American Idol 10 – Top 11…again

Tonight the Idols channel Elton John. This is the first time since Season 3 that we have had a full night of Sir Elton John. This could be good or a train wreck! Last week they were mostly great doing Motown night, so they could surprise.

The kids were given the star treatment at an Entertainment Weekly photo shoot – hopefully giving them some fashion tips. I am going to look up at some of the performances this week – see if I get a different impression. A friend pointed out to me last week that the appearance is as important as the singing. I still don’t know if I completely agree – but I will look up.

Scotty McCreery - Country Comfort – great choice of choosing something from Sir Elton’s parlay into country. I have never heard the song, but he did a nice job performing it. Staying right in his comfort zone – and making it his own. Solid job. The judges all agree  -  Randy went so far as to say that this could be a single on his record.

Naima Adedapo – I’m Still Standing – she takes yet another risk by making this a reggae jam. The first verse was quite nice, I was hoping for more of a hard hitting beat when it came to the chorus. Overall, it was a nice performance – but not an outstanding performance. Hoping that someone is very bad tonight – because this was mediocre at best.

Paul McDonald – Rocket Man – the lower register start of this song was perfect…it made his voice less James Blunt-y. The first verse was really great – his first riff into the Rocket Man portion of the song was a little wobbly for me – but he brought it together at the end and it was a good performance overall.

Pia Toscano - Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me – yet another ballad from Pia. I think she has a great voice, but I have to agree with the judges. I’m super bored with the slow songs. Another problem I have with Pia is that it is like she is nailed to the floor. She just doesn’t move. Choosing ballads doesn’t offer a lot of movement opportunities, but she has a choir on the stage and they were church-stepping – she could have jumped in and did a little something. Nice vocal – a little boring.

Stefano Langone – Tiny Dancer – “Hold me closer Tony Danza…” this is a favorite Sir Elton song. He is doing a great job and seems to be in the pocket, it also looks as if he is keeping his eyes open and connecting with the audience. His falsetto is so pretty and he sails over the high notes in this song. Good performance.

Lauren Alaina - Candle in the Wind – From the first notes, she out ballads Pia. She is also much more engaging and unafraid to connect. She keeps the arrangement but really adds some heart to the song so it is less routine. This is a song that I would typically skip – but she was really very good.

James Durbin – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – this is probably the best song for James to sing. It highlights many ranges and him running around the audience then having the “Saturday” breakdown with the hand claps was great. From time to time I saw flashes of brilliance in this performance. Really surprised me because I am not his biggest fan.

Thia Megia – Daniel – another ballad?? Come on girls – shock us! Thia has an admirable voice, but this was a high school performance – not worthy of the Idol stage really. Meh…bottom three.

Casey Abrams – Your Song – he has a trimmed and cleaned up his beard and he has made a great song choice for a redemption. He missed a lyric but this restrained, almost laid back performance (until the end) was great. Reminded me why I have liked him from the start. He will be safe this week…they need to pick two others to go home.

Jacob Lusk - Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word – he has two big pairs of shoes to fill, Mary J’s and Elton’s. I am not loving the start of the song – his falsetto feels a bit a wobbly and I am not a huge fan of this song – so I am having a tough time connecting to it. The last few bars were great and the glory note was spot-on.

Haley Reinhart - Bennie and The Jets – this is BG’s favorite Elton John – so we are listening with a super tuned ear. She really deserved the pimp spot tonight – she rocked the heck out of this song. I will be downloading this one. Her modulation was perfect – when she needed to belt she did – when she needed to pull back she did. Shockingly, my favorite performance of the night.

Here is my ranking:

1. Haley Reinhart
2. Lauren Alaina
3. James Durbin
4. Casey Abrams
5. Paul McDonald
6. Scotty McCreedy
7. Pia Toscano
8. Naima Adedapo
9. Jacob Lusk
10. Stefano Lagano
11. Thia Megia

How do you rank them? Who’s going home?

AMERICAN IDOL: Final 10 plus one: Clockwise from top left: James Durbin, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Scotty McCreery, Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone, Lauren Alaina, Casey Abrams, Naima Adedapo, Haley Reinhart and Thia Megia. CR: Michael Becker / FOX.