Casey James Performs Hold On with Kristian Bush from Sugarland

It's a new song they wrote together for Casey's debut album. I can't wait for that. I love Sugarland!!

American Idol Season 9 Top 3 Studio Recording Review

- Casey James - OK,It's Alright With Me (woah,from the first note,I already love this recording. Casey's bluesy raspy voice comes out very apparent and clear,I really really enjoy his voice in this song,and everything is much better than his live performance.)
- Crystal Bowersox - Come To My Window (the melody and the arrangement in this song remind me so much of the music on late 90's. Very nostalgic. Crystal's voice suck me into the song. Very lovely. I love it!! If you love late 90's music,you should buy this song. It will make you dance.)
- Lee Dewyze - Simple Man (somehow,the first thing that I thought when I listen to this song is woah,Lee could have a bonafide music career after this. I don't know if people will buy Lee's songs since the market is so inundated with crappy albeit catchy songs. But I believe,the record company can find a way to market Lee. He's very markettable,judging from his recording voice alone. Btw I love this recording,usually I'm not a fan of this type of genre in music,but dunno why I like this)
- Casey James - Daughters (hmm Casey back to his boring self in this song. Bummer. I'm not enjoying this song at all. It's like he didn't give it his all when recording this song.)
- Crystal Bowersox - Maybe I'm Amazed (the arrangement in this song is too gloomy for me,somehow I'm not liking this recording at all. It's too blah.)
- Lee Dewyze - Hallelujah (sorry Lee,I don't like this rendition. Your voice is pretty good in the song but Hallelujah has already been done to death and I'm so bored with it. And you did nothing in the arrangement)

The best recording this week: Simple Man,Come To My Window,OK,It's Alright With Me

American Idol Season 9 Top 3 Result Show

Hoahm,okay tonight is the announcement of the Top 2. Ryan begins with chit chat with the Top 3. It's so boring that I daydream along the way. I don't know,but these guys don't have any sparks in them to excite the audiences.

Casey James's homecoming clip. Is it me or did they cut Casey clip only until the hospital?? I didn't see his reunion with his family,etc. Looks like something's wrong with my channel.

Travis Garland performs. Looks like it's lips-syncing. I don't see this song gains any traction at all. He should've been with his old boyband.

Crystal Bowersox's homecoming clip. Touching. She has to win this thing,if not that'd be injustice.

Lee Dewyze's homecoming clip. Woah,he's shocked that all of this happening to him.

Justin Bieber performs. I love You Smile,I Smile. He should've sang a full Baby song. This is the only interesting thing in the whole night. I've seen the popularity of Hilary Duff,Miley Cyrus,Jonas Brothers and now Justin Bieber. Who's next?? It's getting more popular by each new artist. Someday it'd be the equivalent of the second coming of Christ.

Casey James is eliminated. Crystal & Lee for the Finale. Predictable. Gosh,what a lazy singout.

American Idol Season 9 Top 4 Studio Recordings Review

- Lee Dewyze (hmm I don't see why people should buy this recording,it's almost alike with his live performance. Somehow,I'm enchanted by the background singer's voice in this)
- Michael Lynche (bland performance and I don't care at all. Just Mike singing that song in karaoke)
- Crystal Bowersox & Lee Dewyze (beautiful vocal and arrangement from both of them,I can hear their chemistry and the harmonization is great.)
- Casey James (I love this recording of Casey. Great vocal,great arrangement,more melodic rather than his live performance. Definitely one of his best recording)
- Crystal Bowersox (same with Casey. Crystal has great recording too this week. I love her vocal and the way she sing in this recording. I can feel her conviction and all her passion. Great job!!)
- Casey James & Michael Lynche (thanks to Casey,Mike probably has his best recording. This recording is so good,you should check it out. I love both of their voices.)

The best recording this week: Casey James,Crystal Bowersox,both of the duets

American Idol Season 9 Top 6 Studio Recordings Review

- Lee Dewyze (surprise surprise,Lee's voice unrecognizable again in the booth. It's like he can't stay on pitch on live performance,and sing excellentlly on pitch in the recording. I don't like the beginning verse though,it's too jarring toward the chorus. I wish they smoothed that part. Oh well!!)
- Michael Lynche (woah,I'm very impressed. Mike sounds so good in this recording. Full of emotion,his spot on vocal,very emotional song,definitely capable of being a love song to be played on radio)
- Casey James (Casey brings it on again this week!! He delivers a great recording,almost as good as Jealous Guy. Sometimes the arrangement is too cheesy and loungey. I prefer the background music in his live performance. More current than this recording one)
- Crystal Bowersox (I feel like in a western cowboy movie with this old arrangement. The recording isn't that bad. With the perfect blues folk country style that Crystal perfectly sings. A lil bit faster arrangement that the one in the show. But not my cup of tea)
- Aaron Kelly (hmm the arrangement is verging on sleepy for me. But Aaron still got a nice vocal in his recording. I can't wait for his album)
- Siobhan Magnus (I love the flavor of rock in this country song. Siobhan did it nicely. Although some people don't like her nasally vocal but I love it. I think it's a pretty good recording from Siobhan. Love the scream at the end)

Overall I'm very bias this week because I love Shania Twain songs and I always imagine her voice in my mind when I'm listening to this kids.

The best recording this week: Michael Lynche,Siobhan Magnus,Casey James

American Idol Season 9 Top 6 Performances (Shania Twain Week)

First,I wanted to say that I love Shania Twain's songs,love every singles that she released in her career. So if they butcher any of that song,they'd be gone in my book.

- Lee Dewyze (oh no Lee,the beginning and the end were so pitchy. He struggled so much on the high notes,he couldn't find the right spot for that notes and he didn't show any emotion at all in his eyes. I didn't like it. He murdered one of my fave song)
- Michael Lynche (woah,I almost cried watching his performance. He sure put his heart on his sleeve. I can feel the emotion thus making me mellow. Although it'd be much more better if he tone down the bandzilla,they overpowered him. Just accoustic with piano is fine)
- Casey James (the best performance so far and arguably Casey's best performance. It gave goosebumps all over my body. I loved it!! He needs to open his eyes more though. Btw what the heck with all the girls standing in front of him like zombie staring at the wall?? That's just plain weird.)
- Crystal Bowersox (her falsetto is amazing!! I love it!! Although it's more of a laid back performance but still solid & perfect in every way. She's just a strong artist. I love her interpretation of this song,and her bf is so cute!! LOL. Was she hinting for him to propose to her??)
- Aaron Kelly (Aaron's best performance ever. I love his voice!! He has major potential if someone can guide him in the right way. For now,he's amazing!! He sang every notes like he meant it,and by sitting down on the stool,I didn't have to see his hips swaying around. Good job.)
- Siobhan Magnus (interesting to say to least. I didn't know what to say with all the walking around the judges & audiences. The arrangement was interesting. The banshee scream baffled me.)

My rank:
1. Casey James
2. Aaron Kelly
3. Crystal Bowersox
4. Michael Lynche
5. Siobhan Magnus
6. Lee Dewyze
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American Idol Season 9 Top 7 Studio Recording Review

- Casey James (love Casey's voice in this recording,it stands out. I'm surprised that he impresses me with this recording. The song arrangement is still boring but his voice is amazing)
- Lee Dewyze (gosh,why this recording is so boring. It's like Lee didn't put any energy singing this song at all. Makes me sleepy)
- Tim Urban (hmm it's pretty good,the melody is pretty nice and Tim's voice is unusually not boring in this. I like it)
- Aaron Kelly (I hate the arrangement,too mellow,but still I love Aaron's raspy country voice. He needs to pick a country song,darn it!!)
- Siobhan Magnus (I dunno,I'm not really feeling this recording. Too boring and not lively as her live performance. It's like Siobhan's unique voice got lost in the recording booth this week)
- Michael Lynche (just boring and meh. Mike's voice rarely impresses me in the recording version)
- Crystal Bowersox (Crystal's voice still great but I hate the song. Just completely tuneless and meh all around. Sorry)

The best recording this week: Casey James

American Idol Season 9 Top 9 Studio Recording Review

- Aaron Kelly (woah,nice tone and obviously a massive improvement from his performance. Still not as good as David Archuleta's recording but a pretty good recording,and I might play this one over and over again in the long run)
- Katie Stevens (another one of pretty good recording,love her voice,love the arrangement,the way they showcase her vocal is spot on. Her higher register is amazing and she should do that often in the live stage)
- Andrew Garcia (well,at least it's much better than his awful performance. Not as boring and banal as that. He has more vocal acrobatic (not much) and the band is better)
- Michael Lynche (very loungey recording,so Mike fooled everybody to buy his pathetic recording)
- Crystal Bowersox (it's good but I don't feel that raw energy and vibe like from her live performance. Dunno why)
- Tim Urban (oh God,the opening note surely can make all the tweens girl fawning over him,but the rest of the recording is just okay. Tim still bores me with his recording)
- Casey James (beautiful vocal,heartfelt delivery,everything is perfect,a fantastic recording)
- Siobhan Magnus (lovely vocal from Siobhan,she's capable to sing anything beautifully as long as she watch out her vocal and control it from running all over the place. I like the background music too)
- Lee Dwyze (I always can't recognize Lee's recording voice,it's completely different with his live pitchy vocal. Hmm good recording though. And of course he avoid singing that high notes. EPIC FAIL,Lee!!!)

The best recording this week: Casey James,Siobhan Magnus,Aaron Kelly,Katie Stevens

American Idol Season 9 Top 9 Performances (Lennon McCartney Songbook)

First,I love the introduction clip that has all the contestants saying what their opinion about a certain person. Btw I spotted Lacey Brown!!

- Aaron Kelly (oh no,David Archuleta completely owned this rendition back in Season 7. Aaron just fell flat. He didn't have any conviction at all,and his voice sounded very pitchy and the goaty vibrato wasn't nice. Just no,Aaron!)
- Katie Stevens (woah,her vocal was amazing! No pitchy notes at all like before. She sang like she meant every words. I think she did the song justice)
- Andrew Garcia (banal,boring,karaoke-ish,cheesy. Just all kind of wrong. A big step in the wrong direction for Andrew. I want him out of the competition soon if he's continuing this disastrous step)
- Michael Lynche (hmm David Cook did a pretty good rock version of this song. Mike did okay with his own arrangement. I'd say it's pretty good with all that violins and once again his outstanding vocal)
- Crystal Bowersox (the first half of the song was okay,I loved that bong's sound though. It gave another new sound for a song that's been done many times on Idol. The 2nd half of the song was fantastic,with her singing in higher register and hitting all those high notes. I love that part of her voice. Pretty lovely. I'm liking Crystal's personality too,not as cold as her beginning run on Idol)
- Tim Urban (holy moly,Tim did great! That's good! I'm tired of his mediocre and awful performances so far. So I'm glad that he stepped it up tonight. Good vocal,amazing arrangement that fit his vocal & musical style. I love it)
- Casey James (OMG! That was in different league from the others. Really heartfelt,his accoustic guitar strumming touched my heart & my inner soul. His rendition gave me goosebumps all over my body. Arguably one of the showstopper from this season)
- Siobhan Magnus (pretty boring but still unique. She sang it with full conviction. I liked that. Not over the top banshee's scream again. I liked this restrained Siobhan. Still very nasally as my younger brother put it. Her dress is spectacular. I love it.)
- Lee Dwyze (okay performance,love his confidence that's growing every weeks,and WTF with that bag pipe player??

Overall,pretty good night. Although please don't sing a song that's been covered by Idol alumni in the past. I can't shake the comparison in my mind.

My rank:
1. Casey James
2. Crystal Bowersox
3. Katie Stevens
4. Tim Urban
5. Michael Lynche
6. Siobhan Magnus
7. Aaron Kelly
8. Lee Dwyze
9. Andrew Garcia

American Idol Season 9 Top 20 Guys Performances

Sudden switch from girls to guys because of Crystal Bowersox.

- Michael Lynche (amazing improvement over last week,very soulful,not karaoke-ish,he added much more spice into his performance.Love it!!)
- John Park (better than last week,but he didn't capture my attention. The performance didn't have any wow factor in it. He got the voice to blow us away but where is it?? I kinda hoped he hit the right moment in this song but unfortunately there wasn't any moment at all)
- Casey James (was he wearing a lipgloss?? Casey is such a frontrunner right now. I would never ever guessed it in million years watching from his audition. He has an amazing guitar playing technique. I love this performance. Very solid!!)
- Alex Lambert (major improvement over last week's awkward performance. I really like his tone & voice. With the right song and the bandzilla out of the way,he could have a showstopper performance. He has to watch some of his bummed notes though.)
- Todrick Hall (why the heck did they criticize Todrick every inch of the way. It's like everything he does is wrong. I loved his last week's performance but I didn't like this one until the second part of the song when he's moving on stage. The judges threw him under the bus and pulling all stop to confuse this guy and eliminate him I'd say)
- Jermaine Sellers (oh shut up,Jermaine!! You're so annoying!! I've had enough of you!! He's become more like a douche every weeks. His performance was boring,too much runs & I can't stand his smug face while performing. I felt like he's always showing off,and why he talks back to the judges all the time??)
- Andrew Garcia (I felt he forced his performance too much. It's like he's struggling to the end,and it's not pleasant. Still good performance though. Just a tiny bit robotic)
- Aaron Kelly (what is this?? A Motown Night?? Almost all of their song choices are old songs. I didn't like it. As of this Aaron's performance,it was still solid. He still have limited stage movement & I abhor the song. Definitely prefer last week song choice)
- Tim Urban (a perfect song choice for him,I don't think there's any better song choice than this but he has zero stage presence,he delivered karaoke-ish performance,although I could see some good moment in the end. He had some nice spots in the last part of the verse. He really needs years of experience. It's so uncomfortable watching him)
- Lee Dwyze (one of the best performance of the night. Really believable,amazing rock vocal,I loved it!! I heard many pitchy notes and his nerve though)

My rank:
1. Lee Dwyze
2. Alex Lambert
3. Casey James
4. Michael Lynche
5. Tim Urban
6. Aaron Kelly
7. Andrew Garcia
8. John Park
9. Todrick Hall
10. Jermaine Sellers

American Idol Season 9 Top 24 Guys Performances

I think this 12 guys are the most good looking group of guys ever on Idol. I can't wait to see the tweens,cougars,etc reactions deep in the game.

- Todrick Hall (woah woah I liked this arrangement although he changed it so much but I really really enjoyed it. Totally creative)
- Aaron Kelly (Amazing!!Now we're talking!!That's the kind of performance I want to see from the contestants!I was blown away by his deep rich husky voice,definitely suitable for country music career.He needs to improve his stage presence and movement though,I felt it was too much standing in the middle)
Why Jermaine looked like some random douche?!His swagger is really irritating me!!
- Jermaine Sellers (what the hell was that??Over the top performance,too much runs,it was just show-off. Nothing special at all from this performance. For me,Jermaine is getting worse everyday,I don't like him anymore)
- Tim Urban (oh my....it was excruciating watching his performance. His facial reaction was very awkward,his stage movement's weird,he can't hit the high notes. It's trainwreck. Painful performance. The only thing that could save him is his good looking face)
- Joe Munoz (very good!! He should watch his enunciation though,can be a lil bit mumble,but I think he has a strong vocal,reminds me of David Archuleta,and he didn't show any nerve at all. I could see his determination and tenacity from his eyes)
- Tyler Graddy (urgh,too old/throw back. I hated it!! No no no no!! His gimmicky is getting old)
- Lee Dwyze (way better than my expectation,pretty good performance,nice vocal,nice rendition.Good job,Lee)
- John Park (his facial expression is hollow like when he sang and I felt uncomfortable watching it. He has great voice for sure,I could see that in some parts but he couldn't find his position on that song. Too bad,I had good expectation about him)
- Michael Lynche (karaoke-ish but at least it wasn't that bad)
I was astounded that the beginning of the show was great and it went downhill really fast from there.I thought the guys could done better judging from Todrick and Aaron's performances,I was wrong.
- Alex Lambert (awful performance,so awkward and amateur,tonight's show is killing me so bad!!They were all like amateurish singers)
- Casey James (the judges were so rude joking and laughing when Casey was performing. It made him laughed a bit in the beginning. Thus ruining the emotional connection of that performance. It's still very good though)
- Andrew Garcia (it's pretty amazing I'd say,I liked it. It was refreshing. I disagreed with the judges)

Very underwhelming 1st week. Sigh. And the judges really bashed the pimp spot contestants like Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia. Never seen them like that before.

My rank:
1. Aaron Kelly
2. Todrick Hall
3. Joe Munoz
4. Andrew Garcia
5. Casey James
6. Lee Dwyze
7. John Park
8. Michael Lynche
9. Jermaine Sellers
10. Tim Urban
11. Alex Lambert
12. Tyler Graddy

American Idol Season 9 Hollywood Week Day 1

Woah,so many good people got cut,I'm shocked and some great performances.

- Katie Stevens (she's my pick from the audition,tonight her performance was very good although I wasn't blown away by it)
- Skii Bo Ski (awful performance,bye bye douche)
- Vanessa Wolfe (I was shocked that she got cut,although her performance was pretty bad.I don't know why they spent a lot of airtime on her. I thought she gonna make it to the Top 24 by looking at her airtime quota)
- Andrew Garcia (oh woah,so good!!Amazing performance.He could be like Kris Allen,the one who rearrange every song into his own.I can't wait for more of his performances)
- Maegan Wright (I was surprised she got cut,I think she's just okay)
- Janell Wheeler (the first performance from the girl that I was really listening to closely.Could be a contender)
- Haeley Vaughn (hahaha I love Taylor Swift's Change,she performed not as quite good as Taylor but she's very good,I like her)
- Mary Powers (very good!!Definitely the rocker for this year)
- Lilly Scott (spectacular performance,why didn't they show her from the audition day,it's shocking.She should've gotten more airtime.I was truly blown away by her sweet heartwarming vocal)
- Tim Urban (very cute guy,but meh)
- Justin Williams (sexy rendition,shocking that he got cut!!!Didn't expect that at all. I'm wondering why)
- Maddy Curtis (too old of a song,great voice though,I'm so sad that they cut her)
- Casey James (OMG!!Major improvement over his audition. I could support him if he pick the right song and sing it in this kind of bluesy style. Great job,Casey!!)
- Didi Benami (oh gosh,I love Terrified. Katharine McPhee has that track on her sophomore album,and Didi knocked it out of the park. The best performance of the night for me. I almost cried,it's so beautiful,it's gut wrenching. Major points for her)
- Crystal Bowersox (I got sucked in to her performance,I felt like I really watched a recording artist's concert.Great!!)
- Bosa Mora (bad bad performance,too bad!!)
- Joshua Blaylock (nooooooooooo!!!Too bad he got cut!!I wonder how his performance was)

Ellen first day was okay for me. She said too much of a joke. It's like watching Ellen Degeneres Show. I'm not so sure about that.

My rank of today's performance:
1. Didi Benami
2. Casey James
3. Lilly Scott
4. Andrew Garcia
5. Janell Wheeler
6. Crystal Bowersox
7. Katie Stevens
8. Haeley Vaughn