Final 7

So we have gone from 9 last week to 7 this week, with the extinction of Andrew Garcia (long over due) and Katie Steven (unfortunate timing). Neither of their dismissals really effect me that much as I am only focused on a select few that I feel are worthy to go all the way this season. Also, this is a big week in Idol Land as we not only have the regular competition but we throw in the super gargantuan "Idol Gives Back" charity event. It's like a Jerry Lewis telethon on crack basically. Anyway, we are going to see a lot of big names drop by to support the event on Wednesday night, which is always interesting. 

In honor of this week's charity event, our theme is "Inspirational" and when you think inspirational, you think...Alicia Keys? Ok, I will go with it; she is a pretty classy lady it seems and did a nice job mentoring the contestants. I'm not sure she had any impact on them, but she did a good job trying to bring out the inspiration in them. Overall, not sure how inspiring this week's performances were (minus 1 or 2) and in a few cases it felt less than inspired. Let's take a closer look. 

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ 1/2 - My girl ALMOST had her "moment" with this one. She missed one of her money notes near the middle of the song, but she powered through and overall nailed this performance in every capacity. By the end, we could see why she may have struggled with a note here or there as she was finally overcome with emotions. The rumor mill has been buzzing the last week with news that she was ready to quit the show a few weeks back, but apparently Ryan Seacrest "talked her down". Truth or a good PR Agent for Ryan? Who knows and who cares. This girl is the real deal and it is obvious she is here for the music and not the junk that sadly, often comes along with it. Yes, she is in a different league than her competitors, but I love her genuine humility towards it all. She is a class act. 

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ 1/2 - I'm on the fence with this one because there were moments in the beginning where he faltered a little, and I was not a big fan of this song choice. I understand he has a connection to this song and the judges say he showed emotion with it, but I think Lee can give us more emotion. I think Lee is capable of pulling off a stripped down, raw performance that would drown the audience with emotion; I just feel has has that in him and I hope we see him do it. On the other hand, I am a huge Lee fan and think he continues to gain momentum that could make him a contender to not only be next to Crystal in the Final 2, but even have a chance of taking the whole thing. No matter what, as Randy said, Lee is going to have a huge career after Idol. 

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - I am not sure where Siobhan lost her way, but it is obvious this has happened. However, what I LOVE about her is that she stands firm on her decisions. When she is given the chance to explain herself, she delivers a very real and honest response about her choices and  I think that is what keeps America voting for her, even if she has an "off" performance week. She is genuine and real and has no pretense she is just doing what she loves and that is endearing. As far as her performance, she technically did a great job, was it as over the top as Mariah/Whitney? No. But isn't that what they have been wanting from her? Too much "screetching" they say, so she toned it down and actually used her falsetto, which was nice. The girl has a crazy insane range which is money for her. I was not a big fan of the arrangement of the song, but it fit the night's theme. I also love her bold outfit choices, she is a star in the making! Next week, if she is still around, I would like to see her go back to her roots and pick a song that she can just belt out and have a good time with; that is the Siobhan I enjoy!

Casey James ♪♪♪ - I agree with the judges, Casey is just doing the same thing and not putting his own spin on the songs he chooses. Granted, he is a good singer, but I am starting to get a very "plastic" feeling from Casey. He has the obligatory smile while he performs, plays his guitar and sings a good, although unoriginal, version of his song choice each week. I think it is time we see Casey without his guitar so he can work the stage and the crowd, I think he could have it in him; but with his guitar he is keeping himself in a nice little box. Time for Casey to break out! He needs to do something quick or he is going to be saying goodbye a lot sooner than he should. 

Michael Lynch ♪♪ 1/2 - Well, sadly, I have fallen back into my original opinions of "Big Mike". I don't know why he chooses songs like this that do not fit his style or voice at all. This song put him in a bad place, vocally, where his voice has an unpleasant tone and does not allow him to fully support the power needed for the total impact of some of the notes (much like what Kara said about powering through). To me, he was back to being disconnected and it did not seem like a genuine performance. This is where I think Mike struggles. He does have a nice voice, but he doesn't always pick the right songs. His niche is r&b, ballad type soul songs and when he strays from that, I think is where the disconnect comes in (for me at least), and based on the fact that America was voting him out 2 weeks ago, I think a majority is feeling that same thing. 

Tim Urban ♪♪ 1/2 - For the last couple weeks, Tim has been on a surprising climb upward, and to be honest, deservedly so. This week, however, I think he shot a little too high. Not that Goo Goo Dolls are some mammoth vocal band, but the arrangement did not compliment his voice. He should have brought the key down a touch and I think it would have rested more in his comfort zone and allowed him to convey the song better. However, Tim has done much worse in the past and is still here, so I do not think this was bad enough to send him home (nor do I think all the love-crazed teeny-boppers will allow it). 

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ - As soon as we heard that R Kelly was one of the artists being sung by either Tim or Aaron I totally called Aaron and even called that he would do "I Believe I Can Fly". Someone on Facebook asked me how I knew that and my response..."Because he makes extremely predictable choices of big ballads that r too big for his voice...this was no exception." He hacked his was through a majority of the song and then pulled it somewhat together long enough for the last big note, but barely. For some reason, this was enough cause for the judges to praise him? I don't get it other than maybe they gave him good feedback as to not alarm his fan base and cause them to vote hard for Aaron as they probably would if the judges gave a lot of bad feedback. I don't know. All I can say is, out of the whole night, he was by and large the worst. As I have said before, with more experience and practice he has potential, but there is a lot of work to be done and more work than a contestant should need at this stage of the game. Nothing personal.

We are getting down to the nitty gritty now and I think from a talent/ability/potential success standpoint, it is obvious who should remain to fight it out amongst one another and who should be sent home to rest up for the tour. My "Dream Team Final 4" is Crystal, Lee, Siobhan and Casey, but if I am being honest I think Casey's spot in that 4 could be in trouble tonight. He went first, gave an unoriginal so-so performance and could be lost in the shuffle when people are voting hard for those they think may be in trouble (aka Tim Urban or Aaron Kelly). I think this week we may see Aaron, Casey and Michael in the bottom 3. In Season 8 when the judges save was used on Matt Giraud, he only lasted 1 week basically and was sent home the week after the double elimination following his save. Could this be the same fate for Big Mike? Could we have another shocker week and see Casey sent home undeservedly and too soon? Will we finally say goodbye to the weakest link and let Aaron save his vocal chords for the Idol tour? I have no idea anymore! haha Who would I like to see sent home this week? Aaron Kelly. To think, we only have to sit through 2 hours of show tomorrow before we find out the results! Let's hope "Idol Gives Back" provides us more entertainment then fluff!