That’s Alicia Keys & the Top 7! Since this is the week of Idol Gives Back, I thought it was a great idea to have Alicia Keys mentor the Idols tonight. She’s not only an extremely talented artist who can give good advice on the performer side of things, but she’s also given tirelessly of her time for her Keep A Child Alive charity.

Casey James: Singing “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac (Sidebar, check out my interview with Mick Fleetwood in The Shelley Wade Treatment section of this site). Alicia suggested that because the song is so well known, people may dismiss Casey’s rendition of it if he doesn’t really connect with the song. She says that he doesn’t want them to say, ‘I love THAT SONG.’ You want them so say, ‘I love HIM.’ Good advice. I agree that this is a classic song. And Casey’s doing a great job making the song his. He sounds good singing it & playing his guitar. I also love that he’s comfortable & connecting with the audience with his smile. Randy feels like it was a good performance, but not Casey’s best. He says that every week we’re seeing the same thing from Casey & he’d like to see something different. I kinda agree. Ellen says it was great guitar playing. She says that Casey’s consistently good, but that you have to be great at this point in the competition. Kara says that Casey made himself like everybody else tonight & didn’t show us why he’s different. She says she’s so frustrated about that because she still believes in him. Simon says that the song wasn’t particularly inspiring being that it’s Inspirational Week. He also said that Casey showed zero emotion & had little originality. I disagree with Simon’s opinion that Casey showed zero personality. But I understand what they all mean. Casey’s really talented, but he doesn’t stand out as the most talented contestant. He’s got good personality, but he’s not the one with the most personality. So when you fall somewhere in the middle, you don’t stand out sometimes.

Lee Dewyze: Singing “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel. Alicia had Lee recite the lyrics to really drive home to him the meaning of the song. She suggested that he really remember what the song is about & to play the part of the boxer in the song while performing. I like Lee, but I’m not normally blown away with his performances like the judges always seem to be. I have to say though, tonight he really connected with me through this song. I could really feel the sincerity of his performance. He sounded great too. Randy says that Lee’s performance was very nice & that he’s one of his biggest fan. He also thinks that Lee will have a big career ahead of him. Ellen said it was a beautiful song choice. She says that Lee has so much soul & depth to him and that this was his best performance by far in her opinion. Kara said that Lee had his “moment” tonight. She also says that it shows clearly the difference when somebody feels connected to a song & performs it…and when they don’t. She advised him to keep singing songs he feels connected to because it takes him to another level. Simon says that even though he’s only the 2nd performer, it was the best of the night (ha ha). He said that the difference between Lee & Casey’s performance was staggering because Lee’s performance was sincere, emotional & inspirational. He thought the performance was absolutely brilliant. And well all know that it takes a lot to get that kind of glowing review from Simon!

~Sidebar~Captain Sully was in the audience…yay! Btw, I want Captain Sully to be my pilot every time I fly, lol!

Tim Urban: Singing “Better Days” by The Goo Goo Dolls. She gave Tim pretty much the same advice that she gave to Lee…take care to feel the lyrics & what the song’s about. It’s no secret that I feel that Tim has the least vocal talent out of everyone in the competition this season. That said, he sounds decent singing this song. His notes are a little suspect when he tries to sing a little higher, but he kept it within the boundaries & didn’t lose control. He also did a good job with relaying the feeling of the song. His performance wasn’t as inspiring at Lee’s, but Lee can actually sing, so we can’t go comparing the two too much, now can we. Randy says that John Resnick of the Goo Goo Dolls is an amazing singer, but that Tim’s version sounded like mediocre karaoke. Ellen says that Tim is like the soup of the day…sometimes she likes the soup & sometimes she doesn’t, lol. Tonight, she didn’t like the soup! Kara says that Tim’s found his correct lane, so he’s going the right direction. But she didn’t feel he executed the performance well tonight. She said it wasn’t his best performance. Simon said that although Tim has improved over the weeks, tonight was a little bit of a letdown. I will give this to Tim…I agree with Simon that he’s improved over the weeks. But that’s saying nothing as far as I’m concerned. There were tons of contestants that they eliminated during Hollywood Week that could sing circles around Tim! Heck, the contestants from the Top 24 that have been voted off these past few weeks could sing circles around Tim! So I’m not impressed at all that he’s improved over the weeks. How bout having someone on the show who’s already good & doesn’t have to work at proving that he’s good!

Aaron Kelly: Singing “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly. My immediate thought was this is a song that Aaron could really sound good singing. Alicia felt that Aaron had a challenge on his hands because this is one of those songs that could almost be overkill to some. She suggested that he should sound deep, pure & passionate while singing it. She also says that when he sings the word “fly” at the end, the audience has to believe that there’s nothing that’s gonna stop him. She says that if he could almost be crying at the end of the song, then he’ll take it to another place! I always have this sense that Aaron’s notes are weak at the beginning of his songs. But he always manages to pull it out & deliver a solid performance at the end. This time though, he was off key with so many of his notes. And as inspirational as this song always is, I just wasn’t inspired hearing Aaron singing it. And that surprises me because in theory, it seemed like a good song choice for him. I kept waiting for him to reach that feel good climax in the song, but it never came. I guess you could say that I was never satisfied, lol. Randy says that this was a huge song for Aaron to chose. He didn’t like the musical arrangement, but felt that Aaron did a good job with such a giant song. Ellen said that there was a brief time in the 70s that she believed she could fly, lol. I’m sure a lot of people feel that way today since it’s 420 and all She said that it was a tough song to take on, but that she thought Aaron handled it real good. Kara says that watching the performance was like taking off on a flight…it was kinda slow & stalling at the beginning, but he finally took off & got there by the end. Hmm, I just didn’t feel he pulled it off in the end…didn’t happen for me this time. Simon says that Aaron had guts to take on this song & that he gave it his all. However, he said that he would have turned it off within 10 seconds if he would have heard it on the radio. So in other words, he gave it his best, but his best wasn’t good enough.

Siobhan Magnus: Singing “When You Believe” by Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey. Alicia said that it’s not an easy feat to sing this song. She says that she’s very impressed with Siobhan’s voice because she’s doing things that not many people can do. She suggested that Siobhan take a dramatic pause at the point in the song where she sings a big note so that everyone knows this is a special moment. Siobhan had just an awful performance last week, so it’s good to hear her sing a song that goes well with her voice. The judges have made a big deal about the screaming she does, but I think she sounds best when she sings really pretty, melodic songs like this. This song really showcases the beauty of her voice. I think it could have sounded a tad more exciting like when Whitney & Mariah performed it, but that’ll take a few years before Siobhan is at that level of showmanship. She did much better this week though…much better! Randy said that she picked the toughest song of the night & he didn’t agree with the song choice. He said her performance was just okay for him. Ellen disagreed & said that Siobhan choosing a difficult song is just more confirmation as to why she’s in the competition. Kara said that technically it may have been really well sung, but it was way too dramatic for her like a musical. Now I have to disagree with Kara on that one. This song was from the “Prince of Egypt” soundtrack & it was meant to be dramatic! Whatever. Simon also didn’t like the song choice & thought it was a bit all over the place. Um, hello…Did these people hear how pretty she sounded singing it? Geez!

Michael Lynche: Singing “Hero” by Chad Kroeger. Alicia loved that Michael chose this song & is singing his own rendition of it. She suggested that Big Mike bring the audience along on the ride during the performance & take them to the highest point. I loved how Michael sounded at the beginning of the song because it was really moving & tender. I felt that he was really connecting with the song. But when all of the instruments came in, I didn’t feel as touched. It was a pretty good performance though. Randy said that he was really concerned about this song choice for Michael, but that he held his own & it worked out in the end. Ellen says she thought he did a great job. Kara said it wasn’t her favorite performance by Michael. She didn’t feel he had the correct tone for the song, so it was unrecognizable for her. Simon says that Mike sang the song pretty well, but that the song was about Spiderman so it bothered him, lol. But he said that he still thinks Mike’ll be around next week.

Crystal Bowersox: Singing “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield. Alicia says that Crystal is very very special & is one of her favorites. I was kinda blown away with just how gorgeous Crystal’s voice sounded singing the song acapella at the beginning! I mean, I’ve always thought she had a gorgeous voice, but this was the 1st time that she put it on display without instruments accompanying her. She stood there onstage without her guitar & just sang her heart out! Nobody can compare her to Melissa Etheridge or Bonnie Raitt tonight! This girl is still my pick to win the entire season! Oh my God, and she cried at the end of the performance…aww She said she got so emotional because she was happy to see her dad in the audience tonight! Randy said it was unbelievable & gave her a standing ovation! Ellen said that Crystal has never looked more beautiful. She also said the performance was so beautiful. Kara said that Crystal took a risk by putting down her guitar tonight. She said that she was on another level & schooled all the rest of the contestants! Simon said THAT was inspirational. He said he was happy to see Crystal being emotional tonight & that she sang it fantastically. He said she was in an entirely different class from everything he’s heard tonight.

Crystal Bowersox had THE BEST performance of the night. Anyone who says differently is obviously too high because of 420, lol. Here’s the deal on tomorrow’s show…

This year, IDOL GIVES BACK will broadcast live from the AMERICAN IDOL stage and the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Queen Latifah will emcee the evening and some of music’s biggest stars, including Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox, Jeff Beck & Joss Stone and Mary J. Blige & the All-Star Band, will perform. In addition, the week’s voting results will be revealed, sending one of the finalists home.