American Idol 2010: The Top 8 Guys Recap

The guys did not outshine the girls this week as the Top 8 boys performed for our votes on American Idol season 9.  It is make it or break it time to get into the coveted Top 12 and even though there were vast improvements only 1 guy stood out as a contender to beat Crystal Bowersox.

First up was Lee Dewyze and he sang a great current song with “Fireflies”.  Lee is not the best singer in the competition but he keeps getting better each week and I think he has great potential.  He has the looks now he needs to get his pitchiness under control and he will do well.

I finally get what the judges have been saying about Alex Lambert and the tone of his voice.  He chose the perfect song with “Trouble” and I loved the unique quality of the vocals tonight.  The judges think he is too stiff and Simon gives him some great advice to imagine Randy in a bikini.  Now that would NOT be a pretty site.

And Tim Urban finally sang on key!!!  Hallelujah!  Well, that was the name of the song anyway.  Ellen was so happy she jumped up on stage and gave him a hug.  He picked a great song and sang it with emotion so he might end up in the Top 12.

Once again Andrew Garcia fell a little short.  He didn’t pick the right song with “Genie in a Bottle” but you could tell he was trying.  His problem was remaking “Straight Up” and doing such an outstanding job with it.  He will always be compared to that moment unless he can pick a song and blow us away again. 

Casey James was as cute as ever tonight and gosh I love that guy.  He picked a much better song with Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me” and this is where he needs to focus his attention.  He does much better with the country vibe. 

The worst of the night was not Tim for a change but Aaron Kelly.  He was all over the place with his choice of “I’m Already There” and it was real pitchy except for the middle when you could hear the power of his vocals.  I’d say he is in jeopardy of getting the boot tomorrow night.

Todrick Hall didn’t impress me as much as the judges with a rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love”.  The whole gospel vibe was ok but I wasn’t blown away like Randy was.  I actually agree with Simon when he said he could see Todrick as a broadway singer and not a recording artist.

And the award for best overall performance including the girls goes once again to Big Mike Lynch.  I didn’t ever in a million years think he had a performance like that in him.  He sang Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work” and blew me away.  I wasn’t crying all over Simon like Kara but I was shocked.  Simon said it was the best of the live shows so far this season.  It was amazing.

Who were your favorites and who is in danger of going home?

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24 Comments

  1. Its Crystal and Michael and 10 also rans.

    C’mon Fox lets see you create drama where there is none.

  2. Ok. I am so sick of the “pitchyness term” that I gag every time someone uses it. Elen uses it like a judge getting passed a pitch baton. Barf!
    Andrew Garcia is getting the shaft. He has been true to himself and delivers constantly solid and original performances. He oozes star quality without having to flaunt it. Are people so blind to the truth?
    Tim and Aaron are out because they cant connect with their material and seemed overly corny and insincere.
    Mullet head “Laimbert” has the charisma of a toad, his number is going to be up soon because of it.
    Mike is ok, but can you imagine the incredible hulk winning? Naaaah. He seems like he gets what he wants. What happens when he doesn’t? I wouldnt want to be near him when he gets the boot.
    Casey James: This guy oozes talent, a solid voice, sex appeal. He needs to work on his presentation and eye contact.
    Todrik is a wannabe singer. To much acting and not enough sincerity.
    Lee is the dude. He’ll be in the top six.

  3. Yo, get this. Y’all think Crystal is da domb? right?, Wrong. Saibon is. Oh yeah baby. She is going to pull it through and knock the socks off yall. And the guys did ok tonight. I mean, it wasnt home runs everytime, but they all got hits and made it to base. I said, like, WHAT WAS THAT? Yeah, I can dig it.

  4. It’s Kate Bush’s song that Michael sang, not Maxwell’s. Michael sang the version that Maxwell did, but Kate Bush is the composer and lyricist.

  5. I think the judges are too very hard and unfair to Andrew Garcia. He delivers strong every week and is NOT pitchy he should be IN the top 12. Michael did a great job the rest were okey. What still bothers me is Kara’s attitude, she is a Paula wannabe now crying? lol was not enough to be all over Simon? now she has to cry? lol As she would say to one of the contestants “Sweety that didnt work for me”

  6. I’m watching in Australia and I think we get it on cable 24 hours after you do in the states. Anyway, here’s my rundown.

    Lee Dewyze – Fireflies
    He has a certain quality to his voice – sort of reminds me of Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) but just isn’t as good a singer. He sounded a bit nasally at times and I really can’t see him being a successful singer. His performance was OK but he’s just not idol material which is a shame as he has a good voice and has the look/stage prescence but he just isn’t good enough at singing.

    Alex Lambert – Trouble
    Started off good. I was surprised to find myself liking him. He seemed to have very good voice control tonight. He still looked to be lacking confidence but I think he should hold his head up high after that performance. It was a nice solid performance. Great voice, great control. He didn’t do anything outstanding but I still liked it.

    Tim Urban – Hallelujah
    The same as with Alex, I was surprised to find myself liking him. I really liked this performance. Great voice, great control. I agree with what Ellen and Kara said – I think we had all written him off and he came back and surprised us. I still find him annoying at times with his “look of surprise” that he puts on whenever he is praised but I think tonight he did a great job.

    Andrew Garcia – Genie in a bottle
    It sorted of started off alright. I liked what he did with the song but his voice really fell flat with me. Overall I didn’t like it. It was reasonably clever to change the song the way he did but I just don’t think he pulled it off. I agreed with Kara and Simon’s comments.

    Casey James – You’ll think of me
    I didn’t know the song but I thought he did a great job. He has a brilliant voice and I couldn’t fault his performance. Very well done. I can’t understand the turn-around in Kara’s opinion though. She is in damage control I believe. She knows she made a fool of herself and is trying to distance herself from that whole “cougar loves Casey” debacle.

    Aaron Kelly – I’m already there.
    Unfortunately for Aaron, the only place he already is after that performance is out the door.
    It started off terribly, got a bit better and started to show his voice and talent but I don’t think the ending was strong enough to be considered a good performance. I’d say he’s going home after that performance. Randy’s comments were spot on – started off poorly but he managed to showcase his voice in the middle section. Overall though probably not good enough (in my opinion)

    Todrick Hall – Somebody to love
    It was ok, he can sing very well but he didn’t seem to have the vocal power to pull this one off. I think he tried to give the impression of a powerful performance by using physical actions but the vocals didn’t back it up. Simon’s comments regarding him being a Broadway singer were accurate in my opinion – more theatrics than raw power.

    Michael Lynche – This woman’s work
    I’ve never been really inspired by Mike’s performance in the past and I found this one the same. I just don’t get it. I don’t see any star quality in him.
    The judges comments really surprise me – I just don’t get him – but hey – what do I know??? 

    No real favourites for me tonight but I think Aaron and Todrick are on their way out the door.

  7. Why all the love in the comments for Garcia? Oh, if you guys only saw his Youtube videos (which he removed right away). If you did, you’d find him as a very rude and fake man. He’s had 3 inconsistent, boring performances in a row. Everyone’s saying that all the contestants with 3 bad performances should go home so why shouldn’t he be the same? So what if he sang Straight Up good? Those 45 seconds shouldn’t be the reason he’s going into the top 12. He and Aaron or Todrick should go home. The other 5 are getting better each week while these three just keep getting worse.

  8. although I appreciated Big Mike’s range, I was not blown away either. Cara’s tears were a bit over the top as well, surely she is a better judge than that?

  9. After watching big mike perform I believe everyone watching was in tears. After that perfromance he has idol potetional but like Chris daughtry he seems to be to good for the competition! Rock on Big Mike!!

  10. Big Mike just won the competition last night.The performance was awesome and I wish the song would never stop.I loved it and can’t wait to hear what he will sing next

  11. Aaron may not have sounded strong but I bet the “tenny boopers” were all over thelines voting for him!

  12. I agree with Debbie, I was not blown away with Mikes performance and those tears. Wow I am still trying to figure that out. American Idol is really not good this year at all. I am sure out of all those interviewed they could have made a much better selection than what they came up with.

  13. I really don’t get why everyone likes Lee. He sounds like every other rocker out there. No uniqueness whatsoever. I still like Alex, even though his nerves are clearly still present. I definitely see more talent in the girls this year. Mike was great as usual, very soulful and a wonderful falsetto. Todrick has a great voice, but I agree with Simon in that he needs to be on Broadway. I liked his version of the Queen song though. Tim Urban still needs to go away. I agree that he improved and he put on his best performance when he needed it the most, but he just doesn’t compare to the other talent.

  14. Hmm i dont get it about mike performing i did listen to it again and again and stil think it sucked. But he got perfect reviews so he wont be going home i guess. So the ones going home wil be A and A, Alex and Andrew they both did terrible. Anyway we wil see 😉

  15. I JUST LOVE THIS BLOG…..UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME LAST NIGHT MY DVR DIDN’T TAPE AI…..VERY DISAPPOINTED. SO THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS….I’LL BE WATCHING TONIGHT….I’M NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES…..DID THEY MENTION WHO THE GUEST PERFORMER WILL BE TONIGHT?

  16. I mean this with no meanness intended….I issue a challenge to every person on here. Next week watch the singers, but when the judges speak mute the t.v. I really feel like people are listening too much to the judges. Judge off your own instincts and own opinions. I have actually found myself influenced by what they say sometimes even when I difn’t agree. I would hear what they said and say oh i could see why they think that. Try it people….see how many times you agree or disagree with the judges without hearing what they say until you’ve formed your own opinion. I was actually surprised.

  17. Well the guys did not step up! Better talent for the gals – but that is not saying much. Any of the guys could be sent packing tonite. I did not get Bike Mikes performance and Kara’s tears! A Paula wanna-be? Good Grief! What a loser of a judge! My fav was Alex. Going home, Tim and Todrick or Alex and Todrick or any of them really.

  18. Kara, Kara – what are you doing? You need to be voted off. Your poor husband! What an embarresment you must be to that man – hanging all over Simon and trying to cry like Paula did. Go home and write your songs – PLEASE!

  19. Every time I see Kara hanging all over Simon, I want to throw up. This year the judges are more distracting than anything else. I’m going to follow the Sara’s advice next week. As for the contestants, I really think Casey is the best of the guys. I, too, think the judges have been really unfair to him, first falling all over themselves to praise him and now shunning his performances. I used to admire Simon and Randy for their honest opinions, but not this season. In fact, all the judges need to be replaced if you ask me.

  20. I was NOT impressed with Andrew Garcia, and am rooting for 4 contestants: Alex, Lilly, Casey, and Lee, in no particular order. They all have so much potential. Also, the girl who hit the crazy note, I won’t try spelling her name, I know I’ll butcher it. Everyone else can pack their bags.. please.

  21. I don’t know how the contestants are doing it from week to week. It seems that every week the judges give them conflicting criticism…one week they are singing too young…the next week too old. One week they didn’t connect with the song, the next week the judges just don’t “get” it. It’s a wonder these folks can even get up there and sing with any confidence at all! I agree with the post that the judges comments should be muted. Contrary to what Ellen says every critique, I don’t believe everyone is “great” and “adorable”.

  22. I can’t listen to the judges this year. What the hell is going on with them?? It all sounds too weird. They have the contestants confused, never mind us. The only guy that I feel has it all, is Casey. For the women it’s Crystal and Siobhan. However, so far, Crystal is my favorite to win.

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