'American Idol' March 16, 2011: Top 12 Sing Songs from Birth Years

"American Idol" contestants chose songs from the years they were born. This probably made more than a few people feel old. Their birth years ranged from 1984 (the year Apple introduced the Macintosh) to 1995 (O.J. Simpson is found innocent and Bill Clinton is president)...Yep, these kids are young. The vocalists are beginning to look much more comfortable on the stage, but it's time to take it up a notch now. Some, like Stefano Langone, met that challenge-but a few fell flat.

The performances were preceded by video clips of the guys and girls when they were very young. Their parents added insight into their personalities and musical origins. Several of the parents took advantage of the limelight and belted out a few notes themselves-they actually weren't half bad.

Naima Adedapo - 1984; Tina Turner, "What's Love Got to Do with It?"
Naima opened the show, but I'm afraid this one could be her last. As much as I like her and appreciate her eclectic and interesting style, her performance was below par. She was shaky in the beginning and went off-key throughout.

Paul McDonald - 1984; Elton John,"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
The cute guy with the big smile. I just really like his distinctive sound. As Steven Tyler said, he has the kind of voice that you'd recognize immediately on the radio. He didn't jump around to distraction on stage this week either.

Thia Megia - 1995; Vanessa Williams, "Colors of the Wind"
Thia has a beautiful, strong voice, and she seldom goes off key. She looked much more relaxed tonight. The trouble is-Thia gets a bit boring. I wish she'd use her talents to really rock the stage for once.

James Durbin - 1989; Bon Jovi, "I'll Be There for You"
James belted out the song in his signature style. He did go off pitch in spots, but it was a good performance overall. His confidence isn't lacking. He worked the stage well.

Haley Reinhart - 1990; Whitney Houston, "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
Other than a few out-of-place growls, I liked Haley's performance. The judges weren't too thrilled. Randy wants her to find her niche. I really don't see why it's that important at this point. I like her style and the character of her voice. Steven Tyler keeps mentioning that he'd like to see her do a Janis Joplin tune-I have to agree-I'd like to hear that too.

Stefano Langone - 1989; Simply Red, "If You Don't Know Me by Now"
I was impressed with Stefano's performance of this song, once a hit for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Randy Jackson called it "the best of the night so far" and I would agree. Stefano kicked it up a notch, proving he deserved that wild card spot.

Pia Toscano - 1988; Whitney Houston, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?"
Pia has a great voice and she livened it up and moved around a little more tonight. There's still something missing for me though. She's bordering on getting a little boring. I'd like to see her step out of the box next week and really ramp it up.

Scotty McCreery - 1993; Travis Tritt, "Can I Trust You with My Heart?"
Scotty stretched his vocal range a little more this week. His voice is soothing. The audience loves him and he'll no doubt get a recording contract in the country music genre, regardless of how he does on "American Idol."

Karen Rodriguez - 1989; Taylor Dayne, "Love Will Lead You Back"
Karen's performances fall in the boring, same-old, same-old category. She seems like a very sweet girl, but she's forgettable on stage. I did think it was better than last week, but she isn't standing up to the stiffer competition.

Casey Abrams - 1991; Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
This definitely wasn't my favorite performance from Casey-maybe you needed to be a Gen-X'er to appreciate it. The song didn't seem to fit his personality; I think blues and jazz look better on him. I still think he's one of the most talented contestants, and I give him credit for taking risks every week.

Lauren Alaina - 1994; Melissa Etheridge, "I'm the Only One'
Lauren's lower range was shaky, but she pulled it together. I'm not sure what Melissa would think about the country spin that she put on this song, but it seemed to suit her style. I don't think we've heard the best of Lauren yet.

Jacob Lusk - 1987; Heart,"Alone"
When Jacob sings, I feel like I could be in a broadway theater. He will never be accused of not putting everything he's got into a song. Although he has a powerful voice, it gets a little overwhelming at times. I'd like to hear him pull back and be more melodic next week.

Source: "American Idol," March 16, 2011; FOX channel