With I Don't Wanna Cry, Jason Castro Shines on American Idol's Mariah Carey Night

Last week on American Idol, Jason Castro's performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was great enough for me to see him in the top three. Tonight, his performance of Mariah Carey's I Don't Wanna Cry will only help to solidify his spot in the competition.

Though I've always thought that Jason Castro was a true musician and one of the most unique competitors on this season of American Idol, my main criticism of him was that he always picked songs that allowed him to vocally stay within his safe zone. As far as style, his song choices were always right on the money, but never really gave him the chance to show off how truly strong his voice is.

Tonight, though, he finally did it - he picked a song that showcased his voice over his style, and it was incredible. As Simon mentioned, it wasn't the best vocal performance of the night, but it still showed that he has a strong set of pipes. Yet it didn't feel like he was belting it out unnecessarily - he still came across as genuine and sincere.

In addition to a great vocal performance, Jason was still able to take the song and turn it into his own style, with a little guidance from Mariah. This made his performance even stronger - it showed that he's a talented musician who knows his style and has a voice that stands out. He is far from ordinary, and may be one of the most unique competitors that American Idol has seen so far.

Given his performance tonight, Jason is sure to stick around for another week. If there was ever any doubt that he would be able to stay in the competition, he cast those doubts aside with tonight's stellar performance. I fully expect to see him standing in the top 3, right next to David Archuleta and David Cook.