AI9: Top 10 Perform

I never updated last week with the news that (no surprise here) Paige Miles was sent home.

Last night was Soul/R&B Night, with Usher as mentor. I admire Usher, although I admit I don't know his music that well. From what I've heard, I think he's got talent, and he made a better mentor than Miley Cyrus did by a long shot.

Our Cape Cod girl, Siobhan Magnus, opened the evening with "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan. This is a great song, challenging and powerful, and I would have thought Siobhan would have been up to the task. She really wasn't. This was her worst performance so far. I was surprised by how many off-key notes she hit - she's almost always been right on key, and those false notes really stood out for me. Not only that, but some of her famous high notes just sounded screechy to me. The judges weren't thrilled, either. Randy mentioned the pitch problems and wasn't sure this was one of her “shining moments”. Ellen agreed that this wasn't her best performance. Kara agreed; she said Siobhan's lower register just wasn't there. But at the end of the day, she's still a great singer. Simon said she was all over the place (with some weird reference to her running a marathon). By far her weakest performance, and he's getting bored with her screaming at the end. I don't think she's in any danger of going home, but I hope next week she's back up to her usual level of competence.

The always appealing Casey James performed Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming," and he did it very well. He played an electric guitar, which for me was the weakest part of the performance. I usually love his guitar playing, but it didn't fit with the soul vibe of the song. His singing was right on pitch, and his gorgeous smiles really made the song work for me. The judges were (for the most part) full of praise. Randy said it was another hot night for him; he stayed in his element, a perfect selection and choice for him. Ellen thought it was a little generic. She thinks it was a safe choice for him. Kara thinks he has more range in him, and he isn't showing us all he can do. Simon thought it was the strongest week Casey has had so far. He was really, really really (yes, three really's, I counted them)impressed with Casey this week.

Multitalented Michael Lynche played acoustic guitar for a beautiful, heart-wrenching performance of India.Arie's "Ready for Love." They had him sitting behind the judges, closer to the audience. He really poured his heart out in his singing, and his voice was, as usual, rich and vibrant. Randy liked the guitar. He said Mike's in the zone. He didn't think it was as exciting, but still good for him to show his sensitive side. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara thinks he did an incredible job. Simon can take him seriously as an artist for the first time. He actually believed that performance.

Unfortunately, Didi Benami was out of her element when she sang Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted." She has a very light, small voice with a bit of a country twang, and it just didn't work with this song. She was wearing a long spangly dress like a night-club singer, with huge sparkly earrings, and she tried to put in some drama, but it didn't help. She missed too many notes. Randy thought the performance kind of flatlined for him. It wasn't great. He didn't get it. Ellen thought it was too dramatic, not her best performance. Kara thought it was overdone. Simon thought it was like swimming in jelly. So over the top, so old-fashioned, so off-melody. He thinks she's lost her way. I really like Didi, and I hope she stays on the show long enough to have another successful performance.

Next up was the robotic Tim Urban, who gave a wooden (or should I say "metallic" to tie in with "robotic"?) performance of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love". During his mentoring session, Usher tried to get him to relate more to the song and connect more with the audience. It didn't work. Even though his voice had a good quality and he stayed on key, there was no warmth or life to the performance. Instead of looking at the audience, he sang a lot of the song with his eyes closed. Randy thought he was like a singing waiter, so pedestrian. But at least he sang in tune. No vibe, no swag, just kind of laid flat. Ellen wondered why he chose that song. She thought he was walking like he was sneaking into a bedroom. Kara thought it was like Broadway and Vegas; he took the soul out of the song and made himself so uncommercial. Simon thinks it doesn't make any difference what the judges say; Tim will just do what he wants. It was an inappropriate song, "like a mouse picking a fight with an elephant."

Andrew Garcia was up next, and I wasn't holding out a lot of hope for anything good from him. But he gave us an acoustic arrangement of Chris Brown's "Forever" that was excellent, up to his "Straight Up" performance during Hollywood Week. I'm so glad he's back! So are the judges, who had a lot of praise for him. Even Simon thought it was miles better than he's been for the past few weeks. But he commented that as a person, Andrew is boring. With a little urging from Ryan, Andrew's mother got up from her seat in the front row and gave Simon a piece of her mind. It was funny, but I really couldn't understand her even though she appeared to be speaking into Ryan's chest microphone. (Half of what she said was in Spanish, but I understood that part.) Simon hugged her anyway.

I was uncomfortable with 17-year-old Katie Stevens trying to be sultry in Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." Nothing about the performance felt right to me. She had pitch problems, and I kept thinking of how Crystal Bowersox might have handled the same song, which made Katie sound even worse to me. But the judges loved her. Randy thought the performance was a little disconnected vocally. He thought it was one of the best performances of the night, though, because she proved she has the pipes. (Not to me she didn't.) Ellen wished the song had been a little more current. Kara thinks it was one of her best vocal performances; R&B pop is where she belongs. Simon thought it was pretty good, but very robotic and cold.

Lee DeWyze did “Treat Her Like a Lady” by the Cornelius Brothers, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. I know he's supposed to be this season's answer to Chris Daughtry or David Cook, but for me he hasn't met their standards yet. He came a lot closer with this performance, though, which was excellent. He was on key, as far as I could tell. (I don't actually know the song, but the vocal range is kind of limited.) He sang it with confidence. Randy thought it was the best he's been in weeks. It was “da bomb.” Ellen thought it was the best performance of the night. Kara thought it was amazing. Simon has always believed in Lee, and told him last night was the night his life may have changed forever. I wouldn't go that far yet, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.

Crystal Bowersox told us she had a surprise for us this week, and she did. Sort of. She was wearing stiletto heels, for one thing. (She showed them off for the camera.) But the surprise was that she put down the guitar...and hid behind the piano instead to perform “Midnight Train to Georgia”, by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Granted, she got up from the piano for the second half of the song. She's got a little piano talent, but I think her attempts to concentrate on her playing affected her singing during that part. (That's what happens to me when I try to sing while playing the piano.) Even so, she was excellent, as usual. Randy liked the piano, the outfit, the singing. Ellen thought it was wonderful. Kara was glad she took that risk. Simon thought the song choice was sensational, and the vocals were incredible, but he didn't like the backup singers.

And they put the baby in the pimp spot. Aaron Kelly chose "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, which in my opinion is one of those songs that ought to be banned from American Idol. He did a decent job with it, and let's face it, all the tweeners will vote for him no matter what he does. Randy said it was just all right for him. Ellen thought it was a good song choice. Kara wasn't in love with it, and thought it could have been higher in his register and had more energy. Simon thought it was like a cupcake compared to the main course. It was okay. I was under the impression that Simon had given up on criticizing Aaron because he knows Aaron will just get voted through anyway.

Highlights of the evening? Nothing that I'm contemplating downloading, unless I decide to get Andrew Garcia's "Forever." He was one of the best performers last night, along with Michael Lynche and (of course) Crystal Bowersox.

Clinkers of the evening? Tim Urban, again. I really don't want to have to go through another week of his robotic performances. I didn't like Katie Stevens' performance, but she'll probably get through anyway. Didi Benami may be the third member of the bottom 3.