American Idol is back for Season 11 and we at One21music are back for our fourth year of coverage. However, as we did in Seasons 8, 9 and 10 we will take a little different slant. We will identify and focus on Christian musicians competing in American Idol Season 11. So far we have identified nine American Idol Season 11 contestants who are Christian musicians. If you know of any other believers who have made it to Hollywood, please let us know. We would love to feature them through out Season11.

American Idol Season 11’s Hollywood theater of torture is upon us. It starts on Thursday February 8th. The American Idol judges will narrow the Hollywood field down to 40 for a trip to Las Vegas.  American Idol Season 11 will then announce the Top 24 semi-finalists after Las Vegas. We then begin voting on live performances on March 1.

We will research the American Idol Season 11 hopefuls to find those who profess their faith in Christ, and then we will follow their progress, with you, throughout American Idol Season 11. As we head into Hollywood week, keep your eyes open for these Christian musicians we have found so far.

American Idol Season 10 Christian Performers

Aaron Marcellus Sanders

We don’t know much about Aaron Sanders but we do know he is a member of Aaron Marcellus and The Will Band, a soul, pop group featured on Bonnafide Radio.  The Atlanta, Georgia native made it to Hollywood in American Idol Season 10.  Aaron Sanders auditioned in Pittsburgh.

 

 

 

 

Adam Brock

Christian musician Adam Brock sings jazz musician and is the featured vocalist for the Trinity Jazz Orchestra.  The Pittsburgh native lists Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Staple Singers, Kim Burrell, Clark Sisters, Vickie Winans, Kurt Elling, Adele and Beyonce as influences. As you might expect Adam Brock auditioned in Pittsburgh as well.

 

 

 

 

Baylie Brown

Christian musician Baylie Brown made it to Hollywood in Season 6 as a 16 year-old girl from a small town who craved the big city.  Since then this Krum, Texas native moved to Nashville was signed by Universal South music and has pursued a career as a professional country singer.  Baylie Brown reemerged as an experienced, adult musician in the Houston auditions.

 

 

 

Chelsea Sorrell

Christian musician Chelsea Sorrell is a veteran from American Idol Season 10 where she made it through Hollywood to Las Vegas.  This North Carolina native auditioned in Savannah and is the lead singer for The Chris Land Band, a local North Carolina band who regularly opens for touring country artists such as Sara Evans and Darius Rucker.

 

 

 

Chase Likens

Christian musician Chase Likens makes a return trip to  American Idol Season 11‘s Hollywood round after the  disappointment of being a Hollywood casualty in American Idol Season 10.  The West Virginia native is a Nashville recording artist who auditioned in Pittsburgh.  Chase Likens is a member of Point Peasant, WV group Youth in Gospel .

 

 

 

Eben Franckewitz

What do you get when you combine a 15 year-old Justin Bieber look alike with a smooth, nuanced singing voice? Well, you get Christian musician Eben Frankewitz, a contestant who makes American Idol producers giddy and will cause quite a buzz among American Idol’s tween demographic.   The Milford, Ohio native traveled to Pittsburgh with his family and proceeded to blow the judges away with his version of “Ain’t No Sunshine”.  If Eben Frankewitz makes it to the live voting, America’s tween girls will carry him far into the competition.

 

 

 

Hallie Day

Christian musician Hallie Day had a long tortuous journey to her Pittsburgh audition.  At 15 she dropped out of high school and moved to New York to head-up an all girl rock group Plum Crazy.  The story goes, as many have, until she hit bottom with a very real suicide attempt.  Today Hallie Day is a 24 year-old newlywed who is a worship song leader at Baltimore’s Second Presbyterian Church.

 

 

 

Jeremy Rosado

Christian musician Jeremy Rosado auditioned in Savannah.  The Valrico, Florida native has auditioned for American Idol five times and finally made it to Hollywood.  A member of Elite Youth Productions, Jeremy Rosado lists himself as a Gospel/Soul artist.  We did not see his audition but be sure to watch for him during Hollywood week.

 

 

 

Michael Colton Dixon

It seems the American Idol judges are trying right what was probably their biggest mistake from Season 10.  Christian musician Colton Dixon was one of the last contestants eliminated before American Idol Season 10 went to live voting and it was a huge mistake.  The good looking young singer was probably a better musician than any of the Top 12 boys and is an effortless singer.  Colton Dixon did not even sign up to audition for American Idol Season 11 but was supporting his sister, Schyler, in her Savannah audition when the judges pulled him into the room, asked him to sing and gave him a ticket to Hollywood.  Let’s see if the judges make the right decision in American Idol Season 11 and give us a chance to vote for Colton Dixon.

 

 

So it is time for the American Idol Season 11 journey to begin for One21music.  Join us as we cover these Christian musicians on their journey.  We will recap the Hollywood episodes each week at this time and then, when American Idol Season 11 goes live with the Top 24 performances we will begin live blogging the performances and providing real time reporting of the results.  We know these are not the only Christian musicians in Hollywood.  If you know Christian musicians who have made it to Hollywood in American Idol Season 11, please drop us a comment and we will add them to the list.

American Idol Season 10 Top 2 performed last night in a highly charged, rapid -fire show that blasted by before I could digest what was happening.  Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery performed three songs each and were joined by Taio Cruz and David Cook in a show that was so rushed that the judges comments were limited to the second half of the hour.  All of this made more dramatic by Lauren Alaina‘s vocal cord injury and the terrible songs handed to Scott McCreery.

On Tuesday afternoon my cell phone went into hyper-buzz with tweets about Lauren Alaina.  She injured her vocal cords, she was not going to be able to sing, the producers were prepping Haley Reinhart to step in.  I bet I had more than 50 tweets about the breaking situation in the Nokia Theater.  Ryan opened the show talking about Lauren’s injury and even brought the American Idol doctor out to explain that Lauren Alaina had sprained a vocal cord during dress rehearsals but through a battery of drugs and some treatments she would be able to sing.  Through it all, Lauren looked a little embarrassed and a lot ticked-off.

It seemed that both Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery were both visibly shaken by the medical emergency. The injury certainly impacted Lauren’s performances.  In her first two songs you could hear her reach for those big notes that everyone has been pushing her to go for all season, and the voice was just not there.  You could also see in her face and her eyes that the drugs had taken an edge off the Lauren Alaina spark we have grown to love this season.  She sang the songs well but just could not  reach the heights she had hoped for.  She did pull it all together in her third song and delivered maybe her “American Idol Season 10 moment” with “Like My Mother Does.”  Her vocals were perfect and her emotional connection was real but controlled.

On the other hand, the American Idol Season 10 handlers let Scott McCreery down.  He came out guns blazing with his encore of “Gone.”  It was a big, bold performance of a performer in command of his audience.  Scott McCreery looked like the winner after that.  Then George Strait and Jimmy Iovine handed Scott two mid-tempo country pop dirges that pandered to Scott’s teenage following but completely undermined his maturity as a performer.  Scott performed both songs well but neither song had the  emotional impact or harmonic dynamics he needed to show his talent.

With all of that I still believe Scott McCreery will win American Idol Season 10.  His popularity has been solid all season long, despite a very good night for Lauren Alaina, there is little reason for Scott’s fans to jump onto Lauren’s bandwagon.  I do think that Lauren Alaina did prove last night that she deserved to be in the top 2 just as much as Haley Reinhart or James Durbin.  Most satisfying to this website that highlights Christian musicians on American Idol is that both of these young performers are Christian musicians.

It is time to dial into the show as we live blog the American Idol Season 10 finale.  I will be posting observations about performances throughout the show as we get to re-acquaint ourselves with many of the American Idol Season 10 Top 24. And, of course we will bring you all the drama of the results.

Anyone doubting the popularity of Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery or thinking a concentration of artists in the country genre would reduce the viewership or vote count forget about it.  More than 122 million votes were cast last night, the largest ever for American Idol.

The Top 13 starts the American Idol Season 10 finale with a big production number of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”  Aren’t all Lady Gaga numbers big productions?

Ryan and the judges talking about voters choosing between Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery, but really, how can you dislike one while liking the other the other?

James Durbin‘s dream comes true.  He is playing with Judas Priest.  This and meeting Hulk Hogan may have been bigger prizes for him than winning American Idol Season 10.  He is doing it right with the leather studded vest and hat.  James Durbin sings better than the Judas Priest lead singer (sorry, I don’t know his name).

Jacob Lusk jumped deep into his gospel pool with Kirk Franklin and Gladys Knight and a big gospel choir. I don’t think I have ever seen Jacob Lusk enjoy himself more.  I could have used a few more choruses of that.

Casey Abrams is singing Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” with Jack Black.  Sorry Casey, Jack Black sounds better than you.  What is this a skat-off between Casey and JB?

This show is fun so far.

Haley Reinhart is doing a duet with Tony Bennett.  You can never go wrong with Tony Bennett. Haley seems like she is heaven and she is slamming on “Stepping Out On My Baby.”

Scott McCreery is singing “Live Like Your Dying” with Tim McGraw. Why didn’t Jimmy Iovine give Scott that song last night? Look at this image.  You will see it again and again on every country music awards show for the decade. Scott sounds very, very good on that song.

This is as good an American Idol finale as I have seen. When you match the depth of talent this American Idol Season 10 group with wide breadth of musical styles you get a very good variety show concert.

We are even getting some hot Latin salsa from Mark Anthony and Sheila E,  and, of course J-Lo.  I have never listened to Mark Anthony but this guy is smoking good.  And who knew? Jennifer Lopez can dance.

The Top 13 guys are doing a Tom Jones medley.  If Tom Jones joins them I am going to get stupid giddy.  Yes I am jumping up and down and screaming like one of Scott’s teenage girl fans. IT’S TOM JONES! THIS IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN IDOL SHOW EVER!

Ford just gave Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery the keys to any Ford vehicle they want.  I bet Scott picks a F-350 and Lauren picks a Mustang.

Lauren Alaina is singing with her hero Carrie Underwood. Once again, get ready for a decade of Lauren and Carrie sharing duets of their big country hits.

It is about time to find out who wins American Idol Season 10, but first Spiderman, or is it Peter Parker?, sings with Bono and Edge. As big a Spiderman fan as I am (really revealing my inner geek tonight) and as much as I love U2, I think I will miss Spiderman the Musical.

The last quarter of the show slowed down when it became a parade of Billboard artists debuting new songs.  We have not seen any of the top 13 since TOM JONES. Well, we did but I just wanted to say TOM JONES one more time. Could have used some Pia more than another song by Beyonce or that Spiderman thing.

Time to find out who 122 million Americans voted for. The Season 10 American Idol is … but first Steven Tyler sings “Dream On” with the entire Nokia Theater audience.  Then another commercial.  So much for finishing on time, it is 8:57.

Time to find out who 122 million Americans voted for.  Lauren Alaina looks like she is hyperventilating. The Season 10 American Idol is Scott McCreery. I don’t think I have ever seen a performer lead American Idol from Hollywood to the end. And then, as we should have expected, Scott McCreery gave all glory to God.  A fitting end to American Idol Season 10.

Scott McCreery cannot even sing his new single he is so overcome with emotion and then at the end he collapses onto the floor in tears.

Thank you for joining us for American Idol Season 10 as One21music followed the Christian musicians on American Idol.  Thank you Ashton Jones, Stefano Langone, Jacob Lusk, Lauren Alaina and the Season 10 American Idol–Scott McCreery.  It was a wonderful season.

Put on your kickers and your 10 gallon hat because American Idol Season 10 goes country tonight.  Christian musicians Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina are both country singers so it does not really matter what songs are chosen for them to perform. They will put their own unique country twists on their performances anyway.  However, in addition to songs chosen by George Strait for Scott and Carrie Underwood for Lauren, both of them will debut their first singles tonight.  The new songs will be available on iTunes on Thursday.

For all of the talk about how predictable American Idol has become we have several unique developments in the American Idol Season 10 finals. This is only the second time in American Idol history that two Christian musicians have made it to the finals. This is the youngest duo ever to make it to an American Idol finale.  If Lauren Alaina wins she will be the youngest performer ever to win American Idol.  Season 10 is the first time two country singers have made it to the final. Scott McCreery will be the first teen guy and the first male country singer to win.  Lauren Alaina will be the first female to win since Season 7′s Jordin Sparks.

In my American Idol Season 10 Top 2 Power Rankings, I review the highlights of Scott and Lauren’s journey to the top 2.  I had both of these teens pegged as potential winners from the start.  I lost faith in Lauren Alaina when she lost faith in herself.  Through much of the season she fell short of her potential and had to rely on her charisma to keep her in the competition.  However, she always seemed to come up with the right performance at the right time and managed to prevail over favorites James Durbin and Haley Reinhart. Scott McCreery skated through Season 10 with quiet confidence and a laser focus on his musical persona.

The biggest surprise of Season 10 was Scott and Lauren’s overwhelming popularity.   These two southern, Christian teens are so popular that they generated 95 million votes last week to overcome a split vote in their demographic and eliminate Haley Reinhart.  That was the third largest number of votes ever for American Idol, including finales. I think Scott McCreery will win but I have learned to not underestimate the popularity of Lauren Alaina.

So sit back and enjoy as we live blog the final live performance show of American Idol Season 10.  I think it will be less a competition tonight and more of a preview of the 2013 Country Music Awards.

Ryan Seacrest is in a tux and the Idol world past and present is in house. Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina have never performed before a crowd like there is tonight in the Nokia Theater.  Lauren Alaina blew out a vocal cord in rehearsals so this should be interesting.  Three rounds tonight: their favorite song of the season, one from their Idols and their new single.

Scott McCreery starts with “Gone”. Well, the moment nor the crowd has not overwhelmed Scott McCreery.  He just threw down with a romping version of “Gone.”  That was much, much better than his performance of that song earlier in the year.  Scott was in the moment, playing to the entire audience and singing full out in the chorus.  Scott McCreery started with a bang.

Lauren Alaina now does “Flat On The Floor.” This was one of the high points of her season, when she put a stamp on her position as a frontrunner.  You could really hear the impact of her vocal cord problem.  She delivered on her sassy stage persona and was her usual charismatic personality.  She had good moments in the song but a few times, when she reached for her big voice, it was not there.  It did not effect the song and she didn’t miss any notes but it was not as big as she is capable of.  If she planned on blowing away Scott with her voice power tonight she needs a new plan.

Scott McCreery seems more excited than nervous tonight.  Lauren Alaina seems a little shaken by her voice.

George Strait has selected “Check Yes or No” for Scott McCreery. Scott is much better with his guitar.  I hate this song.  There was not much there for Scott to work with.  Scott did all he could with it, but I don’t know how that helps us decide on our vote.

Carrie Underwood selects “Maybe It Was Memphis” for Lauren Alaina. Much much better in many ways.  Lauren seemed to rediscover her voice in that performance.  The song is much better than Scott’s song.  With this performance, we saw the Lauren Alaina that could win American Idol Season 10.

I agree with the judges.  Round one to Scott McCreery. Round two to Lauren Alaina.

We end the night with new singles from Scott McCreey and Lauren Alaina.  Look for them to hit the top of iTunes charts by the end of this week.

First, Scott McCreery sings “Love You This Big.”  Jimmy Iovine helped him pick the song and the arrangement.  That was a perfect song for Scott thematically, but it showed the limitations of his voice.  I had a hard time hearing him, the music overwhelmed his voice in places.  However, when he sang “love you this big” every teenage girl in America was lining up phones to vote with.  The judges thought he showed great range and sang the song exceptionally well.  I think the mix on the single will be better and it will push a million copies for Scott McCreery.

Now Lauren Alaina does a remake of the Carrie Underwood song “Like My Mother Does.” Will she have enough voice to pull away from Scott McCreery. Well Lauren Alaina just picked the right moment to have her American Idol moment.  That was a fully blasted vocal of a highly emotional song. Every mother in America is now fighting their daughters for the phones to vote.  She went down to hug her mother in the middle of the song.  Her voice held up and it was beautiful.  The judges are worshiping Lauren Alaina after that performance.

Even with her vocal problems Lauren Alaina delivered the performances she needed to to win this night.

Join us tomorrow night as we live blog the American Idol Season 10 results show.  We will see U2, all of the Idols from Season 10 and we will find out who wins American Idol Season 10.

Well we now have the American Idol Season 10 Top 2.  Early favorites Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina, both Christian musicians, made it to the finale and will battle on Tuesday night for the Season 10 title.  This is pretty amazing.  I don’t believe any two performers made it to the final after being favorites from the audition episodes.  Every year I have watched American Idol some underdog comes from the pack to shake up everyone’s early perception of who should win.  Jordan Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze were all relatively unknown coming into the live shows and then put together a series of show stopping performances to rise to the top.

That brings us to this week’s surprising elimination of the Season 10 underdog, Haley Reinhart.  After reviewing the season, Haley was the best singer in the competition along with Pia Toscano and Lauren Alaina.  For all of Casey Abrams‘ boundary stretching performances, Haley Reinhart was the biggest risk taker of American Idol Season 10.  Casey did jazz interpretations of pop and blues songs from a platform of judge adulation.  Haley Reinhart, on the other hand, forged a path for herself in face of being eviscerated on a weekly basis by the judges.  Through it all she outlasted early favorites Pia Toscano, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and James Durbin.

Even with all of that, I think Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery earned their places in the American Idol Season 10 Top 2.  What surprises me is the voting.  Scott and Lauren share a distinct demographic.  Their Christian/country/young teen voting block should have been strong enough to get one of them into the finale.  However, I through Haley Reinhart‘s voting block (all of those not in the Chrsitian/country/young teen category, plus Vote for The Worst) would be enough to push Haley into the finale.  I though Scott and Lauren would split votes enabling Haley to make it into the finals.  However the small town charm and charisma of Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery pushed America to generate the most votes ever for and an American Idol top 3 (95 million) and proved too much for the thrills that Haley Reinhart was providing.  That is the surprise.

American Idol Season 10 Top 2 Power Rankings

I am going to take a slight diversion from my normal power rankings.  I have underestimated Lauren Alaina the past three weeks.  I thought she was in trouble in the top 6, was on the edge in the top 5, gone for sure in the top 4 and only held a slight chance of making the top 2.  I will tell you why below.  I still think Scott McCreery will win but, if Lauren Alaina let’s loose with all of her talent this week I think she still has a shot at winning.  So instead of doing a power ranking I would like to review Scott’s and Lauren’s journey through American Idol Season 10 and highlight some of the reasons why two of the youngest contestants ever to perform on American Idol are still standing.

The Scott McCreery Journey Through American Idol Season 10

Scott started strong with a good audition and a short feature during the audition episodes.  Scott McCreery had no heartbreaking stories to tell, his was just a story of the All American, small town, country boy who has a once in a generation voice and uncanny country sensibilities. Captain of his baseball team, checker at the local grocer and A student with an open Christian faith could be a heroic character in a teen novel.

Scott McCreery Group Day in Hollywood

Everything was going great for Scott until group day during Hollywood week.  First, because of his uniquely deep voice, country sensibilities and thick southern drawl, Scott could not find a group to accept him.  He was almost washed away until he stumbled upon a group that included Jaycee Badeaux.  Scott did not know this but Jaycee convinced his group to let Scott join them.  If you remember the early episodes, Jaycee was one of the younger contestants.  He was fifteen, looked 12 and was a little heavy, the type of kid who would be bullied at school.  In the middle of the night, after many of the groups had already worked out their routines and gone to bed, the self appointed leader of Scott’s group kicked Jaycee out for no apparent reason other than he was not a good dancer.  Scott said nothing.  I think Scott’s reaction to his mistake the next day soldified him as a fan favortie to all of the young teens and their parents who make up a huge part of American Idol’s demographic.  See what I mean.

After Hollywood week, Scott McCreery spent the rest of the season as a front runner.  I don’t know if he would have done anyting differently, but through most of American Idol Seaosn 10 Scott stayed steadfast in his country genre, singing country songs and not listening to the critics who were calling him a one trick pony. Then we got to Mowtown week and we all thought Scott McCreery was going to stumble.  Instead, he took a well know Stevie Wonder song, performed it with ease, grace and feeling and maybe created a true country hit out of “For Once In My Life.”

In my opinion that performance, in the Top 11 round, solidified a place for Scott McCreery in the American Idol Season 10 Top 5.  It is a good thing he was able to deliver that performance because over the next few weeks, as James Durbin was going nuts with stage rock n roll stage shows, Pia Toscano was blowing us all away with her ballads and Haley Reinhart was staging a thrilling comeback, Scott waltzed through a series of capable but bland country performances.  He was never in trouble, but I thought his chances of winning and maybe even making the finals were slipping away. Then the Top 4 were allowed to select a song that inspired them.  In the midst of tall the emotions stirred up by the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Scott McCreery put his character, his faith and values on display with “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning).” I think this is Scott’s most heartfelt performance of the year.

After that, I knew Scott McCreary was a shoo-in for the finale, but Haley Reinhart was blowing America away week after week with thrilling, daring performances, perfectly delivered.  The judges unwarranted harsh criticism of Haley was generating a lot of sympathy for her, so Scott had work to do if we he truly was “in it to win it.”  Jimmy Iovine came through for him by selecting a perfect song. Scott McCreery then strapped on his guitar and delivered a winning perfomance of “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.”

All of that should add up to the American Idol Season 10 crown for Scott McCreery, but Lauren Alaina has proven fooled both James Durbin and Haley Reinhart to get to this point.

The Lauren Alaina Journey Through American Idol Season 10

How could you not fall in love with Lauren Alaina from the moment this young Christian musician showed up in Nashville?  Yes she had an inspiring special, but it was her on stage performance that took the American Idol audience by storm.  No only did she have a perfect audtiion, this, barley 15 year-old, girl from a small Georgia town convinced the judges to meet her family and then sang an Aerosmith song to her parents and even called Steven Tyler to sing it with her. Amazing.  At that moment every pre-teen girl in America wanted be her BFF.

Lauren Alaina skated through Hollywood week as a front runner soaking up all of the judges adulation.  Coming into the live shows she was a favorite to win and she started her season off with a bang.  She demonstrated strong country rock skills with  “Turn On The Radio.”

Then she started reading the Internet and all of the vile, hateful things people say under the cloak of anonymity.  Lauren Alaina is a 16 years old girl, with a 16 year-old’s fragile self-confidence. She was shattered.  For weeks Lauren Alaina appeared lost and unsure on stage.  She was clearly falling in the competition even landing in the Bottom 3 once. I firmly believe that her natural, engaging sense of humor kept her in the competion until she made it to the Top 5. In the Top 5 it seemed to be a battle between Lauren and Christian musician Jacob Lusk to stay on the show for one more week.  Lauren reached back to her country rock roots and delivered a winner with “Flat On The Floor”

Even with that bold, fun, booming performance, Lauren Alaina found herself in the bottom 2 with Jacob Lusk.  It was heartbreaking to see Lauren stand there fighting hysterics in fear that her time was up.  After, Jacob was eliminated, it looked inevitable that Lauren was next.  After weeks of refusing to fully challenge her talents she really had no chance to beat out James Durbin, Scott Mccreery and Haley Reinhart.  Then she was asked to sing a song that inspired her.  In the wake of devastating tornadoes that ravaged her homeland, the youngest performer dug deep to show her character and her faith with “Anyway.”

Even with that performance Lauren Alaina continues to hold back in the competition performances.  We know there is more in her but she just cannot bring herself to let it out, except in a series of results night duets.  That is when we see the Lauren Alaina that will be a music and television star for decades.  For those of you that believe Lauren Alaina does not compare to Haley Reinhart as a singer,  I point to “Gunpowder and Lead”, her Top 4 results show duet with Haley Reinhart.

So here we are.  The American Idol Season 10 finale features, for only the second time in 10 seasons, two Christian musicians.  Lauren and Scott are the most country leaning final group in American Idol history and they are definitely the youngest.  If Lauren Alaina wins she will be the youngest ever to win American Idol. If Scott McCreery wins he will be the first male country singer to win and only the second country singer to ever win American Idol.

So join us TUESDAY night as we live blog the last American Idol Season 10 performances by Christian musicians Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina.

What a night on American Idol Season 10 Top 3 performance night.  First, Christian musicians Scott McCreery (with “Amazed”) and Lauren Alaina (with “Wild One”) started the night with very solid performances.  They both showed themselves to be rapidly maturing professionals rather than Idol contestants.  But then along came Haley Reinhart and threw a haymaker with a mind blowing version of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be”, with her dad playing lead guitar.  It was a booming, growling, wailing Haley Reinhart performance of this 40 year-old rock classic.

Then the Jimmy Iovine and the judges got involved.

Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina followed Haley’s showstopper with their best performances of the year.  First Scott took Jimmy Iovine’s pick (“Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not’) and delivered a casual, nuanced engaging performance with the maturity of a 30 year veteran of the Grand Ole’ Opry.  He followed that by delivering big on the big choruses of “She Believes In Me.”  Lauren sashayed around the stage on Jimmy Iovine’s pick (‘If I Die Young’), delivering a heart breaking performance.  She followed that with a firmly rooted performance of “I Hope You Dance.” I think Lauren missed her chance to solidify a place in the American Idol Season 10 finale by not going big on her finish to the last song.

While Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery were soaring through the second half of the show, Haley Reinhart was being undermined by the terrible song selections from the judges and Jimmy Iovine.  First, Jimmy had Haley sing “Rhiannon” which provides her no opportunity to show off her voice.  Then the judges selected “You Ougtha Know”.  The rapid fire lyrics in the low register verses completely tied Haley Reinhart in knots.

Scott McCreery did enough to solidify himself a well-earned place in the American Idol Season 10 finale.  Lauren Alaina was strong enough on a night when Haley Reinhart struggled to make the final spot too close to call.

Let’s enjoy the evening together as we watch the homecoming footage and learn who makes it to the finale while I live blog the American Idol Season 10 Top 3 results show.

Incredibly, 95 million votes were cast last night, the largest non-finale vote total ever.

Well, that Il Volo group was a pleasant change of pace.  I was smiling at my wife through their entire performance.

Time for results, after the break. All three of these guys deserve to be here.  First one in is Scott McCreery. Joining him in the American Idol Season 10 finale is Lauren Alaina. Haley Reinhart is shocked and so will be much of America.  Haley’s mad dash to the finale ended with some bad song choices by Jimmy Iovine and the judges last night.

For the first time ever, we will have two Christians in the American Idol finale.  Check in this weekend as I review the Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery journey to the American Idol Season 10 finale.

American Idol Season 10 is coming to a conclusion.  Tonight, America selects the finalists from the Top 3. If you have been following us throughout the American Idol Season 10 journey, you will know that we have thought Christian musician Scott McCreery was a lock for the finals and the favorite to win.  We are not so sure any longer.  Haley Reinhart has put together a string of tremendous performances and put Season 10 into question. And even though Christian musician Lauren Alaina has yet to reach her singing potential, her charisma and humor have brought her into the Top 3 with a chance to win American Idol Season 10.  I now believe that tonight will be a legitimate battle to decide the American Idol Season 10 final two.

Scott McCreery, Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina will each sing three songs this week.  They can pick a song for themselves, the judges will pick one and Jimmy Iovine will pick the third.  In addition to all of the work to prepare three songs, the American Idol Season 10 Top 3 took a day to go home for the annual American Idol homecoming celebrations.

So tonight comes down to this.  Scott McCreery will make the Top 2 unless he stumbles tonight.  However, Scott very much needs a special performance tonight to regain momentum that has been snatched by Haley Reinhart.  Speaking of Haley, if she continues her run of stunning performances tonight, she could challenge Scott for the American Idol Season 10 title.  If Lauren Alaina can just lose herself into three songs and belt out performances like she consistently does in the results show, she will push Scott or Haley out of the top 2 and maybe even win American Idol Season 10.

I do want to take a moment to point out a comment from our Top 13 Power Rankings on March 6th:

“Today, two of the Top 13 show all the signs of winning American Idol Season 10. Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina are young, likable, good looking and safe for the American Idol voting demographic. The pre-teen girl voters want to date Scott and hangout with Lauren, and their voting mothers want that as well. Both are talented and will have successful music careers, so one of them winning would be a good conclusion to American Idol Season 10.”

Both Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina have lived up to that prediction and both have a real shot at winning.

It is time for all three to prove that they belong, so join me as I live blog the American Idol Season 10 top 3 performances, right now.

We are going two hours tonight.  I need to grab my charger.  In case you have not heard, American Idol sponsored James Durbin‘s homecoming celebration.

Beyonce mentored the Top 3 through their personal choices. Did you know that she is an iconic diva, like J-Lo?

Scott McCreery picks “Amazed” by Lone Star. Beyonce thinks Scott has innocent charisma. Scott’s has demonstrated perfect phrasing all season.  That is why he has seemed to be a consumate pro from the time the Top 24 hit the stage.  That was a very simple song, with a beautiful melody and Scott completely owned it. He needs to work on his stage movements a little, but as a vocal performer he continues to prove that he is a master.  He much went higher in his range than he usually does.  Steven and J-Lo both loved. Randy had a few small complaints think he finished the song strong. A good Scott McCreery performance but it did not blow my mind.

Lauren Alaina is singing Faith Hill’s “Wild One.” Lauren showed exceptional stage presence.  She moved around the stage effortlessly and seemed very engaged with the audience.  She certainly had fun with the song.  She missed a few opportunities to build on some notes and blow everyone away.  The judges did not seem to be blown away but had nothing but nice things to say.  A very good performance but not a show stopper.

Haley Reinhart‘s song choice is “What Is And What Should Never Be” by Led Zeppelin.  This is certainly a risk.  This is a 40 year old rock song that was never a hit. Except for falling down in the middle of the song that was pretty exceptional.   Except for the fall, her stage movements were dead on.  That was completely in Haley’s pocket.  She wailed on this big bluesy rock number. Her voice is big enough and she sang it full out.  Haley Reinhart is on fire.  The judges gave here a standing ovation and they all loved it. I thought is was pretty incredible as well.

Randy, Steve and J-Lo all say Haley Reinhart created a moment and won round 1.

Jimmy Iovine picks “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” by Thompson Square  for Scott McCreery.  He brings out a guitar for round 2.  Good job Jimmy. This is a perfect song for Scott. That was a great performance by Scott.  He showed a little range and added some growl to his vocal.  I think that may have been his moment.  A fully complete performance.  Scott delivered a full body, nuanced, fully engaged performance.  Everything came together for Scott McCreery with that performance. Steven loved the way he delivered the chorus.  J-Lo thought he was in the zone. Randy declares Scotty is in it to win it.  That is the type of performance Scott needed tonight.  That was perfect.

For Lauren Alaina, Jimmy Iovine goes to today’s charts for “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry.  They are a Christian band. Jimmy is good at this.  Another great performance.  Lauren really pushed her vocals and delivered some big notes.  The competition is heating up.  In this week, more than ever, Lauren is performing more as a professional than as a competitor. J-Lo loves her tone. Both Randy and J-Lo picked up on her losing herself in the song but complimented on her recovery.  t didn’t hear her mistake, evidently she got caught up in the emotion of the song and missed a chord change. Lauren delivered another great performance. No one is backing down tonight.

Haley Reinhart will be singing Stevie Nick’s “Rhiannon.” Jimmy tells her to build to the end so America can hear every color of her voice. Haley gets the full Stevie Nicks wind machine treatment. That was beautiful visual performance but the vocals we just okay.  Her pitch was perfect but that song did not show off her voice.  That was okay but it was not up to par with her past three weeks.  Randy and Steven enjoyed it.  J-Lo thought it was beautiful moment.  Like the judges, I thought it was good but not special.  It was like a throw away from her first album.

Steven thought Lauren took round 2. J-Lo and Randy adamantly thought Scott took round 2.  Jimmy thinks we saw Scott transform into a star tonight.

The judges pick “She Believes In Me” by Kenny Rogers for Scott McCreery. This is a really schmaltzy country ballad for the 80′s.  This song challenges Scott’s range and he proves to be up to the challenge.  A perfect delivery of that song.  Very beautiful.  I was hoping for a more emotional moment that never came.  Steven thinks he sang the big chorus with ease. J-Lo says they were trying to challenge him with that big chorus and that he showed them.  Randy loved it.  The judges all complimented him on the technical singing and I agree.  That was a beautiful vocal performance.

For Lauren Alaina, the judges selected “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. That was solid.  Tonight, as many times with Lauren, I am left wanting more for her.  She sang perfectly but she held back.  She could have gone for a big finish but went soft.  She walked out like she owned the stage and she sang well.  I just want more.  The judges went gaga (not Lady) over her performance.  I am not sure I saw what they saw or heard what they heard.

The judges have saddled Haley Reinhart with Alainas Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know.”  Not only do I haet this song, it is completely wrong for Haley.  If she pulls this off she deserves to win.  Haley soars through the big chorus really unleashing her big voice.  However, she muddles through the rappy verses.  The rapid fire lyrics in the low end of her range really tied her in knots.  She finished huge though.  Randy loved the choruses.  Steven said she was amazing because she nailed the choruses.  J-Lo loved the choruses.  Aren’t songs made up of both verses and choruses?  The Haley Reinhart train ran out of steam tonight because of poor song choices by Jimmy and the judges.

Steven thinks Haley won round 3. J-Lo and Randy thinks Lauren won round 3.

Nothing was better tonight than Haley Reinhart singing “What Is and What Should Never Be”, but both Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina were consistently better than Haley. I think Scott McCreery assured himself a spot in the American Idol Season 10 top 2 and may have solidified his shot at the title.  It will be a battle between Lauren and Haley to join Scott next week.

Join us tomorrow night as we live blog the American Idol Season 10 top 3 results show.

Everybody’s going home. Haley Reinhart and Christian musicians Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery are taking  private jets for their American Idol Season 10 top 3 victory laps. Unfortunately, James Durbin will be flying commercial on his trip home.  The season 10 rocker was eliminated last night.  While it was a shocker, James seemed to peek around the Top 6 and had some inconsistent performances over the past few weeks, while Haley Reinhart has had a stream of show stopping performances.

The shocker for us was that Lauren Alaina passed James Durbin to make it to the top 3.  After the agony she endured last week, in the bottom 2 with Jacob Lusk, she was absolutely overwhelmed with joy that she made it into the American Idol Season 10 top 3.  We underestimated the power of her charisma and her charm.  Her personality has enabled her to overcome a season of singing underachievement caused be a deblitating lack of confidence.  Last night, for the third time the season, Lauren Alaina blew us away with a rip roaring vocal performance in a results show duet.  This time she overwhelmed vocal powerhouse Haley Reinhart. Why don’t we see this abandon in the competitive performances?

Before we get to the rankings we would like to say a few parting words to James Durbin. I have fallen in love with this young man this season.  He is so ernst and thoughtful and passionate about what he does.  Throughout the season he openly expressed his love and fidelity to his fiance.  All of these young people have a lot on the line but James seemed to be the one sacrificing the most and needing this success the most. We do wish him the best.  We hope to see him use his new found fame to show families struggling through the tourette’s and autism diagnosis that there is hope and a light in the distance.  One thing is pretty clear from James’s post Idol reviews is that James will not go the Daughtry route but pursue some harder and more experimental musical opportunities. Hoping for success for you James Durbin. I am not a big metal fan but I commit to buying your first release.

After two months, this

Has become this

Who will be the last person standing?  It is becoming less clear every week.

American Idol Season 10 Top 3 Power Rankings

The American Idol Season 10 Top 3 will be singing three songs each on Wednesday night. One song chosen by the judges, one will be chosen by Jimmy Iovine and one chosen by the Top 3 themselves.  As recently as three days ago I was pretty certain that Scott McCreery was a lock to win, today I am not so sure.  Haley Reinhart continues to deliver show stopper after show stopper and the judges’ unfair treatment of her seems to have created a wave of support from America.  So, while I rank the American Idol Season 10 Top 3, I think this race is too close to call.

1) Scott McCreery- He is like the old boyfriend who is the same as he was when you first met him, but months of wonderful the relationship turns monotonous and you start looking for new excitement. Christian musician Scott McCreery needs two very strong weeks to get America’s attention.  As Paul MacDonald, Jacob Lusk and Casey Abrams have left American Idol Season 10 those votes seemed to have drifted to Haley Reinhart.  This week, Scott McCreery needs at least one edgy song, performed seriosuly, to capture James Durbins‘ voters, maybe the Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, a Neil Young rocker or maybe even one of Third Day’s edgy songs.  Jimmy Iovine and the judges selections scared to death because they are going to try to make Scott step outside his genre.

2) Haley Reinhart- People like Haley Reinhart is why I like American Idol.  She spent the first part of the season in the bottom 3.  Week after week you could hear the voice but she seemed lost.  Her performances were all over the place and all of them were unfocused and disconnected. She fit the profile of a great singer who was just happy to be there and was enjoying her time on the show.  Then she flipped a switch.  Haley Reinhart‘s eight straight show stopping performances catapulted her into a threat to Scott McCreery for the American Idol Season 10 title.  Since the judges have no idea of what to make of Haley Reinhart, I suspect that their song selection for her will be disastrous. Watch for J-Lo to pick some contemporary R&B silliness like she sings.  Jimmy Iovine’s selection should be good, I think he gets her.  Remember he convinced Haley Reinhart to sing that unreleased Lady Ga Ga a few weeks ago. Will Haley Reinhart join the ranks of Kris Allen, Lee Dewyze and Jordin Sparks to upset the season long favortie and win American Idol Season 10?  I now believe that is possible.

3) Lauren Alaina- What a wonderful story. The youngest of the American Idol Season 10 came out of the auditions as a producer favorite.  Remember, American Idol was going for a Taylor Swift or Justin Beiber phenomena this year and lowered the entry age. Lauren Alaina then waltzed through Hollywood Week with charm, humor, confidence and a huge voice.  Then she started reading about herself on the Internet.  The absolutely horrific things said about her online visibly shook her confidence.  Her audition and Hollywood week popularity kept her in the game through a series of poor performances.  The judges, the vocal coaches and Jimmy Iovine encouraged her through this period to believe in herself.  Then, as she prepared to perform “The Climb”, Jimmy Iovine told her she was a better singer than Myley Cyrus.  Then she went out and proved it.  Then she sang a duet with Scott McCreey during a results show and America remembered that Lauren Alaina is a great singer.  Her struggles with confidence have held her back but her charisma and comedic skills have brought her into the American Idol Season 10 Top 3.  If she manages to cross the her confidence barrier and really let loose like she does in the results show duets, Christian musician Lauren Alaina could vault to the top of American Idol Season 10.

Join us Wednesday night as we live blog the American Idol Season 10 Top 3 performances.

The American Idol Season 10 top 4 performances last night were mostly good.  James Durbin and Haley Reinhart both needed to be great and they both were. James’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Love Potion No. 9″ both showed off James’ great singing chops and his exuberant performance style.  Haley’s “The Earth Song” and “I Who Have Nothing” were both thrilling and continued her string of great performances.  Christian musicians Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina had mixed nights.  Scott’s version “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” and Lauren’s “Anyway”, both with openly Christian messages, were the top two performances of the night.  However, Scott’s “Youngblood” and Lauren’s “Trouble” missed the mark.

The studio recordings are really good so join me in purchasing the American Idol Top 4 Season 10 -- Various Artists on iTunes (be sure to have iTunes open before you click through.)

Two big subplots emerged last night. First was the judges unfair and completely unbalanced criticism of Haley Reinhart for her performance of “The Earth Song.”

Whether or not you agree with me that this was a gut wrenching, wailing throwdown of a performance by someone who really cared about what she was singing, or you don’t like when a singer loses control a little, this was not fair.  Over eight performances last night, this was the only negative criticism.  Everything else was fawning and supportive.  The entire Internet has turned against the judges.

The bigger story for us is the interchange between Lady GaGa and Scott McCreery.  During the mentoring sessions Lady GaGa came at Scott with a series of vulgarities.  This young man, under the pressure of his life to win American Idol Season 10, stood his ground in the face of the most popular performer on the planet.  He did not argue with her, he not did challenge her actions, he merely resisted her crudeness.  In the end, the reigning queen of controversy saw the vulgarity of her actions and apologized.  Admittedly her apology was “for telling the truth” but it was an apology.  Here is a bad video of the exchange. Sorry, it was the best I could find.

So, last night, controversy overshadowed the performances of the American Idol Season 10 top 4, but America votes on the performances.  As I said both Haley Reinhart and James Durbin were terrific last night while Christian musicians Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery had two of the best and two of the worst performances on the show.  Scott could afford the inconsistency.  We don’t think Lauren had the wiggle room.

We believe that Lauren Alaina will go home tonight.  The most interesting result to watch tonight is whether James Durbin or Haley Reinhart joins her in the bottom 2.  This will tell us if the Haley Reinhart rocket ship has launched her into the finals or if she has more work to do.

The results start right away.  The first person into the Top 3 is Lauren Alaina.  That certainly a shocker for me, but a good one.  I did not see that one coming.  That means James Durbin and Haley Reinhart are at risk.  That probably means Haley Reinhart goes home tonight.

But enough speculation.  Join as we live blog the American Idol Season 10 top 4 results right now.

Wow, almost 72 million votes last night, the most ever for an American Idol top 4.  Jordin Sparks, Lady Gaga, Julio Iglesias and Steven Tyler’s new video.  More performances than Idol contestant torture tonight.  I am happy about that.

James Durbin and Scott McCreery sing a country duet and they sound exceptional.  Their voices fit together seamlessly. That was fun.

Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart do another country song for a duet.  Once again Lauren shines in a duet. She just shines in these results show performances, when the pressure of competing is gone.  That was very enjoyable as well.

Results already. The first one into the top 3 is Lauren Alaina.  Wow, that is a shocker, but a good one.  I never saw this one coming.  That means James Durbin and Haley Reinhart are in trouble.  I suspect that Haley Reinhart will go home tonight.

Boy, that young lady is just silly giddy and I don’t blame her.

Time for more results, who is in the Bottom 2.  The next one in the Top 3 is Haley Reinhart! Another shocker. Bad news for James Durbin and I think he feels it.  James Durbin looks crushed.  Now I have been so wrong this week it is entirely possible that Ryan Seacrest gets voted off this week.

I think the judges unfair treatment may have pushed Haley Reinhart into the American Idol Season 10 top 3.  Not that she hasn’t earned it, but the reaction to the judges has been pretty strong.

The American Idol Season 10 journey ends tonight for James Durbin. He is deeply emotional, as are the judges and the audience,and us. We have come to greatly appreciate the heart of this earnest young man. I hope he can make it through the end of the show. He will have a wonderful career and I hope for the best for James and his family.

The American Idol Season 10 top 3 are Scott McCreery, Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina.  Two Christian musicians and probably the young lady who turned out to be the best singer of the season.  Check-in this weekend as we do our final power rankings for American Idol Season 10.

Only three more weeks of American Idol Season 10.  If you read our Top 4 Power Rankings, you know we think Haley Reinhart is making a big move to the top.  Going into last week’s  Top 5 performances we thought James Durbin and Christian musician Scott McCreery were a lock for the final two.  We stated that Haley Reinhart and Christian musicians Lauren Alaina and Jacob Lusk were fighting to make the top 3.  We don’t believe that anymore.

Haley Reinhart has been so strong for the past four weeks that we believe she has a chance to overtake James Durbin for a spot in the American Idol Season 10 finale.  We will be shocked if Scott McCreery is not standing on the American Idol stage on May 25th, but the next two weeks look to be a fierce battle between James and Haley.

It will be interesting to watch how Lauren Alaina recovers from last week’s results show.  She looked completely crushed standing with Jacob Lusk, looking at what was probably the American Idol Season 10 top 3 across the stage.  Will she give in to what looks like her inevitable exit this week and stumble through these performances?  Will she resolve herself to go out with her best performances of the season?  Will she refuse to accept the picture from last week’s result show and fight for her place in the finals?  Will last week’s results finally push her to let loose with her big vocals and forget about failing?  We can forgive Lauren Alaina for crumbling under the pressure since her biggest struggles this year have been with confidence.  However, we believe we will see the drive and determination that landed this 16 year old in the American Idol Season 10 top 4.  I expect great things from Lauren Alaina tonight.

So the charge to the finale begins tonight as the Idols work with Lady Gaga to update songs from the Leiber & Stoller catalogue.  The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame composers shaped the sound of pre-Beatles rock with hits for Elvis, The Coasters, Ben E. King and many others.  These songs set-up much better for Haley Reinhart than for James Durbin.  I also expect wonderful country interpretations of these songs from Christian musicians Lauren Alaina and Scott McCreery.

But enough speculation, let’s see what happens as we live blog the performances of the American Idol Season 10 top 4.

A twist in the songs.  The first songs will be “songs that inspired them” and then the Leiber & Stroller songs.

James Durbin starts with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”  Wow, I was looking at my screen during James’s opening and I swear it was Steve Perry up there. Well James Durbin has accepted the challenge.  Except for the silly calls to the audience at the very beginning that was a great delivery of that song.  Very few singers can pull this song off.  It is rock song in a very high range. Really Randy? Journey is one of the greatest rock bands of all time?  I scoff at you.  I do agree with Randy that the song was the highest degree of difficulty and James pulled it off.  Game on.

Haley Reinhart will be singing Michael Jackson.  That sounds like a mistake to me.  She is singing “The Earth Song.”  Game is on.  I was wrong.  Haley slayed that song. She commanded a stage filled with a choir and completely owned the entire arena.  I agree with J-Lo that Haley really felt the message of the song.  Randy hated it.  I completely disagree with Randy and J-Lo.  I agree with Steven that she nailed the song and he felt strongly enough to cut-off Randy’s critique.  The judges are trying to  pigeon hole her into too tight a style.

Scott McCreery is singing “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”  This is an Alan Jackson song about 9/11.  For the first time this year Scott is playing his guitar.  This openly Christian country song quotes I Corithinians 13:13 and blatently states that the singer knows Jesus.  It was a great song for Scott and he sang the song beautifully.  Scott is fighting back tears because this song defines who he is.  All of the judges thought it was a perfect song choice and that it perfectly fits with who he will be as an artist.  This is just another example of Scott McCreery commanding American Idol Season 10.  He did exactly the type of song he has done all season, he did it perfectly and the judges ate it up. Good job Scott.

Lauren Alaina is singing “Anyway” by Martina McBride. Our Christian musicians are coming through tonight with strong proclamations of their faith.  Lauren just declared that God is great and that she prays through her set backs. Well, Lauren Alaina decided to fight for her place in the top 3.  She stood in the middle of the stage and belted that country ballad like it was written for her.  She went for the big notes and she just swallowed them up.  That was a great vocal performance.  Randy says that Lauren was back in it to win it.  Steven and J-Lo loved it. I did too.  My favorite part, Lauren ended the judging by calling Ryan by his nickname, “peaches.”

Round one, inspirational songs, four way tie at a very high level.  Game is on and Lauren Alaina is back in it.

Haley Reinhart is doing “I (Who Have Nothing).”  Another Haley risk because this song won season 6 for Jordin Sparks. Wow, she certainly got the drama of that song.  She sang the notes off the page!  That was a big soaring performance.  Deep, connected and dramatic and it showed-off the truely great voice Haley brings to American Idol Season 10.  The judges gave her a standing ovation. J-Lo says it was one of the best performances of the season.  Randy said it was perfect.  Steven just said Haley just “reinharted herself into next week.”  Haley continues her run of awesome performances.

Scott McCreery enters the Gaga zone. He is singing The Coasters’ “Youngblood.” Of course the mentoring was coarse and rude. Not my favorite Scott McCreery performance.  It was playful and showed Scott’s fun side. However, I did not like the frantic running around the audience and the song had virtually no singing. I don’t understand these judges.  They just love everything he does, no matter what.  I think the judges have become a little too fawning with Scott.  Not his best.

What I did like was that the queen of the world right now, Lady Gaga, went right into conservative Scott’s face with vulgarity, he politely stood his ground and she realized she had gone too far.  She apologized to Scott.

Lauren Alaina, Elvis and Lady Gaga.  What a trio.  Lauren is singing “Trouble” with a gold sparkly dress and lots of big jewelry.  So many songs, why this one?  Lauren struggles with singing that she is evil then sings it about 10 times.  She would have been better off if she had kept it slow and smokey.  The song picked up tempo in the middle of the song and she lost the impact of her performance.  That was a good try for Lauren, she sang it well, but this was the wrong song for Lauren.  The judges enjoyed it but were not raving. I did not like this Lauren Alaina performance, even though I look forward to the “Lauren Alaina Christmas Special” in a few years.

James Durbin is singing “Love Potion No 9.” A metal version of Love Potion No. 9 with squeals and shredding and big dramatic finishes.  A great performance from James Durbin,  It was big, loud and exciting.  And, by the way, he sang it perfectly note for note.  J-Lo says this tells us he can sing anything. Randy says he is peaking at the right time. Steven says something.  That was great.

Scott McCreery played the front runner perfectly tonight and will maintain that position.  James Durbin and Haley Reinhart delivered four killer performances.  Lauren Alaina did herself proud with “Always” then, I think she stumbled with “Trouble.”

Vote, vote, vote and then join us tomorrow night for the results as we select the American Idol Season 10 Top 3.

American Idol Season 10 sent Jacob Lusk packing last night.  I must admit that I am sad he did not fulfill the potential I saw in him.  One of the reasons I enjoy American Idol is to watch how these young hopefuls respond to the gauntlet this show puts them through.  I think it gives us insight into how the local performer we think is killer never makes it t0 the national scene.  I saw Jacob Lusk lose himself in all of the advice from the judges, the mentors and the singing coaches.  By the time we got to the Top 8 Jacob Lusk had lost all confidence in who he was as a singer and we watched him fade away week by week.  Maybe Andrae Crouch will embrace Jacob Lusk and launch him into the gospel career that is his destiny.

Haley Reinhart is the flip side of that story.  She has floundered in the middle of the pack as an unfocused talent who looked to be play acting each week.  Who is this girl?  We knew she coud sing the paint off the barn but I didn’t know what I would get from week to week.  Then, on the Top 8 results show (watch the video) she sang “Moanin’” with Casey Abrams.  It had me jumping out of my chair sayings that’s what I am talking about!  I think she got it.  Her wheelhouse is the slow or mid-tempo burner that gives her voice room to wail and growl.  Since then she has sung, “Rolling In The Deep”, “Beautiful”,” You and I” and “House of The Rising Sun” and slayed them all.  Haley Reinhart is now a true contender to win American Idol Season 10.

American Idol Season 10 Top 4 Power Rankings

This week will be odd.  The American Idol Season 10 Top 4 will be singing the “Leiber & Stoller” songbook.  This Rock n Roll Hall of Fame songwriting duo made their mark in the late 50′s and early 60′s when country, soul and rock n’ roll all pretty much sounded the same.  Most of the big rockers coming out of that era (Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty) settled into the country music scene.  Much of the “soul” music was mid tempo ballads or novelty songs.  I think this will be a tough week for James Durbin and a perfect theme for the other four.

1) Scott McCreery- Wednesday night’s “Gone” was enough to secure Christian musician Scott McCreery‘s place in the Top 2.  The past two weeks, with “You’ve Got A Friend” and “Gone”, he has shown the emotional and vocal range that was the final barrier to his march into the American Idol Season 10 finale.  He has been the most popular Idol since Hollywood week and now he is showing growth as an artist.  Scott is one example of an Idol who came in confidently knowing who he was, listening to advice and developing his vision for his career.  In this video watch Scott struggle to change his habit of holding the microphone as a piccolo.  That is a minor example of what I am talking about.

2) Haley Reinhart- This young lady is on fire and I think her momentum will carry her into the American Idol Season 10 finale.  To do that, she must be the best each of the next two weeks.  she has no room for mediocrity.  However, this week sets up well for Haley Reinhart.  Imagine her singing “Houndog” or “Kansas City” or “I’m A Woman.”  Watch the American Idol Season 10 rocket ship propel herself into contention with one of the best performances of American Idol Season 10.

3) James Durbin- Like Jacob Lusk, James Durbin is a special singer who is in danger of being sidetracked by the voices in his head.  Jimmy Iovine is pushing James into a more pop rock direction which is probably smart.  Any hopes James had of being a rock icon have been washed away by his association with American Idol. However, as James Durbin struggles with this transition, he is in danger of losing his way in the competition.  He has already lost what I though was a sure fire place in the American Idol Season 10 finale.  It is now essentially a two week “sing-off” with Haley Reinhart to see who earns their way to stand next to Scott McCreery.

James Durbin is as an example of the emotional toll this show has on these young performers.  Of the four remaining Idols, James has probably made the greatest sacrifice and came into the season with the most burning need to succeed.  I mean really, Scott and Lauren just skipped a semester of high school and Haley just moved from Nashville to sing in front of millions on TV instead of dozens in a club. James left his child and fiance on a quest to take them from poverty to stardom.  I think he has accomplished his quest but in this video you can see the emotional toll it has extracted.

4) Lauren Alaina- On Thursday night we saw Christian musician Lauren Alaina melt into an emotional mess as she stood across the stage from the inevitable top 3.  Standing there, I think she saw the future of the show and realized she would not be  part of it.  This must be a difficult week for her as she prepares to perform knowing that nothing short of a miracle will get her into the American Idol Season 10 Top 3.  It’s not talent, it is maturity and confidence. After a strong first performance she just refused to try for the pay-off notes in “Unchained Melody.” Without those notes that is a pretty bland song. Her lack of confidence has been Lauren’s story for the entire season.  Unless Lauren Alaina decides that she has nothing to lose and pulls out all the stops next week, she is headed back to Georgia.  I think it will be a short visit and then Lauren Alaina will spend the rest of her teen years on the road, with tutors, creating a career that will endure for decades.  The girl has talent and star quality and I am sure there is a line waiting for the chance to develop her into a star.

Join us Wednesday to watch the James Drubin/Haley Reinhart sing-off and to see how Lauren Alaina responds to the pressure of elimination.  As we have all season we will be live blogging the American Idol Seaosn 10 Top 4 performances and it should be smokin’.