Alicia Keys was the mentor tonight on American Idol. With such a huge career and music background, Alicia was a great choice as a mentor for the contestants. So how did the contestants do with her advice and counsel?

Casey James – Alicia commented to Casey that he needed to really connect with the song “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac – a huge song – and she wanted people to say “I love him” not just “I love that song.” Casey began the night with high energy and a good solo on his electric guitar. I liked his slight twist on the song, and it was fun, but the overall performance didn’t blow me away – the judges seemed to agree that the song was good but not great. Comments were pretty harsh from the judges that there was no originality, “lazy song choice”, “zero inspiration”, and Kara even said it was frustrating that he made himself like everyone else.

Lee DeWyze – Lee performed “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel. The words of the song are inspirational, and she suggested that he not lose sight of the meaning behind the song – and to pull people in to him. As Lee began singing I was a little concerned as it’s such an old fashioned song – but his tone seemed to bring the song into a more current feel for me. Obviously Lee is still one of my favorites and I hope he sticks around. But the song choice was not the best in my opinion – it just didn’t grab me like I had hoped – but I did like it. Randy said Lee “is a great artist, ready to make great music”. Ellen loved the song choice and that we are seeing better and better and more soul from Lee – even calling his song tonight his best performance. Kara said she thought Lee “had his moment” tonight – and showed clearly when someone connects to a song vs. when they don’t. Simon laughed and said “Even though we’re only 2 in, it was the best of the night.” Simon called it “sincere, emotional” and “you made it sound as if it was written a week ago – absolutely brilliant.” So with that feedback from the judges, I have a feeling Lee will be here next week. We even got some smiles out of him at the end of the judges feedback.

Tim Urban singing “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls. Alicia Keys said the song “felt really good” on Tim – and it could be his own song. Getting a bit of a rocky start, I wasn’t certain if Tim could pull it off. I so wanted to like the performance because I like the song and thought Tim had potential – but he seemed a bit off key and not in the groove. Without truly shining, I’m afraid Tim will be at risk. Randy said it was “okay, good karaoke”. Ellen said Tim was “like the soup of the day”, and today she “didn’t like the soup”. Kara commented that it wasn’t his best performance and Simon found it difficult to buy into it – “it may have been a step too high for him” but it was “a little bit of a let-down”.

Aaron Kelly chose a song he has been singing since the age of 5. “I Believe I Can Fly”. Alicia’s suggestion was for him to really connect and not get intimidated by the bigness of the song. I thought Aaron was okay, but he didn’t really do anything to the song to make it his own. And it paled in comparison to the original and as he struggled to reach the big notes at the end, it felt pushed and a bit of a strain to me. The audience seemed to like his performance but the judges commented that he had “pure vocal talent” and Randy said he did a good job. Ellen brought in a bit of humor as she commented that “there was a time in the 70′s when I believed I could fly.” Kara – “you took off in the end”. Simon’s critique “in the real world, if we had heard that on the radio, I would have turned that off in 10 seconds. Because it wasn’t very good, but in the end it was pretty good.” The judges were in agreement that because Aaron is so liked – he made the song better. I’m not sure I agree with their critique and wonder if they watch it back if they would comment differently. What did you think? Did Aaron pull off such a big song?

Siobhan Magnus selected “When You Believe” performed by both Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston – a huge song. Alicia Keys told her to hit her “money spot” – taking advantage of the big notes that she could hit with a little pause subtly. Alicia was very impressed by Siobhan and her voice. I’m hopeful that we will be as well. As I listen, it just is not doing anything for me – I think Siobhan can really belt it out, but when she sings soft and slowly she sounds completely different (not great). I think she fell into the same trap as last week – sounding like two different people in one song. Randy said she picked the toughest song of the night, and it was just okay. Ellen disagreed with Randy. Kara said technically it may have been well sung, but she’s starting to feel like she’s want to hang out with Siobhan more than buy her records. Simon agreed with Randy that it wasn’t the right song choice, and a bit odd and all over the place. But Siobhan’s comment that she didn’t want to be scared away because of those who have sung it before, because she loves the song, and the meaning of the song is why she is on American Idol – and no one compares to Mariah and Whitney – she just loves the song… I think her response itself will get her some votes even from people who didn’t love the performance.

Michael Lynche – Michael put together a list of about 200 songs a few years ago with the hope that someday if he ever made it on American Idol – he would choose from that list of songs. “Hero” was his choice. Alicia wanted people to go crazy with him and take them on a ride with the song. I was glad he selected a song other than just a ballad – to get people excited about the music – even with the slow parts I thought he kept the energy up. Randy was worried about the song choice but said Michael worked it out. Ellen thought he did a great job. Kara said it wasn’t her favorite performance and the song became unrecognizable. Simon said he thought Mike sang it pretty well, but the theme for the evening is “inspirational” and the song didn’t quite gel.

Crystal Bowersox – For the first time of the season Crystal chose to perform without an instrument. Alicia said Crystal is very special and is one of her favorites. Performing “People Get Ready”, Alicia told her to focus on the emotion of the song and knows that people will love the performance. Beginning the song with no accompaniment worked well for Crystal. She proved that she can shine even without the comfort of her guitar. Breaking down into tears at the end of the song – “thanking the Lord”, Crystal showed also that she not only connects with the music, but also with the message of the song. Randy gave her a standing ovation. Ellen said she had never looked more beautiful and the song was beautiful. Kara thanked Crystal for taking a risk. And… that’s when the TiVo stopped. ARGH! But thank goodness I recorded GLEE after it on the same channel. Whew. Simon’s comment “That was inspirational. And I’m actually glad to see you emotional, you sang it fantastically and for me it was in a completely different class from everything we’ve heard tonight.”

I loved the comedic relief at the end of the judging for Crystal when she tried to take the handkerchief out of Ryan’s lapel pocket – it wouldn’t come, and Ryan said it was “taped” – he tugged on it and it did finally come out so Crystal could wipe away her tears – but her comment of “that’s Hollywood” and Ryan’s quick comeback of “that’s where we are” pushed away the tears and replaced them with laughter.

I predict Tim Urban will be going home tomorrow unless the “Vote for the Worst” group bands together to keep him on the show. (I just shake my head that people would spend their time doing that… but they do.) Or Aaron Kelly and Siobhan Magnus could both potentially be at risk. I love Michael Lynche but wonder where he will land in the scheme of things as he was safe last week and his fans may be complacent.

I will be shocked if Casey James, Lee DeWyze, or Crystal Bowersox are not safe. Warning to viewers for tomorrow night “Idol Gives Back” – they predict the show will go long, so if you are recording via DVR / TiVo – set your DVR to record accordingly so you don’t miss it and cuss them out at the end when you don’t get to see the results. (big grin… talkin’ to myself here.)

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