AI9: The Fun Begins! Top 12 Compete

All the preliminaries are finally over, and the serious competition is beginning. American Idol's Top 12 (or "Top 12", to be more honest; a true Top 12 created from the Top 24 would have included about 8 girls and 4 boys) have had makeovers (one week too late for Mullet Boy, Alex Lambert! I wonder what they would have done with his hair) and are singing on the raised platform in front of the room, no longer in the round. Unfortunately, the Swaybots are back. EW's Michael Slezak coined that term to describe the girls with their arms extended over their heads, swaying back and forth to the music. They're very annoying, especially when the camera decides to shoot the singer through their arms. They varied it a little by clapping during the more upbeat numbers, but that really didn't help much.

It was Rolling Stones Week. I have never been a huge Rolling Stones fan, although I appreciate some of their music. I had some 45s back in the day, but I never bought one of their albums, and there is no Rolling Stones music on my iPod. (At the moment, the only 60s songs on my iPod are by the Zombies. That should tell you something about me, but I'm not sure what...) (If I ever get my vinyl loaded into my computer, that will change.) In any case, this wasn't a stellar music week for me even before I heard the singing.

Michael Lynche led things off with a song called "Miss You". I didn't recognize it by the title, but once he started to sing, I realized I'd heard it before. The Stones did it with an even rhythm - da da da da da da da da - but Michael gave it a little swing, da DA da DA da DA da DA, which suited his style. His falsetto sounded great, but his mid-range wasn't as strong as it can be. He further detracted from his performance with some odd stiff-legged "dance" moves. Big Mike, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you can't dance. I still love his voice and his style. Randy thought he "slayed it". Ellen loved it. Kara liked it. Simon thought he was confident, but he thought the performance, particularly his dancing, was corny, and a tiny bit desperate. At that point, Ryan came down from the stage and got into Simon's face to try to get him to back off from what he said. It was amusing, like watching a gnat buzz around a lion's face.

I am so glad that Didi Benami is finally beginning to come into her own. She gave another creditable performance, choosing a song I used to perform when I was in high school, "Play With Fire." Her lower notes were still a little weak, but her chorus was full and dark, as if she were truly a dangerous woman to fall in love with. When she forgot the words for a moment, she covered beautifully, spinning the line off in a different melodic direction that worked well. Randy thought she was on fire tonight. Ellen was pleased with the way she found her way back again after she lost her way. Kara liked the intensity she attacked the song with. Simon thought she was beginning to show them the kind of artist she wants to be. Cool choice of song. Solid, not brilliant, performance.

Casey James brought out his electric guitar and did some "bottlenecking" for his performance of the classic "It's All Over Now" (a song written by Bobby and Shirley Womack and covered by the Stones). I loved it. The song fits his bluesy style perfectly. He gave a good singing performance, but not outstanding, although he does have a lot of fun with that guitar. The best judge's comment was made by Ellen: she said that for most women, their hearts would start racing just by looking at him. "But then for people like me," she said, and paused. A beat, while the audience tittered. "Blondes." She thought it was fantastic. Kara thought he was a rock star. His best performance. Simon thinks he looks great, sang well, played the guitar well, but he didn't use the stage well. It's true; Casey just stood in one place while he sang and played guitar. I didn't think it was a huge drawback, though. All he has to do is shake his blond curls and I'm a fan.

Lacey Brown demonstrated once again why she should have been eliminated already when she tortured "Ruby Tuesday". She was wearing an outfit that looked like a long-line bra over a one-shouldered top. Did she put her clothes on in the wrong order? She was backed up by a string quartet, which definitely worked with the original song, but for her, it was a little like classical music accompanying the cluckings of a chicken. She's got far too much of a country twang to sing with classical violins. Fiddles, maybe. She was all over the place pitchwise as usual. I found her performance excruciating. Randy wasn't jumping up and down with it vocally, but he was pleasantly surprised. The most interesting one of the night. Ellen thought it was weird that she chose to move during the slow part but when it built, she sat down. It was a little sleepy for her. Kara said it was 50-50 for her; there were pitch issues and she thought she could do better. Simon thinks she performs like an actress. It was okay, but she needs to stop overthinking. But nothing wrong with the vocals. Hmm, was he hearing the same music I was? I really hope she's eliminated this week.

Andrew Garcia chose "Gimme Shelter". He was wearing a gray suit jacket over blue jeans and a red plaid shirt. I didn't think he sounded very good. He had some major pitch problems. Not a good song choice for him. He wasn't playing the guitar, so he stumbled around stage clinging to the microphone stand. Ho hum. Randy said it was pitchy everywhere. "It wasn't great, dude." Ellen thought it was his best performance yet. She loved it. Kara thought there were elements in it that were good. It's a song about war, and she didn't feel it most of the time. His lack of connection with the song bothered her. “What was he supposed to do?” Simon asked her, “You want him to come on stage with a tank or something?” Simon thinks he gave it 100% but something didn't quite connect with the song. It was clear to me that Andrew didn't know the context of the song, written during the Vietnam War.

Katie Stevens was wearing a ruffly little-girl party dress. I guess she was still trying to prove that she could sing in a younger style... She chose "Wild Horses". She was pitchy, as usual, and very weak and shaky on the lower notes. She was stronger on the chorus, when it's higher and in her more comfortable range. Randy thought she sang it really well, although he pointed out that there were pitch problems. Ellen said essentially what I did. Also thought it was a good song choice. Kara liked the choices she made with the melody, and it was better than last week. Simon thought this is the only week she made a strong song choice. He felt she connected with the song and gave it 100%.

Tim Urban did "Under My Thumb" with a reggae beat, accompanying himself on the guitar. I thought it sounded incredibly corny, and was boring as hell. His voice sounded all right, but he did nothing at all to the song; it just kind of sat there. Randy didn't get it at all. Thought the reggae was just bizarre. “It didn't serve you or the song well.” Ellen thought she was at a resort drinking a pina colada. It didn't wow her. Kara gets what they're saying, but she applauds that he did something so incredibly different with the song. Simon thought the original song was boring anyway, and what he did to it didn't work. A lot of Rolling Stones fans would be turning their televisions off.

Our Cape Cod girl Siobhan Magnus chose "Paint It Black", and her staging of the piece was dramatic: She sat on the neon staircase, lit in red, to sing the first verse, which she did in 3/4 time, turning it into a waltz. Then she got up and walked onto the stage, and the tempo changed to 4/4. She was wearing a black strapless puffy-skirted dress and what appeared to be Doc Martens. Unfortunately, she missed more notes on this one song than she's missed the rest of the season so far. A lot of it was off-key. I'm not sure how the judges managed to miss this. I guess they were sucked in by the drama. She went for a very high note at the end, which sounded shrieked to me, then finished strongly. Randy appreciated the drama and thought it was hot. Ellen loved it. Kara said she was having Adam Lambert flashbacks. Best interpretation tonight, she thought. Simon thought it was the standout performance of the night. I wonder what he'll think after he watches the playback.

Lee DeWyze sang "Beast of Burden", accompanying himself on guitar. He was very nasal sounding, and mumbled a lot of his words. I think he may have even forgotten them in one spot. I didn't think it was a very strong performance. Randy thought it was "dope", however. Ellen thought it was great, but she was expecting more from him. It almost didn't come together, like a hospital gown. (I love that description.) Kara said the energy was a little low. But he showed tremendous growth. Simon likes Lee as a person, but he didn't shine at the moment. He chose a safe and forgettable song.

Paige Miles did "Honky Tonk Woman", which was a great song choice for her. She made herself the honky-tonk woman, and her husky bluesy voice worked well for the song. I thought it was one of her strongest performances. Randy liked it. Ellen thought she had star quality. She sounded amazing, especially for somebody struggling with her voice. (I guess she had laryngitis this week.) Kara agreed. Simon thought she still hasn't quite connected. He thought it was a very old-fashioned performance, but at moments they heard the big voice he fell in love with during Hollywood Week.

Little Aaron Kelly chose "Angie", a ballad. He opened it on the neon staircase, which was lit in white this time. He did quite a nice job, actually. This was the best he'd sounded since Hollywood Week. Randy loved the tender moments in his voice. It was hot. Ellen thought it was a great song choice. Kara thought it was powerful. Simon thought he chose the right song. One of his strongest performances to date.

And in the Pimp Spot, Crystal Bowersox, who chose "You Can't Always Get What You Want". She was wearing one of Lilly Scott's peacock feathers in one of her dreadlocks, and she accompanied herself on the guitar. As usual, she put her whole heart and soul into it, and she sounded wonderful. I thought she was the best of the evening by a mile. Randy said it wasn't his favorite, but he loved it. Ellen loved seeing her personality come out. Crystal admitted to overthinking some of the previous songs. They told her to stop thinking. Kara liked it. Simon didn't think the song had enough drama, and said that in his opinion, Siobhan beat her. I don't agree, and I wonder if Simon will still think that after he hears the playback.

The strongest performers, besides Crystal Bowersox, were Didi Benami and gorgeous Casey James. Aaron Kelly did well, too. And despite her flat notes, Siobhan Magnus is still way ahead of most of the rest of the pack.

For me, the weakest performance of the evening was by Lacey Brown. Other weak performers were Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, and Tim Urban. Lee DeWyze could have done better, too. It'll be interesting to find out who goes.