Alicia Keys was our guest mentor tonight for the Top 7 of American Idol and brought some good advice for the contestants. She has done a lot of work in Africa for people with Aids and so she is a fitting example for Idol Gives Back.
Casey James is up first with Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” and I’m sad to say it wasn’t all that. The guitar playing was excellent and even though he was off key in the beginning, it got better towards the end. Randy said it was a good performance but not your best. Ellen liked the guitar. Kara thought he made himself like everyone else and Simon said zero emotion; no originality and lazy song choice. I hope he gets enough votes to move on but I do think he could be in the bottom 3.
Lee Dewyze suprised me by singing “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkle and I really enjoyed it. I was worried when I found out what he was singing but he did a nice job. Randy said he was ready to make great music. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara said he had his moment tonight with that performance and Simon said it was absolutely brilliant.
Tim Urban tried to bring it with “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls but it fell way flat. I thought it was a little too low for him especially in the beginning and thought he reminded us why he is the VFTW candidate. Randy said it was ok, good karaoke. Ellen said something about the soup of the day; Kara said it wasn’t the best execution and Simon said the performance was a let down.
Aaron Kelly sang “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly and you could tell he was nervous. I thought the song was too big for him but he gets an A for effort. Randy said he did a good job. Ellen said there was a time in the 70’s when she thought she could fly; Kara thought he got there by the end and Simon said if he heard the song on the radio he would have turned it off after 10 seconds. I’m going to agree with Simon on this one.
Siobhan Magnus took on Whitney and Mariah with “When You Believe”. I thought it started out great but went a little off in the middle but picked back up towards the end. Randy said it was just ok. Ellen loved it and said it was confirmation why she is here; Kara thought it was too dramatic and Simon said it was the wrong song for her.
Big Mike Lynche sang “Hero” by Nickelback and put the alternative spin on it which I liked. I thought it was pretty good. Randy said he held his own and it worked out. Ellen said great job. Kara wasn’t real impressed and Simon thought it felt artificial.
Crystal Bowersox won the night by singing “People Get Ready” by The Impressions. She sings for the first time this season without an instrument. She started out acapella and was pitch perfect. She started crying towards the end of the song and you could tell she had an emotional attachment to the song which was nice. Randy said that is how you do it and gives her a standing O. Ellen thought she had never looked more beautiful. Kara thought she just schooled all the other contestants and Simon said that was inspiration and he was happy to see her emotional.
It was an ok night for the contestants. I didn’t feel inspired too much but it was a decent night. Get ready for the two hour Idol Gives Back and the results tomorrow night.
Who do you think gave the best performance this evening?