We’re now down to the American Idol Top 5. It’s the point where (arguably) all the iffy contestants are gone. We’ve been listening to these five individuals sing for more than ten weeks now and have a solid understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their personalities are like, and more or less what kind of artist each one wants to be: the rocker, the country-pop singer, the blues man, the tender R&B crooner, and the rootsy alt-pop gal. At least one of these five (if not two or three of them) will be securing a record contract in the near future.

 

And so, in the infinite wisdom of the producers of American Idol, these five talented individuals with defined musical identities are forced to sing … the songbook of Frank Sinatra?

 

Sinatra’s repertoire is of course one of the richest collection of standards you’ll find in twentieth century pop and jazz. But it does require a certain measure of vocal prowess and song interpretation to deliver them properly. Still, it’d be interesting to hear what each of these five did with The Chairman’s classics.

 

Except that wasn’t the case last night, and at this point it’s worth mentioning what a tremendously fun an d generous guest mentor Harry Connick Jr. He gave good advice concerning song interpretation, including the usual spiel about communicating the lyrics. But he also worked on the contestants’ vocal delivery, tweaking specific notes. And he played with them for the performances, lending some of his band to the proceedings. Sheesh, the guy even orchestrated the arrangements with an incredible looking portable computer music machine. Plus, the dude was just flat out hilarious (like when he jokingly called Aaron “Big Mike,” or advised Casey, “Don’t screw it up!”) No question, Harry added a ton of class and entertainment to Idol this week.

 

The only problem with his stint, however, is that it required the contestants to stay true to the original songs. There was no room for creative song interpretations—this was jazz night, and it left me with mixed feelings. One side of me says it’s interesting to hear the five contestants out of their comfort zones, forced to try something new and actually sing in some cases. You could say it helped in further separating the boys from the men and the woman.

 

However, doesn’t it seem unfair at this point to make the contestants perform outside of their well established element? A week like this would have been more useful last month, when the Top 12 was still relatively new. Is it really fair now after all this time to make a rocker, a country-pop singer, a blues man, a tender R&B crooner, and a rootsy alt-pop gal sing jazz standards? Like that’s really going to make them sound marketable or current. (And what's next? Have Jay-Z mentor and force everyone to perform hip-hop?)

 

Well, under those parameters, it’s not hard to figure which of these five singers would rise to the top. Michael Lynche is the best singer among the men, and he’s at his best when displaying his soulful, tender side. So performing “The Way You Look tonight” certainly found the loving husband and father in his element. Big Mike does have a tendency to overreach on the high notes, skewing a little sharp, but he really seemed comfortable with Harry’s arrangement. Randy noted that he “sang it well and interestingly.” Really, Randy? Interestingly? How exactly? Ellen was more observant in saying that Mike “played the part well.” I don’t think this is what we can expect of Michael Lynche if and when he makes an album, but if the point of the night is to embrace the style and sing it well, then he was easily the best in my book.

 

Closely followed by Lee DeWyze, whose smoky rock voice surprisingly suited the jazzy style of “That’s Life.” Now I wouldn’t say he sounded comfortable singing the song, and he almost sleepwalked through parts of it. To get a little Simon-esque with my simile, it was a little like trying to play the piano with gloves on: imprecise, but the notes were mostly there—the only one most significantly off was the last one. But he did look like a performer, and as Simon noted, the effort was there. It was even a little contemporary sounding thanks to Lee’s vocal tone, but was it really “the best of the night” in terms of singing? And can anyone really say Lee made it contemporary enough to put on an album?

 

A valid question considering the unfair treatment that Crystal Bowersox received by the judges. Her goal was to make “Summer Wind” her own through her vocal interpretation, and while I wouldn’t go that far, it revealed once again that Crystal is a remarkable singer capable of singing in multiple genres. She was smoldering last night … and yet not one of the judges commented on her voice, save Kara’s accurate remark on Crystal’s phrasing. Instead, the judges focused on song choice and arrangement. Randy wanted her to do “something” with the song. Like what? Add an electric guitar solo? Simon complained how the arrangement went from small jazz club to big band. Is either choice or the decision to incorporate the subtleties of both a bad thing on jazz night? Look, I’ll concede that Crystal might have done better with another song and didn’t loosen up in her performance as much as she could have. But how outrageous to suggest she should have reinvented the song on a night when the style was predetermined and the arrangement was mostly in the hands of Harry Connick Jr. Shame on the judges for holding Crystal to a different standard than the four men.

 

As my father pointed out, though, the point is moot. Crystal is not going home when she’s the last woman and the season’s frontrunner, especially when there were two other far inferior prerformances. Aaron Kelly attempted to be classy with “Fly Me to the Moon” and, well, it wasn’t awful. Nice to see him out of his element and trying something that wasn’t pop-country, but it obviously caused him to become nervous and pitchy with his performance. It also showed that the kid can’t interpret a song that isn’t personal to him. There was minimal dynamic to his vocal and no facial expression. Kara nailed it when she cited his lack of charisma, and Simon accurately described Aaron as “less a lion and more of a mouse.” How far can someone get by with consistently lukewarm vocals?

 

Considering that Aaron has gotten by on teen charm up to this point, he’s probably safe, and I’ll declare Casey James is the most vulnerable after last night. And why not? We all knew going in that he would be the one who would struggle most with Sinatra, and without control over the arrangement or his trusty guitar to fall back on, the guy was completely forced outside of his comfort zone for his performance of “Blue Skies.” I for one was finally glad to see the guy required to focus on his singing and stage presence—if not to prove his range, then to demonstrate his lack of one. But as it turned out, Casey is capable of crooning. Unfortunately, he let his nerves get the better of him, sounding overly shaky throughout. And in the second most unfair assessment that night, the judges criticized Casey while giving Aaron a pass for the same problems. Double standard, I say, but considering Casey’s surprising placement in the Bottom Two last week, it’s almost surely the end of the road for him.

What did you think of the unusual evening? Was it fair that all the contestants were required to sing in the same style—one that none of them necessarily excel at? Were the judges unfair with their inconsistent critiques? Which contestants will end up in the Bottom Three? And what did you think Harry Connick Jr’s efforts as mentor for the night?