Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We’re in for fun tonight.

Oh, how I hope so.

For starters, we have Usher, his six albums and his five Grammys for a mentor.

Whatever Miley Cyrus did or didn’t do last week, that qualifies as a major upgrade.

And Crystal Bowersox promised us “something big.” Could it involve big heels?

I just ask because the Idol front-runner sent out this tweet earlier this week: “I just bought a pair of heels. And loved it. Now, if I don’t have to move and can just stand stationary somewhere, I’ll be alright.”

That’s about as exciting as the twitter statements from the American Idol contestants get. Heaven forbid they reveal what songs they’ll be singing tonight.

On the down side, there’s Didi Benami, who’s turned up the vamp meter and done very well recently. She’s apparently the latest victim of whatever bug has been afflicting Idol finalists.

But she’s upbeat about it. “Coughing or not, the show must go on,” she says, adding “coughing adds character.”

Well, she could have coughed “You’re No Good” last week and still hit more notes than a couple of contestants.

So, soul and R&B is the theme, and I figure that fits some of these contestants better than others.

Michael Lynche, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze — I figure they should be just fine.

Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly — can’t imagine soul would be their music of choice.

Siobhan Magnus and Didi Benami — should be interesting. We’ll find out quickly. If the spoiler song list I saw earlier is correct, they’ll be two of the first four performers.

And here we go, with song-by-song grades for week three.

Siobhan Magnus: The magnificent screamer says she was “wicked nervous” to sing for Usher. She’s gone from pretty to punk in look so far in the finals. Tonight, punk is gone, pretty is gone as she tackles “Through the Fire.” Lots and lots of pitch problems leading to … there it is … that scream again … then more pitch problems … then another prolonged scream to end the song. Take away the scream and you have a very mediocre vocal, her worst of the finals so far. And, wow, look at that, the judges are being honest. And thank you Simon, who says, “I’m getting bored by the screaming at the end.” Grade: C.

Casey James: The season nine rocker figures he’s in his zone, since he prefers playing the blues. He’ll be performing “Hold On I’m Coming,” a song on which he should be able to rock out. Hey, check out the stylish red guitar. A big improvement over baby blue. Hey, now here’s a guy who knows how to pick a song that fits his skills. I’d still like to see more intensity, less smiling. But, you know what, vocals like that have been few and far between this season. And a neat little guitar solo thrown in for good measure. That’s the best non-Crystal performance we’ve seen this season. Grade: A.

Michael Lynche: Big Mike is following that up with a performance of India Arie’s “Ready For Love,” and he’ll bring out the guitar for the first time since week one of the semifinals. Another solid vocal from Michael, who’s putting together quite a string of them. And he gets well-deserved praise from the judges. Hey, has a guitar ever looked smaller in a guy’s arms. Grade: B+.

Didi Benami: OK, just when I’m warming up to Didi because she’s been crying less lately, she breaks down during her rehearsal with Usher? She’ll be singing “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.” Looking classically lovely. Wish I could say the same about her vocal. She might be crying again when she hears the judges critique this. And, sorry, but that little flair at the end just didn’t work. Grade: C-.

Tim Urban: Mr. Goofy takes on R&B. He did reggae on Rolling Stones Week. He did the silly slide on #1 Billboard Hits Week. Tonight, he’ll sing Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love.” Oh, my, he’s going to play it straight. By the end of this, I think I’m going to wish Tim did something silly to distract me from the singing. Now, seriously, compare that song to the ballad Big Mike sang a couple of songs ago. They don’t even belong on the same stage. Hey, maybe after this week, they won’t be. Grade: D.

Andrew Garcia: The guy who has lost his way on Idol will sing Chris Brown’s “Forever.” He’s got the guitar again. Good move. This is turning into Andrew’s best performance of the finals. That said, it’s merely mediocre. And, honestly, those two minutes seemed like forever. I was ready for that song to be over about one minute in. He’s getting rave reviews from the judges, partly because he had lowered the bar so low in recent weeks. Grade: C+.

Katie Stevens: The teen queen is going to tackle Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” Hey, finally, another up- tempo song. Remember, last week Katie said she wanted to sing pop with a touch of R&B, so this should be right up her alley. I continue to be impressed by Katie’s stage presence at such a young age. She just isn’t intimidated by the Idol stage. But I’m with Simon, it was just OK. No major problems with the vocal. But nothing special. Grade: C.

Lee DeWyze: His goal: Create a moment. He’s been so-so so far. He needs a moment to re-establish himself as a front-runner in this competition. He’ll be singing “Treat Her Like a Lady.” Another guy who wisely picks up his guitar again. And, hey, that’s the most comfortable Lee has looked on stage this season. And the most confident he’s sounded. Lee DeWyze, the best male vocalist among the finalists, just proved why he should be one of the last contestants standing this season. Grade: A-.

Crystal Bowersox: The front-runner heads to the piano, to sing “Midnight Train to Georgia.” OK, now the stillettos make sense. She wore them on a night when she’d spend most of the time sitting at the keyboards. Another fine performance from Ms. Bowersox. Not her best, though. And I agree with Simon. She’s not as comfortable on the piano, and the vocal seemed to get off to a slow start. Still, her weakest performance of the finals would mark the best for a lot of these contestants. Grade: B+.

Aaron Kelly: Interesting choice for a show closer. The guy with the country twang on R&B night? He’ll be singing “Ain’t No Sunshine.” After the advice from Usher, he didn’t do as much with the “I know, I know” line as I thought he would. Still, that was better than I expected on soul night from Aaron. Decent job. Certainly worthy of another week on the show. Grade: B-.

Check back in a few for the recap blog, summarizing the best and worst of week three of the American Idol finals.