by Gina Scarpa

 

Tuesday night, it seemed like most of the girls were not even attempting to compete on American Idol, with a few exceptions (cough cough, Crystal Bowersox, cough cough). Last night, it was a different story, though, as just about every guy stepped up their game and delivered a solid performance. As Simon mentioned, this week is probably the most important of the entire Idol season. Making Top 12 is a milestone in the competition and leaving tonight would be heartbreaking for any of these singers. Here's how things went down with the guys on last night's performance episode.

 

Lee Dewyze - "Fireflies" by Owl City
Well, I can appreciate what Lee was trying to do here, which was take a song and make it his own. I thought it definitely had originality but, as Randy and the others pointed out, it also had pitch problems. Still, they see something in Lee that I do as well... a lot of potential. Is potential enough to carry him through to the next round, though? I hope so.

 

Alex Lambert - "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne
Last night, Alex and Tim went from the bottom half of the pack to the top. More on Tim in a minute. I could be partial, because I love Ray LaMontagne, but Alex delivered a strong, sincere performance that left me wanting to hear more from him. I know. I can't believe I'm saying that either.

 

Tim Urban - "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
I'm very happy for Tim that he knocked this one out of the park. The poor kid has been taking a beating by the judges and in the press. He didn't originally make the Top 20 and everyone questioned whether or not he deserved to be there this season (including himself). Last night, he proved why he did make it and took a big step forward with his performance of "Hallelujah". Here's hoping America sees that progress and picked up the phone for him.

 

Andrew Garcia - "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
Ughhhhh, Andrew!! I loved this guy so much from the minute I saw him in the first audition round. Yes, he blew everybody away with his take on Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" in Hollywood but he's now been held to such a high standard, that he can't reach it. Week after week, since the live shows began, he's been a disappointment. I like that he took a female pop song and tried to do something with it but there's just something creepy about a dude singing, "You gotta rub me the right way, honey". Am I right or am I right?

 

Casey James - "You'll Think Of Me" by Keith Urban
Casey and James both made very smart choices in going with country songs. Here's why... and I've been saying this for years. Never. Underestimate. The. Country. Fans. Not only do they have a lot of influence on the votes, Idol singers who have gone country have fared better than in any other genre. Bottom line: Casey's not goin' anywhere.

 

Aaron Kelly - "I'm Already There" by Lonestar
Here's another reason why country was a smart choice. Honestly, Aaron's performance was one of the weakest of the night. The song was too big for him and he couldn't really hit the notes. I do think a lot of fans are going to be forgiving of that because he's young, cute, and chose a popular song but in this group of people, I think this week could be his last.

 

Todrick Hall - "Somebody To Love" by Queen
Had Todrick really showed off some serious vocal skills, I think he would be 100% safe. He did show he can sing but I don't feel he really had the voice to take that on. His version had kind of a gospel feel, which I liked, but there wasn't enough of it to really excite me and that really sums up how I felt when it was over: it just wasn't enough. Besides the original Queen version, there's a version from the tv show Glee that is currently hugely popular and Todrick's vocals didn't match up to either.

 

Mike Lynche - "Woman's Work" by Maxwell
Oh, Big Mike, how I love you so! Nobody looked more like he was meant to be on stage last night than Mike, who delivered a powerful and emotional rendition of "Woman's Work" that left Kara in tears. Kara! He is clearly a frontrunner in this competition and should sail all the way through to the Top 4 or 5 without too much of a problem if he keeps singing and performing like that.

 

 

SEE ALSO

American Idol Season 9: Top 8 Female Performance Recap

 

Tune in to the live results show to find out who makes the Top 12 on American Idol, tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

For more American Idol links, visit SirLinksALot.net