American Idol 10: Top 12 Performance Review

I disagreed with the judges a LOT last night. I definitely think what they heard in the studio was very different from what we on TV saw.

These are in no particular order:

Stefano Langone, Song: If You Don’t Know Me By Now (Simply Red)
His package clip was hilarious – I SO WISH he had done “Hangin’ Tough” by NKOTB. However, he chose to do a cover of a cover of a cover (I think that’s right). He did a great job although his arrangement was over the top (Steven Tyler said that phrase last night as a praise, but I say it as a criticism). However, he was nearly pitch-perfect the whole way through and the crowd obviously loves him.

Casey Abrams, Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
I also liked his package clip (his parents are obviously very funny together). But. But. Dude. Really? You were terrible. Just awful. You took an iconic song for my generation and ruined it. Jennifer Lopez was right – you didn’t sing so much as scream half that song.

Scotty McCreery, Can I Trust You With My Heart (Travis Tritt)
As always, Scotty did a solid job with his country thang. But was there any doubt? He continues to bulldoze his way to the finals.

James Durbin, Song: I’ll Be There For You (Bon Jovi)
Oh James. You were fantastic last week. This week, while your “stage show” was entertaining enough (despite shades of Constantine Maroulis which made me shudder) your vocals were terrible. I’m admittedly not a huge Bon Jovi song, but I would have preferred he pick a down tempo. Even Adam Lambert knew to shake things up and do slow songs every now and again. James showed he can honestly sing last week with ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ – pity he didn’t showcase singing this week.

Lauren Alaina, Song: I’m The Only One (Melissa Etheridge)
Atta girl, Lauren! MUCH better than last week. There’s no doubt about that. She’ll sail through to the next round and will keep on going if she sticks to this type of song each week.

Jacob Lusk, Song: Alone (Heart)
I’m sorry, but I’m just not a fan of this guy. Yes he can sing, but must EVERY performance be so…so….I don’t know.

Pia Toscano, Song: Where Do The Broken Hearts Go (Whitney Houston)
I hated this. The arrangement was hideous and I can’t believe that the judges liked this. It wasn’t an up tempo song. It was a slow song on which they put a beat. If you were to listen to that back without the music, she’s still basically singing a slow song. Don’t make me pull out my metronome to prove it – because I will. There’s no way that thing was above 100 bpm.

Karen Rodriguez, Song: Love Will Lead You Back (Taylor Dayne)
Man, I hate this song. I didn’t like it when it came out, and I don’t like it now. And Karen is officially a pageant singer. Nothing else, nothing more.

Paul McDonald, Song: That’s Why They Call It The Blues (Elton John)
This song had SO MUCH PROMISE. When he announced what he was singing I squealed – it would be a perfect vocal for him! Alas, he was sick and it showed. Not only that, but the song seemed very rushed and frantic. As much as I love Paul, I disliked this performance. I’ll probably listen to the iTunes version and buy it if it’s decent though.

Haley Reinhart, Song: I’m Your Baby Tonight (Whitney Houston)
Haley’s only problem is her comfortability on stage. If you listen to her performance with your eyes closed – it’s REALLY REALLY good. She took a Whitney song and did a good job (which is rare). She wasn’t as good as last week, but I still enjoyed this arrangement and thought she did great.

Naima Adedapo, Song: What’s Love Got To Do With It (Tina Turner)
Have I mentioned that Denis has Naima in his office pool, and so he votes for this chick every week? *lol* If she wins, it’s his fault.

Thia Megia, Song: The Colors of the Wind (Vanessa Williams)
I cringed when she announced yet another ballad. HOWEVER. For me, this was the best performance of the night. Are you shocked? Don’t be. Yes it was the third ballad in a row for her. Yes, it was slightly pageant-y. But her vocals were spot.on. Absolutely perfect the entire way through. I still think she’ll be near the bottom of the pack (if not the bottom 3), but it’ll only be because it was her third ballad in a row. Because if we go strictly on amazing vocals, she took it all home last night.

Bottom 3: Naima, Thia, Haley
Who will go: It’s a toss up between Naima and Haley