You're Still the One the Top 6 sing the music of Shania Twain

This year on American Idol instead of getting the typical Country Night theme that we all knew was coming (followed by Movie Themes (Bon Jovi is booked for that one) and I bet they'll be a standards, and probably a year they were born. Which if there is a God I hope they don't do. It's always so depressing when the young high school students are singing songs that you danced to at your prom or sadly even for some at a frat party.

Tonight's theme is the Music of Shania Twain. Who I must confess do not know a lot of her music. I know the major hits from her "Come on Over" album that everyone else does but outside of that I don't know her catalogue that well. I've also always thought that she wasn't the strongest singers and I tend to like my belters more. Though this was the perfect year for her music to be sung on Idol since these aren't the strongest ones they've had. I did listen to the songs I knew they were doing before the show when I saw the spoilers and I got excited and sat myself down for a treat tonight.

Ryan introduces the singers as how they are cast in this years theme and when he gets to Casey I thought he was going to say Jesus. His hair was SO pretty. I couldn't get over it. I had a Kara moment and felt dirty afterwards.

Lee Dewyze – "You’re Still the One" – I loved how Lee started this song. He's a little pitchy but it's right for the moment. He goes into the bridge and that when he has some major problems and sounds like he's shouting the song and not even on pitch. He finishes the song well though. I think Lee in a studio with the help of autotune is going to be his money maker. It feels like the judges are trying to make us think he has a personality but as soon as they gave his numbers I thought he looked like he was afraid of passing gas.

Mike Lynche – "It Only Hurts When I Breath" – I love that in Mike's video package he still can't act sincere. Though I was proud of him for not holding fingers out, pumping his chest or doing that thing he does with his lips during the video package. I have to say I thought this wonderful. He had one off note in the entire song but the vibrato tone that was though most of the song sounded absolutely beautiful.

Casey James – "Don’t" – After being in the bottom two last week I had a feeling Casey was going to be sentimental guy this week. I don't think he has a special voice but I think that he's still got the goods. I have to say it's a great performance that even I'm not too dazzled by the camera close ups with the light shinning off his hair. Kind of like Jesus? I'm not sure if this was better then his "Jealous Guy" performance but it's up there.

Crystal Bowersox – "No One Needs to Know Right Now" – I thought that this was a wonderful performance and probably the best vocal I've heard from Crystal. She used high notes I didn't even think she had. This was a lower key type of performance and in a Crystal concert would work perfectly but the judges have a mind set of what they wanted to hear from her.

Aaron Kelly – "It’s in the Way You Love Me" – It seems like this is the season of the shaky starts. Aaron started the song nervously but at one point he moved into it and I thought the ending of the song was very strong. I thought that the Mom bit was a mushy but I think he finally got Country Night and was able to do it well.

Siobhan Magnus – "Any Man of Mine" – Siobhan is another one I think has a problem with the start of the song. She always sounded breathy and like she trying to find the note. I think this was a fun performance that will make her popular with the outsiders and those last notes were thrilling. I always say if you have that stuff to use then use it as much as you can because you won't be able to forever.

I have to say like Lennon & McCarthy this was a great night for Idol. I think they do better with the low-key theme nights and hope they do more of them because it really makes these kids shine for a change. My thought on the bottom three are going to be Mike Lynch, Lee Dewyze, and possibly Siobhan or Casey. At this point I think it's fan bases but little Aaron Kelly confession of who he as singing the song to his Mother is going to get massive votes. I'm not sure with Crystal being safe or the bottom three only because I don't know if singing a song wanting your boyfriend to marry you when you have a baby might bother some people.

My pick for the best person of the night goes to Siobhan Magnus for those last notes she hit in her song. If by watching my Kelly Clarkson "Natural Woman" Idol performance 7 million times has taught me anything. Is those are the kind of notes you hit once and then after the show is over with you just belt them a key lower.

Idod Top 7 Songs of Inspiration

Just one more day away from Idol's big "Idol gives Back." I was afraid that I would have needed to get it copyrighted because it's that big but luckily since I'm gay and I obsessively know most things Idol I got away with it. I say this while I'm listening to Season 6's Lakesha ones belting out her studio version of "I Believe" in tribute of Inspirational Night. I will also probably break out Melinda Doolittle divine version of "There Will Come A Day," David Archuleta's gorgeous "Angels" Kristy Lee Cook doing a great job on "Anyway" or David Cooks studio version "Innocent" which is much better. It's a theme night that while might sound like it could be a dripping Kleenex of yuck sometimes can be quite good. If you ignore the odd choices of Michael Johns "Dream On" or Carly Smithson's "The Show Must Go"

Casey James – "Don’t Stop" by Fleetwood Mac – I think what Alicia was saying that since the song is bigger then who sings it Casey really needed to make it about Casey James singing "Don't Stop." This sounded like every type of song that he has done before which is fine if you want to vary the song. It's interesting the other big contenders this season or doing what Casey is done but they at least give us variety on something. Casey does everything the same and it's boring. However he'll stay popular for a little longer because no one wants the party to ever end. Funny that Simon is surprised that this song was chosen for the Inspirational theme when it was used as the Clinton's theme song.

Lee Dewyze – The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkle – Ryan really tries to out Lee this week with his speech on Andrew. There's something so Midwest about Lee that he's going to be big on Idol. He's the guy you see opposite Drew in some movie about fries or shopping malls and women love that so he'll go far. He picked a great song that I knew and was glad he picked it. He was smart enough to do away with long notes that don't work live but will be better auto tuned. I thought he did a great job showing his pluses and hiding his faults. Which truly is the mark of a good artist.

Tim Urban – "Better Days" by Goo Goo Dolls – I thought the lyrics swelled, the music on this swelled, the back up singers swelled, the emotions should have swelled. Everything should have swelled on this song however his voice just didn't. He works when he's behind the guitar giving us a gentle camp counselor performance of a song. That after all these months seems to be the part of him that works. He can sit there play guitar, sing a pseudo folk song, and look asexual with his cheesy smile!!! And for Tim Urban that works for some reason. This was a theme that should have worked for him but didn't. I thought be picking a big song highlighted everything wrong with him and could put him in trouble.

Aaron Kelly – "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly – Why? Aaron? Aaron's first problem was choosing a song that has been done on Idol many times before. I remember Katharine McPhee seemed pissed that Clive Davis forced her to sing this for Top 3 and then bitched to the judges about this song. Aaron starts off with way too many flat notes and then feels the nee to create a country boy band performance of an overdone song. I thought this was something I could see on Star Search or one of those cable access performance shows.

Siobhan Magnus – "When You Believe" By Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey – These past few weeks we seem to have gotten a demure Siobhan. I kind of miss the old one. I love the vocal scream and drama of her some of her past performances. I think lately she's been playing it safe which I don't know if why she's doing it but I really am hoping we get to see another over the top performance type of performance again. I love the butterfly's on her outfit and think she looks kooky and cute. I think she started this song flat which she seems to do in every song but then she through in her "Siobhan" moments and I was hooked. I thought she turned this song into a solo number and that's what people aren't used to hearing. She also used a different range then most people in contemporary pop are used to hearing. Siobhan used her soprano range and most pop singers don't touch their soprano range which is what I think confused the judges.

Michael Lynche – "Hero" by Chad Kroeger – Even from his intro I'm over Lynche. I like that he's going to use the guitar and I've noticed the performances that he's had that are his better ones involve a guitar. At the start he's bathed in the light of heaven, and during the song he seems to be missing most of his notes and the ones he's hitting are out of breath, which is typical Michael. Like most men he's usually good for one glory note and then he's done. He's also bathed by the same red "Eleanor Rigby" light (which could this almost be like foreshadowing for tomorrow night?) Everything he does during this performance annoys me. From the pointing to the camera to the final where he licks his lips as his throws his head back. Michael can do some songs well and some average at best.

Crystal Bowersox – "People Get Ready" – Everyone say that Crystal is one of their favorites. Could you imagine the end of the world if someone else happens to win this show and if Idol history has taught us anything that probably will happen. How sad would that be? It's funny every time I speak to someone about her they criticize her for something she does and I think each week she does something different. My sisters are bored of her playing the guitar and this week she did to thrilling effect. She has the voice, warmth, performance style, song writing, better songs, excitement, and cool factor that Lee, Casey, and Michael would kill for and whereas Siobhan seems up in the clouds Crystal is totally grounded. I LOVE the acapella start of this song and the build all in voice, emotions. and the orchestral makes it the moment of the season for me. Crystal has that gorgeous tone to her voice and I love that you can feel her pushing with her voice to get the effect. I would even put this in my favorite American Idol performances ever. The ending was so heartfelt and honest, everything that Crystal is.

I think this was such a great episode which is better since it's leading into a telephone with maybe one or two good singers, a bunch of over the hill British singers, some B level comedians doing the same unfunny bit that they've done before, and one or two caring but not caring enough to actually be there celebrity will be featured in some video package. Also we get to see a few lip synched performances of inspirational songs which probably be some showtune from the 60's. It's sad that after 4 or possibly 5, 6, 13 hours I'm expecting at least one really good cover from Carrie Underwood and maybe someone else. Since they have said that they will send someone home though I do enjoy the episodes where two people go home. Wouldn't that be funny if they decided not to send anyone home as a special gives back theme and so they could at least get 7 people to sing next week and then kick two off? That probably won't happen so my bottom three will be Casey James, Aaron Kelly, and Michael Lynch. I think people will have forgotten about Casey since he's played the same song for 7 weeks and he went first, Aaron is like that guy that...oh wait I've already forgotten him and I think Red Light and Mike means bottom. Also his fan base isn't going to know what to make of that and people who like that music aren't going to like that. My pick for the week is of course Crystal "Mama" Bowersox. I think that I might put Siobhan in my list of best of the series but Crystal will be up there pretty high. It was heartfelt, inspirational, vocally powerful and then some but let's face it all things we expect from Mama Sox.

I will be adding the one's I've missed on to this site plus some surprises and treats soon. So get ready fr tomorrow's marathone of Idol gives back to anyone who has sleep issues or doesn't feel guilt ever. I plan on watching it with a box of kleenax, the original recordings so I don't have to feel bad when Elton can't hit the notes anymore and the comfort and joy of food. Not to mention my threeway that I end up having with Ben and Jerry!!!

StevenD