American Idol: Lee DeWyze Kills

Can you tell what I'm getting at with the title of this post? No? Maybe it will become clearer as we review together your top ten American Idol contenders on R&B night, starting, for a change, with the absolute best.

1. Lee DeWyze killed. He sang Treat Her Like a Lady by The Cornelius Brothers, a fine song delivered with driving soul by the great Lee DeWyze. The judges, along with this week's mentor Usher, were stunned.

2. Andrew Garcia lacks a big voice, but it is distinctive. He redeemed himself from all charges of mediocrity tonight with his sincere, light R&B delivery of Forever by Chris Brown. The judges loved him and were pleased for him that he did so well. I've been a fan of his all along, and I also loved his mother's performance when she stormed the stage to scold Simon for saying that her son has no personality (not true).

3. I toyed with putting Casey James ahead of Crystal Bowersox this time, but she really did a fine and soulful job with Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The judges loved her with Simon adding that she seemed uncomfortable. I don't know why she is beginning to leave me cold. Maybe she is too consistent. She doesn't seem quite real to me, more like a big beautiful wind-up doll.

4. I have not been a fan of Casey James, but I loved his blusey rendition of Hold on I'm Coming by Sam & Dave. Randy and Simon liked him a lot but the ladies were lukewarm. I was unimpressed with his guitar work this time.

5. This time around, Mike Lynche was restrained, but I found his rendition of India. Arie's Ready for Love to be pretty but kind of boring. He tried to take Usher's advice to "really connect" with audience by sitting facing them with his back to the judges. That was weird. I still find him smarmy, but the judges loved him.

6. Katie Stevens gets no respect from the judges. I thought she made a bold choice and gave a credible performance of Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin. She was very R&B; she even had R&B hair. The judges generally liked her, but Ellen beat her up with the senseless advice to be more youthful and current, and Simon called her cold and robotic (?). Girl can't win.

7. Sad to say, Siobhan Magnus was not among my top picks this week because her performance of Chaka Kahn's Through the Fire was unimpressive, high-pitched scream and all. She is getting a little predictable. The judges basically agreed. She also should stop trying so hard to look edgy. The prom dress with combat boots she wore a few weeks ago was her high point. Last night's outfit was incoherent. It's interesting that all the advice Usher had for her concerned her appearance.

8. I liked Aaron Kelly's Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers immortalized last season on Idol by Kris Allen. But it didn't stand out and of course suffered in comparison with Kris's version. The judges didn't love it or hate it. Simon compared him to a cupcake. Cute.

9. It was a toss up for the going home spot between Tim Urban and Didi Benami. As little as I liked Tim's performance, I have to say it was better than Didi's. He tried something different with Sweet Love by Anita Baker. His vocals weren't bad, but he had no R&B cred whatsoever. He took Usher's ubiquitous advice to "connect with the audience" very literally by aiming a scary, crazy- eyed stare into the camera throughout the whole song. The judges hated him, but as Simon said it doesn't matter. He has fans.

10. Bye bye Didi. You have so far given the two worst performances on American Idol this (or any) season with Stand By Me and last night with the annoying What Becomes of the Broken Hearted originally sung by Jimmy Ruffin. And that includes Paige Miles. The tempo was off, as was the tune. It was an embarrassing, stumbling performance and the judges rightly hated it. And guess what? I don't care about your tears and emotions. I don't want to know.

Did you all hate Didi too? By the way, if you're reading this you must already know, but just in case you don't, the American Idol performances are usually available the day after on YouTube, as are the original versions. I just listened to Jimmy Ruffin. Not my favorite song, but a masterpiece compared with Did's version.