Idol: Elton John nite

It was another night of very good performances on American Idol. Once again, everyone sang well, but some of the performances were more dynamic than others.

For the third week in a row, James was tops for me. He sounded great, and his performance absolutely blew me away. How did he run around like that and not run out of breath? Down the stairs, around the judges table, up the stairs, up the piano, jumping off the piano - WOW! Very impressive. James owns the stage every time, and as Randy said, he looks like he's having the time of his life. Go James! You rock!

Just like last week, Jacob was second for me. I know a lot of people think he's overly dramatic, but I like the passion and the emotion he brings to his performances. Just like on Motown nite, he was able to reign in the drama just enough so he didn't crash and burn. His voice is amazing, so rich and powerful. Great work, Jacob.

Third place was a surprise this week. Lauren raised her game and delivered her best performance since her audition. Her rendition of "Candle in the Wind" was lovely and I really enjoyed the emotion she put into the performance. I still wish she would sing more like Kelly Clarkson and less like Carrie Underwood, but I really really enjoyed her tonight.

So those were my top three of the night. Pia, Haley, Casey, Naima, and Stefano would be the middle of the pack for me. Once again Pia's vocals were stellar, but I felt next to no emotion in her peformance. She is the LaToya London of season ten. Haley sounded quite good, but there were a few spots when the song seemed to stagnate. I think her voice is very good though. Casey redeemed himself with a lovely, restrained version of "Your Song," although without all the growling and stomping I found his vocals a bit lacking. Naima sold her reggae version of "I'm Still Standing" with her enthusiasm and strong performing skills, and it worked for me, but I don't think it worked for the audience as a whole. Stefano worked hard on fixing some of his bad habits; he kept his eyes open for most of the song, and didn't oversing. He has a very good voice, but he's still middle of the pack for me.

My bottom three would be Scotty, Paul, and Thia. Again, with Scotty and Paul its a matter of taste. I don't care for Paul's voice; he's too "Bob Dylan" for me. Scotty is very talented and will be highly successful as a country recording artist, but he's not my cup of tea. Thia is a sweet girl with a lovely voice, but the talent on Idol this season is overpowering her.

So I would like Scotty, Paul, and Thia to be in the bottom three, with Paul and Thia going home. But I think it will be Naima, Paul, and Thia in the bottom three, with Naima and Thia going home.

librarianintx