Country Week - 4/27/10

Hi gang. Well this is country week which I am not a big fan of however I do like Shania Twain music so in a way I am looking forward to the performances. Ryan opens the show by saying how the lives have changed for a house painter (Lee), a high school student (Aaron), a glassblower (Siobhan), a mother (Crystal), a father (MIke) and a construction worker (Casey). One will take the title. This is American Idol.

Looking good we next see Ryan Seacrest descending the staircase. He welcomes us to the show and gives a big thank you as "Idol Gives Back" raised over 45 million for the different charities. Following is a nice welcome to the judges and our top 6.

Tonight's mentor is Shania Twain who showed how a country artist could easily crossed over into the pop field. Her first album "The Woman In Me" was a big hit and garnered 5 grammies. Hard to believe this all happened 15 years ago as Shania looks awesome. Her third album "Come On Over" became the best selling album of all time for a woman as it sold over 34 million copies. Quite a feat for this talented lady. Tonight she is in the audience to root on the contestants. With that being said, let's get to the performances.

Lee DeWyze is singing "Still The One". Again he plays the guitar and basically it was a solid performance however I did hear some off-notes here and there. Randy also mentions the pitchy notes but felt he made the song his own. Ellen thinks he looks cute and it was better than good. Kara calls him revelant (her favorite word this season) and adds good job. Simon agrees with the other judges and thinks it was a good song choice. For me it was good but not great. My grade: B


:( Big Mike Lynche is singing a song I was not familiar with but delivers a very good vocal to the song "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing". Lots of emotion which actually brings Shania to tears. I really liked it especially the last few notes. Randy thinks he has found his zone and says good job. Ellen felt his emotion. Kara felt he connected and made the melody work. Simon liked the vocal but thought the song was too girly for Mike. My grade: B+


Casey James is singing the song "Don't". This week I was impressed with his vocal as even though he was playing the guitar and seated on a stool behind the judges I felt he connected and did not let the guitar overpower him. I just loved the tone of his voice and know for sure I will be getting some Casey music in the future. Randy calls it his best performance which Simon agrees with. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara also loves it and says he was vulnerable and raw. Casey gets a hug from Shania on this performance. My grade: A


I have liked Crystal Bowersox from day 1. She actually had met Shania in Chicago and got her autograph on her guitar then. Tonight she is singing another un-familiar song for me called "No One Needs To Know Right Now". It was a solid performance but not that "wow" for me. Randy sort of liked it. Ellen says she has a great voice but this was not her favorite from Crystal. Kara agrees. Simon calls the performance limp and forgettable. I don't think it was that bad but again as mentioned it was good but not great. My grade: B


For me personally I felt Aaron Kelly gave the best performance of the night to the song "You Got A Way". This kid will be an asset in the country field I think. His vocal was awesome and so heartfelt I thought. Randy thought it was a really good job. Ellen felt his emotion and depth. Kara agrees again with Ellen. Simon felt he was showing us a different artist this week as his renditon was sincere and believable. I loved it! My grade: A+


Sorry Siobhan Magnus fans but tonight she fell totally flat for me. She looked weird I thought in her outfit as she attempts to sing "Any Man of Mine" which was a big hit for Shania. Her lower register sounded weak to my ears not to mention she had some pitchy notes to boot. That high-pitched scream of hers was so not needed in this song. I was surprised the judges liked it. Randy says he loved it. Ellen calls it fantastic. Kara says Siobhan is back. Simon says it was a good song choice but does also mention that high note sounded like she was giving birth. I found this remark funny. My grade: C-


Final thoughts:

It is hard to say who will be going this week but if I had my way Siobhan would be saying "bye, bye, bye" however I think her fans will save her. This is only a guess but I think both Mike and Aaron are probably the most vulnerable at this stage of the competition sadly.

Tomorrow on the results show our guest singers are Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellam, Sons of Sylvia and Shakira. I was surprised to know that Shania would not be singing. Anyhow, I do welcome your comments and hope your day is wonderful tomorrow.

Take care all!

Although I thought Siobhan's performance was the weakest of the night I did like it (minus the screaming at the end). This was honestly the first season where I didn't want anyone going home. Each one of the contestants has amazing talent. It's anyone's guess who will actually win the American Idol title.

My favorite performances of the night were Lee (of course), Aaron, Michael and Casey. For the first time since her audition Crystal didn't "wow" me as she has been doing the last three or four weeks.
Who's going home? I have no idea. Guess we will find out tonight.