American Idol Season 10 is losing two tonight.  After the love affair between the judges, the producers, the mentors and these performers reached its peak last week, with Casey Abrams save, it is time to get on with the competition.  There will be tears and sadness when the two depart tonight, but it will not matter in the bigger scheme of American Idol.  Whomever goes home tonight never had a chance to win American Idol Season 10 and everyone in tonight’s group number goes on the tour. Time to move on.

Last night’s top performances came from Pia Toscano, James Durbin and Christian musicians Jacob Lusk and Scott McCreery.  Everyone gushed over Haley Reinhart’s performance but, even after watching again I did not get it.  I have always liked Haley, and even though she probably did enough to make it into the Top 9, I thought she has had at least two better performances this season.  Christian musician Lauren Alaina continued her comeback with a country version of “Candle In The Wind” and Casey Abram‘s “Your Song” was strong enough to keep him out of this week’s bottom group.

Unfortunately, Christian musician Stefano Langone‘s uneven performances over the first five weeks of American Idol Season 10 will probably land him in the bottom 4 with Thia Megia, Naima Adedapo and Paul MacDonald.  I suspect that by the end of tonight’s show we will have six guys and three girls remaining after Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia go home.  That will be ironic that the lady whose huge personality undermined her vocal performances goes home with the girl whose sparkling voice could not overcome her introverted personality.

How will they do this?  Will they do one elimination halfway through the show and then another at the end or will they do both at the end?  The lead-in promises shocking results.  Does that mean Lauren Alaina is at risk?  Did Casey Abrams not do enough to save himself?

Wow, over 55 million votes.  This is getting serious.  Those are top 3 numbers.  Fantasia, Jamie Foxx and Wil.I.Am are performing tonight.  Kinda cool, they are breaking from the big group number.  First is a country duet with Christian musicians Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery and it is very cool.  Lauren just hit a big note she should have been displaying all season.

Now they go straight into the results with Scott and Lauren.  Both of them are safe, so Lauren Alaina is not the shocker.

Naima Adedapo and Jacob Lusk are singing Ashford & Simpson. This is Naima’s best vocal of the season. Jacob, not as much. However, they did seem to have fun with the song.  Results time again and Naima Adedapo is in the bottom 3.  Jacob Lusk is safe.  This is not a surprise.  Remember she was a wild card selection to get into the Top 13.

Haley, Thia and Pia are doing a trio performance.  The band name rhymes, cool!  Interesting that Haley Reinhart sounds better on this song than Pia Toscano. Does our blonde bohemian have a stronger voice than the resident diva?  Now for results.  Pia Toscano and Haley Reinhart are safe, but Thia Megia is in the bottom 3.  America has it right so far.

This is tracking exactly as we thought.  Will the final member of the bottom 3 be Stefano Langone, Paul MacDonald or, maybe Casey Abrams?  Is the American Idol Season 10 rock band going to perform?  Yep, the band is debuting for America tonight with “Band On The Run”.  Ooh, those harmonies in the beginning did not work.  I think James Durbin should be the lead singer of this band.  But they sure do look happy, for a moment.  Time to break up the band.  Casey Abrams is safe.  James Durbin is rightfully safe.  It is down to Paul MacDonald and Stefano Langone.  Paul MacDonald is in the bottom 3 for the first time.  After hearing these four sing together, I think America got it right.

Pretty cool.  Like in Season 8, nearly half of the top 9 are Christian musicians.

Who goes home?  It is time.  Paul MacDonald is safe.  Thia and Naima go home. It was time for these ladies to go home.  They had a great run and deserved to be in the top 11, but not in the top 9 ahead of any one of the remaining performers on American Idol Season 10.  Check back on Saturday for my Top 9 power rankings.

Hey guys, this is Ian. I wanted to apologize publicly, and officially announce that The ONE21 Music will no longer conitue promotion or coverage of the band The Famine. This based on the fact that we know now that some of the main song writers in the band arnt believers, and vocalist Nick Nowell is an atheist .

This does not mean that we think The Famine‘s music is worse for lack of faith, or that The Famine are horrible dudes. We have a strict set of standards on this website by which we choose what artists we will cover, and at the end of the day we have a responsibility to you, the reader. Our goal is to help you connect your faith in Christ with the music that you love, and with that in mind we cannot cover artists who do not share that heart. This is the same reason we do not cover Zao, David Bazan, or RedCloud.

On a happier note, I will leave you with this increadiable video featuring Propaganda. Watch the whole thing, it is pretty incredible.

After a terrific week of performances and uber-drama on American Idol Season 10, what can American Idol and their stable of budding superstars pull off this week?  Remember that two Idols will go home this week so the stakes are high.  Couple that depth of talent on American Idol Season 10 and the pressure to perform is intense.  As Casey Abrams proved last week, no one can afford two or even one weak performance.

Mix in the Elton John catalogue and this week becomes a high wire act for most of the Idols.  I am listening to my Elton John collection as I write this.  I am a big fan of the Rocket Man, but his music is highly structured and his songs after 1979 are pretty sketchy, sorry Lion King fans.  Tonight, the Idol’s need to be very careful to keep their singing in a pretty tight range, without seeming derivative or hokey.

Our Top 11 Power Rankings has Christian musician Jacob Lusk at the top.  With two people going home this week, I think he needs to be very careful.  The Elton John catalogue can be a tremendous pothole for him.  Maybe he will surprise me, but I don’t hear much room for Jacob’s signature runs and histrionics in Elton John’s songs.  I hope he takes “Your Song” or “Tiny Dancer” and honors the intimacy of those songs with a quiet, straight delivery.  If Randy says it was “I don’t know man, it was a little boring for me”, Jacob has accomplished his goal.

I expect Paul MacDonald and Pia Toscano to do well tonight.  I think James Durbin and Christian musician Scott McCreery could do well but both can survive a misstep.  Everyone else should be terrified.  I am not sure what Christian musician Lauren Alaina can do with this catalogue and she is starting to fall behind the other favorites.  Just like Jacob, this week is a major pothole for Christian musician Stefano Langone.  I am not confident that Haley Reinhart, This Megia or Naima Adedapo will survive the votes this week.

So, as you can see, I am a little pessimistic.  Let’s see if the American Idol Season 10 crew can surprise me as we live blog tonight’s performances.

Boy, American Idol really played up last week’s drama.  Let’s hope Casey Abrams health holds up for the rest of the year.  Does Elton John have a new album coming out?  American Idol tonight and he hosts Saturday Night Live on Saturday.  Jimmy Iovine is right.  All 11 Idols have to kill it tonight.

First up Scott McCreery is working with Don Was on “Country Comfort.”  This is an obscure song from his early album Tumbleweed Connection.  Good selection and, with the guitar, he has a different vibe on stage.  Another assured, solid performance from Scott McCreery.  This could be a single from his first album. He slayed the end with a deeeeep note.  Perfect choice to keep it in a very distinct lane.  He did not try to do too much with the song. Steven and J-Lo did not seem too excited but Randy was exuberant in agreeing with me that this could be on his first album.  Scott McCreery has set the bar high.

Naima Adedapo is bringing a reggae twist to “I’m Still Standing”.  Remember, I begged the Idols to not do this song. Let’s see if the reggae vibe moderates the hokiness of this song.  Jimmy said that the slower tempo made it harder to stay on key.  Naima is proving him right. i like the reggae take on the song but this is not a good singing performance from Naima.  I think she may be in trouble.  J-Lo did not like this interpretation, I disagree I just did not like the singing.  Randy thinks it was corny, but he likes reggae.  Steven like that she picked a song that fit her.

Paul MacDonald has gone from touring in a 15 passenger band to doing runway photo shoots.  He is singing “Rocket Man.” This is a tough song for a singer with his range.  Paul brings his guitar as well.  That was almost cool. It just did not take off for me.  He sang okay, but I think he missed the emotion of the song.  Randy thinks his soft voice is infectious.  Randy and J-Lo think he is holding back. It was interesting but not compelling.

Now, to someone no one can accuse of holding back.  Pia Toscano is bringing her chops to “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”.  She is certainly sure of herself by continuing to ride her ballad train.  Pia has gospel chops.  Nice soul phrasing and then she slams on those big notes.  Another mind blowing performance from Pia.  I liked this better than her other performances.  She was a little looser than the past few weeks.  I agree with Steven that it was just about as good as it gets.  I agree with J-Lo that we felt her a little more this week.    I can now hear Pia Toscano recording an R&B album in the vein of Mariah Carey.

Stefano Langone, tread carefully with “Tiny Dancer”, one of my favorite Elton John songs.  Jimmy Iovine is very concerned about this performance. Can he capture the intimacy of this power ballad?  Very strong start, he lost it a little when he moved away from the mike stand but recaptured the song on the second chorus.  Stefano Langone did himself well tonight.  That was very good. J-Lo and Randy loved that he connected in a way he had not in the past.  Stephen thought he nailed it.  Another very good performance from Stefano Langone.

Halfway through the Elton John songbook and the American Idol Season 10 Top 11 are delivering solid performance after solid performance. These guys are really good!

Lauren Alaina is singing “Candle In The Wind”, the best selling song in the history of Billboard. Lauren’s country phrasing is throwing me off a little.  Good for Lauren, she is toning down the stage theatrics a bit and letting her voice carry her performance.  That was very nice.  We finally get to see the singer that is Lauren Alaina.  Randy says it was nice and sensitive, very professional. J-Lo says it was amazing, I agree that this was the first time America was able to hear Lauren’s power.  This was Lauren Alaina‘s best performance of the season.

I am really impressed that the Idol’s are respecting these songs and performing the songs rather than competing with the songs.  This feels more like an Elton John festival than an American Idol competition.

James Durbin turns up the volume with “Saturday’s All Right (For Fighting).” Jimmy thinks he is taking a risk by starting his performance in the audience. Heis  just amazing.  He can run and jump all over the stage and it does not impact his singing one bit.  This is not my favorite song, but James Durbin turned it into to a crazy, fun rave.  He makes me smile.  J-Lo says she makes her forget she is at a competition.  Randy loves that James really enjoys himself.  I agree with the judges, it does not seem James is aware that he is in a competition.  It seems he is just excited to have a new stage.

Thia Megia takes on “Daniel.”  This is another gut wrenching song from the beginning of Elton’s career.  This will require a much deeper expression of feeling than we have seen from Thia before.  Jimmy is right that this song is poignant rather than dramatic.  Thia Megia has such a beautiful voice.  I just cannot connect.  I don’t know why.  I was trying.  J-Lo thought it was beautiful.  Randy liked her voice but felt it was safe.  Steven thinks she sang a great Elton John song well.  Thia sang Daniel to her brother, but we were not inspired.

Casey Abrams is singing “Your Song”, my all time favorite Elton John song.  I don’t think this is the right song for Casey.  Maybe he will surprise me.  I hope it is not the jazz version of “Your Song.”  Yes, he did trim his beard.  Well, I was wrong.  He stays grounded and centered and sings this beautiful ballad with feeling and meaning.  Not a mind blowing performance but the right performance for this song.  Randy thinks it was brilliant. J-Lo compliments him on the character in his voice.  Casey Abrams did justify his save and is back in the competition.

Will Jacob Lusk be able to control all of those crazy chops with “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.”  Mary J Blige showed up in the studio while he was rehearsing.  He was blown away.  Tricky and Jimmy are advising him to not over dramatize. I am speechless.  This guy is like the Incredible Hulk of singing.  I sit here and think “hold it”, “hold it”, “hold it” and he did it.  The judges did not really know what to say.  They thought it was brilliant.  Randy tried to offer criticism but no one really understood what he was talking about.  Jacob Lusk did exactly what he needed to do tonight and it was amazing.

Haley Reinhart gets her best shot to save herself with the final spot. Can she turn “Bennie and The Jets”  into her season turning moment? Not a chance, this is Elton John’s worst song, even considering the Lion King stuff.  She does the best she can by starting it with a quiet jazz twist and singing the dog out of the chorus.  However, the middle of the song brings out the dorkiness of the song.  J-Lo just loved it.  Randy says it was the best performance of the night.  Steven says she sings sexy.  I need to go back and watch Haley’s performance again.  I was not able to overcome my distaste for the song so I need to give Haley Reinhart another shot.

Overall, another great night.  This exceeded my expectations by a mile.  We really felt the influence of the producers and the maturity of these performers.  I think Naima Adedapo, Paul MacDonald and Thia Megia delivered the weakest of the performances.  I am holding judgment on Haley Reinhart.  Everyone else was consistently excellent.  Please vote and join us tomorrow night as we report in the results live as two Idols go home.

A whole lotta hardcore going on today! Facedown Records and Blood & Ink Records have been the voices of faith-based hardcore and metal for over over a decade now. Many of the bands that they sign shape the very scene that is happening today. Lucky for you good people, you get some free stuff from both!

First up is Blood & Ink’s Spring Sampler. This one is mainly composed of hardcore bands, and some of the songs are from upcoming releases! That means that some of the songs are unreleased as of right now, so be one of the first to hear them!
1.Jawbone-Faithless
2.Ironwill-Visionaries
3.Venia-Crux
4.Thirtyseven-Everyday (Demo Version)
5.Dependency-Convicted
6.Thin Ice-You Were There
7.Debtor-Escape

Download the Blood & Ink Records Spring Sampler

Next up is healthy helping of the bands that will appearing at this years Facedown Fest in California. Every year, Facedown puts this festival on to celebrate their roster and bring the whole Facedown/Strikefirst family together. This year you get to celebrate as well!
1.Gideon-Virtue
2. Your Memorial-Surface
3. My Epic-Lower Still
4. Hope for the Dying-Transcend
5. For Today-Devastator
6. Messengers-Anthems
7. Onward To Olympas-The War Within Us
8. War Of Ages-Collapse
9. A Hope For Home-The Overman
10. Call To Preserve-Empty Promises
11. Hands-Resistance
12. Overcome-Alone in a Crowd
13. A Plea For Purging-And Weep
14. Take It Back-Defamator
15. In The Midst Of Lions-The Machine
16. The Burial-Demons Never Sleep
17. Saving Grace-All, But The Archer

Download the Facedown Fest 2011 sampler

SXSW, back in the day before the label model began to crumble under the freedom of digital music, was originally a marketplace for labels to find new, exciting, unsigned bands.  For me, that remains the best part of SXSW.  You can have the Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Strokes shows.  I want to search out, or even better stumble upon, the best of what’s next.  I have already shared some of my new gems (The Relatives and Shake Anderson) in Found Gospel at SXSW 2011.  I have saved the best for last.

I had the Kopecky Family Band on my must see list for SXSW 2011.  I don’t know how I missed them in 2010.  I was thrilled when the day one Paste party had Kopecky Family Band, Civil Wars and Lost In The Trees.  Of course, I was standing outside in a line while the Civil Wars performed their set of dusty, old west harmonic anthems, but it did not matter, I was here to see the Kopecky’s.

My first impression of Kopecky Family Band, was ‘joy”.  Despite trying to cram six players onto a stage the size of a desk for their third show of the day, the members of the band were happy, friendly and professional as they went through their set-up and soundcheck.  There was no “rock star” attitude here.  I remember as Kelsey Kopecky said to the sound engineer, “Please mr. sound man, could I have more vocal in my monitor. Oh, you are so wonderful.”  It may not sound like much, but in these noisy, cramped, 20 minute band turnovers, I am pretty sure the sound engineer welcomed a kind voice from the 9th band on that stage that day.

However, if the Kopecky Family Band were just nice, I would not rate them as my favorite show of SXSW 2011.  After reflecting on great sets from the Civil Wars, River City Extension, The Rocket Boys, Lost In The Trees and Okervill River, Kopecky Family Band was my favorite.  From the moment they struck the first beat to the uproarious end to their set, they captivated the audience with their energetic stage presence and their thick, layered music. 

Kelsey Kopecky is the dancing center of their stage act, Gabe Simon‘s impassioned vocals command attention and Markus Midkiff, refusing to be confined to his cello, moves around the stage mischievously banging the drums, the xylophone or a tambourine.  Kopecky Family Band really do create a riot, in a good way.  Take a little taste with this video of Kopecky Family Band’s performance of “Animal”  at SXSW 2011.

Kopecky Family Band were tireless at SXSW 2011 playing at least five shows that I knew about.  I had too many responsibilities to follow them around during SXSW 2011, but that would have been fun.  Paste named them one of the 10 best shows at SXSW 2011.  They were my favorite.  Keep checking back, we will be adding Kopecky Family Band to our artist roster soon and we are trying to put together an interview with them.

Appleseed Cast
Middle States EP
Graveface Records
Progressive Rock
Buy now: Amazon MP3

Celestial Completion
Becoming The Archetype
Solid State Records
Metal
Buy now: Amazon

Southern Attic Sessions EP
DecembeRadio
Independent
Pop Rock
(purchase through decemberadio.com)

We Do What We Want
Emery
Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records
Screamo
Buy now: Amazon

Reconciler. Refiner. Igniter.
Fallstar
Come&Live!
Metal
(pay what you want through comeandlive.com)

Unturned
Ironwill
Blood & Ink Records
Hardcore
Buy now: Amazon MP3

Something Big
Mary Mary
Columbia Records
R&B
Buy now: Amazon

How I Got Over…Songs That Carried Us
Smokie Norful
EMI Gospel
Gospel
Buy now:Amazon

SXSW is an indigestible feast of music. Every possible music genre is reprepsresented and new genres are invited each year during the festival. Even we limit ourselves to Christian music, the breadth of music genres and styles is mind boggling.  If you have read our articles on SXSW 2011, you will have learned of our experiences with everything from old-time western to rock to metal to gospel.  On Friday and Saturday I saw some wonderful sets by some of the best Christian singer/songwriters on the scene.

Denison Witmer at SXSW 2011

We launched into the singer songwriter phase of SXSW 2011 when we climbed the stairs to Maggie Mays’ Gibson Room to see Denison Witmer.  It was an unusually gool vibe for a SXSW show on 6th Street.  These clubs are usually overcrowded, noisy and uncomfortable.  Yes, there was noise bleed from the club below and Maggie May’s rooftop next door.  I think the beats were a challenge for Denison as he played his quiet intimate set.  However, the setting inside the club was perfect.  Several dozen fans were reclined on a huge oriental rug on the huge wooden dance floor of this beautiful room.

Denison took advantage of the intimacy to put together a completely mesmerizing set.  First, Denison Witmer sits down at the mike with a bag Frito’s which he ate from throughout the set.  He explained that he had developed some sort of respiratory condition in Austin.  In addition to a cocktail of allergy products he was ingesting, the pharmacist advised Denison to eat chips to help his voice.  It seems the oil might coat his throat.

I do not know Denison Witmer’s music very well but I was completely enthralled with his quiet spacious music.  He played old songs, covers and new songs form his new album Mono vs Stereo, due out April 26th.  The noise from the crowd at the bar surged between his songs, but once he started singing the crowd quietened and listened to him.  Unusual for a SXSW crowd.  However, it was Dension Witmer’s kind, warm stage personality that won me over.  He told a hilarious story about roller skating with his wife at a skating rink with a mob of skating, texting 13 year-olds.  We were not allowed to take pictures of the show so I thought this picture was appropriate for the uproarious story he told of his flight mate dropping a tomato from her Whopper on his shoulder as she ate while talking on her cell phone.  If you get a chance to see Denison Witmer, do it.  You will have a good time.

Damian Juardo

In a music extravaganza like SXSW small gifts, like being able to comfortably stay in one place to see two acts that you want to see, are greatly appreciated. That happened on Friday night at the Gibson Room. I would have walked across town to see Damien Juardo. I have been pushing to add Christian musician Damian Juardo to one21music, but the folk-boom legend is very private about his faith.

Damian has an presence that makes him seem much larger than he probably is. He came onto stage with his full Seattle vibe (flannel shirt and beard), tuned his guitar and launched into a captivating set of intense, dark folk. With dense lyrics and somewhat symphonic song structures, Damien Juardo’s brand of folk is harder, yet more ambient and ethereal than most of the folk you see. His voice defies his physical presence and the mood of his music. His voice is loud, a little high and, at times, grows into a piercing wail.

Unfortunately the intimacy of Damien Juardo‘s set was impaled when the SXSW crew asked everyone to get up off the oriental rug to allow more people into the club. Unfortunately the new members of the audience were there to talk among themselves rather than listen to Damien Juardo. That turned something that was growing into a spiritual happening into battle for the sound control in the room. We all cheered when Damien went through a series of insults to try shut-up the new audience, but it was to no avail. It did not seem the new ones even knew someone was on stage. This was my first time to see Damian Juardo. I will jump at the next chance. Side note: my camera battery died before I could get a good shot. Thank you to Doug and HM Magazine this photo.  It really says all you need to know about Damien Juardo‘s music.

Approximately 24 hours later, at the end of a wonderful of day of Gospel, I closed my SXSW 2011 with Brooke Fraser‘s highly anticipated set at the St. David’s Historical Sacntuary.  St David’s is a beautiful Presbyterian sanctuary built in the 19th century.  The acoustics make it a wonderful room for music.  Brooke blasted through a five song set that included “Coachella”, “Betty” and “Something In The Water” from her latest Flags (one of our 25 best recordings of 2010 ). Brooke Fraser has beautiful clear voice that is powerful and engaging.  Her band was tight.  Brooke’s set was quick and professional.  I did love her between song banter.  When reminding everyone that she would be back in Austin soon at the new ACL Moody Theater, she referred to the theater (located in the brand new W hotel) as a “bit fancy pants.”  When she reached the end of the announcement she said “well, any who”, which is definitely not a Texas phrase.  I look forward to seeing a full set from Brooke Fraser in June.  Check in to see our review on June 6th.

SXSW 2011 confirmed my appreciation of Damian Juardo‘s music, turned me into a fan of Denison Witmer and made me anticipate Brooke Fraser‘s June show in Austin even more.

If you go look at the intro to our coverage of the American Idol Season 10 Top 11 results show I said Casey may be in trouble and that the judges may save him.  It happened as I thought it might. The judges also agreed with me that Casey needs to stop the growling and the screaming and return to the jazz influenced musicianship we all fell in love with.

I also said last night that, after a wonderful night of Motown performances that no one deserved to go home this week.  Even better, the American Idol Season 10 tour will include all of 11 of these wonderful American Idol hopefuls.  That just could be a ticket worth buying.  Imagine Thia Megia’s beautiful voice after she has matured under the tutelage of the American Idol road show producers.  Think about the joy Naima Adedapo‘s passion will bring to the stage.  Buy some ear plugs because you will need to protect your hearing from the screams of 12 year old girls when Scott McCreery and Stefano Langone hit the stage.  Christian musicians can be heart throbs. Be ready to be awestruck when the voices of Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscano and James Durbin are released in a live setting.

Casey Abrams Saved By American Idol Judges

Back to the save. Here is the full video in case you did not see one of the most dramatic moments in the history of American Idol. If you saw it live, look for what you missed. Check out the faces of shock on Jacob Lusk and James Durbin just after the results are announced. Watch Casey’s hands tremble when he goes over the shake the judge’s hands. Watch the joy of Jacob Lusk and Lauren Alaina when they realize that all eleven will go on the American Idol Season 10 tour.

Well, nothing was decided last week.  I think we probably have six or seven contenders for the title of Season 10′s American Idol.  It amazes me that the voting seems to track week to week performances.  America voted Karen Rodriguez into the Top 10 over Naima Adedapo and Stefano Langone and two weeks later she fell to the bottom of the voting in the Top 12.  This week, Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone delivered the weakest of  11 very good performances and, despite numerous triumphant performances earlier in Season 10 by both, they were at the bottom this week.  There is no such thing as momentum in American Idol Season 10.  That is good for us as viewers, but which of the Idols will crack under the weight?

American Idol Season 10 Top 11 Power Ranking, Part two

There is a lot movement from last week’s American Idol Season 10 power rankings.  Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscano and Paul MacDonald made big moves up the rankings.  As you might expect Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone fell pretty far.  With the strength of this crew we should expect to see a lot of movement throughout the season.  There is a wide variety of styles and a deep well of talent in this group.  I try to be stylistically agnostic in the rankings.  Notice that the top 4 are old school soul, sold-out rocker, committed balladeer and country crooner.

1. Christian musician Jacob Lusk delivered one of the greatest performances in the history of American Idol on Wednesday night.  Jacob is a rare talent.  I did not see Fantasia win American Idol, but she is only one I can think of that reaches the heights of Jacob Lusk.  I am a huge fan of Jennifer Hudson and her performance on Wednesday night paled in comparison to Jacob’s performance of “You’re All I Need”.  Check it out.

Wow!  Unlike so many of his competitors who are working to stretch themselves, Jacob is so effortless and has so much to bring to a song. His biggest issue is restraint.  He looked completely comfortable and relaxed in this performance.  If he can maintain that restraint through the rest of Season 10, he is the only one capable of separating from this incredible group of American Idol hopefuls.

2. James Durbin just continues to stroll through Season 10 almost effortlessly.  He seems to just be enjoying every week’s performance.  It is almost like he is ignoring the competition aspect of American Idol, because he is just that talented.  James has delivered consistently excellent performances.  It seems week after week one or two people throw out the performance of their lives to rival him for the top spot, but James brings it Wednesday night after Wednesday night.  I was impressed that James was able to connect with the meaning and message of Stevie Wonder’s “Livin For The City.”  Most people missed Stevie’s point but James understood that the upbeat party grooves were juxtaposed against the lyrics of poverty and prejudice to signify the hope of a generation coming out of the civil rights and anti-war strife of the 60′s.  Pretty good for a kid who had not been born when the song was written.

3. Pia Toscano makes a big move from 7 to 3.  I think she may be the only girl who can rival the guys as a contender for the Season 10 title.  I had her at 7 last week because I said she needs to prove she can sing more than ballads.  I was wrong.  Sing ballads Pia.  Her interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s lesser known “All In Love Is Fair” showed great music sensibilities.  Her performance, with its subtle soul phrasing, respectful arrangement flourishes and picture perfect singing, demonstrated that Pia Toscano is ready to go.  She is the most polished artist on American Idol Season 10.  It is time for her career to start, this American Idol nonsense is a distraction now that we know her.

4. Christian musician Scott McCreey falls from 2 to 4 just because Jacob, James and Pia were so great.  I actually think Scott created a hit record.  There has not been a popular version of “For Once In My Life” and after hearing Scott’s version I do not know why.  This should be on Scott McCreery‘s first album and American Idol should release it to the country charts today.

5. Paul MacDonald makes a huge leap from 9th to 5th. The past two weeks I have heard more of Paul’s singing voice and I like what I hear.  I wish he had exercised more of the interpretive skills I assume he has and turned Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” into a singer/songwriter ballad.  I liked the slow quiet beginning of the song and the quiet ending.  If he had stuck with that vibe he might have created one of those transcendent moments.  Randy called him on it in the judging when he told Paul to use more of his quiet voice, that it had something special.

6. Christian musician Stefano Langone has had two great nights and two nights where he seems to miss the point.  I think Jennifer hit it right when she told him to quit competing and to start performing and connecting with his music. His two great moments came when he was fully immersed in his song and he was not worried about creating emotion or performing perfectly.  Stefano has a chance to be great in the competition, he just needs to be more consistent.  I wait for Stefano with high hopes every week and this week he did not deliver.

7. Christian musician Lauren Alaina is surprising me.  It feels that she is starting to get swept-up by American Idol Season 10.  She has a big, powerful, clear voice and a big personality.  It seems she is using that personality to overcome her singing.  I am not sure if she is just too young to deliver some of these performances, but Jordan Sparks was her age when she won American Idol.  Lauren needs to dig deep and focus on her singing. Her performances have felt a little superficial lately. I would like for her to come out this week, stand in the middle of the stage and belt an introspective ballad without flirting with the camera.

8. Haley Reinhart delivered a wonderful performance.  I did not think it was good enough to save her.  I was surprised she was not in the bottom 3.  It hit me on Tuesday night that Haley Reinhart is American Idol‘s Joan Osborne.  Remember her from ” …what if God was one of us“.  Both have these incredible bluesy voices that can sing anything and both of them cannot pick a musical style.  I would have preferred that Haley belt out “Midnight Train to Georgia” on Wednesday night.  That would have given her room to infuse some deep emotion into her performance and to blast away with that great voice.  I think Haley still needs to create her moment if she plans to stick around much longer.

9. Naima Adedapo had her moment on Wednesday.  This was clearly her best sinigng performance and her African, tribal arrangement of “Dancing In The Streets” was fun and innovative.  I enjoyed it.  She is probably the weakest singer of the Top 11, but her personality can carry her performances.  She needs two more weeks of solid singing or she goes home soon.

10. Casey Abrams did not fall from 4 to 10 because of this week’s performance.  He fell because last week was not an anomoly caused by his hospitalization.  It seems Casey took all of the adulation from his week 1 screaming, growling version of “I Put A Spell On You” and turned into his “winning” style.  It is not winning.  If Casey returns to his jazz roots he will be alright.

11. Thia Megia is growing on me.  Her voice really stands out in the group numbers and her performance of “Heatwave” felt appropriately young for her.  Being 2nd string in the NBA means only means that you are one of the top 500 basketball players in the world.  That is pretty darn good.  Being 11th in American Idol Season 10 is pretty special as well.

The theme for next week is Elton John songs.  I don’t remember seeing this as a theme before.  I think they did it in Season 3.  Sir Elton has some great songs but there are some real land mines in there.  Choose carefully Idols.  Please, no one sing “I’m Still Standing” or “Bennie and The Jets.”  Pia, if you are thinking Lion King, please just say no. See us next Wednesday as we live bloge the performances of American Idol Season 10‘s top 11.

SXSW is always a little bittersweet for me. On one hand I always have a blast being down in the heart of Austin in the midst of a million people, hanging out with friends, and experiencing music that I wouldnt get to on a normal basis. On the other, its just exhasting to participate in the festival. There is alot of walking, not alot of places to sit, and since we cover a very specific group of artists, it takes some major preparation to be in the right place at the right time. In addition to this, I am actually working another job all week, a Spring Break day camp at a local YMCA. Despite all that, I have seen some really great stuff over the last few days, and in the middle of a great song it seems I am always able to forget how tired my feet are a thank God Im standing in the room Im in. I am blessed.

Day 3: The Civil Wars, Appleseed Cast & Shad

I actually didn’t get to see The Civil Wars or Appleseed Cast. Here is why: THERE ARE A TON OF PEOPLE AT SXSW! As the week goes on, many of the industry people and bands begin to populate the showcases in the audiance. I think I saw Doug Van pelt from HM Magazine almost everyday; Brooke Fraser was in line in front of me for The Civil Wars. On top of that, there are the thousands of people attending SXSW that are just average joes. All this to say i didnt get to see The Civil Wars because Im dumb and left the ballroom at the Driskel to get some air and then couldnt get back in. It was a small room (capacity was 120) and it was packed 2 hours before the folk duo’s set. There wasnt a line when I left, but a mega one when I returned. Strike out!

I DID get to see SHAD though, which I was really happy about. I actually learned about SHAD two years ago at SXSW when his record label handed me a sampler CD of his music and told me he was a believer. I have been a fan ever since, and his latest album, TSOL, was at the top of our Hip-Hop album of the year list.

The thing about SHAD live is that the dude never stops smiling. He was grinning ear to ear from the moment he walked out to sound check till the moment he disappeared into the back after his set. He was a super happy guy and it rubbed off onto the crowd…..mainly because he spent most of his show out in the crowd. The first two songs were spent bouncing around in the middle of the audience and handing the mic to people who knew the words. SHAD freestyled for us, played several of the songs form TSOL, and put on one of the most entertaining hip-hop shows I have ever seen. this ended up being my only show for the day, but yet I left that night feeling satisfied.

The Appleseed Cast show was also full by the time we got there, we listened to a couple of songs (which were great) sitting outside the window and decided to call it a night.

Day 4: The Almost and Emery

Another kind of epic journey occurred on Saturday when my wife was actually able to attend some of the festival with me. We got there early to attend Flatstock, and then made the trek across downtown to catch the hip-hop show at the Carver Museum. This is the same showcase where we interviewed Kaboose, Tre9, and Lecrae two years ago, held at the same location. At least according to SXSW. When we got there, we walked in on a panel, which was cool enough, but by the time we realized we were in the wrong place it was all over. You see, the music was happening on 51st street, and we were on 18th. We had the right location, but apparently the oganizers had decided to move the music without telling anyone. So we missed Tedashii and Pro.

We wne t back downtown for a bit and actually wandered onto a free show that Vans was putting on outside of EMOs. Low and behold, The Almost were rocking the stage as we walked up! We were able to catch a good portion of the set, and man can Aaron Gillespie sing! That dude’s voice is super strong live, and the band had the crowd eating out their hand. They closed their set with a more up tempo version of Tom Petty’s “Free-Falling”, and everybody was there wanting more.

Luckily for me I caught the band again at the Tooth & Nail Showcase, so I was able to get more!

After The Almost came Emery, and the crowd was buzzing for the re-tooled screamo band to tear the place down.  Emery got things going quickly with several tracks off their upcoming “heavier” album, We Do What We Want, and remarkably most of the crowd already knew the words.

To answer the lingering question: Yes, Emery‘s new stuff is alot heavier than past efforts, but the important thing to note is that they blend it well with their older, more melody driven material, so you get a well balanced, interesting show. Heck, half-way through the set they pulled out acoustic guitars and sang some stripped down versions of their older songs to the crowd.

By the way, the crowd was not only standing in close quarters inside the club, but also right outside this huge window the club has right behind the stage. Emery showed their fans that they came first by setting up the drummer facing these people on the street so that everybody could feel like they were part of the show.

That was it for me. The end of SXSW was kind of strange in that i dont feel like I was able to see alot of music as in past years, and yet I feel like some of the artists we cover (The Civil Wars, SHAD, The Almost, The Rocketboys) were some of the biggest names floating around the festival. See, just because you are open about your faith doesnt mean that you will be a failure in this industry, it just means that you have something to say. On to Cornerstone we go!

American Idol Season 10 is pretty good.  Last night was one of the best night’s of singing I have since I started watching in Season 6. Motown is a theme in just about every season of American Idol and it has had mixed results.  Last night was solid from the beginning to the end.  Most of the song selections were right.  The mood was good in the studio. The performances were professional and polished.  Overall, the night was enjoyed by all in the one21music offices.

I would categorize the performances as follows:

Transcendant- Jacob Lusk.  I have watched it five times, every time I am awestruck and every time I see something new.  As good as I have ever seen on American Idol.

Lived Up to Lofty Expectations- Pia Toscano, James Durbin and Scott McCreery. Each one did what they do, Pia with a ballad, James singing effortlessly while hamming it up and Scott McCreery completely dominating a song with his astute country sensibility.

Their Best Performance of Season 10- Naima Adedapo, Haley Reinhart, Paul MacDonald and Thia Megia.  Naima, Thia and Haley all needed their best to stay on the show. They all delivered. Paul continues to stretch as a singer.

Fell Short of Lofty Expectations- Casey Abrams, Stefano Langone and Lauren Alaina. We need more than growling and screaming from Casey, Stefano is trying too hard and Lauren is spending more time playing to the audience than she is singing.

So when you take it all into account the singers who needed to make a statement last night, delivered on their performance, but because the whole night was so good they did not differentiate themselves.

There is a rumor of a shocking result tonight.  I don’t see it.  I think the bottom three will be Haley Reinhart, Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia.  If there is a shocker I think it could be Casey Abrams.  He seems to have lost a lot of steam through the season.  The big question is, will the judges use their save tonight?  If Casey or Haley are voted off, I think they might.  Otherwise I think they will leave it for later in the year.

Join as we reveal the American Idol Season 10 top 11 results live.  Jennifer Hudson and Sugarland perform so the guests should be unusually good.

A surprisingly low number of votes were cast last night, 30 million, and Ryan is teasing a shocking result.

Marc Anthony helped the Idols with their in ear monitors and gave each of them live performance coaching.  It worked.  With Jimmy Iovine and his crew of producers, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez providing coaching and now Marc Anthony,  it seems like American Idol is investing more in the Idols this year than in years’ past.

I think American Idol just surprised the judges with Stevie Wonder.  I think his participation officially makes this the best group number in the history of American Idol. This may the be the best day of Steven Tyler’s life. Stevie Wonder just sang Happy Birthday to him.  The show seems happier this year than in the past few years.

Time for the first round of results torture to begin now with Lauren Alaina, Scott McCreery and Pia Toscano and they are all safe and on the summer tour. The tour will have healthy dose of  ballads and country this year.

American Idol did a whole segment on James’ obsession with professional wrestling, complete with a segment on the mansion death match between James, Paul, Pia and Stefano.

More results with James Durbin and Paul MacDonald.  I smell a surprise with Paul in the bottom 3.  The surprise is that Hulk Hogan comes out to tell both Paul and James that they are safe.

Jacob Lusk, Thia Megia and Stefano Langone are now on the hot seat.  Jacob is safe, big duh.  Thia is in the bottom 3 and Stefano is as well.  There is very big shock.

Straight to Haley Reinhart, Naima Adedapo and Casey Abrams.  Naima is safe and is going on the tour. The last spot in the bottom 3 is Casey Abrams.

Wow, Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone both in the bottom 3, that is a huge shocker. I am glad Haley Reinhart gets another shot to prove herself but Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone are both very good.  This is what happens when voting totals are low. The judges may save either one of them.

One of the three is about to be sent back to safety and it is Thia Megia.  We are about to lose one of our top contenders and I bet it is Casey Abrams.

What is it gonna be America?  The person with the lowest number of votes is Casey Abrams.  Everyone is shocked and upset, but Casey’s performances have all revolved around a growling vibe.  Randy stops his performance in the middle of his saviour song and they are using their only save of the season to save Casey Abrams.  He has completely fallen apart , hugs his mother collapses on the stage.   Casey Abrams is completely in shock.

Two people will go home next week, but all eleven of these performers will go on tour.  That was one crazy show tonight.  The American Idol Season 10 tour will have 11 really good performers.