American Idol 9: Top 4

A quick flashback: Exactly one year ago, we had the pleasure of hearing one of the most memorable performances on that American Idol stage.. Danny Gokey's Scream Dream On! Haha. Dang! I can't believe that was a year ago already. The sound of a dying cat crushed by garbage bags in a stinky dumpster. Ahhh. Music to my ears. Haha. Ok, enough.

Well, tonight's episode was ok. Yes, there were some good performances, but on a Top 4 week, these contestants should be taking their songs for all that its worth. To me, NO ONE tried to go above and beyond to make the Top 3. Sigh.

Oh, and I'm not really a huge fan of the duets as I personally think that it's just Fox's device to get around their time problem - a way to fit more songs into an hour long show - but, somehow, the duets were the saving grace of this week's episode. Yes, the duets were pretty awesome this year. Like, abnormally awesome. Better than the duets from last year! Haha.

Wait a minute! Maybe that’s the trick to this group of contestants! They aren’t the worst top 12 ever; they just needed to be paired up to make an incredibly awesome performer. It’s so simple! Haha. Geez.

So, just like my last year's review, here's how I rank their performances on both solo and duet:

04. Lee Dewyze
Kiss From A Rose
Lee's performance was decent though not quite as dynamic vocally as Seal's. That being said, I would NEVER have picked this song for him. It's extremely a tough song to sing! Sure, it started out pretty good, but he's not good enough of a vocalist to pull this off live without going hopelessly all over the place with his pitch problems. The falsetto was a train wreck and the verses were incredibly rough. The performance has no variation from the original and the band drowned him out. I don't know.

03. Michael Lynche
Will You Be There
So, Big Mike gets his own backup gospel choir? Is that fair? Haha. Tonight, for the first time, Michael's voice sounded a little shaky. He's been technically good since the show started so I don't know what happened - nerves maybe (?). Good thing, he was more than well suited to this kind of mid tempo gospel groove, so he actually hit it strong within just a few lines. However, I somehow felt that he wasn't singing the words but talking them out in a preachy way. To me, there was no melodic flow in his performance. Oh, and I should be bawling with the whole choir descending the stairs and whatnot, but for some reason I did not. Hm.

02. Casey James
Mrs. Robinson
Look! He's playing a ukulele! Oh, nevermind. It's a mandolin! How cute. Haha. And he's taking his case directly to Kara Dioguardi the cougars! Haha. Ok. Casey's performance, though a little tentative, was an improvement from last week. The vocal was honest and simple, but also one of the most mature and well-rounded solo performances of the evening. He controlled his vibrato well tonight and I really liked his arrangement of the song. He turned it into something super indie and cool, which I never would have thought from him. I thought he pulled this performance out when he needed it. Good job! And to you judges: NO MORE KARA JOKES PLEASE! CRITIQUE HIS VOCALS. Ugh!

01. Crystal Bowersox
I'm Alright
She did her thing - though not my thing - tonight! Personally, she had done better performances before but this was, arguably, the strongest solo performance this week. I mean, she picked an interesting song - it wasn't god awful boring like the rest - and  made a very interesting arrangement out of it. I liked that she started out with a more quiet, slinky blues vibe that kicked into gear when the percussionist joined in. Vocally, she was awesome with lots of bluesy wailing at the latter part of her performance. Good but not as amazing as her previous performances. I know she can do better.

02.Casey James and Michael Lynche
Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman
Look! It's the GOAT CHEESE! Haha. Casey started with some nice Spanish guitar licks and I was more than impressed. And who would've thought that Casey and Mike will sound good together? I thought they both delivered pristine vocals that were practically dripping with soul. Nice harmonies. And although the beginning of their performance was a bit rough, the rest was really good.

01. Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze
Falling Slowly
And yes, they went there!! Haha. Well, if I just try to not think of Kris Allen and his beautiful rendition last year, and just take this on it's own merits, it was quite lovely. I thought their voices fit the song surprisingly well, it blend together quite nicely and I actually liked their counterpointing. The harmonies were perfect and a few of them were unnecessarily difficult. There were one or two where a simpler harmony would have sufficed but they decided to go for the gold. The interaction was also good and the decision to face each other was refreshing. And while Crystal and Lee's version was more energized than Kris', I still give the slight edge to last year's winner. This was fantastic, last year was magical. Enough said.

1. Falling Slowly

Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze

2. Have You Ever Really Love A Woman

Casey James and Michael Lynche

3. I'm Alright
Crystal Bowersox

4. Mrs. Robinson
Casey James

5. Will You Be There
Michael Lynche

6. Kiss From A Rose

Lee Dewyze