Top 8 Guys

You could tell it was going to be a serious night when Ryan Seacrest introduced the Top 8 guys like a drill sergeant. Alex Lambert and Aaron Kelly could barely contain their laughter as Ryan eyed them as he introduced them.

In order to fit eight performances in one hour, the show started without wasting any time and Lee Dewyze kicked off the show. He brought his acoustic guitar out for another visit and performed the Top 40 hit "Fireflies" by Owl City. You can see a new found confidence in Lee. Ellen DeGeneres said she knows quite a few people who have crushes on Lee, and I bet they wish they were the microphone that he holds right up to his lips. Kara also noticed Lee's new confidence and thought it was better than the radio version of the song, and Randy was glad Lee made it his own. Not a shabby start to the show!

Alex Lambert sang Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" and played the guitar. This seems to be the most comfortable he's been on stage. Ellen believed so and said that Alex is "becoming a mushy banana," which, despite the imagery, is a compliment. Kara told Alex, "The only thing standing in the way of you winning is you." Basically, Alex has all the goods and he just needs to relax when he performs. Simon brought up the unfortunate relaxation method of picturing Randy Jackson in a bikini. Kara revealed that this method works for her. Do they make bikinis out of cardigan sweater material?

Tim Urban was up next and he took on "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. "Hallelujah" was one of Jason Castro's shining moments during Season 7, and Season 9 auditioner Maddy Curtis performed it very well in Boston this year. Tim gave a solid and honest rendition, and this was his best performance on the Idol stage. He worked it out, and he must be working out, because his arms looked good in that shirt. Ellen was moved by the music and felt that she had been hard on Tim in the past, so she got out from behind the judges' table and ran up on stage to give Tim a hug. An Idol first!

Andrew Garcia's tweets on the AI9Contestants social media pages promised that he'd have a trick up his sleeve this week. The 24 year old sang Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" with his acoustic guitar, in an attempt to get back to his "Straight Up" type of performances. Randy gave his fellow cardigan-wearing Andrew a sweater shout-out, but a few of the judges still didn't think "Genie In A Bottle" came across as brilliantly or as naturally as "Straight Up" did, although Ellen thought the end was "when the genie came out of the bottle." The last verse of the song was magical.

Casey James went unplugged this week with an acoustic guitar and Keith Urban's "You'll Think Of Me." He sat on the stool that brought him good luck during his first live performance of "Heaven." Casey loves wearing his paisley shirts, and I think a lot of Casey fans probably loved that he kept it as unbuttoned as Simon keeps his shirts. The judges seemed to agree with each other that this was a good performance: not quite as great as his first live performance, but definitely better than his second. Would middle of the road be enough for the country cutie?

Aaron Kelly kept it country and sang Lonestar's "I'm Already There." An Aaron performance wouldn't be complete without his signature left arm dance move, which he pulled out four times during the performance. The judges said they love Aaron, but thought there were some tough vocal moments in the song. Simon commented that 16 year old Aaron can't relate to the lyrics of a father on the road away from his family, but Aaron brought up that he saw it as telling a story. Aaron brings up a good point; Carrie Underwood sings some songs about her life and others about a mother and a baby who nearly get in a car wreck or a young bride who loses her soldier husband.

Todrick Hall sang "Somebody To Love" by Queen. He seemed very comfortable during this performance, and Randy noticed Todrick was in the zone. The judges couldn't deny his great vocals on that song, and Todrick showed that he's more than just a dancer who can sing. Simon called him a Broadway singer, but heck, that's not a bad thing to say to the guy who looks up to his Broadway/Idol pal Fantasia. Simon questioned his fingerless gloves, but I question the hint of a goatee that's forming on Todrick's face. If he ditches the facial hair, I could see him performing this song with the New Directions kids on GLEE.

Rounding out the night was a dapper Michael Lynche. He sang "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell, which is a tough song with a lot of range, and I never knew Big Mike could sing that high. Tonight, Mike is giving off a Ruben Studdard vibe, but with less sweat and a smaller collection of jerseys. Randy was so into the performance that towards the end of the critique, words escaped him and he just made sounds. Ellen said that Mike is now the one to beat, and the performance moved Kara to some serious tears. Even Simon said Michael "100% nailed it." The best part of it all was that Michael's wife was in the audience to witness the performance.

After a night of solid performances, it's a shame that two people have to leave within 24 hours time. I can't even venture a guess as to who it will be!