American Idol Top 9 Recap: Adam Lambert Mentors Siobhan Magnus, Katy Stevens, Casey James, and Others

With the judges granting Big Mike a second chance, we’ll once again be sitting through 9 performances tonight and two contestants will leave tomorrow night.  Considering this season has been so uneventful, sitting through that extra performance is a big deal.

Adam Lambert mentors tonight, and even though I really don’t see why he was chosen to mentor, I think he’ll probably give the contestants some useful input since he’s been on the stage before.

After the Elvis and Adam video packages roll, the cameras go live and Ryan introduces Adam with the obligatory gay joke about Adam’s “talented tongue”.  We’re pushed for time, so we roll straight into:

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Crystal Bowersox- “Saved”- Adam tells Crystal to go with the electric guitar this week, and she listens.  This is much better than last week, but I’m still not totally into Crystal (yes, I realize I’m the only one).  Her high notes are kind of agitating to me.  Randy says, “You’re like the second coming of Bonnie Raitt.” Ellen says, “It was fantastic, I’m like a broken record.”  Kara says, “Solid performance, like the up-tempo.” Simon says, “You put your own slant on it.  That was a lyric I can relate to.”  B-

Andrew Garcia- “Hound Dog”- Adam tells Andrew to step it up on the stage.  Andrew goes for it and falls flat.  I’m starting to see a common thread here.  Gosh, this is a disaster.  Very, very dull performance.  Randy says, “I was worried about this.. that was terrible, not good.  Karaoke.” Ellen says, “I thought you pulled it off.” Kara says, “You used the mic as your crutch.  It needed a little something more.” Simon says, “It didn’t feel like the performance of a superstar.  All of your cool is gone.”  D-

Tim Urban- “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”- Adam tells Tim to use his head voice more (Uh oh, he must remember how disastrous that was during “Apologize”).  Wow, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Tim is actually doing pretty well tonight.  He’s never going to be a brilliant singer, but at least he’s likeable and he’s getting much better at managing his limited range.  Randy says, “I actually liked it.” Ellen says, “You’re like the first time I tried Tequila; I like you more and more every time I see you.” Kara says, “Probably my favorite Tim performance, well done.” Simon says, “You have managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks. Very clean, you’re growing in confidence.” B

Lee DeWyze- “A Little Less Conversation”- Lee’s voice makes my throat hurt; I can only imagine what kind of pain he feels after growling through song after song.  This is better than last week, but he still hasn’t made me a fan.  Randy says, “You are definitely in the zone”. Ellen says, “You made that current, and you’re showing more confidence”. Kara says, “I never seen you go vocally like you did tonight.  The vocal was on fire, but be a little more playful”.  Simon says, “What do you want, kittens on stage?  You nailed it vocally.”  B-

Aaron Kelly- “Blue Suede Shoes”- Adam tells Aaron to step it up and get into it more.  If only Aaron would listen; that’s pretty good advice.  Vocally, it’s okay.  Performance wise, it’s awkward.  Aaron is showing more emotion and singing with more conviction, but it’s still not there.  Randy says, “It started off kind of weird, but the second half fit better.” Ellen says, “I thought that was a big song to take on.  You didn’t get all the way there.” Kara says, “You’re out of your comfort zone, and I really like it.” Simon says, “It didn’t make you younger, it was like somebody at a high school doing a concert at the end.” C

Siobhan Magnus- “Suspicious Minds”- Siobhan says she loves Elvis, she even did a report on him in the 6th grade.  Adam tells her to speed up the song, which she does for the second half.  After last week this is great.  The second half is definitely better than the first, and when she breaks into the end it’s really good.  She’s back on this week, but next week I’d like to see her do something like she did with “Paint it Black”.  ”That girl can sing.  I liked the second part,” says Randy.  ”I liked the second part better.   That’s what you do the best,” says Ellen.  ”It’s like there are two of you.  I wasn’t crazy about that performance,” says Kara.  ”It’s like you were put into a time machine and came out 20 years later.  Not one of your best performances,” says Simon.  Siobhan says she doesn’t try to make herself one thing, so she doesn’t see why anyone else should be able to label her.  You go Siobhan!  Simon responds by saying, “Good point” and sincerely nodding.  And for the first time in 9 years, Simon has been shutup. B+

Mike Lynch- “In the Ghetto”- Mike connects with this one.  He gives an intimate and soulful take on the song.  What I don’t get is why something like what Siobhan did last week is sleepy and this isn’t.  Randy says, “Kind of sleepy (woah, I guess we’re on the same page), but those were hot vocals.”  Ellen says, “Glad we saved you.”  Kara says, “You sang it well.”  Simon says, “A million times better than last week.”  Well, the judges are having to speed it up tonight! B-

Katie Stevens- “Baby What do You Want Me To D0″- Katie says she’s singing this for the judges tonight.  Wow, I never thought I’d say this but I kind of like Katie.  She may have finally won me over.  Katie doesn’t show much real emotion, but vocally she’s doing really well.  She gets a little caught up in the end, but all-in-all it was a good job.  ”A little sassy, very nice,” says Randy.  ”Very horny song (Haha).. I mean there were a lot of horns,” says Ellen.  ”You showed us, good job!” says Kara.  ”I thought it was loud and annoying,” says Simon.  B

Casey James- “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”- Pretty easy performance, nothing really special about it.  It’s solid, but no wow like last week.  ”You’re in the zone tonight,” says Randy.  ”I love your voice, could have been more exciting, but you’re always good,” says Ellen.  ”That fell short for me,” says Kara.  ”Wasted opportunity, good vocal,” says Simon.  B-

Overall, tonight was a good night vocally.  Only Andrew was really terrible.  Having said that, I’m just not excited by this group.  Maybe they’ll continue to grow on me.

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