Season 9: Week 2 (The Guys)

Well, tonight showed a marked improvement over last week's episode. But then again, watching that animated hamster movie that was out awhile back would be an improvement over last week's episode.....

The guys took the stage tonight and left me wondering if American Idol has already found all of the talented singers in our fine country. The singers this year just aren't as good as in seasons past. Have you ever watched the American Idol Rewind shows? They showcase the past seasons of the show, and if you go to back and watch the first couple of seasons, the singers just weren't as good as what the show has typically showcased in the more recent seasons. The singers for season 9 remind me more of those contestants from early on in the show's tenure. And that would be fine if American Idol was still the same as it was back then. But the contest has evolved to the point where singers are now expected to know how to play instruments and create their own arrangements of songs. In the words of one of the singers tonight, what's goin' on?

Mike Lynche – This is a Man’s World – A huge improvement over last week. This is the best his voice has sounded so far. And I think he brought some performance through to make him more like that headliner that Simon instructed him to be. The performance dropped off a little towards the end and definitely did not finish as strongly as it started out. But I think Huge Mike’s performance was pretty good.

John Park – Gravity – Oh Boy. John seems to lack a little in the personality department. I hope he gets better at interviews because he’s boring! He looks terrified! His voice sounds much better this week. Well, kind of. He’s still hitting some bum notes. I think he lacks some emotional connection when he sings. Something’s missing.

Casey James – I Don’t Want to Be – I would like to nominate this song for the Please Never Ever Ever Ever EVER Perform This Song from the American Idol Stage….Ever! list. His voice is not as good this week. He sounds very shaky. I don’t think he should have chosen this song to showcase his vocals, because they are not as good as Gavin DeGraw's. He didn’t really do anything different with the song, either, which seems to be a going complaint from the judges’ table. I like his pretty blue guitar, though.

Alex Lambert – Everybody Knows – Another person who needs a little help in the interview department…and let’s throw in the wardrobe department as well. Hello, horrifying plaid jacket! Alex is much easier to listen to if you avoid looking at the TV screen. But, I’m sorry to say, that even with his guitar in tow, he still looks like a terrified little kitten. I like the John Legend song, and I think Alex’s performance from this week was inconceivably better than last week’s. But I feel like Alex Lambert is one of the weakest male contestants on the show.

Todrick Hall – What’s Love Got to Do with It – I still say that Todrick isn’t as good as he thinks he is. And I think he’s trying to make a name for himself by “reinventing” popular songs. The only problem is that his reinventions are torturous to listen to. I think Todrick’s performance was, by far, the weakest of the night up to this point.

Bonus Question: Ryan announced that the guys would be performing tonight for what reason?

Jermaine Sellers – What’s Goin’ On – I do not understand this guy. I wonder if he realizes how conceited he comes across on camera. I think he was trying to be more vocally restrained this time around, but his voice just sounded incredibly weak. He had too much air in his voice and hit quite a few bad notes. I will be surprised if Jermaine does NOT go home on Thursday. That’s not what I would have expected from his original audition of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us.” Too bad.

Andrew Garcia – You Give Me Something – The song seemed a little rushed to me for some reason. I love listening to Andrew’s voice, and I’m still convinced that he is head and shoulders above the rest of the men in this competition. I almost thought this performance was a little lackluster, though. It was just a little boring for me.

Aaron Kelly – My Girl – In my opinion, this was a subpar performance. Aaron’s falsetto was shaky and he tried way too hard with all of those runs in the verses. And My Girl is a song that a contestant should sing only if he has to pick a song from a specific theme, such as "Nauseatingly Cheesy Love Songs from the 60's Week****." But when you can select any Billboard hit, you have to make a better choice than that. I wonder if Aaron would have had a better chance if he had gotten a career as Disney’s next teen sensation, rather than trying to fill up the huge American Idol platform with his tiny little voice. I was not impressed. At all.

Tim Urban – Come on Get Higher – I prefer him singing without the big band behind him. The scaled back arrangement suits him, but it worries me for when things like Disco Week come along. I see Tim as more of a coffeehouse venue type of performer, and maybe less of an American Idol type. I think he held his own with this performance, though. Except for that last note. Simon's comments may have saved him this week.

Lee Dewyze – Lips of an Angel – I’m not sure about this choice for him. He sounded really nasally and really missed a lot of notes. And he looks pretty awkward on the stage. It pains me to say that, because I was really holding out hope that Lee would be better than some of his competitors. But tonight it just wasn’t there. The judges were way too easy on Lee this time. I was a little surprised by that, honestly. They must be holding on to the same hope that I am.

Let's see if the girls bring a little more tomorrow. I hope so because May is a loooooooong way off!

2 Bonus Points for commenting on the blog and explaining which conestant you thought was the most improved from last week. Be sure to list who it is and what made them better.

****I would like to point out that when I called "My Girl" a nauseatingly cheesy love song from the 60's, I was in a disgruntled state, having watched 8 crappy performances up to that point. I would like to clarify that while Aaron Kelly's rendition of "My Girl" was, in fact, nauseatingly cheesy, I adore the song itself when sung by The Temptations. My Girl is a very sweet and classic love song, and I don't think it's fair for it to be butchered on American Idol by a 16 year old who makes it hokey.....just so you know.