I read somewhere on the Internet that the bar for greatness has been set very low this year. Maybe that's why I just can't get very excited this year. I'm having trouble getting into American Idol's 9th Season.
I believe the theme for the night was Billboard #1 hits. The contestants were coached by Miley Cyrus.
Lee (The Letter): He was using the stage, and I thought he did a pretty great job. So did three of the four judges. Simon didn't agree with us. I give him a 4.5 out of 5.
Paige (Against All Odds): What can I say? This was just awful. Really, really, really awful. I can't even give it a 2. I'll be generous and make it a 1.8 out of 5.
Tim (Crazy Little Thing Called Love): Definitely an improvement over last week when I thought he should have gone home. I thought he sang it well; it was on key at least. But the judges were hard on him. Really really hard. "Corny." "High school audition." "Zak Ephron." "Hairspray." I'll give it a 2.9 out of 5.
Aaron (I Don't Want to Miss a Thing ): This week Aaron has laryngitis and tonsillitis. Despite that, he did a great job. Not absolutely perfect but added to last week's solid performance, I'd say he's moving up. The judges heaped on praise too. A solid 4.6 out of 5.
Crystal (Me and Bobbie McGee): To quote Randy, "that was dope." Great song choice. Consistently great. (I do hope she puts down the guitar next week.) Simon thought it was pretty much perfect. I'm giving it a 4.9 out of 5.
Michael (When a Man Loves a Woman): Romantic and no corny moves. I love this young man's voice. But it didn't make me go Wow either. The judges were lukewarm, feeling it was technically very good but still not what it should be. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Andrew (I Heard It Through the Grapevine): Hmm. No guitar for Andrew which was good, but I was not blown away by the performance. Better than the last few weeks. I'm just not sure this guy will ever be able to deliver on the promise he showed early on. (But Kara, so let go with reminding him of Straight Up; you say it every week.) I'll settle on a 3.1 out of 5.
Katie (Big Girls Don't Cry): Better than she's been in a while. She looked good. Song fit her. I don't think she can go the distance. Definite pitch issues, as Kara put it. I'll give her a 3.9 out of 5.
Casey (The Power of Love.): I thought it was a great choice for him. Loved his smile. Great vocals! Okay, Simon thought it was the wrong song. Too old-fashioned. Old-fashioned when it came out 25 years ago, he said. Phooey, Simon. Not agreeing with you this time. Just because a song is old doesn't mean it isn't worth a young man singing. I loved it and I'm sticking with my opinion. I'm going with a 4.8 out of 5.
Didi (You're No Good): It felt all wrong to me. Kara said it was like play-acting. Maybe that was the problem. It just didn't fit her. Still, it wasn't the worst of the night by a long shot. I guess I'll give her a 3.4 out of 5.
Siobhan (Superstition): Another great performance from one of the front runners. However, she did the screaming thing again, and I think it is time to ease back on that. One week was a Wow moment. Second time was an Okay moment. This one was like, So you can scream a note. Big deal. Move on. All that aside, I loved it. She gets a 4.7 out of 5 from me.
So here are my top three picks:
~robin
