American Idol: Week Six; The Top 10 Compete

And so we've reached the Top Ten.

Seems like only yesterday we were in the audition process, going through the hopefuls, and the very bad. (I still will not forgive Idol for forcing "Pants on the Ground" into pop culture.)

With a theme of R&B and soul, I did expect some of the contestants to struggle, but I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, some of them chose very ambitious songs that they could not handle, but aside from that, most of them had pretty good song choices.

The "mentor" this week was Usher, who I find very much a step up from the supposed "mentorship" of Miley Cyrus last week. I thought of all the mentors they've had on the show, he is one of the few who actually gave sound advice. His suggestions improved some performances, while other performances it didn't matter - mostly because they were being sung badly.

Let's begin right away for once, shall we? Dispense with the small talk, and begin the individual reviews, starting with a girl who was beginning to grow on me, but last night fell kind of flat. We start with:

1. SIOBHAN MAGNUS – sung “Though The Fire” - Poor Siobhan. I really like her, and she is really starting to grow on me. I love her style, and the way she stands out from the rest of the Top Ten. But this was a bad song choice. This song was waaaay too ambitious, and at times, not only was it pitchy, but she went off key at several points. The judges said it best: it was all over the place. That high note scream at the end of every song Siobhan is doing week after week is going to get tired very quickly. This was a very disappointing performance from Siobhan. I don't think this was the best song choice for her, because it didn't show her strength, only her weakness (her low register). Despite this bad performance, I don't think Siobhan should be worried about going home. SAFE

2. CASEY JAMES – sung “Hold on, I'm Coming” - Casey finally stepped into the spotlight so to speak with this song. It was a perfect song choice for him because he turned it into a bluesy rock performance. This was a very strong performance from Casey, and I can see some star appeal starting to come out. When the show is over, I can see Casey making a career in the country field, and I'll go so far as to say he has the potential to be as popular as Carrie Underwood should he choose to go that route. This week's performance guarantees there is no way he's going home this week. SAFE

3. MICHAEL LYNCHE – sung “Ready for Love” - I've had a very tough time becoming a fan of Michael's. I thought he was kind of boring, and was riding on the coattails of his "story", that of being a new family man and father. But with this performance, I can start to see his appeal. I thought this was a heartfelt performance from Michael. He sung this song with passion and emotion, and connected with almost every word. Michael definitely has a sensitive side, and he showed to us through this performance. I need to hear the original to really appreciate Michael's version, but bottom line is Michael is in no danger whatsoever of going home. SAFE

4. DIDI BENAMI – sung “What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?” - For a song that Didi insisted was very special to her, and she had a very strong emotional connection to, this was one of the flattest, emotionless performances of the night. I don't get it, where was the emotion? Simon was right when he said it was off-melody, sharp, and pitchy. I don't know why Didi couldn't just saw why the song sparked such emotions with her, but it was obvious she was trying to avoid the question. I know what Ryan was trying to do by pestering her about why the song was so emotional for her. If Didi said it, then the audience would connect to her. But my problem is, she didn't show those emotions. Ugh, I hate to say it, but I think Didi is in serious trouble this week. IN DANGER

5. TIM URBAN – sung “Sweet Love” - "Teflon" Tim, huh? That's what they're calling him? Seriously though, how can you not feel bad for this guy. The kind of harsh judgements this guy takes week after week can make anyone cry, but the guy just smiles, stands there and takes it. This was a very bad song choice for Tim, and I'm honestly at a loss for why he would choose a song so completely out of his range. The judges mentioned words like "boring" and "flat", and I tend to agree. It was not a pop performance, it was strictly Vegas lounge, and though I call it week after week, (as I'm going to call it this week as well) Tim always manages to come back. Either he's more popular then I thought, or he has a lot more friends than any of us realize. I'm going to say he's in trouble, but I predict him not going home yet. IN DANGER

6. ANDREW GARCIA – sung “Forever” - Finally! FINALLY!! As I said before, I all but gave up on Andrew. But this performance brought him back, and I was as happy as the judges were that he finally found his "moment" again. I love Chris Brown's fast paced original, but Andrew slowed it down, made it acoustic, and it sounded great. Just like the judges pointed out, Andrew brought out his personality in this performance, and it made all the difference in the world. Now granted, I actually do sort of agree with Simon, in that I don't think Andrew is "exciting" enough for the audience. He reminds me of an Hispanic Danny Gokey. I see the same sort of personality traits. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Guess we'll see in next week, since I think this performance brought Andrew back from the brink. SAFE

7. KATIE STEVENS – sung “Chain of Fools” - This is the first time I could actually say I liked Katie's song choice. I think I have to agree with Ellen's comments, where she agreed it was the right song choice, but she didn't follow through the whole song. As it was described, she had "moments" in the performance that stood out, and really showcased her voice. Granted, I think there were much younger R&B/soul songs to choose from, so I also agree with Ellen's comments on that note. Though she had a great vocal, I don't think it made her stand out more than the others enough. Katie's constant struggle to "find herself" is getting her into trouble, and even though she had a great performance, good vocal, I don't think it was enough at this stage. Despite her good performance, she may be in danger. IN DANGER

8. LEE DWEYZE – sung “Treat Her Like A Lady” - Wow, Lee has finally impressed me. This had to be one of the best choices of song for Lee, because not only did it sound good, it felt like it was written for him. He was so connected to the song, it created a moment that made him shine. He looked confident, and that's what finally won me over. He didn't seem uncomfortable or awkward like past weeks. I think Lee has the potential to be bigger than Idol, turning into another Daughtry easily. I can see him going solo or with a band behind him right now. Like Kara says sometime, I can "hear" him on the radio now. There is no way possible Lee is going anywhere this week, and quite possibly for weeks to come. Do I see a Crystal/Lee showdown in May? SAFE

9. CRYSTAL BOWERSOX – sung “Midnight Train to Georgia” - I didn't even know she knew how to play the piano! This girl surprises me week after week. Great song choice, but I have to agree with Simon, I don't think the back-up singers should have been there right by her piano. I think if it was just Crystal and the piano, it would have been even better. I'm not sure I like her "look" last night, because it didn't seem like her. True, she said she doesn't do anything unless it is comfortable to her, so I believe she did make the choice to dress that way, and not the producers. But it just didn't seem like her, and I don't want her to get away from most of the stuff that made her unique and stand out in the first place. One of my friends commented that most of the singers this season are not very good, with the exception of maybe four. I'm beginning to agree, though I had to laugh at what my friend Tom said: "Could they please just hand Crystal the title this year, and end our misery of enduring the rest of this season?" SAFE

10. AARON KELLY – sung “Ain't No Sunshine” - I loved Kris Allen's version of this song last season. Truth be told, I still listen to it. It was decent song choice for Aaron, though the beginning had a rough start. The only thing I have to say about Aaron's performance is that he didn't do much with it. I think he did put in emotion in the right places, as Usher suggested, but besides that, I don't think he really did anything that made him stand out. Still though, Aaron is getting the Idol makeover week after week, so the pre-teen girls are really amping up there squeals. As Simon predicted, and as I predict as well, Aaron has zero chance of going home this week, despite a less than spectacular performance. SAFE

My Bottom Three Picks: I hope that Siobhan stays out of the bottom three. One bad week shouldn't put her here, so here's who I think will occupy those three spots: Didi Benami, Tim Urban and Katie Stevens.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: I can't believe I'm not gonna say Tim Urban, but his "aw shucks" personality is gonna get him through another week. Unfortunately, though I still love her voice, it is time for Didi Benami to go home.

I may be way off though, get a surprise elimination of Katie instead. What do you think dear readers? Am I right? Am I totally wrong? Let me hear from you! Comment below, and don't forget to vote in the poll!

Until next week my readers, I bid you farewell for now!!