hero" (Nickelback, not Mariah Carey)

sigh why would you sing Nickelback?  Even if it is from Spiderman?  And this was in your list of 200 songs you'd if you made it on Idol?  I'm lost...Vocally, he's fine....sometimes even inspired, or at least the most vocally proficient...get rid of the attitude, dude.  Your daughter will appreciate it in 20 years...

Crystal Bowersox "People Get Ready"

Gorgeous a cappella intro...cool mike stand...the dress is not flattering in the least, but it's Crystal, so do we really care what she looks like?  So emotional...so genuine.  The first week I've actually felt something when she sang.  Some people have been saying that it was unprofessional...what it was was an artist feeling...isn't that what music is about?

So, Tim Urban finally went home...after not even making the Top 24...That's chutzpa for you....

Glambert Week (Or The Week Ryan Seacrest Had A Nervous Breakdown) Top 9.2 Recap

Is Ryan Seacrest taking something?  Or is the stress of all of his jobs getting to him?  Or was he just giddy his biggest Man Crush to date was this week's mentor? Or is he seriously headed for a breakdown?  That man was just bizarre tonight.

But the most exciting news is ADAM LAMBERT WAS THE MENTOR!!!!! So great to see him on my TV again. :) And he actually knew what he was doing and pushed these kids into some really great performances.

Crystal Bowersox "Saved"
This was a great choice for her.  It really fed her bluesy style well.  Her vocals were spot on.  But does a singer in 2010 really want to be the second coming of Bonnie Raitt?  I wish Crystal had a little more stage presence.  When they pull back to wide shots, she gets lost behind her guitar.

Andrew Garcia "Hound Dog"
I take issue that he changed this up at all.  It sounded just like the version from Smokey Joe's Cafe...except sung by a man.  There was absolutely no fire to this performance.  I don't think it was as terrible as Randy said, but it wasn't great.


BJ Crosby is amazing...

Tim Urban "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You"
It's too bad Seacrest's crazy really came out during Tim's performance, because this was really a beautiful cover.  Vocally he was spot on and his phrasing worked well.  It's a good thing too, that way we can overlook the Turbin comment and Ryan's dancing during the song.

Lee DeWyze "A Little Less Conversation"
This was definitely the best performance of the evening.  I wish Adam could have pulled just a little more sex appeal out of Lee, though.  The one true thing about all Elvis songs is they are sexy.  Especially this one.

Aaron Kelly "Blue Suede Shoes"
Vocally Adam picked up on some great tones in Aaron's voice.  This was just a weird performance.  I wish he looked like he was having more fun singing it, because it's a fun song.

Siobhan Magnus "Suspicious Minds"
The beginning of this was weird.  I don't like the quality of her lower range.  It's kind of stuffy sounding.  I wish Adam had had time to work on that with her. Get her to open it up.  When she got to her middle range, where she was really belting, but not screaming, was amazing.  Allison Iraheta is really great in that range too, she just has the control over her lower notes too.

Michael Lynche "In The Ghetto"
Vocally this was spot on.  Gorgeous.  His guitar is kind of a prop for him, though.  I didn't really get the sense he was really playing it.  I just wanted a little bit more emotional connection to the song.  I can only imagine Adam singing this and how he would have had himself, and the audience in tears.

Katie Stevens "Baby What Do You Want Me To Do"
It's really time for Katie to go.  She's overconfident, and sassy.  She is the exact opposite of Alllison Iraheta.  This was screechy and out of control at times.

Casey James "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
I really wanted to see Casey stand next to Adam, just so we could see how tall he really is.  (Although it would be hard to tell with Adam's giant Elvis pompadour.)  I'm liking Casey more and more every week.  If he puts this kind of stuff on his album, I may just buy it.

Lennon & McCartney Work Their Magic On The Top 9 (Recap)

Finally, I'm seeing a reason to keep watching this season.  It's really all about each contestants' growth this season, not about professional ready performers like the last two seasons.

There actually were some pretty great performances this week.  Although, just a reminder last year's Top 9 was Kris Allen's beginning of his Idol winning peak with "Ain't No Sunshine".  Was this Casey James'?

Aaron Kelly "Long and Winding Road"
This was the long and winding song.  I thought it would never end.  He struggled with his breathing and couldn't support his notes, staying consistently flat.  Kara was so right with the critique that he gives the same performance every week.  It doesn't help that he did the same exact arrangement as David Archuleta two seasons ago.

Katie Stevens "Let It Be"
This may be Katie's best performance to date, but she's still not ready.  Her voice is very shrill.  I don't like it at all.  It was brave to pick this song after Kris Allen did a beautiful cover of it just a month ago.

Andrew Garcia "Can't Buy Me Love"
I thought this was really fun.  It was really poppy and light.  It was a good choice for Andrew.  I'm not sure what more Kara wanted.

Michael Lynche "Eleanor Rigby"
Brave man picking a song that David Cook slayed two seasons ago...It was very theatrical, but not in a musical theatre type way.  I think more in a current big concert kinda way.  They criticize these contestants for  being too "Broadway", but the current pop market is full of that.  Lady Gaga, Pink, Britney Spears, Usher, they put on big shows.  Vocally it was really fantastic.


(I have to embed DC, he's my favorite. :) And it's funny to see pre-makeover David. Incidentally, his make-over happened Top 9...)

Crystal Bowersox "Come Together"
Crystal was very obviously sick.  But she's their golden girl this season, so they won't criticize her for things like that.  I feel sometimes that they judge her in the same way they judged Gokey last season.  I didn't think this was a good as Kris Allen's cover last season, which they crucified him for.  And the digeridoo was a bit strange.

Tim Urban "All My Lovin"
Tim is playing this game.  He's having as much fun as possible and just seems like a genuinely nice guy.  None of who he is is an act.  He may not be the most talented up there, but this week, he had one the the better performances.

Casey James "Jealous Guy"
I admit it, I'm officially a Casey James fan.  This was beautiful.  I loved that he just had the acoustic and a cello.  I also like that he picked a song that 1) had never been done on Idol, and 2) that is a little obscure.  I hope they kept it acoustic for the Itunes recording, cuz I'm planning on downloading this.

Siobhan Magnus "Across The Universe"
I think that in real life Siobhan would drive me crazy.  I'm not sure if she's really that slow or if it's just an act, but I would have no patience for her.  I was starting to be a fan, but these past two weeks she's really fallen.  There is something about her voice I don't like.  It's throaty and nasally at the same time.  She really, really needs voice lessons to control it.  And the stylists need to help her.  What was she wearing?!!!! Next week, I hope that Adam Lambert can help her pull something better out, I really do.  Cuz I want to like her.

Lee Dewyze "Hey Jude"
This was fun!  I felt like I was at a Lee Dewyze concert, not watching American Idol.  And I thought the bagpipes fit much better with this song than Crystal's random didgeridoo.  I also enjoyed the little ode to "Landrew" and the best quote of the season "I'm glad that those two can be together, and get married, and have lots of  little Danny Gokey babies" ~ Crystal Bowersox

Next week ADAM LAMBERT IS THE MENTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ok, I'm just a little excited to have him on my tv screen again...:)

Let's Pretend This Week's Idol Didn't Happen...

Ok, I was busy this week and didn't get a chance to recap...I promise next week I'll get to it!  This week was bad anyway...

My quick impressions:
Siobhan Magnus "Through The Fire"
Not sure what happened here.  She was sooo off.  I'm surprised she made it through.

Casey James "Hold On"
He's holding back on us.  I think there is a lot more to him than he has shown us.  And he keeps getting better looking each week.

Michael Lynche "Ready For Love"
He picked a contemporary song, which I liked.  I thought it was a good performance.

Didi Benami "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted"
Poor Didi.  This was terrible and I totally called that she was going home.

Tim Urban "Sweet Love"
Like Simon said, it doesn't matter what we say, this kid is going nowhere.  I don't think they were fair to him to question his smiling.  He's not dumb.  He's taking advantage of an opportunity and trying to enjoy it.

Andrew Garcia "Forever"
This was sooo much better than he's been in weeks past.  One of my favorite performances of the night.

Katie Stevens "Chain of Fools"
Nope.  I hope she goes home soon.

Lee Dewyze "Treat Her Like A Lady"
Finally, we get the performance we've been hoping for.  While Siobhan bit it tonight, Lee stepped up his game and actually performed! :)

Crystal Bowersox "Midnight Train To Georgia"
Once again, she gives a good performance.  She's a little shaky without her guitar, though...

Aaron Kelly "Ain't No Sunshine"
Silly Aaron should not have picked a song with the Kris Allen stamp on it...it doesn't matter how well he does, it won't be as good as Kris's last season...

I promise a better recap this week. :)

Hannah Montana Was A Great Mentor Choice When The Theme Was Teen Idols...Top 11

If only we could go back a year...Last year's Top 11 week, Kris Allen and Anoop Desai stepped out with amazing performances of "To Make You Feel My Love" and "Always On My Mind", respectively.  We also got to witness the crazy brilliance of Adam Lambert's "Ring Of Fire."

And then we have this year.  What a trainwreck last night was.  Any of them could go home and I really wouldn't care.  Last season was the only season I cared to go to the tour. There is no way I'm spending $70 to see any of these people.  Even Bowersox...

Lee Dewyze "The Letter"
This was definitely Lee's best performance, so far.  He's still so nervous, it makes me nervous.  I'm constantly afraid he's going to let leash one of his attrociously flat notes.  I'll bet he's a completely different guy off camera.  In fact, I'll bet he'll be the performer to just let loose on tour and everyone will change their mind about him.

Paige Miles "Against All Odds"
Wow, this single-handedly could be the worst vocals ever in the finals.  She murdered this song...not in a good way.  And it's not even a good song to begin with.  Since they didn't release a list of songs that were cleared on Itunes this week, we have no idea what they could have chosen from, but why would you choose this.  The most over-sung song in Idol history.  It was done Season 2 (Corey Clarke, bottom 2), Season 3 (George Huff), Season 4 (Jessica Sierra, Scott Savol), Season 5 (Kat McPhee).

Tim Urban "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
He's really enjoying this heartthrob status he has.  I feel like he's pulling a Sanjaya, and knows that he's becoming a hated contestant.  The teeny bopper girls sure love him though. While this performance wasn't as terrible as Paige's, it was still pretty bad.  The vocals were just plain boring.

Aaron Kelly "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"
Oh, he's so in love with Miley Cyrus...it's cute.  You could tell this was painful for him to sing.  It wasn't bad, but I felt for him having to sing through tonsillitis.

Crystal Bowesox "Me and Bobby McGee"
The most predictable song choice, ever.  She has a beautiful voice, but she bores me.

Michael Lynche "When A Man Loves A Woman"
Same with Michael, beautiful voice, this week, he was boring.

Andrew Garcia "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
To be honest, I talked through most of this.  But Andrew is not good.

Katie Stevens "Big Girls Don't Cry"
Every song she picks, seems a good idea in theory.  She's just not as good of a singer as 1) they hyped her up to be, and 2) she thinks she is.  She is consistently flat.  She doesn't have her muscles developed enough yet to keep notes in tune.  I'm not even sure she has developed her ear enough yet to know she's flat.

Casey James "Power of Love"
Is he Huey Lewis' son, because vocally, he sounds identical.  I actually like this performance.  Casey is getting better every week.  I liked that he picked something out of the box.  He's playing to his fans.  There is no way he's not getting picked up by a Nashville label when this is all over.

Didi Benami "You're No Good"
Didi is playing a character, and it's not one that suits her well.  Is she trying to seduce Ryan, cuz it seems that way?  Miley may like her vibrato, but I can't stand it.

Siobhan Magnus "Superstition"
The screeches have to stop.  When Adam went for those wails, he did it with a musicality and attention to pitch.  Siobhan just lets out a scream.  Give her the 8 years Adam has on her, and she might understand the point of it.  Right now, they are just annoying.

I'm so bored with this show...this is definitely shaping up to be the worst season of Idol...

It's Finally the Finals!!! Rolling Stones Week Top 12

OK, I know I said RIP Idol last week...I guess I didn't really mean I'd stop watching.  An intervention may be needed for me to really quit Idol.  But I still feel the show is winding down. I heard they are in negotiations for three more seasons, but that will probably be it.

OK, Rolling Stones week.  I was a little uninspired when I heard they were doing the Rolling Stones.  I checked out the Itunes list, and was shocked by how few Stones songs I actually know.  I feel like when they limit the contestants to one artist, it turns out very karaoke.

Also from now on, since I've never been able to audition, I'll put what song I would've chosen to sing. :)
My pick: Paint It Black


Michael Lynche "Miss You"
I'm soooo glad he didn't get disqualified like was rumored earlier.  He's really good.  He's the first legitimate R&B contender in a long time.  His falsetto riffs were gorgeous.  He really felt the song, too.  He's gone from boring in legitimate contender fast!

Wow! Awkward exchange between Ryan and Simon!  Not sure what's going on between these two this season, but it feels tense...

Didi Benami "Play With Fire"
Sexy, slinky Didi...I'm not buying it.  The angry faces were ugly.  This song was too slow.  It just kinda went nowhere.  Her big belted note was just out of her reach.  It was really pinched and shrill.  It was better on the second, lower glory note.  She really got into it, though...

Casey James "It's All Over Now"
Casey is a crazy good guitar player.  I think he might enjoy playing guitar more than singing...He didn't get into the song as much as he should have.  His rapid vibrato bugs me.  When someone has a vibrato like that, it ruins the quality of their tone.  I'm sure he'll have a successful country career after Idol, though...I mean if Bucky Covington can...

Lacey Brown "Ruby Tuesday"
Ugh, she's one of those singers that smiles every time she performs, doesn't matter what the song is about.  Her voice is so vulnerable, but not something I really want to hear.  She's very forgettable.  Her breathing is shallow and can't support even a short phrase.  It keeps her just under pitch, too.

Andrew Garcia "Gimme Shelter"
Andrew really connected to this song.  Vocally he did amazing things with this.  He shaped his phrases, pulled back the vocals to some nice quiet, unexpected notes.  His big glasses cover up too much of his face and he looked kinda lost on that big stage.  He was clinging to the mike stand for dear life.

Katie Stevens "Wild Horses"
Katie is always just a little under pitch.  I can't get into her.  That felt like the talent portion of a pageant.  Her dress and her hair.  She doesn't have it yet. Every time she reaches for that big note, her voice cracks. Give her about 10 years and she'll be good.

Tim Urban "Under My Thumb"
Tim's family is scary...Wow, why would you pick that song?!!!  This whole performance was just weird. The reggae beat didn't bother me so much as what he was actually singing.  Not a good way to promote yourself, by singing a song about being a mysogynistic abuser. Unfortunately it was probably his best vocal yet.  That said, I like Tim's attitude.

Siobhan Magnus "Paint It Black"
"Paint It Black", the closest we'll ever see to how Adam Lambert would have sung it...That was incredibly musical theatre.  I'm a little mixed on it.  Her high note on the end was a literal screech. She doesn't know the boundaries of her voice yet.  The rest was really cool, though.  She has a cool tone to her voice and really feels what she is singing.

Lee Dewyze "Beast Of Burden"
He's so MidWestern. :)  This was a cool version.  My mom says he reminds her a little of Bruce Springsteen. It was definitely his best vocal of the season.  That is not a forgettable performance.  Women's hearts melted with that sweet song.

Paige Miles "Honky Tonk Woman"
Hard to believe she's sick.  Her voice is very strong, but she's still boring.  There's no spark with her.  That said, it's much easier to belt as song like that when you are sick, than sing a sweet, quiet song.

Aaron Kelly "Angie"
This is definitely Aaron's best performance. I still don't think he deserves to be there over Alex, but it was good.  He sounded a lot like Keith Urban on this one.  He doesn't have a huge voice, so he needs to pick songs like this.

Crystal Bowersox "Can't Always Get What You Want"
Crystal is good.  Her voice is amazing.  All of her performances are kind of samey samey.  If she played them as a set list, it would be boring.  I want her to do something out of the box, put down the guitar, and either rock it out, or sing a beautiful ballad.

I predict that Lacey Brown is gone, but this season has been all about surprises, so who really knows who will go tonight...

Surprise, Surprise, the Top 8 Boys Actually Compete.

A few surprising performances tonight.  The boys are competing, finally!

Lee Dewyze "Fireflies"
That was an interesting version.  It's still kinda funny to think my cousin is part of Owl City.  Every time I hear that song I smile.  He was smart to choose a song like this.  He dropped a lot of his phrases, and his breathing needs some work.  Once he gets that figured out, his pitch problems will disappear.

Alex Lambert "Trouble"
Alex, Alex, Alex...I really  like this kid.  He's so endearing.  His growth is unprecedented on this show.  He gets more and more confident each week.

Tim Urban "Hallelujah"
This song helped Jason Castro make his mark on Season 7, and I think this performance will push Tim into the Top 12.  It's sad when a good performance for him is the fact that he actually hit all his notes...but now that he's had a good performance, the tweens have every reason to keep voting for him.

Andrew Garcia "Genie In A Bottle"
Only Andrew could attempt to do a Christina Aguillera song, and I think he did ok.  I'm still not blown away by him.  He is definitely this year's Gokey.  Peaked way, way too soon.

Casey James "You'll Think Of Me"
This didn't work for me.  He had goat vibrato, his breathing was off.  Country is a good way for him to go, but his vocals continue to leave me unimpressed. He must be really, really good looking in real life...

Aaron Kelly "I'm Already There"
I think this song signed Aaron's walking papers.  He was underpitch through the whole song.  He kinda warbled through the beginning because it was too low for him.  And the message was way too old for him.

Todrick Hall "Somebody To Love"
This was definitely Todrick's best performance so far.  He has such great stage presence, which a lot of the guys are lacking.  I would say he changed this one up just enough, but I think he used the Glee arrangement, so he didn't change it up at all.  I'm not sure that this isn't too late to save him, though.  Although if the Glamberts truly are voting for him, he's safe and will make it to the tour for sure.

Michael Lynche "This Woman's Work"
Kara's tears aside (how much estrogen is she on right now?), that was the best performance of the season...Big Mike just earned a fan in me.  His falsetto at the beginning was beautiful and he had the perfect emotion for this.  Frontrunner...

Blah, Blah, Blah! The Top 12 Boys...

Wow, what not a good way to start off Season 9.  There is no way they can keep calling this the "Best Talent We've Seen Yet" after the past two nights.  None of these people come close to the talent we saw last year.  Are any of them viable recording artists? Or are we in a season like 6 where only the winner comes out on top?

Todrick Hall "Since U Been Gone"
(The boys videos aren't working, so...)
Todrick took a hugely popular song and rearranged it to a song that nobody could recognize.  (Not to mention it was recorded by the most popular and successful Idol...) His vocals were a little all over the place, but he had great stage presence.  I'm interested to see what else he will do this season.


Aaron Kelly "Here Comes Goodbye"
I'm not sure what the judges were talking about here.  His vocals were consistently underpitch.  It's a shame he's on now, and I know I've said this before, but the poor kid's voice hasn't finished changing.  It's going to sound completely different in 5 years.  I felt like I could hear this performance at any karaoke competition at any Midwestern fair.


Jermaine Sellers "Get Here"
I think Jermaine may have a chance, along with Todrick, to be the first viable African-American male artist (since Ruben) to come out of American Idol.  He was a little overblown, but if he follows the judges advice and picks some neo-soul songs, he could have some amazing performances with that voice.


Tim Urban "Apologize"
I didn't know it was legal to let Zac Efron compete...that's really all I have to say about Tim.


Joe Munoz "You and I"
I really like this guy!  His voice is well-controlled and OMG! he stayed on pitch through the whole song!  (It saddens me that when watching a SINGING COMPETITION the singers cannot consistently sing on the correct pitches...and pitchy is NOT a musical term :( ) Anyways, he was good. And I disagree that this wasn't a good song choice.  I think it showed off his voice well.  I liked the little Latin vibe he gave to it, too.  It would be cool to hear him sing in Spanish. He could be this seasons' Kris Allen...(I spied a guitar in his clip package AND he sang Man In The Mirror...)


Tyler Grady "American Woman"
I just am not feeling this guy.  I didn't really get a sense of his voice with that performance.  Can he sing? I don't know.  And where would he fit on modern radio?


Lee Dewyze "Chasing Cars"
Is it too soon since David Cook's season to have a clone?  I like Lee's voice and his Midwestern boyish charm.  But that song didn't showcase him enough.  And he's too much like David Cook.  Let's hope they give him a Cookified makeover too...


John Park "God Bless The Child"
Um, John...you are basically on a TV show, setting you up to be a viable recording artist, and you pick this song?!  Where would you hear this on the radio?  You have a beautiful voice.  Pick something that's going to let you be the R&B artist lurking inside. Even Michael Buble is cooler than that...


Michael Lynche "This Love"
Wow, more about the baby?  We haven't heard enough?  Anyway, this was ok...he's a boring singer.


Alex Lambert "What A Wonderful World"
Alex is awkwardly adorable.  He's soooo young!  But he can sing!  He picked a great song to show that off.  It's going to be an uncomfortable ride watching him, but if he grows and gets more confident, what a story that will be!


Casey James "Heaven"
I just don't get it with this guy.  Yes, he's disarmingly charming.  He's cute, but not as !!!!!!!ELEVENTY!!!111 Hot as Kara makes him out to be.  He has a decent voice.  I have to give him props for making it through that performance...the judges were so unfair in their behavior with him.  I can't imagine them being allowed to treat a female contestant the same way.


Andrew Garcia "Sugar, We're Goin Down"
This was an interesting arrangement.  But no doubt, Andrew can sing.  He and Todrick are going to make this season interesting, at least...I'm still reserving judgement until I hear what kind of an artist he really would be...


Underwhelming, all of it....sad, so sad...