American Idol Report – Piano Man Rules

On last night's episode of American Idol, the top 10 performed the songs of Billy Joel, one of my favorite artists outside the genre of country music.  I had a feeling it would be a good show, and I wasn't disappointed.

There were a couple performances that were lacking, but for the most part, they were quite impressive.  Most notably for me was Colton, with his performance of "Piano Man."  This looked and sounded like a star performance.  This kid is ready, now!

Also, even though they had some harsh words about Heejun's "My Life," I was impressed with the vocals and the showmanship, which he's failed to show in the past.

Here's how I see things playing out on tonight's results:

Safe For Sure:

Colton - He showed he is a superstar with the performance above.  He's in it to win it.

Jessica - Jessica showed me for the first time that she's a contender, with her rendition of "Everybody's Got a Dream."  I can finally see her as a legitimate star.

Phillip - He continues to ride on his Dave Matthews-like sound and did another fine job on "Movin' Out."  He's safe this week, but a couple more rounds just like this and he might get stale.

On the Fence:

Heejun - I think he's avoided the bottom three despite his negative feedback from the judges.  I thought "My Life" fit him perfectly and I was glad to see him add some tempo to his act.

Hollie - She's got an awesome voice, but I really want to see her do something different.  I thought she did a good job with "Honesty" and it should be enough for this week.

Joshua - Not a thrilling performance of "She's Got A Way," but then again everything is bland compared to his amazing song from last week.  I think he falters just a tad this week.

Elise - Voters have not been kind to her, and even though "Vienna" may have been her best yet, it may still land her near the bottom three, but not in it.

Bottom Three:

Erika - Even with her now hair, Erika does not stand out to the general population.  I LOVE her, but I don't think her "New York State Of Mind" keeps her out of the bottom 3.

Skylar - Our country girl went in a direction I expected her to, with the Billy Joel written song, Garth Brooks made famous (Not Brad Paisley, Randy), "Shameless."  Unfortunately, she didn't have the spunk with this as she has in the past.  I think she should have opted for something like "You May Be Right."  Surprisingly, she'll end up in the bottom three.

Going Home:

DeAndre - I'm going to try this one more time.  I don't think he belongs in this group.  I really thought he was going home twice before, but this time might be it.  I say that even though I liked his performance of "Only The Good Die Young."  This guy and Heejun are the only ones left that I believe the judges wouldn't save if voted off.