Idol Chatter & Voice Views

This week’s mentor on American Idol is about twice as old as last week’s.

Usher, 31, with six CDs, five Grammys and a host of other honors to his credit, picks up where Miley Cyrus left off.

Now I doubt last week was the worst Idol performance show ever — as some dubbed it — but it certainly wasn’t a step in the right direction.

And it’s not as though the finalists were handed a daunting theme week. Billboard No. 1 hits? Everyone should have been able to pick a song that would fit.

This week’s theme — R&B and soul — might be a little more problematic for some of the contestants, Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban in particular.

We get another two-hour episode of Idol Tuesday night starting at 8 p.m., followed by the one-hour results show at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

1. Crystal Bowersox (1): Idol’s season nine star says she has something big planned for this week. Will she lose the guitar? Will she dance like Tim Urban? Whatever she does, Crystal told Ryan Seacrest she plans to follow her artistic vision, not the judges’ prodding. To which I say, go Crystal!

2. Siohban Magnus (3): The magnificent screamer is ranked here less because of her vocal ability than her growing reputation as a front-runner in season nine. Has the scream been overused? Even Siohban knows it has. But if it took a scream or two to nail down a spot on Idols summer tour, she was going to scream. Well, Siobhan, mission accomplished. Now stop screaming.

3. Michael Lynche (4): Last week’s performance of “When a Man Loves a Woman” gave me a Ruben Studdard flashback. Except Big Mike has an even bigger personality than the season two winner. Now Idol serves up R&B/soul week. Big Mike could be the star of the show.

4. Lee DeWyze (2): It’s time for DeWyze to dazzle us in the finals. So far, what he’s delivered are two so-so performances. And we don’t need a Billy Joel clone in season nine (see last week’s look). Scott MacIntyre tried that in season eight and look where it got him (eighth place).

5. Didi Benami (6): Hey, I like this California girl more now that she’s stopped crying so much. And she suddenly looks more self-assured on stage. Her rendition of “You’re No Good” was one of the most underappreciated performances last week. That’s two solid performances in two weeks of finals for Verid (Her real name, “Rose” in Hebrew).

6. Casey James (4): I’ve never seen a guy smile so much when he sings. Of course, if I looked like Casey, I’d probably smile a lot too. But, somehow, it makes his performances seem less genuine. Unless the person watching is Kara DioGuardi, who thinks Casey is “in a zone,” “ready to make a record” and “on another level.” Must be the smile.

7. Aaron Kelly (7): Idol is obviously grooming the lad from Sonestown, Pa., to fit the Clay Aiken/David Archuleta mold. The good looking, unimposing sweetheart with the great voice who can attract the tween vote. Now it’s up to Aaron to prove he has the great voice. So far? The mission has not been accomplished.

8. Katie Stevens (8): Kara wants her to sing pop. Simon wants her to go country. Katie sides with Kara, and wants to throw in a touch of R&B. Like Rhianna? Like Beyonce? Wow, you’ve got a long way to go, Katie. Still, for a 17-year-old, you’re handling the pressure of these Idol finals very well.

9. Andrew Garcia (10): Here’s a guy who seriously needs to pick his guitar back up after looking lost without it a week ago. Of course, lost would be a good description of Andrew’s performances since the live shows began. Idol has lost the performer who looked to be the cream of the crop among the guys. Now I’m with Simon, meaning among those who think he might have been overrated to begin with.

10. Tim Urban (11): Two weeks, two of the show’s worst performances. And now the guy who classifies his music as acoustic / Christian / alternative has to perform an R&B number. But he made the summer tour. I’d love to know what Chris Golightly is thinking right about now.