2011 'American Idol' Top Thirteen: A Mixed Bag

The two-hour "American Idol" program on March 9, 2011, showcased the top thirteen contestants. I was looking forward to great performances from all of these talented singers-some delivered and some disappointed.

The vocalists were asked to choose songs recorded by their own personal idols. They had the opportunity to work with Interscope Records' Jimmy Iovine and a team of producers. I had heard that Iovine would be taking on the role of "bad guy" this season; however, he was very supportive and complimentary.

The Good
James Durbin was the best of the night, in my opinion. He chose to sing Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed. James showed off his versatility, belting out his signature high notes, yet reeling it back in with a melodic touch.

Pia Toscano faced the night under the pressure of trying to top last week's show-stopping performance. She pulled it off singing Celine Dion's All by Myself. Idol contestants have historically been chided for taking on the "big voices." Toscano was successful. I particularly like her tone in the lower ranges, but she can belt the high notes out as well. Now I'm ready to see her step away from the ballads.

Casey Abrams chose to sing Joe Cocker's I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends. This was a perfect match for his vocal styling. Casey sings with his whole body and soul-the passion is contagious.

Scotty McCreery sang Garth Brooks' The River. I love listening to his low-pitched, soothing renderings. He is an audience favorite. I want to hear him cut loose a little bit now. No matter how he places on Idol, I think he's already sealed his fate.

Stefano Langone earned one of the spots as the judges' wildcard picks last week. Tonight, he proved to be the best of the wildcard trio that included Ashthon Jones and Naima Adedapo. Steven Tyler likened his performance of Stevie Wonder's Lately to an erupting volcano. It started out soft and slow-diverted to double-time in the middle-and showed off his strong, powerful vocals at the end.

Paul McDonald's voice has a personality all its own. I am inexplicably drawn to his tone. As he sang Ryan Adams' Come Pick Me Up, even though he was, as Randy Jackson says, "a little pitchy," his tone was powerful and raspy. His moves on stage did get a little distracting, but that's just part of his quirky package.

Haley Reinhart surprised me tonight. I thought it was her best performance so far. Previously, I actually wondered why she was chosen for the top 13, but I enjoyed her rendition of LeAnn Rimes' Blue. She interjected some yodels, growls and a little falsetto. It all worked and even had some resemblance to a Patsy Kline sound.

The Okay
Lauren Alaina has been one of my favorites so far on "American Idol," but she wasn't up to par tonight when she sang Shania Twain's Any Man of Mine. Lauren worked the stage and the audience well, but I think Steven Tyler was right when he said the performance needed "a little kick-ass."

Jacob Lusk has been a crowd favorite, but his performance didn't move me tonight. He was flanked by a background chorus as he sang R. Kelly's I Believe. I think Jacob is trying too hard and it's resulting in over-singing and some off-key rifts.

Naima Adedapo sure had the dance moves and the reggae going on "American Idol" as she sang Rihanna's Umbrella. She had some trouble with pitch and breath control. I hope she stays around because I believe she has more to offer.

Thia Megia followed up on the judges' suggestion last week and went with a Michael Jackson-via Charlie Chaplin-rendition of Smile. She has a very pretty voice and I think she'll do well once she settles into the competition. The beginning was very good, when she sang simply with the guitar. She had some problems going off key midway through the number.

The Bad
Karen Rodriguez didn't impress me tonight.I thought she would really nail Selena's I Could Fall in Love, but she didn't. She looked surprisingly uncomfortable and had a hard time hitting the notes.

Ashthon Jones could be leaving "American Idol" tomorrow night on the reveal show. She looks like a young Diana Ross and chose to sing her song, When You Tell Me That You Love Me. Ashthon wasn't her usual, confident self. Maybe she was trying to tone it down. She looked uncomfortable and her transitions were not smooth.

We'll find out tomorrow night, 8pmET, who America has decided to elimate from the competition.

Source: "American Idol," March 9, 2011; FOX TV