Lambert Shows Worthiness to Be 'American Idol' Mentor

If there was any doubt as to whether Adam Lambert, only a year removed from the show, deserved to be a mentor on "American Idol," he removed any doubt Tuesday night during the Elvis Theme.

Several times as the top 9 contestants initially performed their songs for him in Las Vegas, Lambert stopped them to offer advice either on their vocals or how to perform the song. He stopped Andrew Garcia, who was doing "Hound Dog," and told him the performance wasn't very good and that he should pick it up some. He wanted Tim Urban, singing "Can't Help Falling in Love with You," to end the song in a higher octave to show more emotion. Aaron Kelly was told to growl a little while performing "Blue Suede Shoes," as was Katie Stevens, who was doing "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do?" Siobhan Magnus was advised to step up the tempo on "Suspicious Minds."

This was all great advice and more than most of the other mentors provided this year. Unfortunately, whether they made a conscious decision to ignore the advice of last year's "American Idol" semi-finalist or simply forgot it due to nerves, almost none of the contestants heeded the knowledge imparted to them.

This year's crop of contestants, with the occasional exception - which usually includes Crystal Bowersox - has had little stage presence. Lambert was known for outrageous and unpredictable performances week in and week out last year, and, in fact, got into some trouble for a risqué performance at this year's American Music Awards. He would seem to be the perfect mentor to teach contestants how to perform live, but, as always, that depends on the students being willing to learn.

Still, there were a couple of standout performances. Bowersox again excelled while kicking off Elvis Night with "Saved." It wasn't her best, but even when she's not at her best she's better than most of the others.

Despite not really listening to Lambert, Urban's performance, featuring just him on acoustic guitar and a white spotlight. It was very well done and earned much praise from the judges. Lee DeWyze did "A Little Less Conversation," and sounded pretty good. It was a good choice for his raspy voice and he seems to be getting more and more comfortable on stage every week.

Michael Lynche also came very close to a standout performance, except he was done in by the time limit of the songs. His vocals were very good as he sang "In the Ghetto," but he only had time to perform the first and second verses. While the singing could not be faulted, that song tells a very powerful story and the most emotional part is the end, which he left out. Still, he redeemed himself after getting voted off last week, forcing the judges to use their save to keep him in the competition.

Casey James started out strong on "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," using his penchant for soul and blues, but I found myself getting bored after awhile. Still, he seems to be right up there with Bowersox or DeWyze as one of the favorites.

Rounding out the bottom was Garcia, which actually had a pretty decent, if slow and sleepy, rendition. It actually reminded me of some of Elvis' early days when he used the big microphone and stand, even if Garcia didn't display even a fraction of The King's charisma. Kelly was okay, as was Magnus and Stevens.

Due to the save being used last week, two contestants will be eliminated this week. Those will be Garcia and Magnus.