Idol Eyes: Shania Week

Siobhan went to the yell one too many times.

Casey James and Shania Twain on the same screen? That's a whole lot of beautiful, people. Give me a moment to prepare . . .

In the meantime, I just want to say that after a couple weeks of reflection (and a sudden reminder from Ms. Twain) that Simon was dead-on with his statement that Katie should have been singing country. Whether it's right for her or not, who knows, but there is no one for country fans to vote for on this season, and Katie could have owned that segment.


Okay, I'm ready.

Lee DeWyze
Still the One
Shania gave Lee some great advice, although it forced him to expose a weak spot in his repertoire: the soft and slow vibe. Lee doesn't have a middle ground between throaty emotional outburst and quiet contemplation. The first few bars were sleepy and sloppy, but once he opened up the song it sounded great. For the most part. Lee' definitely come the farthest, although I still wonder what Alex Lambert could have been had America the slightest clue about who belonged in the top 12. Oh well.
Odds of Going Home: 9 to 1


Michael Lynche
It Only Hurts When I Breathe
Lee could learn a lot from Michael, because he lives in the soft, slow, and tender vibe. I don't recall ever hearing this song, but I know it didn't sound quite like this. Michael is probably the best of the group at putting his signature on a song. It's weird, I think Michael is one of the best performers on the show, but I don't know if he has a chance of winning this thing OR succeeding in the business. Then again, he could be the next Jennifer Hudson, I don't know. I like the guy, though. I really like him.
Odds of Going Home: 6 to 1


Casey James
Don't
There was a brief moment, maybe 5 or 6 notes out of the mentor clip, when Casey and Shania harmonized together, and that got me a little excited. Casey's performance did that too. Wow. I think Shania absolutely shot a bullseye through Casey's psyche, and the truth of what she said came through in the song. He seemed like that guy who was a little worried the only reason he's in this thing has been his looks. And he finally decided to express himself musically. And also looked amazing. Moving on . . .
Odds of Going Home: 8 to 1


Crystal Bowersox
No One Needs to Know
The biggest shock of this one is the song choice. It's sort of a guilty pleasure of mine, but I didn't peg Crystal as the "guilty pleasure song" kind of girl. It seems too light and fluffy for her. But I'm glad she's taking on new things. I like that she made a personal statement in an Idol performance. I like that she played with the song so much almost to the point of improvisation. I'm just a little worried she's about to get Daughtried.
Odds of Going Home: hmm . . . I don't want to say. 7 to 1


Aaron Kelly
You Got a Way
Shania is a really good mentor. I mean, she's one of the all-time hit machines in music history, so I shouldn't be surprised. But up to this point all the singers clearly belong here. Aaron is just on a lower tier. But holy crap, he was leagues better than he's ever been. The teeny boppers who've been voting this kid through every week won't have to look back in shame upon their actions tonight.
Odds of Going Home: 6 to 1. Crazy, I know.


Siobhan Magnus
Any Man of Mine
Siobhan doing a straight-up rendition of Shania's original hit. All she did was add a high note and a Broadway finale. For me, it was an absolute Twain wreck (blame Ellen for that pun). Her rhythm was off. Her delivery was as bland and soft as unsalted butter. The whole thing was a syncopative mess. (I was going to say syncopatory, but it turns out that's not an actual word. Neither is syncopatorial. They are both such non-words that googling them results in zero results, which means this page should be the only result you'll find. If you need a one-hit google term, you're welcome.) They'll go back and watch this and see what Shania saw: it was bad.
Odds of Going Home: 2 to 1.