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This week on American Idol the theme for the Top 10 was R&B/Soul. The mentor for this week is Grammy-award winning Usher Raymond. Usher has sold over 45 million albums and that he is one of the greatest performers of our generation. Ryan Seacrest puts on sunglasses when he talked to Usher (who was also wearing sunglasses) about his album that came out the same day as his appearance on American Idol. Usher’s album, entitled Raymond vs. Raymond, is about the many different sides of Usher. Check it out. There are some very good songs on there.

Siobhan Magnus started the show off Tuesday night with her version of Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire”. Usher gave her major praise stating that “she has the voice to sing it” and that she has a unique vocal ability. After he finished, the judges were a little harsh on the poor girl. Randy and Ellen both agreed that that wasn’t her best performance. Cara said that parts of it worked and other parts didn’t. The part that worked was Siobhan’s famous scream that she does at the end of almost every song that she has sung. We were not told what parts didn’t work. Simon said that she sounded as if she was out of breath and that he was growing tired of the scream. We felt that it wasn’t her best performance either but we are still rooting for her!

Next up was Casey James. He was singing “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave. Usher told him that he had a good voice and that he would be watching him whether he won or not. While Casey seemed to be grooving to his music, the judges seemed to be enjoying as well. Randy thought that it showed his range. Ellen felt that it was a little generic but that Casey has stayed consistent and has a good voice. Cara thought the opposite of Randy by saying that Casey didn’t show all that he could and that he could do much more. Simon shocked us by saying that this was Casey’s strongest week and that it sounded authentic. We aren’t fans of Casey but he seems to be trying to improve from week to week however we think looks are getting him farther than talent.

Michael “Big Mike” Lynche came out ready to sing “Ready for Love” by India Arie. Usher seemed to enjoy the big singer, saying that he has a great connection with the audience and that any woman loves a man that can play the guitar (Yes, I do!). Randy told Big Mike that he was “loving every performance” that Michael does. Ellen thought that it was beautiful. Cara had nothing more to say than tasteful and lovely. Simon finally paid the big man a compliment by saying that he can actually take Big Mike as a serious artist. We have always been fans of Big Mike. But the same situation as Casey, maybe personality is getting him farther that talent?

Following Big Mike was Didi Benami. She sang “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin. Usher gave the singer/song writer a tip: the audience can sense honesty. He wanted her to connect more with the people and not to be afraid to show some emotions to the audience. Open up to them. Well Didi tried to do just that on the stage. When came time for the judging, there was nothing but negative reviews across the board. Randy thought that whole performance flat lined. Ellen thought that it was way too dramatic and that it wasn’t her best performance. Cara agreed and thought that the Didi didn’t know who she was anymore and that maybe she had lost her way. Simon agreed then said that it was like swimming in Jell-O, that it was over the top, and that everything was old-fashioned. While I agreed with the judges, America could swing the votes a different way.

Tim Urban was up. He received a new nickname this week, Teflon Tim, and he sang “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker. When Usher first heard him start to sing, he had to stop Tim because he didn’t believe Tim when he sang. Usher wanted Tim to know that you have to feel a song and not just sing it. Randy felt that it had a singer waiter type feel to it but on the other hand he stayed in tune but it was also flat with no emotion in the song. Ellen said that he was a good one for taking on the song but she also wanted to know why he wanted too. Cara thought that Tim took the soul out of the song. Simon felt like it was the wrong song choice. Then he compared Tim to a mouse and said that it was like a mouse picking a fight with an elephant. We thought that Tim didn’t do the best job but he’s trying. Luckily he has his looks.

Next in line happened to be Andrew Garcia. Garcia sang “Forever” by Chris Brown. Usher told Garcia to make the song happen. Connect with the audience. When Garcia sang it again for Usher, Usher said that Garcia made him love the song even more than he already did. Andrew Garcia came out with a simple melody, just him and his guitar and another musician, jamming. Randy said that Andrew is back! That was the best performance from Andrew in a very long time. Ellen said that he finally caught up with the other song. Cara said that Andrew took a leap in the right direction. Simon, as usual, had something critical to say. Simon said that the performance and vocals were good but Andrew is overall boring. Simon wants Andrew Garcia to show some more personality. We thought that the performance was long overdue. He performed much better than the previous weeks. I hope he keeps it up!

Little Katie Stevens was next and she got to show off her chops by singing “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin. Usher thought that Katie had the potential to do very well with the song, she has a good voice but she needs more attitude. Randy thought that the performance was a little disconnected vocally but that was the best vocals of the night. Ellen wished the song would have been more current but she sounded good vocally. Cara thought that Katie would go back to making it young and commercial but good vocals. Simon thought that Katie came off as cold. Then Simon and Cara had a debate on what type of music Katie should be singing. One says R&B/Pop, the other says country. We can see both sides of this debate. Hey guys, how about taking a country song and making into an R&B song? It has worked in the past (Whitney Huston).

After Katie was Mr. Lee DeWyze. He sang “Treat Her Like a Lady” by the Cornelius Brothers. Usher thought that Lee’s voice was incredible. Usher informed Lee that he has a talent that speaks through and that he should own it. Randy thought that the performance was unbelievable and that that was the best performance he has heard from Lee in weeks. Ellen thought that is was the best of the night. Cara said that she could hear that song on his album and that it was amazing. Simon said that this might be the night that his life changes forever. We always seem to forget about Mr. DeWyze, however, he might be the dark horse in this competition.

Finally, Crystal Bowersox performed “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight. Usher guessed Crystal’s secret for this week’s performance, which was playing the piano. Usher thought that her performance would be incredible. Crystal started out playing the piano and singing and that sounded beautiful. But then she completely left the piano to show that she can sing without an instrument. Randy thought that Gladys would say that Crystal did the song proud. Ellen said that she has “never not known” Crystal to be good and that Crystal was “in it to win it.” Cara was glad that Crystal took a risk this week. And Simon thought that the song choice was great, the vocals were incredible at times, and that the background vocals should not have been there. Then he told her that he doesn’t want her to turn into something that she’s not because what she was doing before was working perfectly for her. We must say that she did a fantastic job. Needless to say that we are fans of Crystal Bowersox!

And ending the show was the youngest singer of the night, Aaron Kelly. He was singing “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. Usher said that Aaron’s voice was incredible but he wanted more theatrics from Aaron. He wanted Aaron to make the song personal. Randy felt that the song started rough and that the performance was just alright. Ellen thought that the song choice was good for him. Cara thought that he could have gone into a higher register. She just liked the performance not loved it. Simon compared Aaron to a cupcake meaning that the performance was not as good as it should have been. Like a disappointment. We have noticed that Aaron Kelly is getting better week after week. His voice is improving and he sounds better from week to week. He is a talented singer and we just hope that he continues in the competition.

Didi was definitely the worst and Crystal was one of the best again. Didi will probably be seeing the bottom three tomorrow and maybe take Tim Urban with her…

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