American Idol Season 10 Top Nine Perform Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

I came into tonight with much trepidation, and I somehow suspected that the rock and roll music used to introduce the theme of the night (things like, go figure... Sweet Emotion) were, at best, misleading. This group, aside from James and *maybe* Casey are not rockers. Like we discussed on my wish list blog, there were hundreds of inductees and thousands of songs that could have been chosen to fit this particular theme. Since song choice remains a point of contention with me for our Season Ten finalists, I wasn't especially optimistic.

Overall it was a good show. These were solid performances that make it hard to pick which finalists will actually make the bottom three. The problem is I didn't *love* it. There's only one performance I was really excited about, but those I was looking forward to disappointed me and those who I didn't expect much from surprised me.

It was a weird night.

Jacob started out the night with a song change from the sexy Get Busy anthem "Let's Get it On" by Marvin Gaye to the more noble "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. Smart move - he ran the risk of being hokey and inauthentic with the Marvin Gaye classic. He did well because he generally always does well. But unlike Motown night he didn't blow me away. Being in the first position meant he had to and he just didn't make the impression I feel he needed to make. This could mean the first trip to the bottom three for our favorite male diva.

Haley actually picked one of the songs I wanted to see her sing with "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. For the most part she gave me chills with her more authentic performance that I felt was a definite window inside the artist she truly wants to be. It's a performance where she abandoned the sex kitteny stuff for legitimate emotion AND her growl added to rather than detracted from the vocal. It fit, it made sense... but she also fights the tide going early in this show where other girls (especially fan favorites) maybe made more of an impression. If she does end up in the bottom three, it won't be because her performance wasn't good enough to keep her out. If anything, it'd be bad timing.

Casey returned to his roots by bringing out his bassy to deliver a more mellow version of CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." The only thing this performance was missing was a set of steel drums, an ocean breeze and a nice margarita. I loved how it felt Casey-fied, and I hope that his fans didn't mistake the praise he got as a reason to get lazy with the voting push to keep him out of the bottom three. He's obviously got a legion of fans who forgave such missteps as "Smells Like Teen Spirit," so I think his placement in the bottom three and possible elimination had little to do with his not having support. Last week proved his fans weren't willing to let him go. But they have to keep the momentum going, and we won't know until tomorrow if has.

Lauren took on some Aretha Franklin, which was quite ballsy of her. I had wanted her to avoid anything that required any real depth or emotion because she's a bit of the cotton candy of this bunch. To my surprise she did fairly well given the material she chose, and dug deep to deliver a performance that I never would have expected from her given her Idol journey thus far. Having done so she may be fresher in the memory of the voters than Haley, who simply had the misfortune of performing early on.

Admittedly I gave James a blank check this week to pick whatever song he wanted to sing. I guess I never expected a ballad, or else I might have advised against it. It seemed like a wasted opportunity. When else this season is he going to have access to the gritty rock stuff we've never seen on Idol before? I wanted something a little dark and sinister, like "Paint it Black" or something more theatrical like Alice Cooper. Instead I got treated to yet ANOTHER Beatles tune from James. And a slow one. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. He was my one chance to actually see some ROCK on R&RHOF night, and I felt somewhat cheated.

HOWEVER...

It was shrewd of him to lay himself bare and show another side of himself as a performer. While it was slow, it was still authentic to who he is and better yet - he got to do a song that meant something to him. You could feel that by the tender vocal performance that was far deeper and richer than his normal "glory" note. This gave him one of his best vocal performances of the season so far, and even though it was a ballad my ballad-hating hubby did NOT fast forward through it and - even more miraculous - even liked it.

I think it just adds another color to his palette that proves he's in this thing for the long haul. I wasn't sold on him before they hit the finals, but now he's a contestant I look forward to seeing every week. No one is as surprised by this as me, and it really kind of maybe makes me like him more.

Like I had wanted, Scotty picked an Elvis song. Unlike the one I chose for him (a ballad) he decided to do something more uptempo and ran the very real risk of being hokey or corny by digging up some kind of half-baked Elvis imitation. He's still quite green as a performer and that manifests itself in awkward ticks, which he fell prey to as he attempted to bring a little rock to the stage. I thought it sounded great, but he has some work to do in order to refine his performance. Having said that, Scotty has a pretty staunch fan base that consistently keeps him in the top three over on the Dial Idol prediction site. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't make it to the top three, especially since he attempts to grow each week.

Pia came through on her promise to sing "River Deep, Mountain High." It was uptempo, it was a song I loved... but imagine my surprise when I was still *bored* by her... I guess it was a performance? I didn't buy it and it made me miss BOTH Celine and Tina Turner. Pia sings. She sings amazingly well. But when it comes to a performance she still has a lot to learn - which might be why she opts for the safer ballad route. She's safe, because her fans aren't going to let her go anywhere, but if she goes back to the ballads and stops pushing herself and following JLo's very astute and needed advice, she's not doing herself any favors to become the artist she wants to be.

American Idol is a turbo-charged training ground that she needs to utilize to the fullest, or else she'll fall the wayside just like the other wannabe divas who came before her.

When I heard that Stefano wanted to do a "romantic" song I immediately knew we were going to be "treated" to yet another ballad on a night when I wanted to see how people could rock. Or at least do pop. Then of course he does the almost hackneyed "When a Man Loves a Woman," so I immediately know he's going to make it all Broadway; overblown and overdone.

To my surprise he started out the performance the way I have been *begging* him to do. A spotlight... and just his voice tenderly singing a song to the millions of women just waiting for him to live up to the potential of his good looks. But of course he had to go and "Stefano" it and blew his chance to make it really, truly special. This performance lands him in my bottom three. He just doesn't have the "it" factor like some of the other performers, and I think that will be his undoing in the very near future... if not this week then at least before the top 7.

Paul took the pimp spot with a rousing version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." I have long been on the fence with Paul. I love his voice, but watching him perform can be a bit of a train wreck. He's either spastic or inappropriately cheerful, and the best I could hope for was that he would put an instrument in front of him and otherwise occupy his nervous energy so I wouldn't be subjected to the discomfort of watching him flail about the stage.

I was even more concerned with Jimmy and Will.i.Am both advised him to sing the song like he was out of his mind - which I felt might have been like putting a match to a powder keg when it comes to the near manic style we've seen thus far from Paul.

Imagine my surprise when Paul gave me THE performance of the night. For the first time since we started I felt like I saw who he really was as a performer and I enjoyed everything about it. It was authentic and "right in his lane." He involved the crowd, which I love, and most important he had FUN. THIS is how you perform. This is what I want to pay money to see.

I can hear anyone sing on the radio... but when it comes to a concert I want to see a *show.* Thanks to Paul, I think this year's Idol tour could be just that - and it doesn't have to just rest on the shoulders of the more seasoned and interesting James and Casey.

So... picking the bottom three at this point is a coin toss. No one had a performance *worthy* of the bottom three (unless you count Stefano, and that was only by a hair.)

All I can hope is that my Jacob and Casey can escape the bottom three or going home altogether.

But I'm worried. I won't lie.

Only elimination night knows for sure... and I hear that Constantine will be making an appearance. That fangirly squee you hear resonating from Texas will be from me.

So get out your earplugs and wrap your crystal. That's the only warning you're going to get.

American Idol Top Nine Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Wish List

I almost hesitantly do this blog given how badly things went awry during EJ night and how wide-the-EFF-open the next theme night happens to be.

Yes, I realize that I did kind of step into it by asking for a theme night not centered on any one artist. Lesson learned... be careful what you ask for.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame began inducting members as far back as 1986 and the choices are as varied as you can imagine. Good news for folks like Scotty there are some country icons available like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, and I wouldn't even *know* where to start with James given the wide range of actual rockers available.

Though Journey remains to be snubbed by the R&RHOF, other favorites of mine made the list. Bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Who, the Eagles, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac join folks like Rod Stewart, Prince and Bob Seger on this rather comprehensive list of available artists that span the past six decades.

This one is going to be fairly hard to call and I'd be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn picking a specific artist much less a song.

But I'm up to the challenge. So here we go.

First up is Pia... who sealed her fate by promising to do "River Deep, Mountain High." Since Ike & Tina were inductees I likely would have picked this singer's song with a trademark "wall of sound" for our balladeer anyway. After years of going to drag shows I have a preference for the Celine Dion version - which has the kind of impressive vocal performance Pia will be shooting for anyway.

Truthfully, this is the only song that she could sing that has even a remote chance of winning me back at this point.



The great thing about R&RHOF week is that for the Idols who have already demonstrated to us who they are it's a lil easier to pick the songs I would like them to sing... even if I'm not completely sold on them yet. Such is the case of Haley.

The two songs I wanted to give Lauren (one because of it being remade later into a country hit) I ended up having to give back to Haley because they just fit her better.

I mean... after the Janis comparison we've heard from Steven - how could we not give her a Janis tune? Although "Me & Bobby McGee" is my favorite, I can see Haley doing her gravely, growly thing through:



Another where she could strut her sexy stuff and it fit appropriately:



I ended up giving Lauren Bonnie Raitt. But not just ANY Bonnie Raitt. Just like "Candle in the Wind" was the deal-breaker last week, anyone who sings "I Can't Make You Love Me" this week - especially given the wealth of great songs they could have chosen - will get an automatic zero.

Instead I think Lauren should return to the fun with:



I also can see her being impish and young with something like:



James can pretty much do whatever he wants from this particular theme. Acts like AC/DC, Metallica, Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper alone open the possibilities up endlessly. I'm going to follow the advice I gave to Jimmy last week and let the man just do his thing with one caveat:

I think he should go out of his way to break away from the Adam Lambert comparison by avoiding songs that Adam did on Idol. This includes:



And:



Other than that, I'm pretty well open. (And I'm actually pretty excited to see what he does next.)

For Jacob I think he needs to go back and dig out those old rock and roll roots with serious gospel ties. I know this one has been done before on Idol but I think Jacob is significantly signature in his style he can pull it off:



And my own personal favorite that just makes me happy whenever I hear it... which is why I want to hear Jacob put his own spin on it:



Paul is another very stylized performer this season, and I'd like to see him do something that sets him apart from the very obvious comparison to Rod Stewart. A song I think he could pull off:



In fact, I think I'd even give him:



As one of our more eclectic and unpredictable finalists, Casey could literally do *anything*. I may end up giving him the same carte blanche I gave James.

Although... wouldn't mind seeing him do something like...



This could be Scotty's week in that he can show us his stuff with an Elvis tune (which I've been waiting for since we learned he was an Elvis enthusiast.) The urge might be strong to allow him to "perform," but I think he should play to his strength - and his female fans - with a love song that fits his country vibe.



Another option, take the Dylan tune that has been made by artists like Adele and, most notably for this Idol, Garth Brooks:



We know it's been cleared for Idol in the past, but again I think Scotty is fairly stylized that he can put his own unique spin on it without making it a karaoke version of someone else.

Speaking of...

I have no idea what Stefano will sing because I really have no sense of him as an artist yet (which I think is what bugs me most.) This is probably where the rubber meets the road and gives him that final chance to show us what makes him stand apart, other than being just another good looking guy with a good voice.

(And can I say I thought his performance with the guys on elimination night was one of his better performances? Get that boy behind an instrument more often!)

Since he's got that kind of Broadway show tunes thing going for him I kinda want to see him do something like...



As you can see, the possibilities are endless - both to have a really great, exciting show, or yet another ballad heavy snoozefesty dud.

I'm going to try my best to stay optimistic and say I'm cautiously looking forward to Wednesday.

**fingers crossed**