I knew this was going to be a tough night because the contestants really didn’t have much to choose from as far as the song choices but the solos really fell short with the exception of Crystal who sang her way back to the number 1 slot.
Lee Dewyze was up first and sang “Kiss From A Rose” and took so many steps back with this performance. It was so out of tune and reminded me of how he sang at the top 24. The song was way too big for him and he had problems even carrying the melody. Randy didn’t think he did anything with the song; Ellen thought he could have done more but was still good; Kara said it was a difficult song to sing and Simon said it was verging on karaoke. Whatever Simon it was karaoke and this coming from a big Lee fan.
Big Mike belted out “Will You Be There” and honestly his vocals were perfect. I didn’t love his take on the song and wish he had chosen something else but his vibrato and control was amazing. He oversang the song but he does that with all his songs. Randy wanted to hear an r&b song; Ellen said it was a little predictable; Kara didn’t feel it and thought he played it safe and Simon said at least you gave it 100%.
Lee and Crystal sing “Falling Slowly” as their duet and it was amazing. They both play the acoustic guitar and Lee even gets to add some rocker flare to it. The vocals were spot on and not flat as they were saying in the chat room. It definitely stole the show. Randy said a great song and that’s how you do it; Ellen thought it was great; Kara said it was one of her favorite moments of the season and Simon said it was fantastic.
Casey James picks my song with “Mrs. Robinson” but didn’t look into Kara’s eyes as it was performed. Unfortunately Casey sat in the middle of a bunch a clapping fans that took away from his performance. I thought the vocals were good and loved seeing him play the mandolin but the whole thing was a little boring. Randy makes a joke out of him singing this song for Kara; Ellen liked that he tried to change it up; Kara thought he was fighting to stay in the competition and Simon thought the song and performance lacked substance.
Crystal Bowersox wins the night with “I’m Alright”. She changed the song and made it a little more bluesy and killed it. By far the best solo of the evening. Randy said she was definitely an artist but not his favorite performance; Ellen said that song just got crystallized; Kara thought she took the song and made it better and Simon said she was back in the game after that.
Casey and Mike ended the show with their duet “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” and it was wonderful. The two of them with their guitars singing with feeling and in perfect harmony. These guys are battling it out for their chance to be in the final 3 and based on this performance I think we have to give it to Casey. Randy said the guitar playing was excellent; Ellen said “as a matter of fact I have loved a woman”. Kara thought the duets were better than all the solos and Simon agreed with Kara and said the duets were a million times better.
Who is in the bottom two and which contestant will be sent home?