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And some of them succeed.
Last week, the Top 24 had a rocky start. The boys were almost universally atrocious, and the girls rarely surpassed mediocre.
After dumping four singers, we're back with the Top 20, and the question on everybody's mind (well, OK, mostly on my mind, but I'm "everybody" on my blog, right?) is "Is this going to be the worst season ever, or are these contestants going to pull it out and prove they deserve to be on the #1 show in America?"
Todrick image courtesy American Idol
Honestly, even the redemption felt tepid this week, but before I get ahead of myself with sweeping pronouncements, let's recap what went down over the last two nights:
First, because of Crystal's mysterious, unexplained hospitalization, the guys graciously agreed to swap and go first on Tuesday night:
1. Michael sang This is a Man's World by James Brown
Although I think he went more for the Seal version. And we all know that I am *intimately* familiar with Seal. It goes something like this, "Mr. Lynche, I know Seal. I love Seal. Seal is my #1 boyfriend, and you, sir, are no Seal." So, once I got past Michael being no Seal, how did he do? He did pretty well ... I found it a little too smooth, a little too easy-listening. He had neither Brown's outsized personality nor Seal's sexy gravel in his voice. So, strong performance, but not particularly special.
Bottom line: No Seal, but no doubt safe.
2. John sang Gravity by John Mayer
Remember last week when John sang "God Bless the Child", and they told him to be more youthful? Yeah, I don't think "Gravity" is the answer. Now, that's not to say this wasn't a LOT better than last week; it was. But although John has a really, really nice voice, he is not an old soul. He doesn't bring (yet) any depth of feeling to what he sings. So maybe he should go for something upbeat, something not so low key. I'm a little uncertain he can pull off boy-band, but we know he can't pull off deep, right?
Bottom line: I would say John is at risk. Because he's among the nice-voice-no-stage-presence-getting-by-on-cute-factor crowd, and I'm not sure he's the cutest one of that crowd.
3. Casey sang I Don't Wanna Be by Gavin DeGraw
Note to American Idol contestants: No one needs to sing this song on the show ever again. M'kay? And srsly. That being said, Casey pulled off the electric guitar god act pretty damn well. He plays really well. Unfortunately he probably plays better than he sings. Casey doesn't seem to have a facile voice; he can't just sing whatever he feels like -- it's a bit tight, a bit stiff. Now, he uses that to his advantage. Not having the prettiest voice, and playing the electric guitar, he actually gave this song a harder edge, and he also enunciated the words really well. I heard lyrics I had never noticed before, which also made the song more interesting. [Still, don't forget, dear American Idol contestants: No one needs to sing this song on the show ever again.]
Bottom line: I think he's definitely safe.
4. Alex sang Everybody Knows by John Legend
I'll admit it. When I first heard this gawky, awkward kid was going to sing a song by King of Smooth John Legend, I was deeply skeptical. OK, actually, I was horrified. Alex is so very mullet-tastic, and John Legend ... is not. But let this kid hide behind his guitar, and at least he uses some of the most egregious awkwardness. The truth is he has a nice voice, a really really nice tone. This was a little imitative, but it wasn't horrible.
Bottom line: Hey, if he didn't go home last week when he was sucktastic in addition to mullet-tastic, it's hard for me to imagine he'd go this week.
5. Todrick sang What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner
I'm not sure why the judges dislike Todrick so much. He obviously has a really good voice, and he seems to be doing what they're telling everyone else to do: Make songs their own. I thought this was an interesting version, honestly. Was he still a little too superficial ... a little too perform-y .... a little too inauthentic? Sure, but at least he's bringing something to the table. A lot of these guys are
