Season 5 American Idol finalist Kevin Covais is blogging for UsMagazine.com. Since the show, 20-year-old has appeared in films College and Labor Pains (alongside Lindsay Lohan). He also works with the Diabetes Research Institute.
We are down to the Final 4. And no, I am not talking college basketball. We are talking Idol Season 9. Just like one year ago at this time, we are left with three guys and a girl. We've got the soulful big man Michael Lynche, the heartthrob Casey James, the raspy rocker Lee DeWyze, and perhaps the leader of the pack: Crystal Bowersox. Our mentor for movie night is the multitalented Jamie Foxx. Ray is one of my all time favorite movies, so I was just as pumped to see him mentor this group as I was last year. Now onto the night!
Lee kicked things off with Seal's "Kiss From A Rose." I am huge fan of this song choice for Lee, but this performance left quite a bit to be desired. Simon and Randy said it sounds too similar to the original, and I happen to agree. I was waiting for him to bring his distinct tone and ability midway through and really rock out, but it never happened. This was a rare miss for Lee though, so I doubt he is in any real trouble after this one.
Big Mike took on Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" in his quest to get his homecoming and advance to the Top 3. This is one huge number to take on, and I feel as though Mike did a good but not great job with it. It was an impressive vocal, but Ellen is correct when calling the performance predictable. It is also a difficult song to really build on once it gets going, and that is what made this steadily decent as opposed to spectacular. Lastly, Simon is unaware of the movie Free Willy, and I am personally offended because that was one of my favorite movies as a young boy. No Free Willy across the pond, I suppose!
Next up was our very first duet courtesy of Lee and Crystal who perform "Falling Slowly." Cool is the first word that comes to mind after this. It was a very powerful performance, and the musical chemistry between them only added to it. They receive unanimous praise from the judges, and rightfully so. Don't be surprised to see these two dueling it out in the finale in just a few weeks.
Hitting the stage for the first time tonight is Casey James. "Mrs. Robinson" is his song choice, and if he were any more laid back in his delivery then Casey himself would have been sleeping. Simon is spot on in his assessment of a lack of substance here, and although he gave a good performance, I don't know that this is going to be enough to keep him around.
Our last solo performance of the night came from Crystal who chose "I'm Alright." This was quite a bold choice for Crystal, and definitely the biggest risk of the night. While this night brought no outstanding individual performances, this was the most enjoyable for me. She brings an undeniable energy and personality to each and every performance, and this week was no exception.
Duet number two was brought you by Casey and Michael, who have chosen a song for the ladies entitled "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" For me, this was a great performance, and I completely agree with the judges that this outdid either of these guys' individual efforts. Smooth vocals from Michael and exceptional work on the guitar from Casey made this one really special. Job well done!
So who goes home you ask? I'd have to say the two at risk the most are Casey and Big Mike. If we are basing it completely on the night's performances, I'm guessing that Casey heads home. Tune in Wednesday night to see if I'm right!
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