Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox Disappoint on “American Idol”

In recent weeks, the “American Idol” frontrunner pack has essentially limited itself to two contestants–Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox. Both are judge favorites, both have remained out of the bottom three and both have consistently delivered some phenomenal performances.

Yet on a night built around the songs of Shania Twain (who also served as a guest mentor, establishing herself as one of the most stunningly charming celebrities in the world), it was DeWyze and Bowersox who unequivocally delivered the night’s worst performances.

And yet, for as dramatic as the term “worst” sounds, neither was bad–Lee, in fact, had some shining moments. But this was ultimately a night that belonged to underdogs, and routine performances from the usually dominant frontrunners were not enough to claim a foothold on the evening.

Still struggling from some noticeable pitch issues, Lee DeWyze was nonetheless fairly solid on “You’re Still the One.” He incorporated his recognizably raspy tone–the best voice in the competition–flawlessly throughout the song, and the arrangement added some legitimate rock pacing and credibility to the country-pop diva’s signature ballad. But the vocal technique and emotional vulnerability were lacking, and it thus played more like his “Hey Jude” (albeit with a bit more poise and creativity) than his “Treat Her Like a Lady.” In the past, Lee has been able to get away with some minor pitch trouble due to the authenticity and rawness of his delivery; this week, he was a bit more polished and stiff, which brought greater attention to the vocal shortcomings.

While Crystal sounded fine, she was nothing if not underwhelming on “No One Needs to Know.” The entire, excessively-gimmicky setup had all the makings of a Will Ferrell sketch from “Saturday Night Live”–it was a joke. It was as if Crystal went out of her way to wholly vindicate those critics who contend that her style is too old school, bluesy and ill-suited for the modern commercial environment. Every doubt one had about the otherwise flawless Crystal’s relevance in 2010 was spotlighted in this unappealing, odd, anti-commercial mess of a performance. Not a single artist on stage–including Crystal–appeared to have any place in the “American Idol” competition, let alone the saturated world of mainstream music.

Vocally, Crystal was decent, but even that area was lacking. While she handled some of the interesting melody choices with precision, she started off very slowly and never really told any sort of emotionally-driven story with her words. She also let herself get ‘owned’ by the song, conforming to something that did not really suit her. Normally, Crystal is very good about making the lyrics and melody fit the unique texture of her voice. Not this time.

The other four contestants, however, all proved that they are not done fighting; all of them eclipsed the frontrunners Tuesday night.

He has no chance of winning, but Aaron Kelly refuses to give up. His “You’ve Got a Way” was pure, passionate and captivating, rekindling the flame for honesty he once had. The vocals were still not perfect, but everything about the song clicked with his vocal tone, and he really showed that he can compete in the country-pop market.

Previously, many of Aaron’s performances felt as if they needed to be graded on a curve. He was good–but he was good for a “kid.” This performance, however, was capable of competition with any other showing Tuesday. It was great.

Elsewhere, Siobhan Magnus recovered from her string of disappointments with a very strong take on “Any Man of Mine.” She still suffered from some laziness and technical issues in the lower register–particularly when she started moving around–but the highs here were a throwback to her early performances in the competition. She utilized her power and range perfectly, applying her voice to support the song (rather than to “trick” fans into thinking it was good). The stage presence and dress was also better than it has been in a while–she had fun and only came across as slightly weird. A great performance from Siobhan.

Michael Lynche was vocally superb on “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing,” but in an issue that makes for an interesting comparison, his only flaw was the one thing Lee, otherwise one of the night’s worst, got right. For as absolutely stunning as Michael sounded, this was an “interpretation” of a woman’s song. It was indeed, as Simon Cowell said, “girly,” because it felt like Michael was doing his best to tell Shania Twain’s story; he was not telling his story. That is not to say he was not emotional and engaging–he absolutely made the audience feel the song by virtue of his vocal decisions and stage presence–but it is to say he was not always entirely honest. Still, though, for a contestant who could easily be in danger of elimination this week or next, this was a hell of a performance.

Accomplishing even more than he did on “Jealous Guy,” Casey James floored the room with “Don’t!” Though his unappealing vibrato occasionally reared its head, keeping the performance from being deemed ‘flawless,’ the overall showing was simply in another level. It was one of the most ‘current’ performances ever on “American Idol,” coming across exactly as something that could be on the radio (and not something one would have ever guessed was not originally written for Casey James).

It is simply astounding that someone this talented likely ruined his chances of winning by trying to be a guitar-playing, bar cover band singer. When he gets emotional and honest, everything just clicks, and he manages to do nearly everything someone like Lee DeWyze can but with much better vocal technique. The problem is that he really has not found a way to apply this style of performance “outside of the acoustic, sitting on a stool” aura, and he is going to need to discover that path if he wants to be a true player in the industry. If Casey can apply this raw emotion and vocal empowerment to a more uptempo song, he will make it in the world of pop-rock.

Rankings – Top Six Performances
(Based on performance quality, not likely vote total)
Casey James
Michael Lynche
Siobhan Magnus
Aaron Kelly
Lee DeWyze
Crystal Bowersox