Top 8 Guys - I'm Feeling Jaded Again

Eight guys remain, and they're ready to continue their journey as fodder for the girls! It's another quick and easy one-hour episode tonight!

Lee DeWyze leads us off with Owl City's "Fireflies." Good song, interesting choice for Lee. He does his rocky-voiced thing while playing the acoustic guitar with it. He still has the usual pitch problems early on, but it's not so bad once he finds the groove. Even my brother says it's OK. The judges are all positive, and some say it was better than the original. I disagree, though I guess I can see how it might seem that way to some people.

Next, Alex Lambert takes to the stage for Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble." I really never got what was so great about this song, though Taylor Hicks and Chris Sligh both got high marks when they sang it. Alex seems less nervous than what we're used to. I still like his tone, but he has a hard time sustaining notes, and his pitch could be better. Overall, it's kind of boring. The judges still like him, but they think his confidence still needs work. I think he's likable enough that he could make the Top 12 though.

Tim Urban is the third straight contestant to play the acoustic guitar tonight, and the second straight contestant to perform a song I find massively overrated, this time Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Surprisingly though, this is actually pretty good. There are no real pitch problems, you can tell he's feeling the song, and it all works. I gotta say, this is JPL Junior's best performance for sure. The judges are all positive, and Ellen even runs out to give Tim a hug. Hey. Good on ya, man.

Andrew Garcia has heard so much about how great his version of "Straight Up" in Hollywood was that he's decided to return to his female artist roots this week. He's doing an acoustic guitar version of Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle." Wow. This could either be an absolute trainwreck or an American Idol classic. So which is it? Well...it's...interesting. I can't say I'm a fan of Andrew's whispery vocals, since combining that with just an acoustic guitar makes the whole thing incredibly dull. I'll give him credit for trying, but it just didn't work for me. The judges, minus Ellen, aren't fans of it either. Simon and Kara both think it came off as a little desperate. Could we please put Ol' Necktat out of his (OK, our) misery this week, America?

Our resident bluesy bar guy, Casey James, chooses another slow acoustic song, Keith Urban's "You'll Think of Me." Wow. Five performances, five acoustic guitars. And hey, it's pretty good. A little marble-mouthed at times, but he delivers like a pro. The only problem is that there's no real wow factor. Still, I'll take a solid performance. The judges think it was good, but a little too safe. That's about all I can say for it too.

Aaron Kelly's going old school tonight with just a mic and no acoustic guitar. His song is Lonestar's "I'm Already There." Sorry, but Aaron's voice is too cracky for this to be great. It's good by typical non-stage-kid 16-year-old standards, but it's not an Idol-winning performance. You can tell he's really giving it his all, though. I'll throw some props his way for not coasting. The judges all point out his lacking vocals but still like him personally. Simon actually tells the rest of them to stop confusing him with their criticism. Wow, Simon's again admitting that the judges often give out confusing and contradictory advice! It only took you nine seasons!

Todrick Hall goes next-to-last (Yes! I got one of the two pimp spots right! Why didn't I stick with my original Lilly prediction?), and this week he's doing Queen's "Somebody to Love." He's embracing Queen's theatrical vibe with his outfit and it seems like he's mostly sticking to the original arrangement. He sounds great in the falsetto intro, but his middle register leaves something to be desired, which is where he stays for the rest of the song. It still feels a little disconnected to me. I have to say though, this guy might be the most creative mediocre singer in this show's history. Instead of agreeing with me, the judges love it, with only Simon showing a little skepticism. I guess Todrick's probably going to the Top 12 now. Amazing what one week can do.

Aaaaaaand...Michael Lynche closes us out with Maxwell's "This Woman's Work." He's going all-vocals tonight, just like the previous two contestants, and while he certainly brings the stage presence, he's got his moments of "pitchy." Oh, but wait! There's a big glory note in the middle! Well, that'll probably redeem him, just like it did for Siobhan last week. The judges shower him with adulation, and Kara even gets choked up, since the song relates to Michael's wife and new baby. Oh yeah. I didn't catch that. Well, I think it's safe to say Big Mike's in the Top 12. Simon even calls his performance the best of the Semifinals. High praise indeed. I'll stick with Crystal's performance from last night, thank you.

My performance ranking:

Tim (6.5/10)
Casey (6/10)
Michael (5.6/10)
Lee (5.5/10)
Alex (4.2/10)
Todrick (4.1/10)
Aaron (4/10)
Andrew (3/10)

Wow? Did I just call Tim Urban the best of the night? Looks like I did!

My picks to go home: Aaron and Andrew.

Tomorrow we find out our Top 12! Excitement is in the air!