Alicia Keys was the guest mentor this week as contestants picked songs of inspiration. The seven gave their performances last night. Let’s take a look at who is in and who is in hot water.
Keys is one who moves her audiences to tears and she coached her mentees to do the same. Crystal Bowersox [AI9CBO] and Lee Dwayze [AI9LDE] took the theme to heart and came out as the two best performers of the evening. It is quite possible that the final showdown will be between these two versatile singers. Still, Bowersox manages to come out on top every time, especially with her rendition of Curtis Mayfield’s ‘People Get Ready.’ Dwayze came in a very close second with Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer.’ These two are definitely keeping everyone else on their toes!
Casey James [AI9CJA] did ‘Don’t Stop’ by Fleetwood Mac garnering unenthusiastic responses from the judges. While soulful and bluesy, James has yet to step into something more original and challenging. Although vocally competent, James has kept things boring and mellow making him a forgettable performer. This could spell danger later on even though he is most likely safe this week. If James wants to compete with Bowersox and Dwayze, he needs to generate some more personality.
Michael Lynche [AI9MLY] is living a new life in the competition after the dramatic ‘Judges Save’ from two weeks ago. Too bad he isn’t doing more with it. He delivered a labored version of Chad Kroeger’s ‘Hero.’ Lynche seemed uncomfortable with the song but garnered praise for his vocals. Although a good singer, Lynche has to show some originality to survive the rest of the competition.
Siobhan Magnus [AI9SMA] is still struggling to get her mojo back. She started out the top twelve round on par with Bowersox but has lost her confidence. Her offbeat and edgy style was probably not a good fit for a competition of this kind. Magnus should just discard what the judges have to say to her and stay true to her unique artistic sense even if she won’t win it all.
Finally, Tim Urban [AI9TUR] and Aaron Kelly [AI0AKE] are probably the most likely to be eliminated this week. It seems both singers are unable to handle the songs they pick. Urban struggled with ‘Better Days’ by the Goo Goo Dolls and Kelly couldn’t get it together with R. Kelly’s ‘I Believe I Can Fly.’ One of these two will most likely be gone.
This evening American Idol presents ‘Idol Gives Back’ a two hour charity event that features a slew of performers and former contestants.
Tag(s): AI9CBO, AI9LDE, AI9CJA, AI9MLY, AI9SMA, AI9TUR