Casey was the only one I actually enjoyed enough to want to hear it a second time so, from best to worst I would have to say:
Casey
Big Mike
Siobhan
Crystal
Katie
Tim (this is almost too painful to admit)
Lee
Andrew
Aaron
No idea who will go home. How early did the judges use the save lady year? IIRC it was fairly early wasn’t it?
To answer the above post, the judges’ save was used last season on Matt Giraud, on the top 7 show, when it was obvious (IMO) who the top 4 was going to be (except that the second top 7 show almost sent Allison home :mad:).
Maybe it’s just because the songs were inherently good, but I thought this was the strongest show this season. So, on a cumulative basis:
Save:
Crystal (Bonus for the Danny Gokey babies comment)
Casey (Maybe his “moment”?)
Siobhan (Nice recovery, with restraint on the screaming)
Lee (Given a choice, I prefer singing well over an expression of “confidence”, e.g. Alex Lambert. Why did he take the grit out of his voice?)
Big Mike (Cook’s version of Eleanor Rigby, for me, for you, overshadowed yours. A decent rendition nonetheless.)
Possibly save on sing-out:
No one
Don’t save:
Aaron
Andrew (my prediction to leave, despite being the most original of the “don’t save” crowd.)
Tim
Katie
My bold prediction: the judges’ save does not get used this season.
Let talk about the audience for a second. I just wish they would stop clapping along. Listen, if you can’t keep a beat, all you’re doing is throwing the artist off. A bunch of white people trying to clap along to Come Together is just embarrassing. And the slow arm waving? Just stop it. And, Simon, way to encourage jerky behavior by giving the loud mouthed idiot the spot light for a few seconds of fame.
I liked Big Mike a lot better than most people here–he was my favorite of the night. I didn’t compare it unfavorably to the David Cook version–I actually didn’t much like the Cook version compared to some of the other songs he did on the show, whereas I really thought Big Mike mixed it up a little bit, played with the rhythm and syncopation, and did a fabulous job. Dug it immensely, will probably buy it.
Crystal can do some fun things with her voice, and she, unlike Siobhan, understands that less is sometimes more. And her appreciation for the didgeridoo player was very cute and genuine.
Casey was solid. Not so sure about him liking that song for the lyrics (I’d never heard that song, but the lyrics were kinda insipid for a Lennon song), but he sounded nice in parts (a bit Daughtry-goaty in others) and his guitar playing is head and shoulders above anyone else who has ever played an instrument on this show.
Siobhan has a nice voice, but I was hoping to hear more of her lower register than I did–I loved her low notes on “Wicked Game” and “House of the Rising Sun” and expected her to be in a lower key for this one. Instead, the high parts sounded jarring and the low parts were too whispery because she was using all her air for the high notes. I think she might have done better singing it a bit lower. Her range can sustain it.
The rest of them can go home.
I have NO idea who will go home. I know who I think should go (Andrew, Tim, Katie and Aaron) but there’s just no second guessing the minds of the voters. My second place standing in my pool is in peril, methinks.
I’m pretty sure I’m just watching to have something that I can laugh about and feel part of. (Can’t you just feel the ennui wafting off me?)
Nah. It’s the Crystal Bowersox Memorial Save. They’re holding it for the week where the teenyboppers pick Tim over Crystal.
The presence of the digeridoo and the bagpipes means that the producers have thrown up their hands in desperation in making this lot interesting. Everybody (almost) went for easy listening ballads & pop? They even opened with back-to-back McCartney ballads from the same freakin’ album? The L/Mc songbook is a bit broader than that, guys.
Siobhan (aka the only reason I’m watching this season) was boring as hell last night, and I realized I was still totally enchanted. If I weren’t a straight woman who hates tattoos with the fire of a thousand suns, I’d think I was in love.
I thought Casey was the best really. He reminded me of Jon Bon Jovi. 
I missed the first hour but upon seeing the recaps, I have to say that Tim’s singing just doesn’t do it for me. He sounds…careless.
I liked all the ones I heard in the last hour, esp. Siobhan and her take on a great song.
My quick take:
Aaron Kelly - Boring…he sounded better when he country-fied it a little. Too bad he didn’t do the whole thing country with just an acoustic accompanying him. That kind of confidence and decision comes with experience though…
Katie Stevens - she sounded good…she’s just so lame and plastic. My husband and I decided she’s a tease to the boys at school, though I still get kind of a “secret slut” vibe.
Michael Lynche - Hated, hated, hated it. Again, I supposed he technically sang it well, but “all the lonely people” does not refer to some pretty girl home alone on a Friday night who need some good lovin’. He sucked the haunting beauty out of the song with his “Barry White” redition, and therefore the strings and melody sounded wrong.
Crystal Bowersox - This performance impressed me more than almost anything she’s done so far. I’m not a big fan of dirty girls, and I like that she’s managed to clean up without selling out. She’s growing on me, but very slowly. She’s a great talent, but there’s a sameness to her that makes me unimpressed.
Tim Urban - Jon Stevens - 'nuff said
Casey James - Here’s the other big talent this year, and it’s a huge talent. He’s totally battling against that sameness that Bowersox has, and in a big way. Very, very, very good - technically skilled, sounds great, a real musician…I hope he makes it to the top three. This was the best of all the Top 12 performances so far.
Slobodon - Ugg…I can’t stand aggressively quirky people. I don’t get why everyone thinks she’s so great. Her vocals are fine, but nothing really special. That screamy note of hers just sounds annoying to me, because she is missing the low tone that a real soul singer has, and it just sounds screechy. Plus, he personality is so bad, I would start punching her if she was my friend in real life. I have no patience for people like that. Her performance tonight was by far the most boring, and I’m getting sick of her “camera eyes” Blech…
Lee Dewyze - I like him. He’s clearly talented, he seems to be battling some past demons that effect his confidence, but he’s starting to loosen up. Last night was maybe a little off (mostly due to the shortened song length, I think), but to just go for it like that was great to see. And the “Why NOT!” to Ryan re: the bagpipes was just fantastic - that’s a real musician, hit or miss.
I’m so sick of the song Come Together with all of the unispiring covers on the radio and whatnot. Years ago we played this song in our band and I was sick of it then. I cringed when I heard Crystal was going to do this song… but, she pulled it off, and I wasn’t nearly as annoyed as I thought I would be and she actually added some freshness to it.
I just don’t get the praise for big Mike’s vocal ability. I just. don’t. get. it. Maybe I’m tone deaf or something, but 90% of the time it just sounds awful to me. It sounds… warbarly, maybe? I don’t know.
I played “Come Together” in my band too. I got sick of it as well. We also did a sort of power ballad version of “Let It Be,” so hearing other covers of those songs are very tiresome to me.
I think I liked this version of “Hey Jude” better… (Korean toddler, learned the song phonetically)
Opal, you meant to link to a different version but I think that is Lee.
Did anyone else catch Michael’s reference to his family as the “Lynche Mob”? :smack: :smack: :smack:
I’m still marveling that Mike’s African-American family performing group was called the Lynche Mob.
If you’d promoted your band half as heavily when you had one as you do in these AI threads, you’d have made it to Hollywood, dawg.
Not to be outdone by Big Mike, Adam Lambert will reveal next week that he was a member of a gay Jewish group called “Gestapo”.
Awesome!
Er… have I never paid attention before or have they always lip synced the group song? It seems blatantly obvious they aren’t singing live…
Maybe it’s just me?
Ack–you’re right!