Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hey, that was a pretty good performance show on American Idol tonight, right?

I mean, after those sometimes torturous semifinals, and after watching Idol voters foolishly jettison Katelyn Epperly and Lilly Scott last week, my expectations were pretty low.

But some singers who hadn’t shown us much lately came through in a big way. And the singers we expected a good bit from going in certainly didn’t disappoint.

On with the recap.

Best of the Night: Simon Cowell said Crystal Bowersox was outdone Tuesday night by Siobhan Magnus. Outperformed? Perhaps. Outscreamed? Oh, definitely. Outsung? No way. That was an effortless, virtually flawless vocal by someone who made it look easy. As I’ve said before, the thought of Crystal tackling some of Idol’s past theme weeks worries me. Rolling Stones? No problem.

The second best vocal of the night was served up by Pennsylvania’s own Aaron Kelly. I haven’t been a big fan of Aaron’s because it’s pretty clear Idol is casting him in the David Archuleta role. And I hadn’t heard a David Archuleta-like vocal from Aaron. That changed Tuesday night when he put his country vibe into “Angie.” Very well done.

Runners-up: On a night when 12 people performed, I’d be remiss to miss others, like: Michael Lynche, who started the show off in fine fashion; Didi Benami, who showed “Terrified” wasn’t a fluke; Casey James, who continues to prove Mr. Eye Candy has a voice; and, yes, Siobhan, who scores points for the best performance and best scream of the night. Hey, Siobhan, that scream is going to get old very quickly.

Deserves to go home: Tim Urban must have been listening to a lot of UB40 lately. That could be the only good explanation for why he decided to turn the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” into a reggae number. Vote for the Worst selected him as its poster child. Nice choice, guys, after that cringe-worthy performance.

Please keep him: Not that I think he’s in danger, but Lee DeWyze didn’t get brilliant reviews from the judges after his “Beast of Burden.” Simon’s critique was right on the mark. The guitar guy from Illinois picked a safe song. I still think he can sing with anyone in this competition, Crystal Bowersox included.

Surprise of the night: Paige Miles. Hey, look, her last two performances were really bad. No way she belonged in the finals. But she lost her voice this week, then came out and hit all those big notes on “Honky Tonk Woman,” which isn’t exactly a song anyone would choose to sing when they’re losing their voice. She pulled it off in what was her best vocal of the competition to date. Well done, Paige.

Baffled by the judges: Somehow, Andrew Garcia got mixed reviews from the judges. Next to Tim Urban, his version of “Gimme Shelter” provided the night’s most excruciating moments. How he was sheltered from an old-fashioned skewering by Simon Cowell … well, he deserved far harsher.

Best line of the night from the judges: Ellen to Lacey Brown: “I thought it was weird because at the slowest part of the song, you were standing and moving. And then when it starting building, you sat down. You did that before. You like sitting on the edge of things. Don’t go to the Grand Canyon.” Lacey, by the way, was just OK.

Prediction for Wednesday: Chris Golightly’s hair might have curled over the fact that Tim Urban made the finals. He won’t have to endure the dual torture of watching him go on the Idol tour. Tim’s time on Idol should be up.

Coming up Wednesday: Hey, Idol has a big night in store for us. Performances by David Cook, Oranthi and Ke$ha — three in one night, that might be an Idol first — and an elimination. I’ll be blogging live throughout, so check back then.

If you missed it, here’s the link to tonight’s song-by-song blog.