Real Kato Blog: American Idol Week 6: Top 7

Andrew and Katie went out last week. This week is "inspirational songs" week, ugh. Alicia Keys is the mentor. Tomorrow Bill Gates is supposed to make some kind of surprise appearance for Idol Gives Back.

Casey: "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", by Fleetwood Mac. It's like something you'd hear at halftime of the CarQuest.com bowl. It's pitchy and his vocal quality wasn't great, and it wasn't terribly original. He might be in trouble for the first time.

Lee: "The Boxer", by Simon and Garfunkel. I like the emotional downtempo arrangement. I don't like the melody changes so much, and I don't think the violins fit his style. It's not his best vocal performance either; still, the judges love it, and I think he'll be safe.

Tim: "Better Days", by the Goo Goo Dolls. Pitchy and breathy. He needs to use a wind guard on the microphone. This is painfully off-key, and it's just boring; it doesn't go anywhere. Horrendous. Bottom three for sure.

Aaron: "I Believe I Can Fly", by R Kelly. A truly treacly song choice. A very poor imitation of the original; the pitch on the higher notes is way off, and the performance is not at all believable. Somehow the judges (except Simon) like this; they'll like it less when they hear it back. Bottom three.

Siobhan: "When You Believe", by Mariah Carey. It's actually a pretty nice performance. There are a couple of pitch problems on the big notes, and it's a little bit breathy... and it's not exactly a catchy song. But I think she'll be safe.

Michael: "Hero", by Chad Kroeger. It's kind of an R&B-ish take on a power ballad. It's interesting. His tone isn't great but he's on key. It's not bad, though it's clearly not his best performance. Although Casey was worse, Michael will probably end up in the bottom three again.

Crystal: "People Get Ready", by The Impressions. It's a polished and classy performance; another typically solid effort from one of the clear frontrunners. The tears at the end will only help her. Safe for sure.

Best performance: Crystal.

Bottom three: Michael, Tim, Aaron.

Going home: Tim.

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