Hallelujah! Tim Urban Finally Has a Good Performance on American Idol Top 8 Boys

Last night, Tim Urban finally tapped into his potential and showed us why he deserves to be on American Idol. Of the Top 8 Boys, he is arguably the most improved contestant.

Last night, Tim Urban performed Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah. Just from the way he carried himself on stage, I had a feeling it would be good. He seemed to have a new air of confidence. While it wasn't quite as legendary as Jason Castro's version, Tim Urban's version was solid, soulful, and honest.

Randy Jackson gave him props for "walking into big shoes" (taking on a song that's been performed well on American Idol) and turning in a solid performance.

Ellen DeGeneres leapt onto the stage to hug him. She called the performance "fantastic" and wanted to make up for having been so hard on him these past few weeks.

Kara DioGuardi said that he was finally into it, that the performance was honest, and that he conveyed the emotion of the song.

Simon Cowell said that it was by far Tim Urban's best performance on American Idol. He and Ellen then argued over who was responsible for Tim doing well this week. Urban thanked all four judges "equally."

Critics seem to agree with the judges about Tim Urban. As The Star Ledger observes, Urban's performance "may have given some needed credibility to a young singer who was all but written off by many critics."

It's good to finally see a strong performance from Tim Urban. The fact that he is genuinely gracious and polite adds to his appeal. I'd always liked him but feared that he was skating by on his charisma and "pretty boy" looks.

The three youngsters, Tim Urban, Alex Lambert, and Aaron Kelly are growing and improving every week. Alex Lambert's performance of Trouble was smooth, sweet, and vulnerable. Meanwhile Aaron Kelly seemed nervous and shaky during his performance of I'm Already There, but pulled it together by the middle of the song.

Tim Urban and Alex Lambert are not going anywhere this week. Aaron Kelly will likely survive this week on American Idol as well (unless Todrick Hall garners enough support to save himself).

Sources:

'American Idol' recap: A strong night for the Top 8 guys, The Star Ledger-NJ.com