Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The plot line for tonight’s top three performance episode of American Idol is remarkably simple.

Can Casey James break up the Lee DeWyze–Crystal Bowersox showdown everyone has been expecting since … oh, about week five of this year’s finals.

Based on the resumes of the remaining contestants, it shouldn’t happen.

Lee might have been working at a paint store part time prior to Idol, but he also has two albums of original music under his belt. Heard “Slumberland” yet? It’s pretty impressive.

Crystal has her own long list of ready-for-prime-time original songs she’s written. And she arrived on the Idol stage as a polished performer.

Casey?

He has the backing of Vote for the Worst, the stigma of stripping off his shirt to earn a golden ticket to Hollywood in the Idol auditions and is
coming off two shaky weeks on the show.

So tonight should be a cakewalk for Lee and Crystal, right?

Yeah, well, this is American Idol, where anything can happen and nothing is guaranteed, especially if you’re a female contestant.

Tonight, we get a glimpse of those hometown visits, and two songs from each finalists, one chosen by the judges, one by the contestants.

Now, Idol is getting right down to the performances. Here are the song-by-song grades:

Casey James: The underdog starts things off with “OK, It’s Alright With Me.” OK, we’re halfway through this song, and I can already predict what the judges are going to say. What in the heck is Casey thinking about with this song choice? It does nothing to wow us on a night he needs badly to wow someone. It comes across as a pretty easy to sing, pretty lazy effort. He performed it well enough, but no one’s going to say,
“Gee, wasn’t that Casey James something last night.” In fact, I doubt they’ll remember that past when Crystal finishes singing. And, yep, for the record,
the judges said exactly what I predicted. Ellen nailed it: Casey needed “something much, much bigger than that.” Grade: C-

Crystal Bowersox: She’ll be singing the Melissa Etheridge tune, “Come To My Window,.” Hey, here’s a gal who knows how to pick a song. She selected one people are familiar with, one that’s right in her wheelhouse, one that can show off her vocal range. And compared to what came across as a lazy performance by Casey, she threw in a harmonica opening and closing. Gotta agree with the judges, though. This is a time when you’re looking for contestants to create a moment. And while that was a perfectly solid performance and vocal, it wasn’t the best we’ve heard from Crystal this season. Still, if you had to chose between Casey and Crystal for the finals … well, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Grade: B+

Lee DeWyze: He’ll sing “Simple Man,” a Lynyrd Skynyrd tune. Another guy who knows his wheelhouse and picked a song that fit it beautifully. Hey, I have newfound respect for the guy after hearing “Slumberland.” Not doubt, he has a great, radio-friendly voice. And tonight’s vocal is right on the mark, unlike some of Lee’s, where his pitch has been all over the place. He’s getting great feedback from the judges, who are hailing the song selection as the sheer genius. Don’t know about that. I’m not sure any of the first three performances are going to create much water cooler buzz come tomorrow. But I’d agree that Lee’s performance was the best so far. Grade: A-

Casey James: Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson picked John Mayer’s “Daughters” for Casey James. My reaction: Wake me up when this is over. The most shocking thing about that performance was the generally good feedback he received from the judges. First, Simon is absolutely right. Earlier, the judges told Casey he needed a moment. Then the judges picked a song for him that didn’t offer that moment. And if there was a moment to be had in the song, Casey sure didn’t deliver it. It came across as another laid-back “Mrs. Robinson” style performance. Another incredibly forgettable performance. And no where near as good as the “Jealous Guy” performance from earlier this season. Grade: C-

Crystal Bowersox: Ellen DeGeneres selected Paul McCartney’s “Maybe, I’m Amazed” for Crystal. Hey, look at this. Crystal is
going without the harmonica and without the guitar. And she’s making the song her own, hitting tons of big notes. Nothing subdued about this performance. And it’s earning Crystal high marks. I agree with Simon. I sort of shook my head when I heard this was the song Ellen had chosen for her. Not exactly the type of song you’d think of picking for a blues-folksy acoustic singer. But Crystal pulled it off, showing her versatility in the process. Grade: A-.

Lee DeWyze: Simon Cowell picked Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” for Lee. Now that, folks, was a moment. Brilliant vocal from Lee. One of the highlights of season nine. I wasn’t thrilled with the song selection when I first heard it because it’d been done before on the show, most notably by Jason Castro. That was every bit as good as Jason’s version. Maybe better. Lee DeWyze, you owe a huge thank you to Simon. The other two song choices by the judges were OK. Simon’s was brilliant. Grade: A.