So, a big changeup this week: the guys perform tonight instead of the girls. This is because Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized today and is under doctor’s orders not to perform tonight. The girls will take the stage tomorrow.
 
That means the guys go first this week, a day early. This could be bad. Or maybe good. We’ll see.
 
Michael Lynche gets the ball rolling with “This Is a Man’s World.” This is a much, much better style of music for him. And even though we personally do not really care for it, he sings the song well and seems much more comfortable onstage this week. This is a solid performance and we think he’s done enough to keep himself out of danger this week. Our rating: 8/10
 
Next is John Park with an off-key, shaky rendition of “Gravity.” And off-key and shaky is made even worse by the slow, supposed-to-be-soulful song. Please, John Park, do not sing songs full of passion and emotion when you are incapable of displaying any in your performance. Our rating: 4/10
 
Casey James takes the predictable route with “I Don’t Wanna Be.” He cheeses for the camera, plays electric guitar and sings badly. We’re not impressed, and neither or the judges. Maybe they’re starting to catch on to what we’ve known all along: singing is secondary where Casey is concerned. We don’t like this. Our rating: 5/10
 
Alex Lambert is back behind his guitar this week, which turns out to be a good choice. He sings “Everybody Knows,” and it’s a vast improvement on last week. But, as bad as last week was, that’s not saying a whole lot. We’ll give him that his voice is unique, but that’s not always a good thing. While he’s not nearly as terrible as he was last week, we’re still far from sold. Our rating: 6/10
 
We’re laughing at Todrick Hall before he even starts singing “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” Once again, he changes the song so much it’s nearly unrecognizable. Also, it doesn’t appear as though he hits a single note correctly. The whole thing is just a big, jumbled, boring mess. Our rating: 2/10
 
Jermaine Sellers sings “What’s Goin’ On.” We. Hate. This. Song. So. Very. Very. Much. And he does it absolutely no justice. In fact, he makes us hate it more. It’s a painfully slow, boring arrangement. And on top of it, he not only revives the bad falsetto from last week, he throws in some scat singing too. He’s not any better at that than he is at the falsetto. This isn’t good. At all. Our rating: 3/10
 
Next is Andrew Garcia with “You Give Me Something.” We still don’t see what the big fascination with him is. He’s not terrible. But he’s not good either, and he doesn’t stand out at all. Everything we’ve seen him do has sounded the same. Tonight is no exception. The phrase “vocal sandpaper” comes to mind. Our rating: 5/10
 
Oh, Aaron Kelly. Why must you sing “My Girl?” Well… wait. Maybe that’s okay. He performs it well, so we can almost sort of forgive the ridiculous, cheesy song. As Simon insists upon reminding us, he IS only 16, after all. SIXTEEN! Who knew? Okay, enough of that. He’s not bad. We give him credit. Our rating: 7/10
 
Tim Urban sings “Come On Get Higher,” which is one of our favorite songs. We sharpen our pitch forks, just in case. Thankfully, he’s nowhere near as bad as last week… but, he’s still not great. The judges are right, he’s getting by on things that have nothing to do with singing. He’s not as bad as some of the other guys this season, but he’s certainly not winning material. Our rating: 6/10
 
They say Idol saves the best for last, and tonight is certainly no exception. Lee Dewyze sings “Lips Of An Angel,” and while we normally hate that song, he makes us enjoy it again. We also love that he seems so THERE when he sings. Like he actually means what he’s singing- that’s more than can be said for any of the other guys in this group. And we also like his vulnerability and “lack of confidence.” It makes him real. He’s our favorite tonight, again. Our rating: 9/10
 
Tomorrow night, the girls bring it… but we’re not holding our breath just yet.