Posts Tagged ‘American Idol Men’

Yesterday we gave “American Idol” producers props for reducing the show to one hour instead of two. Today we feel like tossing the judges in detention for their shenanigans this week, from Tuesday’s awkwardly forced lap-sitting incident between Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres to Wednesday’s infantile Simon/Kara DioGuardi flirtation.

But this is a singing competition, isn’t it? So on to the contestants. The evening took off with strong performances from Lee Dewyze and Alex Lambert and U-turned into Snoozeville at a certain point, before blissfully blasting away with an injection of Michael Lynche-provided power. Who surprised us, who disappointed us and who’s in danger of going home? Let’s take a look at the top eight men’s report card. (And don’t miss Jim Cantiello’s recap of their performances.)

Excellent
Michael Lynche: First things first. While Big Mike’s take on Maxwell’s version of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” was the highlight of the evening, it was nowhere near the waterworks-generating territory that Kara’s tears suggested. That being said, Lynche keeps surprising us. Last week he ditched the guitar and brought an ear-pleasing soul sound to the stage. This week he busted out a falsetto during a butter-smooth channeling of Maxwell that showed off an impressive vocal range and convinced us that Big Mike is in the upper tier of “Idol” contestants.

Good
Lee Dewyze: Owl City’s “Fireflies” was by far the smartest song choice Dewyze has made during these lives shows. The emo rock vibe seems to be a comfortable niche for him, and we were almost able to dismiss his rampant pitch problems. Almost. Dewyze is like a poor man’s David Cook. And when you consider that we’ve never had a very high opinion of the seventh-season “Idol” winner, you can imagine what we think of Dewyze’s long-term prospects. No matter, he did well for himself on Wednesday and is a lock to make the top 12.

Alex Lambert: The kid keeps impressing. The judges seemed to think he’d reverted back to a jelly-legged newbie. Not us. His tone on Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble” was compelling, his vocals generally soft yet powerful. We don’t buy for a second that the only thing standing in the way of his winning “Idol,” as Kara suggested, is his lack of confidence — ever heard of Crystal Bowersox? — but we’re digging Lambert’s growth from week to week. “Trouble been dogging my soul,” he sang, and ya know what? We believed him.

Casey James: Has any contestant this year been so lovingly framed and lit on the “Idol” stage? The crooning cowboy’s rendition of Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me” was a step up from last week’s sub-par Southern rock number and nowhere near as magical his take on Bryan Adams’ “Heaven.” James keeps delivering confident, calm, passionate performances and he’ll keep doing it for a long while.

Todrick Hall: Todrick narrowly nabs a Good grade because of his sheer enthusiasm. It’s the most clichéd “Idol” explanation ever, but he really was up there just having fun. His performance of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” might well belong on a Broadway show version of “Idol” rather than the actual competition, but that’s a show we wouldn’t mind taking in. Hall’s in big trouble this week, but what may have been his last performance was certainly his most enjoyable.

Satisfactory
Tim Urban: Has Urban’s God-fearing adorableness run its course? Will the judges start to honestly evaluate his singing talents rather than concentrating on his dimples? Those were the questions heading into Wednesday’s show, and the answers were made clear when Ellen jetted out of her seat to hug the kid. His version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was the essence of just-all-right-for-me-dog dullness. And yet Urban is not going anywhere this week. His Christian music vibe and his all-American niceness will win him a spot in the top 12.

Andrew Garcia: In choosing “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera, Garcia announced himself as a gimmick artist, a one-trick-pony novelty act. He takes pop tunes and reworks them with a mildly funked-up acoustic guitar arrangement. Anything else he tries doesn’t deliver. What we took for amazing artistry after his rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” was in actuality a sort of creative tunnel vision. Garcia has gone from front-runner to in-danger-of-going-home contestant. We don’t think it’s going to happen, mind you, but he’s not nearly the top-12 lock we once assumed he was.

Unsatisfactory
Aaron Kelly: Oh boy. We don’t like tearing apart the efforts of a 16-year-old. But what are we to do when voters keep sending him through week after week? His take on Lonestar’s “I’m Already There”? Pitchy beyond belief. It’s not just because he was the youngest kid onstage that we think he’s a boy amongst men. He just can’t belt with the front-runners. We’d keep asking how this kid is still here, but continually asking the same question and expecting a different answer is the definition of insanity, right? Right?!

Lilly Scott soared and Ashley Rodriguez bombed on Tuesday during the premiere performances of the top 12 female “American Idol” hopefuls. On Wednesday night (February 24), it’s time for the top 12 men to take their turns on the stage. Who’s sure to be voted through and who might be going home? Let’s take a look at how these 12 gentlemen stack up.

Andrew Garcia
How much does Twitter tell us? Garcia should hope it portends a lot, because the guitar-strumming daddy has 6,500 more followers than the next closest competitor, making him far and away the most popular “Idol” contestant on the social network. Garcia has brought a measure of funky creativity to the show — with his remixes of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” — and his sweetly blubbering reaction to making the top 24 only made him more likable.

Casey James
He seemed like a reality-show novelty act when he undressed at Kara DioGuardi’s behest during his Denver audition, but during Hollywood Week, the drowsy cowboy awakened to showcase a soulful voice and a smoldering stage presence. His ride on the “Idol” rodeo will continue for a long time.

John Park
When the 21-year-old opened his mouth at the Chicago auditions and unleashed a rich and expressive voice, we knew Park would be one to keep an eye on. His group bombed with Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” during Hollywood Week, but the judges saw enough in Park as a solo act to give him a pass to the semis. Voters are sure to keep voting him through for a while.

Michael Lynche
Thanks to the Hollywood Week birth of his son, Big Mike received oodles of camera time. That recognition — plus an admirable vocal dexterity — has made him a fan favorite. He busted out the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” during his audition, then donned a guitar in Hollywood for John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change.” It will be interesting to see which direction Lynche goes Wednesday, but we know this much: Big Mike ain’t going anywhere.

Tyler Grady
Now that we’ve come to see that the mop-topped rocker’s devotion to all things ’70s is genuine and not a gimmick (though certainly a bit clichéd), we’ve been able to embrace his inventive take on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and his competent rendition of Daughtry’s “Home.” While Grady should be safe for a while, we’d be very surprised if he does as well as Chris Daughtry did in season five.

Tim Urban
The Texas native is technically the 25th member of the semifinalists, as he was a last-minute replacement for booted crooner Chris Golightly. Still the shaggy-haired Urban, who has shown a propensity for folky rock songs from the likes of Matt Nathanson and David Cook, has the boyish good looks that might win him fans for weeks to come. Even more so than Grady with Daughtry, it would be a crazy shocker if Urban followed in Cook’s “Idol”-winning footsteps.

Todrick Hall
Fantasia has already given Hall her vote of confidence when she welcomed him into the production of “The Color Purple.” The humble 24-year-old made the risky decision to perform a jokey original tune during his Dallas audition, but he sang it with verve. His vocal-run-heavy rendition of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” was one of the most original tunes of Hollywood Week. Expect Hall to keep coming back week after week.

Alex Lambert
Lambert also delivered an original take on “I’m Yours,” strumming the ukulele as he sang. Surely it was that performance — and not a sizzle-less version of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” — that convinced the judges to send him to the top 24. Lambert had better search for some elusive stage presence if he expects voters to send him forward for more than a few weeks.

Lee Dewyze
Dewyze seems to be the consensus pick for the less well-known “Idol” hopeful who nonetheless will sneak his way through week after week. Why? It could be his equally authentic covers of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the Fray’s “You Found Me.” Is Dewyze the singer/songwriter type that will rise this season? We’ll wait to see if he indulges his old-school-soul-flecked side or his pop-radio-friendly potential.

Aaron Kelly
It seems like every year “Idol” selects a precocious 16-year-old. David Archuleta, this kid ain’t. He flubbed the start of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” during Hollywood Week, but recovered to show off an undeniable vocal talent. But somehow, that song just didn’t click coming from a young kid like Kelly. He’d be wise to skew his song choices to something written in the 21st century. That’s his best bet to stay in the competition.

Jermaine Sellers
The 27-year-old’s backstory — a church singer who cares for his disabled mother — made him an early breakout personality, as did his potent take on Joan Osborne’s “What If God Was One of Us.” Then he tanked during his group performance of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” and then called out the band’s mistake later in Hollywood Week. If Sellers returns to the promise of his audition, he might survive for a bit. If not, he’ll be headed back to church soon.

Joe Muñoz
Muñoz suffers from a case of “Who the heck is this guy?” That’s not his fault, and clearly he has talent — on display during a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” — but the 20-year-old needs to bust out a memorable performance on Wednesday night or it will be one and done for him.