As the ninth season of American Idol rolls toward the finish line, the top five contestants took to the stage once more; this time, performing selections from Frank Sinatra's catalogue.
Within the first ten minutes of the show, the Top Five were excited to be introduced to their newest mentor: Harry Connick, Jr. The singer/actor/composer greeted the group with his usual laid-back charm, before revealing that he would be the one arranging Sinatra's music to fit the singers' unique skill sets, in addition to performing alongside the Idols as their piano accompanist.
After Ryan Seacrest dealt out his usual introduction, the five took to the stage, with high-schooler Aaron Kelly first at bat. Before the season's youngest contestant took the stage, Seacrest also took time to introduce Sinatra's two daughters, who were in the Idol audience. The women not only stood and smiled, but gifted head judge Simon Cowell with one of their father's monogrammed handkerchiefs, much to the critical Brit's delight.
Aaron Kelly: "Fly Me to the Moon"
For the first performance of the night, Kelly's rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" started a bit pitchy, but Kelly fell into a jazzy, well-toned performance, and also marked a welcome depature from the teen's usual '90's-style spiked hair. The judges, as well as the audience, reacted enthusiastically, even though Kara DioGuardi thought the performance paled in comparison to Shania Twain week, with Simon in agreement, though he noted that viewers seem to love the high-schooler.
Casey James: "Blue Skies"
The creative hair choices continued with James' performance, pulling his normally flowing golden locks into a controlled bun. Aside from the hair, James' vocals were shakier than Kelly's, with all of the judges noting his "stiff" and "pitchy" performance, which Kara observed "sounded like a ram."
Crystal Bowersox: "Summer Wind"
In a rare, guitar-less performance, Bowersox gave a rather subdued, restrained performance. Also in a departure from normality, the typically funky singer was attired in an elegant, strapless black gown. Unfortunately for Bowersox, the normally supportive Randy Jackson thought her performance was "sleepy," and all of the judges believed she was somewhat out of her element, and Simon implored the front-runner to "step it up."
"Big Mike" Lynche: "The Way You Look Tonight"
For his Top Five performance, Big Mike stepped out with one of Sinatra's most loved tunes. The soulful singer was fully committed to the classic, which Connick jazzed up a bit. To counter their critique of Crystal, Randy shouted that Mike was "in it to win it!" and the others, especially Simon, concurred that the almost-eliminated singer was one of the evening's best.
Lee DeWyze: "That's Life"
Closing out the evening, DeWyze gave a typically soulful performance. By judging time, the audience cheered too loudly for Randy to start speaking, with all four judges in glowing, complimentary accord. Both women noted that if DeWyze devotes himself, the steady but shy performer could, quite conceivably, win the entire competition.
Ashlea Ramey - Ashlea Ramey is a recent journalism graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. She lives in east Tennessee on a goat farm, where she ...
