American Idol - Season 9 - Top 9 - Week 4

Hey everyone...busy day today...had the Ravens Nest meeting this evening, then I had to drive my sitter (i.e. Mom) home. Then I had to watch Lost. And now it's 12:15 am. But I did have time to vote for Siobhan - before all of you accuse me of not even listening to her performance, I did check it out and then voted early and often. Well, not early, because it's 12:15. Anyway, onto this week's show.

It seems to be inevitable that AI does a "Beatles" week - I mean, Lennon and McCartney had so many great songs, it's actually a pretty good choice. However, in the past, the contestants have the unfortunate habit of murdering these songs. Maybe it's because the songs are so ingrained in our minds that any other version seems - well, laughable. However, I'm confident that at least a few performances will be spot on tonight. I just have a feeling...we'll see.

First up is 16 year old Aaron Kelly - he sings "The Long and Winding Road", which was one of the last Beatles songs to chart if recall correctly (well, I wasn't even 1 year old when this song came out, I believe...but you know what I mean.) I like the original, but prefer "Across the Universe" from the same time period. Hmmmmm....wonder who will sing that later? Anyway, onto "Yoda" aka Aaron. Before Aaron sings, we hear him utter the words, "At the end of the day..." That's one strike against you Aaron! I hate that phrase! So he performs the song. The verdict? He put a country twang to the song, which I'm not sure suits it. I want to like this performance, but I generally don't think it was that good. He has some good moments, but also some pitchy moments and I wonder if he really is a strong enough performer for this show. I like Aaron, but he isn't one of the best singers on the show. Randy didn't like the arrangement - thought Aaron could change it up more. Ellen said it was too big for him, and it felt like a "long and winding song..." Ouch. Kara said it was good, but not great. It's all starting to sound the same. She's totally right! Great comment, Kara. Simon calls Aaron sweetie - and asks him why he chose that song. Aaron said (shocking) that it HAS been a long and winding road, to which Simon rolls his eyes. Some dude in the audience RIPS Simon - it's actually funny seeing Simon's reaction. He didn't care for it much - bottom line.

Katie Stevens announces that she'll go to prom with whoever calls the most for her. Um....ok, please don't wh*re yourself out there Katie for votes. Not good form. Katie is cute as a button, but can she sing? Well, yeah, but she's not as strong as the other two remaining women. She's going to sing "Let It Be" - what's up with the slow songs tonight? I want someone to sing Revolution or Back in the USSR or Helter Skelter!! So Katie sings "Let It Be", which is a song I like, but I'm worried she's going to oversappify the song. There is something about her voice which I don't find appealing. I can't quite place my finger on it - something is off with the pitch. This could be a case where if i was there live, it may sound different and therefore better. I didn't HATE the performance, but it wasn't something I was blown away by. And when you have the other two women - Siobhan and Crystal - who I know are going to blow the lid off the sucka, you gotta bring it. Randy went nuts over it - LOVED it. Ellen said it was amazing, and predicts she won't be in the bottom 3. Kara said it was a great vocal, with Katie's confidence showing. She's proud of her. Simon says the word "COMPETITION". He said she got it right tonight - and the reason was that Katie was leaning Country. The other judges say he's insane - it was more R&B. Either way, maybe I was wrong - maybe it was better than I first heard it. I don't know. Like I said, I didn't dislike it, I just wasn't crazy over it like they were. I do agree with Kara - Katie looks great this week. :^)

Andrew Garcia sings "Can't Buy Me Love". He changes up the arrangement up - I can't tell you what it sounds like, other than it sounds like it should be in a Vegas show, complete with horns. Ugh. He's singing behind the judges as well, just like someone else did last week...not a big fan of this performance. I think Andrew's days are numbered on the show. He may be the first guy to go. Randy said it was OK, but a little corny. Ellen loved it. Kara wanted to love it, but she didn't see anything new from Andrew. Will she mention "Straight Up"?? Nope...but I was waiting for it. Simon brings out the Wedding analogy - he didn't like it. Man, Andrew really looks likes he wants to kill Simon...again. Andrew seems like a nice guy, and I feel bad for him. But as of right now, I'm picking him to leave. We'll see what happens with the rest.

Big Michael Lynche is up next - he takes on "Eleanor Rigby". And I love this performance. The reason? He changes the song up, AND he sounds a lot different than what he has up to this point, AND he sounds really really good. Definitely a fan of "Big Mike"! Randy said the parts that worked were great - he said it could be a "joint" on the radio. Ellen said Big Mike can do anything. Said it was a huge risk but she thought it was incredible. Kara said that was FIRE - she liked the way he changed it up and created drama. Kara really is gushing over him, and I can't say I blame her. Simon didn't love it as much as the others - said it was too much like something you'd hear in a musical. He disagreed with Kara - he said it took Mike backwards. I disagree, Simon.

I see a commercial for Glee, and I'm practically giddy with excitement. The kind of feeling I get when I know Siobhan is up next. Then I see a First Mariner commercial (local bank) with Joe Flacco, and have to laugh every time he says "PITTSBURGH!!!???!?!!?" Classic.

One of my favorites is up next - Crystal Bowersox. I still am picking Crystal as the favorite to win it all. OMG - Aaron says "At the end of the day..." during the package about Crystal. Aaron, I know you're only 16, but please stop with the cliches. So Crystal is going to sing "Come Together", and predict it will be great. While I really enjoyed it, I think I had unrealistic expectations for this song. Don't get me wrong - she's got such a professional sounding voice, and she WILL have a record contract. This is a no brainer. But I've heard her do better performances. Randy agrees with me - it wasn't her best, but she's still a star. Ellen said she can't keep coming up with ways to describe how great Crystal is. Said she was amazing and that she loved it. Kara said it was one of her favorite performances - she liked what Crystal did with the song. Simon said he could hear her version on the radio - and he liked the didgeridoo. I felt like I was watching an Outback Steakhouse commercial!

Vote for the Worst's favorite song, Tim Urban, is up next. He sings "All My Loving" while playing the electric guitar. Tim has that Justin Bieber hair goin' on big time this evening. I still have no idea why the judges picked this kid to come back, but you gotta admire Tim's attitude. He's not horrible this week, but to me, it's very "Karaoke" like. Sorry - I had to use that cliche. It really doesn't go anyway - I've heard him much worse, but the thing about Tim is that he sounds so similar week after week. But based on all of his performances this season, it really wasn't that bad. Randy said it was better than past performances - and he digs the hair. It was a good "Tim" performance - meaning, it wasn't really good, but for Tim, it was. Ellen liked it - said it was his second best performance (next to his version of Hallelujah). Kara said she admires him for standing up there and taking their criticism. Simon said he thought Tim did really well tonight. No gimmicks - just sang the song naturally.

Casey James, aka "Goldilocks", takes on John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", going outside of the Beatles catalog. Casey sounds very Bob Segar-like tonight (thanks Marc!). I will probably get slammed for this, but I loved this performance. Was it perfect vocally? No. Was it his best performance? Well, maybe...but when you compare it to "The Power of Love", there is nowhere to go but up! I think I love the original so much that it affected my judgement ever so slightly. I don't know why - I just really liked the vibe in this song. Way better than I thought it was going to be. Good job, Goldilocks. The judges verdict? Well, Randy loved the sensitive side of Casey. He LOVED it. Couple of pitch problems, but it worked. Ellen said it was his best performance to date. Kara said he showed vulnerability, and it was very tasteful. He showed depth and range. So she liked it. Simon said it was the best performance of the night so far. He said the difference week to week was "ginormous". Yes, he said "ginormous".

Siobhan Magnus is up next - wow. She's so freakin' awesome. You all know that I feel that way. Tonight she's singing one of my favorite Beatles' songs - "Across the Universe". Besides the fact that she looks amazing tonight, her vocal is stunning in the fact that it's incredibly reserved. When I first heard it, my thought was most of it was a little too sleepy for me. It's an incredibly soft, quiet arrangement. But when I heard it the second time, I just sat back and listened to the quality in her voice. She really has quite a beautiful voice, and proved tonight that she's not just about "screaming" those crazy, incredible notes. I thought it was wonderful, and she did nothing tonight to change my mind on my opinion on her. Stellar stuff from my favorite Idol contestant this season. She's got her own unique style, but at the root of it all is a gorgeous voice that I could easily envision on a record. She, like Crystal, is destined for a record contract. Oh, and I voted for her quite a few times. Sure, she could probably sing the phone book and I'd rave on and on about it, but you know what? It's my blog, and I can write what I want! So back off, all you Siobhan haters!! She is here to stay. Randy said he looks forward to seeing what she's going to come up with - it was a little too sleepy for him, but he definitely appreciates her as an artist. Ellen loves the fact that Siobhan marches to her own drum, and she's special. Said she did a beautiful job. Kara said she hit the notes - but it was too restrained for Siobhan. Kara - honey - she is showing a different side. You don't have to do the same thing EVERY week. Simon asks Siobhan why she chose that song, and Siobhan said it comes down to the lyric "Nothing's gonna change my world", and refers to her two younger sisters. No matter what happens, she's there for her baby sisters who are her whole world. She gets choked up - and says she's not going to change as a person. Wow, how can you not love this girl. :^) Simon said what is great about her is that she's so unpredictable. Said she was much better last week (I think he meant to say she was much better than last week, not much better last week...whew...).

Lee Dewyze has a confidence problem. We learn this in the package. We also learn that Lee and Andrew are best buddies. Lee is singing "Hey Jude". I honestly don't know if I liked this or not. Midway through the song, a guy playing the bagpipe comes down from the top of the steps. A bagpipe!?!?! It was good, but not great. In my opinion. Randy thought it was great. Ellen loved it. Kara said it was uneven, but she can hear him on the radio. Simon said it was great until the bagpipe to showed up. It was like he (the bagpipe guy) was on the wrong show! When asked why he chose to use a bagpipe in the song, Lee responds, "Why not!!?!?" Gotta love it. I respectfully change my mind -I did like the song. Especially the bagpipe. Hilarious.

So I think Andrew is the first male to go home this week - it wasn't a horrible performance, but I felt it was the second weakest of the night (I thought Aaron was worse, but he's got such a fan base he's safe as kittens...). We'll see if I'm right tomorrow night. If I am right tomorrow, what will Lee do? Of course, Tim Urban will probably in the bottom three, and COULD go home, but he's got the support of Vote for the Worst, so I'm guessing he stays.