American Idol Top 10 Boys

The girls were scheduled to perform tonight, but Crystal Bowersox experienced complications with her diabetes this morning and was taken to the hospital, so the boys performed instead. Don't worry, Crystal is expected to be back and ready to go tomorrow night.

Michael Lynche sang “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown. Big Mike brought the soul tonight. This was a good performance, definitely his style, but it didn't impress me. I want Mike to surprise me, to do something amazing. Randy gave Mike a standing ovation and said he's in it to win it. Ellen said Mike started the night off right with a performance to beat. Kara said Mike went from being a singer to a potentially great artist. Simon said it was like going from a pussycat to a lion in a week. He said it was the right song and Mike's best performance so far.

John Park sang “Gravity” by John Mayer. I found this performance slightly awkward, but John's vocals were decent. He had a few pitch problems, and I just don't see him doing well in this competition. Randy said John didn't bring anything new to the song. He said the performance was flat and pitchy. Kara said John was way better this week than last week, but he's still lacking that connection. She said he needs to let loose; he played it too safe tonight. Simon believes John is going home. He said the performance was better than last week, but forgettable.

Casey James sang “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw. First of all, Casey has some sick guitar skills. He rocked out the song with his electric guitar. It was a fun performance, but he highlighted his guitar playing more than his voice. He also fell behind tempo a bit. Randy said Casey channeled Hendrix with that performance. He said it wasn't Casey's best vocal performance, but it was definitely the right niche for him. Ellen thought it was a great song and a great vocal, but she wants to see Casey move around and perform more. Kara said Casey took two steps back tonight. She said there were some pitch problems and that he's a great lead guitarist, but this is a singing competition. Simon said that last week Casey chose a standout song; this week it was just like a typical bar singer trying to be a rock star. He said Casey doesn't have the grit for that song.

Alex Lambert sang “Everybody Knows” by John Legend. I really liked this performance. Alex played guitar tonight, and he looked so much more comfortable on stage. He really made an impression tonight. The last note was flat, but I love his voice. I think he's going to grow during this competition. Randy said Alex improved this week and found his niche. Ellen said he's a ripened banana (see last week's post for this reference). She thought he was much better vocally and gained confidence. Kara said that Alex has a recordable voice and everyone is rooting for him. Simon said Alex was one million times better tonight. He said, "the only time you should be nervous is if you're useless." He said Alex needs a killer instinct to win and that he needs to believe he has a chance.

Todrick Hall sang “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” by Tina Turner. This was better than last week, but I'm still not impressed. The breakdown toward the end was great, but the ending run was terrible. Randy liked the falsetto run at the end, but he didn't like the performance over all. He thinks Todrick should stop trying so hard and just flat out sing a good song. Ellen said Todrick needs to play to his strengths by moving around more while he's singing. Kara said she misses Todrick's simple vocals with a unique spin from his audition. Simon said Todrick needs to stick with dancing. He said it was a corny version of a song with no relevance.

Jermaine Sellers sang “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. This was a bad song choice and a rough vocal overall. Randy said Jermaine's performance was better than last week's, but it still was not great. Ellen didn't even know what to say, but she didn't like it. Kara said Jermaine tries to do too much. She said he needs to stop showing tricks and look at the meaning of the song because his emotional connection feels forced. Simon said he's frustrated and disappointed with Jermaine because he has talent but he's watering down great songs so that they lose importance and sound cabaret.

Andrew Garcia sang “You Give Me Something” by James Morrison. I thought this song suited his voice well, but his lack of vocal training really showed. There were pitch problems all throughout the song. Randy said it was pitchy all over the place. He said Andrew has soul, but he's not a soul singer. Ellen said she liked Andrew's performance despite the pitch problems. She likes that he takes chances, but he set the bar so high with his rendition of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" back in Hollywood week that it's hard to live up to. Kara said Andrew has great potential, but he needs to surprise us. She said he played it safe this week. Simon said he's frustrated with Andrew as well because he picked the wrong song two weeks in a row. He said Andrew needs to do something original and stand out.

Aaron Kelly sang “My Girl” by The Temptations. He put a country-pop spin on the classic song. Aaron really loosened up on stage tonight. I thought the ending was a bit rough, but it was a good performance. He's definitely improving. Randy said the first half of Aaron's performance was brilliant, but the end was strange. Ellen thought the song might be forgettable, but she likes that Aaron used the stage and gained confidence this week. She said it was a good vocal overall. Kara really liked Aaron's performance. She likes his consistency with his country twang and vibrato. She also complimented his vocal control at such a young age. Simon didn't like Aaron's performance. He said the vocals were all over the place and called it old fashioned. He disagreed with Kara and said that Aaron needs to work out what kind of artist he wants to be.

Tim Urban sang “Come On Get Higher” by Matt Nathanson. Thank God. This is the Tim I love and adore. He played his guitar this week, and his performance was much more natural. He's not the best singer in this competition, but he's cute and improving. I want to see what he can do. Tim did a great job tonight. Randy didn't like this performance. He said it was karaoke and just not unique. Ellen said Tim lacks charisma and stage presence. She said he's cute, but singing is not his strong point. Kara liked Tim's song choice, but said that he didn't make it his own. She said he's not the whole package just yet. Simon disagreed with all three of them. He said Tim made a huge improvement this week and commended Tim for listening to the judges' criticism last week and taking it to heart. He chose a young song, went back to his guitar, and was more relevant than the other singers tonight. Simon was impressed with Tim's performance as well as his attitude and work ethic so far.

Lee Dewyze sang “Lips of Angel” by Hinder. I don't like this song, so honestly it was hard for me to pay attention. I thought Lee sounded too much like Hinder in the beginning, but it was a good performance. I like Lee a lot. Randy said Lee made a bold move tonight by leaving his guitar behind, but he liked the performance. Ellen said Lee had some pitch problems tonight, but thought he did a great job. She said he didn't perform, but he had passion. Kara said Lee made a big improvement from last week. She called him current and commercial. Simon said Lee is the best singer in the competition, but he needs to believe in himself. He called Lee the one to beat.

My favorites tonight were Alex, Casey, Lee, and Tim.

I think John and Jermaine are going home.


Tune in tomorrow night to watch the Top 10 girls perform!