So here we are, another week of Idol performances. This week, it's another recycled theme from a past season of Idol, songs from the Lennon-McCartney songbook. During season seven, we had two weeks of L-M songs which was a bit of an overkill. However, these songs are truly epic no matter how great or terrible they're sang (how can we forget Kristy Lee Cook's horrendous rendition of "Eight Days a Week" two years ago?). Even though people were generally disappointed to see this theme re-appear again, I was actually looking forward to it. Beatles music (or Lennon-McCartney songs) brings the best out of people and maybe it'll do the same to this season's crop of contestants. Here is what I had to say about the night:
Aaron Kelly - "The Long and Winding Road" : Aaron has had some pretty strong performances as of late, so let's see if he's able to continue the momentum. Unfortunately last night was an off-night for Aaron. Right from the start, he sounds rather flat. I don't know what it is, but he appears to be lacking energy. I do not like the sound of the background singers during his performance - they are not helping matters much! I am partial to David Archuleta's rendition of this song during season seven and Aaron just doesn't compare. He definitely wasn't on his "A" game tonight and that's unfortunate. It was a less-than-inspiring performance from Aaron this week.
Katie Stevens - "Let it Be" : So it's quite obvious that Katie has been taking a beating on her Idol journey thus far. However, I think she's slowly beginning to turn the corner. Her Fergie cover a couple of weeks ago was decent, and last week's Aretha song while not great, wasn't terrible. How will she do with a Lennon/McCartney song? Well, it turns out, quite great! She chooses possibly the best Lennon/McCartney song of them all - one of the most famous, and sings the heck out of it. This is the Katie we've all been waiting to see during this season! She was passionate, she connected with the song, and turned it into a believable performance. Well done, Katie.
Andrew Garcia - "Can't Buy Me Love" : Andrew has mirrored Katie's Idol journey thus far quite similarly. He, too, appears like he's turned the corner of his mediocre performances and has finally become the contestant we saw during Hollywood Week. His cover of Chris Brown's "Forever" was such a huge improvement over the past few weeks. Now, that doesn't mean there wasn't room to improve, but it was a step in the right direction. Last night, Andrew took a few steps back again. He gave the song a big-band feel and made the performance quite sleazy sounding. He just didn't give the song a great sound and the performance felt off for me. Andrew may be in trouble this week.
Michael Lynche - "Eleanor Rigby" : Michael, a strong contender for the guys, took a few hits from the judges the past few weeks. Although his most recent performances weren't spectacular, they were still very good. One thing is for sure, you can expect Big Mike to be on pitch. I was a little concerned at first with the way the song started, but my concerns were quickly put to rest. Michael delivered a soulful, confident, and enjoyable performance of this Beatles' classic. Again, his enunciation of some of the lyrics is a bit much at times, but that's relatively minor. He is a polished performer and once again excelled this week.
Crystal Bowersox - "Come Together" : Last week, Crystal took a bit of a risk by stepping away from the guitar and playing the piano. You could tell she was nervous during the performance, but it hardly affected her vocals. Crystal is back strumming to her guitar this week, playing the instrument that gives her the most comfort while performing. I would not say this was her best performance to date. You could definitely tell she was struggling with a cold this week. And apparently she messed up the lyrics to the song a bit at one point, but I couldn't tell much. She's entitled to have an off-night, and even in this case, she wasn't off that much. Still another solid performance from Crystal.
Tim Urban - "All My Loving" : Up next is the contestant who's always smiling, Tim Urban. Despite all of the flack he's received since the live shows began, Tim is certainly a trouper. He has yet to pout, whine, or complain about the lack of positive reviews by the judges. He really enjoy singing for his fans - and yes, he has fans. Last night, he finally delivered a solid performance on the big Idol stage. I wouldn't say it was perfect, but it was definitely his best to date (even better than "Hallelujah"). I liked him playing the guitar and I also liked a few of the changes he did to the song and some of the runs that he sang during the performance. Now that's what I like seeing from Tim.
Casey James - "Jealous Guy" : So Casey has been kind of stuck in the middle of the pack for awhile. His cover of classic '80's songs have been good, but not spectacular. He hasn't really delivered on any memorable performances to date, so I am really looking to see if Casey can jump towards the top of the heap. And I must say, Casey finally delivered on a memorable performance. His cover of "Jealous Guy" was so smooth and soulful. I loved the acoustic feel of the song and I thought it was especially great that it was a song never-yet-covered on the Idol stage. Yes, there were a few off-pitch moments, but those pale in comparison to the overall feel of the performance. It was spectacular.
Siobhan Magnus - "Across the Universe" : Last week, Siobhan had a bit of a stumble with her Chaka Khan cover - and it was her worst performance to date. Let's see if she's able to turn things around and deliver a performance we're all used to seeing her do. And while it certainly was an improvement over last week, I wouldn't quite call it great. I do agree with the judges that the performance was a bit sleepy and boring. However, I did like that she stayed away from singing that big note at the end of her performance; which she's accustomed to doing. So, better than last week but still not on par. Her vocals were quite good, it was just the song that kind of let her down this week.
Lee Dewyze - "Hey Jude" : Lee put together a great performance last week with his cover of "Treat Her Like a Lady" that really placed him as a front-runner for the males. I would not be surprised if the competition came down to Lee and Crystal in the end (with Lee possibly winning - who knows?). Lee needs to keep the positive momentum going with another strong performance this week. And I will say that his song choice was stellar - another great, popular Beatles' song. However, I did not love the performance overall. The bagpiper was too much of a gimmick and it took away from Lee on stage. He also sang too many of the "na na na's" in the song and it really became quite cheesy to me. It became too sing-songy for me and I think Lee could've made some better decisions with the song.
Top 9 Performance Rankings:
1.) Casey James
2.) Katie Stevens
3.) Michael Lynche
4.) Crystal Bowersox
5.) Tim Urban
6.) Siobhan Magnus
7.) Lee Dewyze
8.) Andrew Garcia
9.) Aaron Kelly
Going Home : Andrew Garcia. As much as I believe Aaron Kelly delivered the worst performance overall last night, Andrew's is probably the least memorable and his overall record this season hasn't been good. Even though last week he delivered a decent performance, I don't think that momentum will be enough to save him this time around. And yet, he hasn't even appeared in the bottom three yet! But tonight, he'll earn a trip to the bottom three, and his first appearance will definitely be his last. It's a shame because he had so much potential earlier on. But he just hasn't showed up. He's truly a one-trick pony.
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