It was the boys’ turn last night on American Idol and for the most part, it wasn’t pretty. I had high expectations for this crew of men and most of them let me down. There were some surprises, though. Simon wore a button down and Ellen was more critical of the performances ( it was good to see that she doesn’t love just anybody). But let’s get down to business.
Todrick Hall–First out the gate was Todrick who decided that a funky arrangement of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You Been Gone” would be his best shot at votes. Wrong. It was plain weird and it put him in a creepy light to me. Simon blatantly asked where he heard that version and Todrick replied “in my head.” This is a case where changing a song so drastically can do the opposite for your performance and something tells me Todrick learned a valuable lesson. I’m sure he’ll make it through so we have next week to see what he took away from the criticism.
Aaron Kelly–Sixteen-year-old Aaron is a likable and adorable contestant this season that will get the mom and teenage votes. He’s not bad. In fact, he’s pretty impressive for his age. He chose “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts and pulled it off. The main criticism from the judges was his lack of confidence. “You’re my favorite kind of contestant because you have no idea how great your raw talent is,” Kara said. But I mostly agree with Ellen in that he will most likely be around for a long time.
Jermaine Sellers–One of my favorites going in, Jermaine was one such performer that disappointed last night. He sang “Get Here” by Oleta Adams and it was a pitchy mess. He aged himself with his choice and pushed too hard vocally. “Its the kind of song if you’re playing piano in a cocktail bar, someone in their 50s is going to ask for that as a request. It’s that kind of song,” Simon said. He went on to say that he thought he blew his opportunity. Ellen is gunning for him and since she has Oprah-esque appeal, people will vote for him and he’ll be back. I hope so, because he’s talented and I would like to see him get another chance.
Tim Urban–Why Idol brought him back of all the others is beyond me, but here he is. Hopefully it will be a short-lived trip to Idol land. Tim’s rendition of “Apologize” by One Republic was horrendous and that’s putting it mildly. I watched it back on my DVR twice while writing this post and it got worse every time. Sure, he’s cute and nice but he can’t run with the big dogs and that’s the problem. Tim is taking Chris Golightly’s place in the top 24 and compared to what Golightly could do, his voice doesn’t even rank. “We absolutely made the right decision first time around by not putting you through based on that performance,” Simon said. “There was nothing, nothing to take from that,” he went on to say. Kara told him that the music “swallowed him up” while Ellen told him to step it up. Let’s not invite him back for the next round America, shall we?
Joe Munoz–By choosing “You and I Both” by Jason Mraz cemented him as one of my unexpected new favorites. It’s a great song and he sang it very well. Randy said he “worked it out” and I’m happy he did. Simon didn’t think it was memorable enough and it may not have been, but it’s too early to write Joe off. He can sing overall and he clearly likes the stage. I hope to see him pick something crazy next week.
Tyler Grady–Oh Tyler, I can’t tell whether he’s trying too hard to be a copycat Jim Morrison performer or if he just finds bell bottoms comfy. He’s a makeshift rockstar at this point but he’s a cool dude with a cool voice. He sang “American Woman” and it was decent but not super memorable. The judges find his image problematic as well. Tyler said he will be taking a trip to the mall if he makes it through next week so only time will tell if he’s original.
Lee Dewyze–Lee is one of my homeboys being one of the two guys from the Chicagoland area. Lee happens to reside from a suburb that neighbors mine so I’m cheering him on by default, but I really do like his voice and his talent. Lee is interesting and he chooses unexpected songs. Simon thought it was one of the best performances of the night and that he has “an authentically good voice.”
John Park--Another Chicago boy and an all around sweet guy for choosing “God Bless the Child” dedicated to his parents. Not my favorite performance of the night nor was it the judges but he can sing and maybe with a better song choice he could break the top 12.
Mike Lynche–Big Mike, a controversial contestant this season for his rumored exit and an extraordinary amount of face time during the audition process, underwhelmed the judges with his performance of “This Love” by Maroon 5. Mike brought the energy level up after a string of depressing performances. “You have so much personality and it’s just bursting out of you,” Ellen said. Randy’s main criticism was that he needed a chiropractor after Mike picked him up after he made the top 24. Lynche may have taken his fan favorite status to heart and feels like he can do no wrong in the competition but he’s not quite there yet. I don’t think he has anything to worry about though. He will make the top 12.
Alex Lambert–The mullet-loving, James Morrison-sound alike performed “Wonderful World” by James Morrisson (of course) and scared Simon. His voice is unique and as Kara said, he has “great potential.” What a likable guy though. He’s standing up on stage calling Simon sir and it was awesome. I really want to reach through my TV and squeeze him because he’s just that adorable. I’m not sure he’s got what it takes to make it far, but he might last another few weeks.
Casey James–I might have to fight Kara for him because there is nothing I don’t like about Casey. He has a great voice and I could listen to him all day. Ellen was seemingly annoyed by Kara’s love of him but Simon shockingly also enjoys him some Casey. He chose “Heaven” by Bryan Adams, which was a great and smart song choice for his voice. I want to see him in this competition for a long while and not just for selfish reasons. He’s a standout by far this season so we’ll see what else he can do.
Andrew Garcia–Poor Andrew, he didn’t get the response he was looking for tonight after breezing his way into the top 24. Andrew likes to pull David Cooks on us and take obscure songs by putting his own spin on them. Taking a risk with “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy wasn’t his best bet. I dug it though. I happen to like stripped down songs so I can appreciate the choice. Garcia is like the Danny Gokey of this season. I want him to succeed and I think America does too.
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