Dawg, Michael Lynche was dope…wwwhat?! Beyond that, my Randy Jackson impersonation falls flat…and so do the guys.  I have to say, some of them are stepping up their game, but the clear cut leader right now is Michael Lynche. 

I don’t really comment on the judges too often, but last night was a little bizzare, honestly.   For the first time, maybe, ever, a judge hugged a contestant on the stage.  Maybe Tim Urban needed a hug from Ellen…who knows?  And Kara was brought to tears by Michael Lynche.   Yikes.  I think there may be some other ‘factor’ involved there.   It was good…not quite cry-worthy.  What do I know? I’m a guy. 

The Good

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Michael Lynche performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, March 10 on FOX.

Michael Lynche.  Obviously, he was the best of the night.  Hands down.  He sang “A Woman’s Work” by Maxwell, but originally written by Kate Bush.  This is, perhaps, what brought Kara to tears….it’s a song about a woman being pregnant, the shortness of life, and God’s love.  It is a very moving song.  Kara said she cried maybe because she doesn’t have kids.  Back to the actual performance, it was easily the best live performance yet this season.  Big Mike connected to the song quite easily (he just had a baby a couple of months ago).   His delivery was absolutely flawless.  His stage presence was big, just like him.  With that said, I though the first few very high notes from him were uncomfortable, but the rest of the song was amazing…especially his big note.  He will stay this week and he is now the favorite, in my mind, to win it all.  But, he can’t deliver songs like this every week….or can he?  Here’s a link to Big Mike’s performance.  I encourage you to listen to it. 

Lee Dewyze.  Being first up in the live shows is tough because many performers are nervous, and if you don’t give a big performance, you’re forgotten.  This may happen to Lee.  He belongs in the Top 10, but his song “Fireflies” by Owl City may have been a little forgettable.   I thought he was great, don’t get me wrong.  There were a couple of flubbed notes…maybe he was just flat…not sure.   Otherwise, his show was great.  Here’s Lee Dewzye’s performance.

 

Casey James.  Good not great.  In this season, he definitely belongs in the Top 10.  Singing Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me”, he was solid.  Technically it was good….just not terribly memorable.   This is about where Casey needs to sing….in the country realm of songs.  I can see him slipping easily into that rock country thang, but he needs to stay close to this song, but mix it up a little.  Make it his own.  Watch Casey here. 

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Andrew Garcia performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, March 10 on FOX.

Andrew Garcia.  Desperate.  Simon Cowell nailed it with that one word.  Andrew seemed desperate to try to  reproduce his “Straight Up” break down.  ”Genie in a Bottle”? Really? C’mon.  With that said, his performance was solid.  He hit every note and he continues to show his artistry.  This did seem desperate, but still falls into my Good category.  He doesn’t necessarily have to strip down a song like he did last night and with “Straight Up”.  He was somewhat current here, which was good.  Judging by the rest of the guys, he should make it into the Top 10 no problem, but if he wants to win…he’s got to re-assess his song choices.  He can probably sing anything, which is frustrating for me.  Here’s Casey’s performance. 

Alex Lambert.  I have to admit, I originally had Alex in the Not So Good category.  I listened to him again, and it was a solid performance.  But….”Trouble”? Really? Just like Lilly Scott’s performance “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “Trouble” is one of those songs that is over-sung on Idol.  For this, I take points away for originality.  However, he connected with the song and he is looking a lot more comfortable up there.  Somebody has to round out that last spot in the Top 10…he might be that person.  Listen to Alex here. 

 Tim Urban.  Yes.  I actually put Tim Urban in my Good category.  I never thought I would do it.  Hallelujah Tim! Much like in football where a quarterback will throw a “Hail Mary Pass” in a last ditch attempt to win a game, Tim sang a Hallelujah song, literally.  He sang it well.  I’ll give him that.  He needed something.  He has been getting by on the 12 year old girl vote thus far.  His performances have been awful, but this one may keep him around another week.  Miracles DO happen.  Here’s the miracle. 

The Not So Good

Aaron Kelly.  I’ll say this…he seemed like he was really trying this week.  In past weeks, he seemed like he was just singing.  This week, he sang “I’m Already There’.  This song is entirely to big for Aaron.  He certainly showed more enthusiasm.  I’ll give him credit for that.  There were some pitch problems through the song, but he did make up for those pitch problems with his powerful notes.  Aaron sort of scares me in a David Archelletta kind of way.  The young girls may get him through to near the end.  Here’s Aaron’s performance. 

Todrick Hall.  He belongs on Broadway with this song.  Simon agrees with me.  It’s nice when we agree.  It was a technically good performance.  He hit every note, and he was confident.  The show was good, too, with the background singers in the monitor behind him.   I just don’t think it has its place on American Idol.   Queen’s “Somebody to Love” was a pretty good song choice, but the whole soul-broadway vibe bored me.  In fact, I fell asleep and my wife yelled, “Are you watching this?”  I just watched it again, and well, I didn’t miss much.  In case you want to peek….here it is: “Toddrick Hall”