couldn't... hold... back

I know, I know, I know...... girl couldn't help it peeps. If the images I swiped courtesy of Fox weren't bad enough, suffice it to say my kids will be mortified when they see I've actually posted about American Idol but hey, this is MY blog so whatevs. Now that we're down to the final 12 (was that a long and painful enough road or what), I can see some genuine improvement and effort being put into these performances, and some real potential emerging. I'm not sure this season as a whole will equal or surpass other seasons, but that's okay. It is what it is. From here on out is seems like we're going to have a pretty good ride from these 12 (soon to be less) very diverse people.  

Rolling with the Stones

Last night the 12 chose songs from the Rolling Stones. Here's my recap, and remember, this is just MY opinion!

1) Big Mike chose "Miss You". Not only is the first performance of the night a nerve-wracking slot to fill, but he decided to take a risk and mess with the arrangement. He gave the song a surprising soulful twist that reminded me a bit of Stevie Wonder. In a good way. I thought it was genius. And I thought he did a terrific job pulling it off.

2) Didi Benami sang "Play With Fire", and I was not familiar with this song. I think she did a fine job. I like her quirky, jazzy voice - it has a good quality to it. But I don't think the song or performance was anything special.

3) Casey James chose "It's All Over Now". Casey is confusing to me. With his amazing good looks, his sweet demeanor, his obvious guitar skills, and his singing voice, he seems like the entire package. But it's his quivering country-like voice that just never seems to click with me. I keep wanting it to because I genuinely like him. I don't consider it a bad voice, I guess it just never seems to rise above average.

4) Lacey Brown gives us "Ruby Tuesday". Up until now I have not liked Lacey's voice much. It has that baby voice quality that you either like or you don't, and I don't. But I think this was a really good song choice for her, and I think she sang it really well. She was strong and confident, at least more so than in the past.

5) Andrew Garcia sang "Gimme Shelter". Looong sigh. I was rooting for Andrew from the beginning, but week after week he just can't seem to get it together. It's painful. Read the last sentence of Casey's critique again.

6) Katie Stevens chose "Wild Horses". I thought this was a pretty big song for Katie but she actually sang it well, for the most part. For me it was her best performance so far - and that's hard for me to say, because I thought she should have gone home instead of Katelyn. Not that I don't care for Katie - I think she's sweet and has a great voice. But she's young and I think she could use a few more years to develop that voice. I think Katelyn showed a lot more potential and was totally robbed. But good for Katie that she tamed the wild horses.

7) Tim Urban performed "Under My Thumb". I didn't agree with the judges AT ALL regarding Tim's performance. Up until now I have wondered in awe every week how he got on American Idol at all. Oh, he's cute for sure. But the poor guy can't catch a break. I think his singing stinks. And then he actually took a risk (!!!) and decided to make a song his own (!!!) and have some fun with it (!!!) which I thought he pulled off REALLY well... and the judges skewered him. Wow. I was really impressed that he did all that. But I think that was his demise.

8) Siobhan Magnus sang "Paint It, Black". I think Siobhan rocks. I get the feeling there are a lot of people out there that don't, but I really like her. I think she's got an awesome voice (gee, what concept, considering this is a singing competition) and I like her quirkiness. I can't wait to see what she comes up with every week. I thought it was genius how she completely changed the beginning of the song to grab our attention, then totally rocked the rest of it, and ended on the slow beginning vibe. I thought she was fabulous.

9) Lee Dewyze chose "Beast of Burden". Lee definitely has my favorite male voice. I thought his song choice was awesome and was glad he stuck with playing his guitar, but I was sad he didn't do more with the song. If he had just been more relaxed he could have had so much fun with it. With a song choice so great for his voice, it was the perfect opportunity for him to give it more and show more groove, more range, more personality, more HIM. I think he did a fine job and I hope he'll stay around a while to develop more. I think he shows great potential.

10) Paige Miles gives us "Honky Tonk Woman". Well, considering she had laryngitis, it was amazing she belted out what she did. For me it was her best performance ever, which is unusual for me to even admit. Remember how I felt about Katelyn going home instead of Katie? I felt the same about Lilly going home instead of Paige. So there - I said it. But in all fairness, she did a great job and I was surprised. 

11) Aaron Kelly sang "Angie". Another contestant I am puzzled about every week. Not that I don't think he's a total sweetheart. He shows great potential and is extremely likable but even his voice shows from week to week that it's not consistent because it's not developed enough yet. But I digress. Choosing "Angie" was a genius move. He sang it like an absolute angel and it was, for me, his best performance ever. Way to go Aaron.

12) Crystal Bowersox chose "You Can't Always Get What You Want". She gets the coveted last performance slot which of course comes with extra pressure to deliver. Well, she delivered. Not with quite the energy I thought she would - it would have been nice to see a little more - but man, is she good. She just puts her heart and soul into everything she performs like it's part of her. She just is who she is. I have been a big fan of hers from her try-outs. I absolutely love to watch her perform, and she's one heck of a guitarist too. For some reason there seems to be so many rumors going on about Crystal... I can't figure out why. I think viewers are mistaking her shyness in front of thousands of people for being smug or aloof. She is obviously uncomfortable being thrust into this type of arena until she is in her element performing - and then she completely transforms. I think she's just incredible.          

So what do YOU think about all this? And tonight is elimination night! Who do you think it will be?