Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gotta say I’m looking forward to this week’s episode of American Idol.

I mean it isn’t every week that the Idols are under orders to sing current music.

In fact, the opposite typically happens. What was it Paul McDonald said last week? That he didn’t start performing music to make old songs sound new. Yet that’s regularly what contestants on Idol find themselves trying to do.

This week offers one of those broad themes producer Nigel Lythgoe promised back at the start of season 10.

I’m assuming anything from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber to Eminem would be fair game.

Of course, sometimes making current music seem fresh is even more of a challenge than freshening up classics.

On to this week’s rankings:

1. Scotty McCreery (1): Why is Scotty a lock to finish in at least the top three. Here’s what Paul McDonald had to say last week during his exit interview, when asked if guys have an advantage over girls on Idol: “I remember walking out on stage and looking around. People out in the audience have their posters and signs. I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s one poster over there that says Paul.’ And then there are a thousand screaming 14-year-old girls that have Scotty McCreery posters.” And, besides that, he turns in a solid performance, week after week after week.

2. James Durbin (2): Thanks to James Durbin, Idol viewers had no option but to “give metal a chance.” And then James made it work with a fun rendition of “Heavy Metal.” I’m not sure about the vocals yet. But, as I’ve said before, as one of the Idols with the best stage presence, a great background story and a winning personality, it’s very hard to root against this guy.

3. Lauren Alaina (5): She moves up this week because … well, take a glance below. She’s one of only three remaining contestants who have never landed in the bottom three. Yep, she sings better than Miley Cyrus. We knew that a long time ago. And she might have sounded as good as she ever has on the American stage during that “American Honey” duet with Scotty McCreery. Time to make your surge, Lauren, and spoil this all-boys’ party.

4. Haley Reinhart (3): She has the Idol look and the Idol knack for showmanship on stage. Not to mention a fashion style unparalleled by any of the Idol girls this season. I just wish Haley could bottle the magic of her “Moaning” duet with Casey Abrams, unleash it every week for the next six and somehow wind up in the Idol finals. Now that would give Idol a story-line to brag about, considering how much of an underdog Haley was when the competition began.

5. Casey Abrams (5): The best thing Casey has done in the last three weeks is stand alongside Haley during their “Moaning” duet and come relatively close to matching her brilliant vocal. He got props from the judges for his “Nature Boy” performance last week. He should have gotten props for being brave. But the compliments should have ended there because the vocal was not impressive. Come on, Casey, unleash the growl again.

6. Stefano Langone (8): He’s the cute boy on Cute Boy Idol, but he’s displayed enough vocal prowess and generally avoided “yikes” moments to the point where I’ll no longer compare his success to that of … well, say Tim Urban from season nine. But in a year of pretty unique Idol contestants, I’m not sure he’s unique enough vocally to go much deeper in the competition. Last week’s dodge marked his third visit to the bottom three.

7. Jacob Lusk (7): I had to laugh last week when Randy Jackson complimented Jacob for letting “Bridge over Troubled Water” “marinate.” There was nothing subdued about that performance. Like every Jacob performance, it was filled with vocal and facial histrionics. And, seriously, haven’t we all heard best better renditions of that song, including at least one by Clay Aiken on this very show?

Check back Wednesday. I’ll be blogging live during the show, as always, handing out song-by-song grades after each performance.

A recap will follow later that evening with my picks on who should go home and who should advance to the final six.