American Idol- Top 10 Guys

Although tonight didn’t feature any outstanding performances, there were more hints that some of the male singers could get to that point during the season. They theme of this week (and last week) is nerves. It seems like more than any previous season, singers are visibly nervous on stage. It got to a point where Simon had to end the show by telling Lee to get over it. If you’re going to be a frontman, you’re going have to overcome it. While these types of feelings can be expected from a show whose goal is to take unseasoned singers and turn them into professionals, the inexperience can negatively affect the quality of the performances. I think the best singers tonight were the ones who started overcoming their anxiety issues. Here are my grades for the week:

Michael Lynche: “This Is A Man’s World”- This was definitely a “I’m going to go for it and show that I’m serious about winning” choice of song, and I think he did a very nice job with it. I disagree with the comment that he’s potentially a great artist, but I see him potentially being a good singer for awhile on American Idol. Grade: B+

John Park: “Gravity”- It’s John Park’s Snoozefest part II. Boring voice, boring song. Absolutely no spark. Grade: C-

Casey James: “I Don’t Wanna Be”- You think you’re going to be just as good as Elliot Yamin doing this song? Casey James, you better watch your speed. Casey has the resemblance of a gritty, soulful voice but it doesn’t go as deep as a great singer’s voice goes. Tonight, he turned into just an ordinary singer. Grade: C+

Alex Lambert: “Everybody Knows”- By sitting down and limiting the damage that his nerves can cause, Alex let his wonderful, unique voice take center stage. He has to eventually gain confidence and stage presence, but tonight he made clear what was a lot more subtle last week: He has one of the best voices this season. Grade:A-

Todrick Hall: “What’s Love Got To Do With It”- I know it seems like the judges sound like they’re sending mixed messages to contestants regarding changing the songs, but I get what they mean. It’s better to stick to a great melody that’s been proven to work than to completely annihilate a song and make it unlistenable. Yes, they want some originality, but this is the second week in a row in which Todrick overvalued his artistry and thought he could reinvent a great song. The judges ant to send a message. They’d rather hear a good, familiar melody than one of Todrick’s awful reinventions. Grade: D+

Jermaine Sellers: “What’s Going On”- I’m not sure if there has ever been a more unlikeable top 24 contestant than Jermaine. I wish the slot for “potentially ridiculous male vocalist” could have been filled by Skiiboski. Jermaine took one of the biggest classics and turned it into elevator music. He wasn’t too off-key, but it was far from interesting. Grade: C-

Andrew Garcia- “You Give Me Something”: Hopefully, this was just an off week. Based on Hollywood Week and these two live performances, Andrew has reminded me of the Strokes’ career. The Strokes’ second album “Room On Fire” was unfairly criticized for sounding too much like their classic debut, “Is This It”. Maybe as an attempt to appease critics, The Strokes tried to branch out a bit and released a pretty bad third album “First Impressions of Earth”. In retrospect, people are starting to realize that the second album was pretty good even if it sounded similar to Is This It. Bottom line: The judges were way too hard on his performance of “Sugar We’re Going Down”. So what if it was a slightly lesser version of his unbelievable take on “Straight Up”? After this week’s performance I’m sure everyone wishes that the Andrew of last week returns. Grade: C

Aaron Kelly- “My Girl”: While I agree this version of the song couldn’t be a big hit, I felt like we were watching someone who is going to be around for awhile. The most important aspect of Aaron’s performance is he proved he can overcome his nerves. Maybe he’s not 100% there yet, but he’s going to get there. I definitely see him giving at least one great performance during his run on American Idol. Grade: B

Tim Urban- “Come On Get Higher(?)”: This is the first time I didn’t absolutely hate a Tim Urban performance. That being said, it still was not that good. A bigger problem is that I think this was him tapping out his potential. The song was the perfect style for him, and he performed it to the best of his ability. He’s the antithesis of Aaron Kelly. If Tim sticks around for awhile, I definitely see him giving at least one horrific performance during his run on American Idol. And how about his “I’m not gonna be here in the long run” attitude when he said that after last week he just wanted to get up there and perform. He tried to spin that statement after Ryan called him out on it, but we know what Tim meant. Grade: B-

Lee Dewyze- Lips Of An Angel”- Before the season started, I commented how even though I love the show I never went out and purchased a cd by someone from American Idol. Lee Dewyze is the quintessential example of what I mean. In the context of the show, I think he has a great voice. I can easily picture him on a modern rock station right now. If I heard one of his songs on the radio, however, I would most likely change the station. It may seem like that doesn’t make sense, but at least it makes sense in my head! I thought he avoided the horrible flat notes that plagued his performance last week. Grade: B+


Going Home Predictions:

I’m hoping this was the last week for Jermaine Sellers. While many other guys also deserve to go home, I think John Park’s stay is over.