It’s time for the Top 10 to perform. Tonight is R&B/Soul night and who better than Usher (pictured) to mentor our finalists and that he does with some great advice and direction. This is what the contestants need. Also coming up, last week, favorite Crystal Bowersox promised a surprise tonight and I cannot wait to see what she and the others have in store. Let’s get the show on the road, AFTER THE JUMP.
We meet Usher who promises the contestants that he will be “brutally honest” with them and may “hurt your feelings.” He promises to be no holds barred and the contestants are a little nervous. Usher says, “This is their time to shine and this is the stage to do it on.”
Up first…Siobhan Mangnus — “Through the Fire” by Chaka Khan — Usher says he is surprised by the voice coming from Siobhan. Now, I love Siobhan Magnus, but I’m not sure about this song choice. Her voice cracks a few times, but when she hits that screaming note, she is gold. Her range is incredible. Randy says, “It was a little all over the place for me…only you would have taken on this song.” Ellen says, “It felt like you were off and you kinda freaked out about it.” Kara says, “I think you got a little nervous tonight too…your lower register wasn’t strong enough.” Simon says, “It sounded to me like you had run a marathon and sounded to me like you were running out of breath.”
Casey James — “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave — Usher calls Casey a pro and he has the chops. This is the first time this song has ever been performed on the IDOL stage. Casey sounds amazing singing it. R&B is his home. It’s where he’s comfortable and his gives the song his unique spin. Randy says, “This was another hot night for you…I love the song. You showed a lot of vocal range.” Ellen says, “You’re always good… it felt a little generic.” Kara says, “I think you have more range in you…I want to see you go back to an acoustic guitar and just sing.” Simon says, “In my opinion, this was the strongest week you’ve had so far.”
Michael Lynche — “Ready for Love” by india.arie — Usher tells him to project his energy. I like Michael’s version of this song, but I don’t love it. india.arie has such a soulfulness in her voice and Michael does too, but it feels so different. It’s good, but it’s not his moment. Randy says, “You are in the zone. I am loving every performance, dude. It wasn’t as exciting, but it’s good to pull it back and show your sensitive side.” Ellen says, “That was beautiful. I loved it.” Kara says, “You did an incredible job with [that song].” Simon says, “I can actually take your seriously now as an artist…what you demonstrated tonight was being original…I actually believed that performance.”
DiDi Benami — “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin — DiDi cries after she sings to Usher. He tells her to bring that personal connection to the song. I really like DiDi’s version of this song. Her voice is so unique and she changes the just enough to own it, but I don’t think she brings that personal connection to it that Usher wanted. Randy says, “The whole performance just flatlined for me…it just wasn’t great.” Ellen says, “I thought that was dramatic and not your best performance.” Kara says, “You’ve changed. You’ve lost your way. You don’t know who you are anymore.” Simon says, “It was like swimming in jelly…it was so over the top, so old fashioned, so off melody…you have completely and utterly lost your way.”
Tim Urban — “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker — Usher stops him when he sings b/c he says he doesn’t believe him. He tells him to hold on to the moment. Tim, Tim, Tim…ahhh. He butchers one of the greatest love sings of all time. This is R&B and Soul night and here we have this white boy singing like a white boy. Yuck. It comes across as a parody to me. The judges will skewer him. Randy says, “Pluses and minuses with me…kind of a singing waiter thing…there was no vibe to it.” Ellen says, “Why did you choose that song? That’s a tough song to sing.” Kara says, “It was like Broadway at times and Vegas at times. You took the soul out of the song.” Simon says, “You’re gonna smile. The audience is gonna vote for you. You’re gonna be here next week. So well done.”
Andrew Garcia — “Forever” by Chris Brown — Usher can tell her is very nervous and has a heart to heart with Andrew and tells him how to connect. I’m not an Andrew fan, but I think he redeems himself tonight. I really like his version of this song. It’s a great acoustic version and his voice sounds so smooth. I would listen to this on the radio. Randy says, “America, Andrew is back…this is your best performance for me.” Ellen says, “That was a really amazing strong performance.” Kara says, “Nothing makes me happier to say that is one giant leap in the right direction.” Simon says, “It was miles better than what we heard in that last couple of weeks.” Simon also tells him to get a personality b/c we know little about him.
Katie Stevens — “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin — Usher tells her that her energy and her voice are good, but he says she needs to connect with the audience. Personally I think this song will be too big for Katie, but we’ll see. First, Katie is dressed way too old. She’s 17 and not a hooker. She does an okay job on the song, but I don’t believe it b/c she is too young. As I said, the song is bigger than she is. Randy says, “The performance was a little disconnected vocally, but to me this was one of the best vocal performances of the night.” WHAT? Ellen says, “You have a great voice… I wish the song were a little more current.” Kara says, “You found where you belong. It’s R&B vocal pop…but you gotta go back to making it young and commercial.” Simon says, “I thought it was pretty, pretty good. It was robotic. You came over as quite cold.”
Lee DeWyze — “Treat Her Like A Lady” by The Cornelius Brothers — Usher says his performance is a special treat. He says Lee has an incredible talent. Lee probably has the most commercial voice of anyone this season. You can imagine hearing him on the radio right now. I don’t know this song, but DAMN! the boy can sing. It’s a great performance all around. Randy says, “Unbelievable. Best I have heard you in weeks…that was the bomb.” Ellen says, “Best performance of the night.” Kara says, “It could have been on your record. It was amazing.” Simon says, “I want you to go home and watch the show back and know that this is the night that your life may have changed forever.”
Crystal Bowersox — “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight — Usher suggests Crystal play the piano and Crystal reveals that he’s blown her cover. She’s putting down the guitar and tickling the ivories. It’s clear that Crystal isn’t completely comfortable on the piano, but her voice is perfection. She gets up from the piano mid-song and just belts it out. She is a star in the making. Randy says, “It was another great performance by you.” Ellen says, “You’re never not good…you’re in it to win.” Kara says, “I’m so glad you took that risk…I can’t wait to see what you do next week.” Simon says, “Your choice of song was sensational…you’re uncomfortable with the piano…do what’s comfortable with you.”
Aaron Kelly — “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Whithers — Usher tells him to connect with the chorus and tell a story. Why does Aaron look like K.D. Lang tonight? Aaron does a decent job with the song, but it’s not his best performance. I think it could have made it bigger. I felt like he held back. Vocally, he is a powerhouse and that didn’t show. Randy says, “I think you have more soul and flavor than that.” Ellen says, “I thought it was a good song choice and a really good job.” Kara says, “I liked it. I didn’t love it.” Simon says, “I’m not jumping out of my chair…it wasn’t as good as last week.”
And that wraps up the night. Tune in tomorrow night when Usher performs and we learn who goes home. Speaking of which, my prediction is KATIE STEVENS. I don’t think she has the support and even though Tim Urban was bad, I think his fan base is huge. We shall see. Until tomorrow night…