With the judges’ save gone and guest vocal coach Adam Lambert guiding the way, on Tuesday the top nine Idol contestants performed the songs of one of rock’s biggest legends , “The King” Elvis Presley.
Crystal Bowersox, known affectionately to her fans as “Mama Sox,” chose to perform “Saved.” Lambert’s one piece of advice for her was to use an electric guitar in her performance. She did, and it turned out very well. She gave an upbeat, fluid performance. Judge Randy Jackson loved the performance and told her it could have been on a record. Judge Simon Cowell loved that it was original and she didn’t choose an obvious song.
Andrew Garcia decided to perform “Hound Dog.” Lambert forced him to change it up a lot during the rehearsal because he thought it was boring. Unfortunately, he didn’t keep the changes in the actual performance. The performance started off slow and boring and didn’t get much better as he went on. Judge Ellen DeGeneres thought he pulled it off; he just needed a little more power and attitude. I don’t agree. He didn’t change it up near enough and there was nothing resembling the stage presence of Elvis. Judge Kara DioGuardi felt like he used the microphone as a crutch and should have owned the performance more. Cowell thought it was lazy and didn’t feel any star power.
Tim Urban performed “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Lambert wanted him to sing up an octave at the end of the song, but he chose not to do it during the actual performance and it still worked. DioGuardi called it her favorite of his performances ever and it was mine too. I think if someone were getting married, his version is the kind of song they would think of playing for a dance. Simon Cowell had some uplifting words for him also. “You have managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks,” he said.
Lee Dewyze chose a great song to perform in “A Little Less Conversation.” Jackson said he was “in the zone.” DeGeneres liked how he showed more confidence and made the song sound so current. DioGuardi loved it, but wished he was more playful and less serious. I totally agree. I think the confidence is still missing and until he has more of it, he won’t loosen up and be connecting with the audience as much as he should.
Aaron Kelly performed “Blue Suede Shoes” and I love the power that his small frame can exude when he’s singing. Jackson liked the blues part but not the beginning. DeGeneres thought it was good but could have been a little bit better. Cowell was frustrated because it wasn’t as original as others in the show and it sounded similar to karaoke in his opinion. I don’t agree with Cowell. I thought it was pretty good and liked his attitude and moves.
Siobhan Magnus chose “Suspicious Minds” to perform. She changed it on advice from Lambert because he thought the arrangement was sleepy. Jackson liked hearing the strong, big vocals again from her. DioGuardi thought it sounded as if the first half and the second half of the performance were showcasing two different voices and she didn’t really like it. Cowell also didn’t like the first part of the song and said she missed some of the notes.
Michael Lynche, on advice from Siobhan Magnus, performed “In the Ghetto.” I thought it wasn’t bad, but for the night, it was one of the worst performances. Jackson liked the vocals but thought it was a little slow. DioGuardi thought he sang it well. Cowell agreed, saying it was much better than the previous week.
Katie Stevens performed “Baby, What You Want Me to do?” She sang it like it was an R&B song and I still don’t agree with her singing that genre despite DioGuardi’s insistence that she should go in that direction. The judges liked the vocals except for Cowell, who thought it was a bit annoying.
Casey James chose an old Elvis song, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” to perform. This was the performance I was waiting to hear because his voice is the one that I thought would fit the Elvis songbook best. I was slightly disappointed as it wasn’t his best performance, but it was still pretty good. Jackson said he was missing something different from James, but he liked that it was another solid performance and DeGeneres agreed. DioGuardi said “That just really fell short for me. There’s so much more to you…” Cowell called his performance “a wasted opportunity,” which is exactly what it was. Apparently the judges were also expecting him to have the best performance of the night but he didn’t deliver that.
Wednesday night’s results show opened up with the Idol contestants performing a medley of Elvis classics.Show host Ryan Seacrest announced that, due to the judges using the save the previous week, they would have to eliminate two contestants in one show. Seacrest reviewed the comments that the judges had made the previous night regarding James, Kelly, and Garcia. He asked Andrew Garcia some questions before telling him that he was the first contestant of the night to be eliminated.
Former American Idol season 7 contestant Brooke White and former Nashville Star contestant Justin Gaston performed “If I Can Dream.” Then, Seacrest reviewed the judges’ comments for each contestant from the previous night and stated that they were safe until he got to Katie Stevens and Michael Lynche. Adam Lambert came on the stage and performed his hit “What Do You Want from Me?” before Seacrest announced that Katie Stevens had been eliminated.
Next week, Idol gives back. Stay tuned America…
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