Well, apparently it was acoustic guitar night for the guys, as 5 of the 8 dudes packed them on stage last night.  I was not blown away by anyone, but let’s get to the specifics.

Lee opened up the show with that damn “Fireflies” song that gets in your head and won’t go away.  I know that lots of folks don’t agree with me, but I just don’t hear what everyone else hears in him.  I like HIM…he seems like a good guy…but I just don’t think his voice is all that great.  I thought his vocals were as good as ever last night, though, so I’d give him a B for the evening.

Alex was up next, and when they announced he was singing “Trouble”, I felt like it was a perfect song for him.  However, I felt like the guitar he was playing was more of a distraction than an aid to his performance.  I wish he had just stepped up, grabbed the mic with 2 hands, and let it rip.  He seemed a little tentative still, but I do think he’s getting a bit better.  He’s still my favorite on the guy’s side, and I’d rate his performance a B.

Tim kept the string of guitar guys at the party going with his version of “Hallelujah”.  Truthfully, this was probably his best performance, but I felt like he rushed the song and sort of sucked the life out of it in the process.  It was nowhere near as good as Jason Castro’s version a few seasons ago, and I think that performance is still recent enough for viewers to compare it with.  Tim is getting the benefit of being the guy chosen by votefortheworst.com to support, so I’m sure he’s getting a little bump from that.  Maybe the girls like his mopheaded haircut.  I’m not sure what is keeping him around.  His family looked a bit spooky…sort of like they probably enjoy going over and watching movies with that Wrightnow family in the Netflix commercials.  Anyway…I think he should have been gone by now, but for whatever reason, he isn’t, and that leads me to think that he probably won’t be tonight, either.  I’d give him a C on his performance.

Andrew is up next and tries to capture the enthusiasm he got over his “Straight Up” performance by doing “Genie in a Bottle”.  A strange choice, to be sure, but I thought it worked.  I like his voice, and I don’t agree with the judges that he’s moving backwards.  I also find it humorous that they say it is sort of desperate that he’s trying to reach the same level as his “Straight Up” performance, because the idiot judges are the ones who have been practically begging him to do something similar every week!  That is the same sort of idiocy that was present when they kept telling Tyler Grady (that ’70’s guy) that they loved how he was so retro, but then gave him hell about being retro the very next week in his critiques.  Numbskulls.  I liked the performance, but didn’t love it, so I’d give Andrew a B-.

Casey was next on the stage with his acoustic guitar and his stool.  He sang “You’ll Think of Me”, and it was OK, but I didn’t think he did anything remarkable with it.  The original is awfully good (and I’m not a country guy), and I think this version just didn’t stand up to it, although it wasn’t bad.  I like that Casey is there filling the Southern Rocker role, but I’m not sure he can do as much with it as Bo Bice did.  Bo wasn’t afraid to tackle a big song and a big performance.  Casey seems a bit hesitant to do that so far.  Not a bad move by him, though, to play it a bit safe this week.  Just get to the final 12 and go from there.  I would rate this one as a B-.

Aaron was next up and was the first guy of the night to NOT have a guitar.  He chose to go the country route and sing “I’m Already There”.  I still like his story, and he seems like a good kid, but I just wasn’t too crazy about this performance.  It was rough in the beginning, but he did seem to get better as it went on.  I feel like he’s got a TON of potential…he just needs someone to help him tune it all in.  But definitely not these judges…Kara and her idiotic statement about him being too young for that song.  I was glad to see Simon basically tell her she was ridiculous.  Because she is.  Very.  I’d give this one a C.

Todrick was next and really needed to knock it out of the park to stay on the show, I think.  He performed “Somebody to Love”, which I don’t think is really that great of a Queen song to begin with.  Of all the songs he could pick to make him NOT seem like a Broadway performer, and he picks the very one to solidify that that is exactly the type of singer he is.  I think he has a really nice voice, but I don’t think it will be enough to win, or possibly even make it to next week.  I’d give this one a C+, because even though I didn’t like the choice or think it was something to make you think he can win this competition or be a recording artist, it did showcase his voice.

Michael was up next with a song I’d never heard of, “This Woman’s Work”.  He started out in a falsetto, but it actually sounded good.  I’m not a HUGE fan of his, vocals-wise, but I can absolutely see that he’s a great singer.  Sort of like with Rueben…I was not going to buy his CD, but I knew he was an amazing singer.  Sort of the same deal with Michael.  One thing you have to had it to him for is his confidence.  What Alex lacks in it, he makes up for it threefold.  I think he’s actually pretty funny, and he does have a good story with his wife having a baby during Hollywood week….but I’m not sure what sort of issues were plaguing Kara during the performance, but she was just blubbering at the end of the song.  I have no idea why they brought her on the show, or why they decided to keep her.  If she is the future of the show, the show is doomed.  Big Mike gets an A for nailing the song and performance.

Overall, a pretty dull night for the guys.  I think the girls have the superior talent this year, and at this point, I don’t think it is really even close.  That being said, I am a huge Alex “Ripe Banana” Lambert, and I hope he can keep making some progress.

Prediction on who is getting booted:
It probably SHOULD be Tim and Todrick, based on last night, but Tim and his family must have made a pact with the devil or something, so he’s probably not going anywhere just yet.  I think America just wants to tick Simon off at this point.  I am a little afraid for Alex, but maybe America has taken the little mullet man to heart and will keep him around another week.  I sure hope so.

So….I say the 2 guys going home will be…

Todrick Hall and Aaron Kelly