American Idol 9 - Top 8 Guys

Lee - Firefly - Lee does have a distinctive voice, but he obviously has a crutch with the guitar. The performance seemed a little weird at the beginning and then got really off kilter in the chorus. Lee probably deserves to be in the final, but not because he has earned it tonight. In the opening slot, this could be trouble.
GRADE: D+

Alex - Trouble - Was there a memo to do the most contemporary songs in the world this week? I'm not saying you have to do the Beatles, but do something I may have forgotten how good the original was! Alex is not quite as good at mocking up the original but he's not bad except for the strong notes. I don't like him because he cannot hit the strong notes and he is weak. The mullet makes it through on likeability.
GRADE: C

Tim - Hallelujah - Tim picks one of the biggest songs in recent memory, but a good one. The problem is he has not shown any indication of being able to have the proper range for this song. However, he picks the verses that do not have a major range and he really does not miss any notes. This was surprisingly good for the perennial VFTW. The reject is actually going to make the finals by all appearances.
GRADE: C+

Andrew - Genie in a Bottle - Andrew picks a song off the same record I was thinking (What A Girl Wants), but this may be even more of a cheesy choice to fit his Paula Abdul magic. This song just had me guffawing at the screen because while he performed it decently well, it is just not right for a guy. The end of the song redeemed it a bit.
GRADE: C

Casey - You'll Think Of Me - Casey slows it down this week and does a decent country song. Casey was not perfect tonight, but he's still better than the pack I think. We'll see if anyone can grab the opportunity to one-up him tonight. Nevertheless, safe will get a frontrunner through on a night like tonight.
GRADE: B-

Aaron - Already There - And now for country hour to continue...I think Aaron picked this song because he believes his missed big notes will just sound like putting his own country twang on it. However, I'm not buying it. This guy will make it through on the judges who love him almost every week. However, the lady judges were harsh on him and perhaps he will not last much longer.
GRADE: C-

Todrick - Somebody to Love - Usually a sing-along song is not a good choice, but Freddy Mercury always was the star of the show and this is a good choice for Todrick. This was a great vocal, and while he will never live up to the original, this was surprisingly good in his own soulful tone. This is clearly the best performance of the night and perhaps he will come back from the brink to be a player. Very surprising tonight from the two I would have pegged to go home in Tim and Todrick.
GRADE: A

Mike - This Woman's Work - I know it is stereotypical, but when Mike the bodybuilder hits a falsetto to start a song, it just shocks you. Mike moves around stage in a herky-jerky style a bit in the middle of the song that was distracting. However, he finished very strong with a good glory note for once and another falsetto. Interesting performance and certainly safe another week.
GRADE: B

This makes for a very hard pick because for the first time, the guys who are not as good performed very well and will make it hard to pick correct. At leas the girls seem predictable. Well here goes...

TOP PERFORMER - Todrick
BOTTOM 3 - Lee, Aaron, Alex
GOING HOME - Lee, Alex