American Idol 9: Top 12 Studio Versions

.. and so it begins!! Here are the studio versions of this year's Top 12 singing The Rolling Stones classics. Of course, this one sounds better than their live performances but I have to admit that I was floored with it. They are all fantastic. Really. Even Tim Urban.

This is how I rank their studio versions for this week:

01. Lee Dewyze
02. Didi Benami
03. Michael Lynche
04. Siobhan Magnus
05. Paige Miles
06. Lacey Brown
07. Katie Stevens
08. Crystal Bowersox
09. Tim Urban
10. Andrew Garcia
11. Aaron Kelly
12. Casey James

Random Thoughts: Lee's recording is impressive. I never liked the fact that he can't really stay on pitch live but he sounds amazing in this studio version. I suspect he'll be this year's Jason Castro - somewhat shaky live performances, but a wonderful recording artist with a truly lovely tone. Didi, on the other hand, loses some of the live version’s slinkyness but still very good. As for Lacey Brown, with the pitch problems cleaned up, the recorded version is a big improvement.

STUDIO VERSION
Michael Lynche: Miss You
Didi Benami: Play With Fire
Casey James: It's All Over
Lacey Brown: Ruby Tuesday
Andrew Garcia: Gimme Shelter
Katie Stevens: Wild Horses
Tim Urban: Under My Thumb
Siobhan Magnus: Paint It Black
Lee Dewyze: Beast Of Burden
Paige Miles: Honky Tonk Women
Aaron Kelly: Angie
Crystal Bowersox: You Can't Always Get What You Want

LIVE VERSION
Michael Lynche: Miss You
Didi Benami: Play With Fire
Casey James: It's All Over
Lacey Brown: Ruby Tuesday
Andrew Garcia: Gimme Shelter
Katie Stevens: Wild Horses
Tim Urban: Under My Thumb
Siobhan Magnus: Paint It Black
Lee Dewyze: Beast Of Burden
Paige Miles: Honky Tonk Women
Aaron Kelly: Angie
Crystal Bowersox: You Can't Always Get What You Want