Jason Castro Tops Mariah Carey's Original on American Idol

As I was biding my time before American Idol last week, I pondered what the weirdest song choice for a guy would be. It would definitely have to be "Over The Rainbow." I've never heard a guy sing it. Then here comes Jason Castro with the ukulele, singing that song. I nearly choked, expecting to hate it. I'm still waiting. I honestly thought his rendition of that was pretty great.

To be honest, I've had a hard time getting past his dreadlocks. My personal tastes border on conservative, but I can't hold it against the kid just because I don't like his hair. As Mariah put it, "he's unique," and Mariah should know. I don't think anyone in the business can hit the highs like she can.

Then he decided to sing "I Don't Wanna Cry." Wow, Jason are we getting in touch with our feminine side here? I cringed that he was going to sing a song so girly until I heard it, teaching me to not judge a book by its cover or the 10 million times you've heard it on the radio.

This song sounded NOTHING like the dolphin pitch Mariah Carey version I'm familiar with, and it was pretty good. It was original and it fit his style, and I preferred listening to him sing it over the original (note: I do not hate Mariah Carey) Jason's style seems to be a regge/beachy vibe and it works very well for him. The judges didn't seem too crazy about it, but Simon

The guys overall really outdid the girls on the show (although I'm not sure how I feel about David Cook's "Part Of Me". That song is my all time favorite Mariah song, and I'm still debating if he sang it or slaughtered it). It may not be enough to keep him from going home, but at least he'll go on a great note.