Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Did anyone else think Jacob Lusk seemed to get special treatment from American Idol last week?

There was Steven Tyler’s dash onstage to hug Jacob after his performance. Followed by a round of hugs from audience members. Followed by Randy’s proclamation that he’d just turned in one of the best performances ever on Idol.

Which only shows that Randy must have slept through nearly every Adam Lambert performance in season eight and lots of performances in the seasons before that.

Then there’s this. Had Idol followed form, Jacob would have performed first Wednesday night.

That was the Idol routine for season nine. He or she who closed the show one week usually opened the show the next. Or at least had to take a turn opening the show.

Jacob was the show-closer in week two. He performed third, not first, last week.

Casey Abrams opened the show. And we all saw what happened to Casey.

Jacob also received well-deserved praise for easing into his performance.  That performance checked in at 1 minute, 55 seconds, a length matched only by Naima “Dancing in the Streets” Adedapo.  Most of the Idol performances checked in around 1 minute, 45 seconds.

Just saying …

This week, the Idols tackle the songs of Elton John.

I liked it much better when the theme was Songs of the 1980s. Then the contestants could have stuck to the genres they sing best, just as Nigel Lythgoe promised over the summer they’d be able to do. Besides, with Elton John as a theme, we’re going to get a heavy dose of ballads. And we’ve seen way too many ballads on Idol already this season.

Anyway, on with this week’s rankings …

And if you want to read how I’d ranked Idol judges at this point, head here.

1. Casey Abrams (1): How dare I continue to rank Casey number one after he needed a save to survive week three? Because he’s still among the very few finalists who has proven he can sing and entertain. And because I think votes for Casey will surge now that his supporters realize the importance of backing their guy every single week. Casey’s comment, via Twitter: “I’m so happy I’m still here. I’ll make this save worth it.”

2. Scotty McCreery (2): He was forced out of his comfort zone on Motown Week. He’ll be nudged out again on Elton John Week. And hearing his deep voice on an Elton John song should be interesting. He remains one of the most consistent finalists, but could use the reminder Pia Toscano got last week: Idol contestants should not live by ballads alone. There are plenty of up-tempo country songs out there, after all.

3. Pia Toscano (3): Counting the semifinals, it’s four straight ballads from Pia, each performed standing behind the mike, each beautifully sung. In fact, if these ratings were based on singing alone, Pia would be in the number one slot. But successful singers need to be entertainers, too. Last week, I suggested Pia hang out with Casey. This week, I insist she watch the Adam Lambert “Glam Nation Live” DVD. Please, someone bar Pia from singing another ballad for at least a couple of weeks. For her own good.

4.  James Durbin (6): Based on what we’ve seen the last two weeks, he might be the best entertainer on the show. He certainly seems fearless on the Idol stage — and off it when he ventures out into the crowd. I just wish his vocals had matched his shrieks the last two weeks. My favorite vocal from James is still the more subdued “Maybe I’m Amazed” from week one of the finals.

5. Lauren Alaina (5): She ripped a new beauty spot on “You Keep Me Hanging On,” according to Steven Tyler. I think that means she did well. I was less thrilled. But perhaps that’s because Lauren Alaina entered the finals with such high expectations after having Steven proclaim her “the one” and having Randy compare her to Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. She’s still solidly entrenched as the second-best lady and could still make a surge with a series of Carrie-like vocal performances.

6. Jacob Lusk (8): The judges have made it pretty clear that Jacob is one of their favorites. But he deserves to move up on this list after last week’s more controlled vocal on “You’re All I Need to Get By,” which also seemed a far more fitting song for him than Heart’s “Alone.” Personally, I’m not as thrilled with Jacob as the judges. If I were ranking my favorites, he’d be down at number nine.

7. Paul McDonald (7): Personally, I like Paul McDonald’s voice and his music, though the downloadable tracks have sounded better than the on-stage performances to date. I’m just not sure he’s got the charisma or the appeal with young voters to take him very deep in this competition. And while he looked much more comfortable with a guitar last week, Idol producers have made it clear: They do not want contestants “hiding” behind an instrument week after week. I guess they think it’s better to strip a contestant of a key part of their repertoire.

8. Stefano Langone (4): Whoa, a big tumble for Stefano, whose “Hello” sure didn’t match his “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” but certainly wasn’t so bad he deserved to be on the verge of getting the Idol boot. I’m not bothered by Stefano’s tendency to close his eyes on the big notes. I would prefer he stick to what he does best, singing mid- or up-tempo pop songs. Oh, and for the record, Stefano says that food being sampled on last week’s show was not his mom’s. That was staged.

9. Haley Reinhart (9): She said her goal last week was to avoid the bottom three, and she succeeded, though I’m still not sure how. I find myself rooting for Haley, but thought her rendition of  “You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me” struck me as the night’s weakest. Or maybe I was too focused on Haley’s precarious descent down the Idol stairway in those high heels. Anyway, I think she can find an Elton song to fit the soul in her voice, though perhaps not the growl. And she’ll still be forced to sweat it out because this is a double elimination night … and there’s not a save to be hand.

10. Naima Adedapo (11): “Dancing in the Streets” was her strongest performance in the finals.  She finally combined her Naima flair with a solid vocal.  Now, can she combine African dance and Elton John? Here’s hoping she tries. Because I think unique is her ticket to Idol success … or at least to hanging around another week.

11. Thia Megia (10): This teen was in such a hurry to audition to Idol that she drove to Milwaukee rather than waiting for Idol to audition contestants in California, her home state. She should have been more patient. By a couple of years.  I didn’t think Thia could get more boring. Until I watched “Heat Wave” again. The song peaked in the first 45 seconds … then dragged on for what seemed like more than 1 minutes and 45 seconds.