Inspiration?

Tonight’s mentor was Alicia Keys and the theme was inspirational songs, purportedly to get us in the right frame of mind for tomorrow’s Idol Gives Back. We get the sense from the first few moments that this evening will be harried as we try to cram the show into an hour, and Ryan wastes no time getting started. He does make mention that there are still tickets available for tomorrow night’s show, which is interesting. After a brief look at the good works and career of Alicia Keys we get right into the show. Instead of giving you Alicia’s advice for each of the contestants let me summarize. If they connect with the audience, they will be good if they don’t, well in this instance with each, she was non-committal. Here we go:

• Casey James Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop." This week, I am a little worried about Casey before he even begins. This song is more of a feel good song than an inspirational ballad. Casey does have some impressive moments on the guitar, and his vocal is really strong, but after seeing his performance of the John Lennon song, this is a bit of a letdown. Randy wanted to see more, and Ellen didn’t think it was a great performance. Kara was let down after the moment he had with “Jealous Guy” too, and Simon went so far as to say it was a lazy song choice. I don’t know if it was lazy, but I am starting to expect more than a good time in a bar from you Casey. Step it up! I still love the guy, but I hope he gets the message from the judges. He needs to worry more about the vocal-he can play the guitar on tour.
• Lee Dewyze Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer". This is a great song choice, and like the talented singer that he is, Lee manages to infuse his own style. The vocal is inspirational, tender and he manages to make the song sound current without a lot of background vocals or harmonies. Randy comments on his artistry and Ellen was amazed at how he keeps growing. Kara said he had a moment tonight and Simon agreed that it was brilliant and thought he made the song sound like it was written recently. It is really hard for me to picture a finale that doesn’t include Lee at this point. I love this guy and I am sure we are going to hear him on the radio as early as this coming fall.
• Tim Urban Goo Goo Dolls’ "Better Days" Maybe it is because Tim is from such a big family and has to work hard for everything, but he always approaches his performances as an honor that deserve his consideration and hard work. He selected a song that really worked with his voice. He had a couple of moments in it that were nice, but some that were equally awkward. Tim’s hard work and good voice don’t necessarily equal true artistry and originality, and at this point in the competition the gap between the contestants who have that quality and those who don’t is getting wider. This was an inspirational song by a less than inspirational singer so it only half worked. Randy thought it was karaoke. Ellen compared it to soup of the day, and today wasn’t her favorite. Kara thought he picked right, but that it wasn’t without problems. Simon thought the song was a bit bigger than he was.
• Aaron Kelly R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," Oh Aaron. Really? I am picturing Bugs Bunny playing basketball right now. I am impressed with this kid’s drive and his great personality. He is talented and very likable. I just don’t think he is ready for all of this yet. It was like in preschool when your kids wore mom or dad’s clothes for a “when I grow up” picture. It just doesn’t feel like the real thing yet. Randy gave him props for picking such a big song. Ellen liked it. Kara thought he did a respectable job. Simon was gracious to a point, but then said in the real world “if that song came on the radio I would turn it off in 10 seconds.” I am imagining his goodbye film, and I am not even that conflicted about it. Does that make me a bad person?
• Siobhan Magnus Whitney & Mariah’s "When You Believe" We need an Idol intervention here and we need it fast. The day these judges raked Siobhan over the coals they managed to suck all of the confidence and direction right out of her. For a contender who showed so much promise and vocal ability in the first two weeks, she is beyond baffling now. The vocal was pretty, but the song came over so corny. I flipped the original off when it came on the radio, and this certainly didn't improve it. Randy didn’t get it, but Ellen disagreed and thought she proved why she was in the competition. Kara said she would rather hang out with Siobhan than buy her records. Simon was distracted by the leaves on her outfit. (They were butterflies by the way). Siobhan launched into a diatribe about the opportunity to sing a song like that that lost me somewhere after the word “opportunity” and I am pretty sure the producers were shouting in Ryan’s earpiece to get the hook. Now she is cutting into Glee and I am starting to lose patience.
• Michael Lynche Chad Kroeger's "Hero" Big Mike has a ton of personality and a great voice, but I didn’t think this song choice showcased it. I like the song and think it has lyrics that are inspirational but the melody doesn’t have enough dynamics to match it. Plus all those other musician’s with him onstage are starting to get really distracting. Randy was worried about him doing a band song and while he liked it, didn’t think it was his best performance. Ellen loved it. Kara did not. Simon thought he would survive the cut.Poor Big Mike always suffers when they are running out of time, doesn't he?
• Crystal Bowersox, Curtis Mayfield’s "People Get Ready" Crystal had her big idol moment tonight, without a doubt this performance was in an entirely different class than anyone elses. She had a perfect balance of drama, connection to the lyrics, and delivered a brilliant vocal. Even the awkward moment with the tears at the end only worked in her favor as the emotion made her a little more accessible to her fans. Randy gave her a standing O. Ellen couldn’t find enough words to tell her how great it was. Kara thanked her for taking a risk and Simon acknowledged that it was in a league of its own. Crystal even had a really sweet moment with Ryan’s pocket square afterwards. This is Crystal’s contest to lose.
Anne's ranking:

Best of the Night: Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze
Not Bad: Casey James
Mediocre: Michael Lynche and Siobhan Magnus
Bottom 3: Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly and Siobhan Magnus-Goodbye Aaron
Tune in tonight…