Real Kato Blog: American Idol Week 4: Top 9

Didi went out last week. This week: Lennon and McCartney.

Aaron: "The Long and Winding Road". It's not awful, but it's kind of a pedestrian performance; a little sleepy, a little lounge-y. A bit boring; Ellen says it felt like a "long and winding song". It might be about time for him to taste the bottom three.

Katie: "Let It Be". Hmm. It's not exactly a soul-stirring performance. It's a little bit ordinary, and maybe a little too big for her. But it's not bad. There are a few sharp notes but she's otherwise on key, and it's certainly a big improvement over previous weeks. The judges love it. I'm not quite as big a fan. She might be in the bottom three.

Andrew: "Can't Buy Me Love". It gets the Andrew treatment. It's kinda like the "Gimme Shelter" performance from a few weeks ago, the Tom Jones-y one that I liked and the judges hated. It's a little cheesy and not quite as good as last week, but still pretty solid. It'll be enough to keep his fans behind him, but I don't know he's winning any new converts. Middle.

Michael: "Eleanor Rigby". He's got an R&B vibe to it, which is interesting and pretty cool. But he might be overdoing it a little with the runs. I like it, but I don't love it. Middle.

Crystal: "Come Together". Sometimes I feel like she's trying too hard to be Tracy Chapman, but it's a typically strong performance. There's a couple of bits where her vocals fade out as she tries to find a chord on the guitar; that makes the song lose some energy. And I don't know if I quite get the guy blowing the didgeridoo tube-y thing. But she'll be safe.

Tim: "All My Lovin'". It's a really weak start. He's just got a way of sucking all the energy out of everything he does. It's sharp and nasally and very amateurish. Bottom three.

Casey: "Jealous Guy". It's a John Lennon song, and not a terribly famous one. But it actually kinda works for him; I like that he's doing something slow and more emotional, instead of vapid and empty. It's really surprising to hear something like this from him. It might be the best performance he's ever had. Some people won't get this, but he should be safe for sure.

Siobhan: "Across the Universe". I can see she's trying to change things up. In softer passages, she tends to go sharp. But you know, I kinda like this; it's not shouty like some of her other performances. It should be enough to keep her around.

Lee: "Hey Jude". It's okay. Inoffensive. It's not my favorite from him; a little Bruce Springsteen corny. Uh, and what the hell is that, a bagpiper? But you know, he'll be fine. He still sounds like he could be on the radio. He'll be safe.

Best performance: Casey.

Bottom three: Tim, Aaron, Katie. Andrew may be in a little bit of trouble too. There were a lot of middle-of-the-road performances again, so this is another difficult prediction.

Going home: Tim.

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