American Idol 2010 Contestants Compete for Final Two Spots

The heat is on. The vocalists sizzled and even fizzled a bit on Tuesday, May 18^th's American Idol. Tomorrow night the top two contestants will be announced. I have a feeling-as I have the entire season-that the duo in the finale will be Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze. Casey James has been one of my favorites as well, but I never thought he was 'finale-bound'. However, he didn't get the break tonight that the other two enjoyed.

Casey James

The Idols picked their own songs for the first segment. During the last half of the program, the numbers were chosen for them by the judges. Unfortunately for Casey, Randy and Kara's pick, "Daughters" by John Mayer, didn't do him justice. He sounded good on the vocals. His performance was sensitive and vulnerable, and that's what they were looking for when they opted for this song. Nonetheless, the song wasn't in the same league as the showcase tunes chosen for Crystal and Lee, so Casey was at a disadvantage. His first song was Eric Hutchinson's "Ok, It's Alright With Me". I think he was right in his element. Casey will end up with a solid career due to his time on American Idol, but I think this may have been his last week as a contestant.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal started off with Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window". I enjoyed her fluctuations in tone from soft and sultry to hard-driving. She did have a slight bit of trouble hitting a couple of the high notes on this one. Ellen chose Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" for her second tune, and it was a great decision. Crystal took risks tonight by leaving her instruments behind and heading right out into the audience. If American Idol viewers thought she was "hiding behind her guitar", she proved them wrong tonight. She was great, as always. Crystal has been consistent all season. She's a star already in my book.

Lee DeWyze

Lee's personal song choice was Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man". It was a solid performance once again, and the judges thought Lee "crushed the competition". I didn't think so. He was very good, but just on a par with the others. His second song, however, was a different story. Once again, the song choice made the difference. This one was Simon's decision, and he picked Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". This was Lee's best performance to date on American Idol and may have been enough for him to be the one standing under the confetti when it's all said and done.

May 11th Top 4 Idols Perform
May 12th American Idol Results' Show