American Idol Top 12

The theme this week is music from The Rolling Stones.

Michael Lynche sang “Miss You.” I wasn't captivated by his performance, but I wasn't bored either. Mike was dancing around the stage and clearly having a good time. It was a good performance. Randy said that Mike is a great performer. Ellen said Mike hasn't disappointed her yet. Kara said Mike had swagger and attitude like Mick Jagger. Simon said Mike is confident and sang well, but he thought his dancing was corny and desperate.

Didi Benami sang "Play with Fire." This was a new sound for Didi. She showed more power than we've heard. It was a great song choice for her, and she sang with emotion. Randy said Didi is on fire, and called this one of her best performances. Ellen said Didi has an amazing voice and is back in the competition. Kara liked the combination of Didi's sweet voice and the eeriness of the song. Simon said Didi is showing who she wants to be as an artist. He said it was a cool song choice and a solid performance.

Casey James sang “It’s All Over Now.” This performance was opposite from last week's performance, but Casey was still in his element. He picked the perfect song with a southern rock edge. I really enjoyed this performance. Randy said he loved it. Ellen said it was fantastic. Kara said Casey is a rock star and called it his best performance. She said the country/blues/soul vibe shows the best parts of his voice. Simon said Casey is a very good artist, but he hasn't done something incredible. He said Casey needs to push himself.

Lacey Brown sang “Ruby Tuesday.” I'm just not a fan of Lacey. There were some decent parts and some awful parts. I really just found the whole performance awkward. Randy said he was pleasantly surprised. He liked the string quartet arrangement as well. Ellen said it was sleepy. Kara said Lacey missed some notes, but she could have put more into it. Simon said Lacey performs like an actress. He said there's nothing wrong with her vocals, but she's over-thinking the performance.

Andrew Garcia sang “Gimme Shelter.” Once again, this wasn't a great performance but it wasn't bad either. It's almost like Andrew is trying too hard. Randy said it was pitchy everywhere. Ellen loved it and said this was Andrew's best performance yet. Kara said Andrew needed more passion because she didn't feel the intensity of the song. Simon said Andrew gave 100 percent, but something didn't quite connect.

Katie Stevens sang “Wild Horses.” I thought this was a good song choice; it showed off her vocals well. This was Katie's best performance. Randy said it was s strong performance. Ellen said Katie has a great voice. Kara said Katie made nice variations on the melody and is going in the right direction. Simon said this is the first time Katie has connected with a song.

Tim Urban sang “Under My Thumb.” I liked his performance, but it didn't blow me away. He put a Jason Mraz reggae spin on the song, but he sounded nervous. Randy didn't like the arrangement. Ellen said Tim sounded great, but he just didn't impress with that performance. Kara applauded Tim for making the song his own. Simon said it was a boring song to begin with and the arrangement just didn't work.

Siobahn Magnus sang “Paint It Black.” She's a great singer but just not my style. I'll say it again: She reminds me too much of Adam Lambert. However, she's got skills, and it was a good performance. Randy said Siobahn brought the drama to American Idol with her interpretation of the song. Ellen said Siobahn stands out. Kara said she had Adam Lambert flashbacks during that performance (told you so), and said it was the best interpretation of the night. Simon said it was the standout performance of the night.

Lee Dewyze sang “Beast of Burden.” I love his raspy voice. He is the one artist in this competition that has the potential to grow enough to knock the front-runners out of the lead. I loved his performance. He made a great song choice. Randy liked the singer-songwriter vibe and compared Lee to Rob Thomas and Dave Matthews. He said Lee's performance was "dope" and one of his better performances. Ellen said she was expecting more from Lee on Rolling Stones night, but it was still a great performance. Kara said the energy was a little low, but she believes that Lee is growing faster than anyone else in this competition. She complimented his confidence and ability to take risks. Simon said Lee doesn't shine and he picked a safe song. He said Lee has an incredibly good voice, but he still needs that "moment" to stamp his mark on the competition and to stop thinking others are better than him.

Paige Miles sang “Honky Tonk Woman.” This was Paige's best performance, and one of my favorites of the night. Why hasn't she done country before? She was dancing around and having fun, and she's been sick with laryngitis for the past week. Randy said he wanted more energy, but he liked Paige's performance. Ellen said Paige has great star quality, and commended her for using the stage. Kara said Paige hit some big notes in spite of her sickness. She said, "Paige is back." Simon said the song was generic and he thinks Paige can do better. He still thinks she hasn't quite connected yet, but he heard the big voice they loved back in Hollywood.

Aaron Kelly sang “Angie.” The one thing I can say is Aaron knows who he is an artist. He made a smart song choice by sticking to country. I thought it was a sweet and sincere vocal and much better than last week. Randy said Aaron was born to sing. He liked the tender moments in Aaron's voice. Ellen said Aaron made a great song choice. She ranked Aaron's performance second to Siobahn. Kara said Aaron connected to the song. Simon said Aaron chose the right song, and he sang the song within the limits of his vocals. He called is one of his strongest performances.

Crystal Bowersox sang “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” They saved the best for last. I thought this was the perfect song choice. Crystal was totally in her element with the southern blues vibe. I liked the arrangement. Crystal can sing. She definitely knows who she is. Randy said this wasn't Crystal's best performance, but he still loved it. He said Crystal is always great and he's always excited to see what she'll do. Ellen said Crystal sings with ease and she's born to be on stage. She said she finally saw Crystal's personality on stage this week. Kara agreed with Ellen. She said Crystal loosened up and was comfortable on stage. Simon said Crystal came out tonight as the clear favorite, but she was beat by Siobahn. He said she needs to stay on her toes and never think she's already won (which I don't think she does).

My favorites, once again, were Crystal, Casey, and surprisingly, Paige.

I think Lacey, Tim, and Katie will be the bottom three.