American Idol 9 Top 12 Recap + Poll + Roundup
I loved tonight's show! I put my expectations very low because it was Rolling Stones night and was pleasantly surprised at the performances.
Siobhan Magnus was brilliant. Great song choice. Great interpretation. Just enough drama to get the audience excited. This is why you go on stage on American Idol -- to entertain, not just to sing. Siobhan delivered.
The biggest surprise of the night: Aaron Kelly. Omigosh. I'm so happy! He's young, he's country -- he gave a very tender rendition of Angie. Perfect.
Another surprise was Paige Miles. She survived her laryngitis and gave us some big notes in her song. BDND baby!
Didi Benami flubbed some lyrics but her commitment to the emotion of her performance kept her together. I loved it. (As usual).
Lee Dewyze sounded good, but the judges thought that he was playing safe again and his personality was just not showing. I agree, but still, he has a good sounding recording voice.
Casey James and Michael Lynche also gave safe performances in my opinion -- just enough to get them through the next round.
Crystal Bowersox closed the show, but really looked sullen in my opinion. She said she had a lot on her mind. Maybe everyone saying that she has the competition in the bag is getting to her? Looks like this will be the narrative moving forward. Sorry Crystal -- I admit I have already felt the front-runner backlash -- and I am looking at the underdogs to root for.
I think Katie Stevens is still in danger of going home even if the judges were very generous in their critique. Hopefully it was enough -- but she sang in the middle of the show which historically is the dead zone on Top 12 night.
Also in the middle dead zone - and getting harsh critique which increases their chance of going home tomorrow - were Andrew Garcia and Tim Urban. Andrew just really can't catch a break now. I don't think he has it in him to recover. His strength is acoustic songs and on the big stage, it's probably not going to work week after week. Tim meanwhile got hammered with his reggae interpretation of Under My Thumb. I must admit I liked it! But the judges were merciless. I think though that it was just enough bad critique to get his fans in a panic and vote like they were dying.
Finally, Lacey Brown. Again, I liked her singing, but the judges were so-so. This could be the end.
I'm choosing between Andrew and Lacey to go home Wednesday night. What did you guys think of tonight's show?
Here's the poll I've been running today (which can substitute for your favorite of the night): Who's going to win American Idol 9?
Poll
Roundup
AI9 Those In Glass Houses (Soundtrack To My Day) - Crusty points you that despite all the complaining and belly-aching, you, America, chose the top 12, and now we are going to hear them work it out.
American Idol top 12 recap, rankings: starting us up (Rodney Ho) - While this is hardly a rocker-heavy group, the top 12 managed to pull off Rolling Stones night with some level of satisfaction
Top 12 Recap- "I Always Thought My Son Would Be a Custodian" (Vote for the Worst) - Ryan Seacrest mentions that 450 screaming fans are in the live Idol audience tonight. What a coincidence. That’s the exact same number of albums the winner of this season will sell.
'American Idol' Top 12 Night: In A Stone Groove (Lyndsey Parker) - The top 12 got into a real Stone groove this week. I was pleasantly surprised. And it all came down to good song selection, song selection, song selection.
'American Idol' Top 12: Song List (AOL Television) - (I don't know why I'm linking to this, but this is all they have right now, and I love AOL TV)
‘American Idol’ Gets Its Ya-Ya’s Out On Rolling Stones Night (Maura Johnston) - Babyfaced Aaron Kelly sang the soul-plumbing “Angie”; churchgoing Paige Miles vamped through and gender-flipped “Honky Tonk Woman.”
Ann Powers: The Top 12 meet the Rolling Stones (Idol Tracker) - These songs, so monumental within rock history, would require thought and the most important kind of respect: the self-regard to approach one’s choice with both dignity and serious playfulness. A few succeeded.