'IDOL' WATCH: The Top 10

It was R&B night tonight on "Idol," a theme that benefited some singers over others, but it was actually a night of overall solid performances from the contestants. It is the first week where there hasn't really been a shockingly bad performance by any of the contestants and it featured a number of really excellent showings, including several comeback performances by performers who had a tough time in recent weeks. R&B/pop superstar Usher coached the contestants, giving spot on criticism to the group. It was clear Usher knew what he was talking about and he was the perfect choice to mentor this week.

The night began with a performance of Chaka Kahn's Through the by Siobhan Magnus. Magnus had what was clearly her weakest performance so far, as she completely missed the mark on the song. It was off throughout and didn't feature any of the interesting qualities Magnus has previously exhibited in the competition. None of the judges were very positive about her performance and, as Simon said last week and again this week, the soft song with the scream at the end feels quite tired at this point. Magnus won't be able to depend on her vocal tricks for much longer and needs to figure out somewhere else to take her performance.

Casey James was completely in his element tonight, able to combine his rock style with his affinity for blues music. James sang Hold On, I'm Coming by Sam & Dave, making a perfect choice and giving him the opportunity to best showcase his talents. Ellen and Kara felt it was a safe choice, while Randy, Simon, and Usher disagreed. (Usher's "Wow" was priceless.) Simon said it was the strongest week James had thus far and that he was "really impressed with [James] this week." James took advantage of a theme that benefitted him, resulting in a performance that should definitely keep him around for next week.

Resident Mr. Sensitive Michael Lynche performed the India.Arie hit Ready for Love, bringing out his acoustic guitar and performing an intimate performance at The Edge of the stage. My biggest issue with Lynche is his lack of versatility; he seems to perform the same, emotional love song each week. It would be nice to see Lynche to take on a different type of song and branch out a bit in upcoming weeks. The judges, however, loved the performance, with Simon saying, "[I] can take you seriously as an artist." Lynche should have no troubles this week, but hopefully he will give us something new in the future.

Didi Benami missed again this week with Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Broken Hearted. As always, Benami's voice is unique and enjoyable, but the performance was way over the top. Ellen called it overdramatic, with Simon agreeing, saying it "sounded like the [type of] singer you hear on a dance show." (Ouch!) A tough criticism for Benami, who seems to have lost the hook that made her great at the beginning of the season. Benami may be in some danger after tonight.

"Teflon" Tim Urban, known as such for his imperviousness to the judges' criticism, lived up to the title again this week, after being lambasted for his performance of Sweet Love by Anita Baker. The judges can't stand his uncaring attitude, with Kara getting visibly annoyed as he laughed off their harsh words. Simon put is perfectly: "You're going to smile, the audience is going to vote for you, nobody cares, and you'll be here next week." Urban is clearly benefitting from "Vote for the Worst" mentality, where contestants receive a number of votes even though they are clearly the weakest performers. This week, however, it would make a real difference in the competition, as none of the contestants are standouts to head home, other than Urban himself. It would quite the shock if he's not the one to take the fall.

The Andrew Garcia that won over audiences and judges alike in Hollywood was finally back tonight, singing his own version of the Chris Brown song, Forever. Garcia chose a current song and made it his own, without altering the original so much as to make it unrecognizable. I was a huge fan of the addition of strings to the arrangement, as they really complimented his acoustic guitar. Garcia seemed connected with the song and the judges were ecstatic that the he was back on his game. Of all the judges, Kara was happiest to see such a remarkable performance, saying, "Nothing makes me happier than to say that [this] is one giant leap in the right direction." Finally, Garcia is back in the game.

Katie Stevens drifted away from the progress she made last week, diverging from the young and modern choice to a much older song in Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools. I did enjoy Stevens' look this week, as she showed much more attitude than we have seen from her in the past. The vocals were great as well, but the song didn't seem to fit Stevens' true personality. The judges disagreed on the type of performer Stevens should be, with Randy and Kara insisting she belongs in the pop genre and Simon claiming she is much more of a country singer. Stevens hasn't really proved herself one way or another and if she wants to remain in the competition she needs to figure out what type of music will best suit her and make a strong move in that direction.

The standout performance of the night came from Lee Dewyze, who sang Treat Her Like a Lady by the Cornelius Brothers. DeWyze's voice was in top shape tonight and he was able to completely own the song. All of the judges praised the performance: each of them said it was his best performance in weeks and Simon said DeWyze will "watch the show back and understand [his] life may have changed forever." Some impressive words from the harshest critic on the panel. It was nice to see DeWyze finally come into his own and take control of the stage. He should have no problems tomorrow night.

Crystal Bowersox took a huge risk tonight, straying from her acoustic guitar and instead opting for a piano in a toned down performance. Bowersox sang Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and it was nice to see a different side of her for a change. She kept the slow song interesting in a performance that could have easily gone sour. Kara was thrilled with the risk, while Simon warned that she shouldn't run from the performer that she is and should embrace the fact that she knows the kind of artist that she is. It was an overall enjoyable performance and Bowersox will likely have impressed many of her detractors tonight.

Aaron Kelly ended the night with the Bill Withers song, Ain't No Sunshine, a great choice for the young singer. During rehearsal, Usher told him it was important to build the repetitive "I know's" in the song and it was evident that Kelly took the advice to heart. The beginning of the song wasn't great, but Kelly was able to recover and turn out a good performance. Kara said she "liked it [but] wasn't in love [with the performance.]" Simon agreed, but said there is "no chance you're leaving." Kelly is truly a standout talent for his age and I am impressed by his diversity each and every week.

The night saw several strong performances, and even the weaker ones weren't astonishingly bad. Assuming "Idol" still names the bottom three performers, I would guess the group will consist of Urban, Stevens, and Benami, each of whom has been plagued with consistently weak performances. Hopefully, Urban's time on "Idol" will have run its course, but don't be surprised if Stevens is the one to go home tomorrow.

Performances on the results show will consist of several of music's top stars, with this week's mentor Usher performing OMG and Diddy performing alongside Dirty Money on the hit, Hello, Good Morning. One "Idol" contestant will head home on the results show that airs tomorrow, March 31st at 9:00pm EST.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.

Photo Credit: AmericanIdol.com