'IDOL' WATCH: The Top 9...Again

Tonight, "Idol" saluted one of the greatest performers of all time, Elvis Presley. Tonight separated out the true performers, as Elvis is the epitome of stage presence. Thankfully, many of the performers were able to live up to his legacy and give great performances. Last season's runner up, Adam Lambert, was aptly chosen to coach this week and, out of all the coaches so far, seemed to have the most constructive criticisms for the contestants. He was almost always spot on with his suggestions and really helped up the ante for tonight's performances.

Crystal Bowersox began the night singing Elvis' Saved. It was the first time on the show we had seen her bring out the electric guitar, a suggestion made by Lambert. The performance was just what you would expect from Bowersox: original, fun, and well-done. She sounded near perfect and gave a great performance. I wish she had loosened up a bit on stage, but that was a minor detraction from an otherwise top-notch showing. Bowersox gives a great performance each and every week and, as has been said many times before, this is her game to lose.

After sharing the bottom two with Michael Lynche last week, Andrew Garcia had to come out big with his performance of Hound Dog tonight. Garcia did a really nice job changing up the song, but lacked some of the showmanship necessary for any Elvis tune. I thought the changes he made to the melody were great, but the tempo should have been pushed for a more upbeat performance. He drew mixed reviews from the judges, with Randy, Kara, and Simon saying they felt the performance was lacking. Ellen disagreed, saying she felt he pulled it off, but, unfortunately, I think Garcia could be in serious trouble tomorrow night.

Tim Urban gave a surprisingly spectacular performance of Can't Help Falling in Love With You, choosing to go low key with just an acoustic guitar. The performance was easily his best yet; he sounded great and didn't go overboard with the song. It seems to be a pretty clear trend that when Urban goes with the seated guitar song, he does well. (Remember Hallelujah?) The only thing I felt was lacking in the performance was Lambert's suggestion of taking the end of the song into falsetto, which would have really been a nice touch. Each of the judges congratulated him, with Simon saying, "You've managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks." Urban should make it to the top seven after his showing tonight.

Lee Dewyze was fantastic in his performance of A Little Less Conversation, sounding as good as ever. Lambert was right in his suggestion that DeWyze needed to be a bit more playful in his performance, and it seemed DeWyze took that into account tonight, though Kara did say she felt he could have been a bit looser on stage. Each of the judges loved what he did with the song, with Ellen pointing out his most impressive feat: "You made it so current...It sounded like a brand new song." DeWyze has been spot on for the last few weeks and, as of right now, it looks as though the finals will come down to him and Bowersox.

It was quite unexpected to hear Aaron Kelly would be singing Blue Suede Shoes, a song that, at first glance, doesn't seem to fit him at all. However, after hearing the performance, Kelly did much better than expected. The song started out a bit lackluster; I wish he had given it the full energy right from the start. But, once he went into the breakdown of the song (taking it to half time), the song fit his voice much better and he was able to own it. Randy, Ellen, and Kara all enjoyed the performance, but Simon felt it made Kelly seem old fashioned and that it was "very karaoke." Kelly may be in trouble after this one; he was never able to knock it out of the park.

Giving a very different performance than we are used to, Siobhan Magnus sang Suspicious Minds. She began the song upbeat, but the performance never really clicked until she reached the second half. Tonight saw the return of her big, belty voice, but, as Kara said, it almost sounds like Magnus has two voices. I understand why Kara said the performance came off as confusing; her two halves just don't equate to the same person. It gives many of her performances a disjointed feel. Overall, the judges seemed unenthusiastic about the performance. Personally, I felt as though this was one of her weakest performances, but I would be surprised if she goes home tomorrow night.

Back from his much needed save last week, Michael Lynche needed to give a strong performance. Lynche sang an acoustic version of In the Ghetto and his vocals were one of the best he's given so far. The song was emotional and heartfelt, exactly the type of song Lynche excels at. The judges each said his singing was great, with Simon saying, "It was a million, billion times better... [a] terrific choice of song." Lynche had to give it all tonight in order to remain around, and I think he has done just that.

Katie Stevens seemed to have a quite a bit more confidence this week, giving a "sassy performance" of Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do? (as Randy put it.) Stevens wanted to have a more emotional showing tonight, allowing her attitude to carry her through the song. Her voice sounded great tonight, although I wish the performance had been a bit throatier, which would have better matched the tone of the song. Randy, Ellen, and Kara thought it was a great performance, while Simon found it "a bit annoying." It was nice to see a different side of Stevens and I think she came off well on the performance.

Rounding out the night was Casey James, and, on a night that should have been his bread and butter, his performance was rather dull. He chose Lawdy Miss Clawdy, a song that didn't best showcase his talents. James sounded great, as usual, but he seemed almost entirely blank throughout the song; his guitar work, however, was excellent. But, I wish he would have been able to bring the entire performance together. Kara said she thought the performance "fell short" and that she expects "so much more from [him] next week." Overall, it was not one of his best performances.

Barring any major surprises, it seems, in my opinion, that the two contestants to go home this week are obvious. Andrew Garcia simply hasn't been able to match the performance ability of the other contestants and Aaron Kelly has never really had the standout moment that many of the other contestants have had. Rounding out the bottom three could either be Katie Stevens or Siobhan Magnus, neither of whom were outstanding tonight. It is possible, however, that Garcia's ardent fan base will keep him alive another week, so don't be shocked to see it happen.

Tomorrow night, the top nine will lose two, on a results show that will feature performances by "Idol's" own Adam Lambert and Brooke White and Justin Gaston from "Idol" producer Simon Fuller's "If I Can Dream," a reality television show which follows performers who move into a house in Hollywood. Tune in, as the results show is sure to be a good one. "Idol" will air tomorrow night, April 14th, beginning 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