Idol Season 9's Casey James Approves of New Judges

Remember Casey James, the tall, blonde Texan from Season 9 who came in third after Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox? Casey was in the audience at the elimination show where he got to see another Casey (Abrams) be pulled back from the brink of eliminaton by the one and only American Idol save.

What a wild moment that was, in a totally entertaining evening of surprises (Stevie Wonder, Hulk Hogan), when Abrams was cut short from singing the song that was supposed to impress the judges enough to let him stay. Abrams must have been more baffled by that move then he was by finding himself singing in the first place since he has been considered one of the top talents from the get-go.

Just about the most amazing moment of Season 9 occurred when a recently released from the hospital Bret Michaels appeared on stage in the Season 9 Finale to perform "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Casey. It blew everyone's mind!

Casey James evidently came along for the show with the band Sugarland, who he now opens for. Sugarland performed "Stuck Like Glue" on this second elimination show of the season. In an interview on "Hollywood Reporter's Idol Worship," Casey talked about his take on the new judges and what his feelings were in the last season.

James was mighty impressed with the level of talent that's on American Idol this year: "All of the singers are amazing. Everybody is really, really good. But what stuck out to me is that the judges were giving a lot of really good constructive criticism. Like 'Hey, maybe you should've hit that high note eight bars sooner.' [The contestants] can take that advice and really use it."

When asked if he felt that it would have been better if last year's judges had proceeded in that manner, Casey said: "To each his own. For me, regardless the outcome of what was said, I feel confident with what I did. And I'm really thankful for the experience. But I think it's good now to have someone leading you in a direction that you might have gone on your own, but you just needed that extra push. It would have been helpful. You never know what might have been said."

No, we will never know what might have been said, but we do know that Casey had to deal with an enormous amount of ridicule last year and in some ways, his Idol experience must have felt like a bit of a hazing. There was the cougar thing with Kara that many people found revolting. The Texas singer and musician (remember his outstanding talent on the guitar and ukulele?) played along with it at the audition, but it stuck and kept going on and on, ad nauseum. Then there was Kara and her comparison of Casey to a lamb. Baaaa. Brutal stuff.

Still he hung in there, his fans backed him up and he made it all the way to the Top 3.

Currently working on his debut album, Casey also told" The Hollywood Reporter" that it will be out very soon. He says working with his label, Sony Nashville, and his management and all the people who are surrounding him right now is "just awesome." He's out touring and writing his own songs with the help of "some amazing" Nashville songwriters, and just loving his life: "I'm playing my own stuff, songs that are from my heart, and to see people singing along is literally, exactly what I want for my life. I've never felt so blessed."

Sources: Embedded
More: Casey James Medley