By Lindsay Strouse

 

It’s “Idol Gives Back” week on American Idol and the theme is planned accordingly. This week the contestants will be singing inspirational songs, mentored by the one and only, Alicia Keys. She’s the perfect mentor for the group this week: besides her array of beautiful and heartwarming songs she has created over the years, she is actively involved in helping people with HIV and AIDs. Here’s how the Top 7 did with a little help from Alicia:

 

Casey James – “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac
This guy can draw the crowd in before he even sings one note with his big, beautiful, white smile. Once he does get some sound out, he has great vocals. However, he doesn’t win me over as a performer. I can instantly picture hearing him on the radio, but he doesn’t have that connection tonight. While he has definitely found his niche, he doesn’t surprise me anymore (with the exception of “Jealous Guy”). And um…where was the inspirational message in all that?

 

Lee DeWyze – “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel
This is such a beautiful song and so perfect for Lee. I could immediately feel the emotion he was putting out and I’m not afraid to say it: I got a little choked up by the end. No matter how many people pick up the phone tonight or how the competition turns out, Lee is going places in life. That is probably the most connected anyone has gotten to a song all season. In the words of Simon Cowell: brilliant.

 

Tim Urban – “Better Days” by The Goo Goo Dolls
I can tell he’s really feeling the song, but left me a little disappointed. After his shining moment last week, I was expecting him to grow even more. I almost felt like a was listening to a teenage band playing in their garage. While Tim is starting to find out who he is and is improving, the process isn’t going fast enough. So who’s going to take the prize of being “a little worse than Tim” this week?

 

Aaron Kelly – “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly
A. Kelly is doin' some R. Kelly this week. Heh, heh, get it? Anyways, for such an incredibly huge song, he actually sounded really good. On the downside, I didn’t believe the performance. I wish he sang more from the heart and didn’t try to put on a performance so much. Nevertheless, his vocals are off the chain. The only person who didn’t agree was Simon. But really, who’s surprised by that?

 

Siobhan Magnus – “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
I’ll be the first to say I’m getting a little sick of Siobhan’s antics, but I will admit when she does a good job. And she did a good job (her clothes—butterflies and all—are another story). Of course, it’s a really tough song to sing, and she did technically sing it really well. However, I don’t think it FULLY came together. Siobhan says she wanted the opportunity to sing this song in front of everyone despite knowing she would be compared to Mariah and Whitney—I definitely respect her in that aspect.

 

Michael Lynche—“Hero” by Nickelback
This is the Big Mike I know and love! He’s a true performer and always leaves me wanting more. He hit every note and continued to soar. He truly made the song his own and worked it out. In spite of my love for him, the judges didn’t all agree. Simon thought it felt a little artificial since the song was from Spiderman. I actually tend to agree with Simon’s comments…but really, Simon?

 

Crystal Bowersox – “People Get Ready” by The Impressions
For the first time ever, Crystal appears onstage without an instrument. She was one of Alicia’s favorites and she is one of mine as well. It’s great to see her so beautiful and so confident even without a guitar around her waist. This is what you call singing from the heart. The lyrics are beautiful, the style is beautiful, the vocals are fantastic and she finds it hard to hold back the tears near the tail-end of the song. She receives a standing ovation from Randy and it is obvious she is in a league of her own.

 

Don’t miss American Idol's jammed-packed 2 hour Idol Gives Back (and results!) special tomorrow at 8/7c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Lindsay at twitter.com/LindsayStrouse

 

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