American Idol…. Top 9

As I watched this week's Rock-&-Roll-Hall-Of-Fame-themed show, I captured my raw opinions of each singer's performance as they sang. Here's how I saw tonight's Top 9 on American Idol....

Jacob Lusk – Man In The Mirror—Jacob really showed some character this week. His decision to switch songs and go with what he believed in was honorable and definitely the right choice. The passion in his eyes brought even more soul to the sound and his involvement with the stage this week was great!

Haley Reinhart – Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart – What a performance! Haley has a big voice and showcased that tonight on the show. Her swag throughout was consistently energetic and full of feeling. She took Will.I.Am’s direction to really connect the words with the audience very well. Her last run at the end was a show-stopper for sure!

Casey  Abrams -- Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Great show from Casey tonight. He managed to have not one, but TWO instruments on stage with him and still keep attention! A very soulful kind of guy. His arrangement of the song suited him perfectly and I was not disappointed at all. As Steven said “You’re a true musician.”

Lauren  Alaina – Natural Woman – Reminiscent of when Ms. Kelly Clarkson (American Idol Season One Winner) sang the same selection…. Very soulful and cool. Lauren looked so comfortable on stage tonight! Had her head rollin’, hips swayin’ and voice playin’! Wonderful job!

James Durbin – While My Guitar Gently Weeps – What a welcome change from James this week! He’s always such a rocker. Nice to see such a gentle, vulnerable side of him and what a knee-slapping ending! Beautiful ballad and nicely done.

Scotty McCreery – That’s Alright Momma – Lots of confidence and use of the American Idol stage! Elvis seems a predictable pick for Scott and he did it well. A little safe for this stage of the game. Fun interpretation though. He sounded great!

Pia Toscano – River Deep Mountain High – She SANG that SONG! Amazing strength in her voice, amazing control and amazing presence! “Murderer” as Steven called her. That is definitely what Pia did to that song.

Stefano Langone – When A Man Loves A Woman – Nice touch with the falsetto start Stefano. Nice. His heart was on his sleeve and he surely sang it out! It “had another level of emotion” as Jenifer put it.

Paul McDonald – Folsom Prison Blues – Looked like Paul enjoyed himself on stage tonight. That is very important as a performer. Felt like the audience was at a show and not a contest! Sounded good and clean.

The entertainment never stopped tonight! Each singer held it down and proved their worth. My top picks? Pia and Haley for the ladies. James and Casey for the guys. Now, it's up to YOU to keep your favorite in the running to become America's Next-- my bad. Wrong show :) Just make sure you go and VOTE!!