Eleven Sing Country

Randy, lose the beads, unless a kindergarten age relative made them for you. Kara, please, what were you wearing tonight? Paula, do something about that fake, aging cleavage. And Simon, do you own anything other than silk and/or cashmere T-shirts?

Idol goes Grand Ol’ Opry tonight, always a scary night. Randy Travis is this week’s mentor. I actually like Randy. He’s a good performer and seems like an all-around nice guy.

Michael sang "Ain’t Goin’ Down Til the Sun Comes Up". Randy seemed impressed, but cautioned him not to lose the lyrics. Michael’s really in his element singing country and started out the night with a great performance. I was really impressed! I totally disagree with Kara’s statement that she needed to hear his "big notes". It really bothers me sometimes when they jerk these kids back and forth. "Show us something different", "we miss the old you", "step out of your comfort zone". My lord, I wish they’d make up their minds!!

And, Simon should excuse himself on country night, because 1) it’s obvious he hates country so 2) he ends up hating everything because he can’t begin to understand the genre.

Allison chose "Blame it on Your Heart". Randy has faith in her singing this and thinks her voice is very mature. There was a little over-vibrato in parts for my liking, but overall I think she rocked this song. She has such a strong, distinctive quality to her voice --- she really gave this song a rocker edge.

Kris will sing "To MakeYou Feel My Love". Randy liked Kris’ version. I wish he had played his guitar, because he looked a little lost onstage without it, but he did a great job with this song. I really like Kris, but even I was surprised at how well he sang this.

Lil chose "Independence Day". Randy seems a little nervous, saying that it’s a big song, but is confident she’ll nail it. Lil said she was going to leave the R&B out of it, but you can’t take the R&B out of Lil, and I’m glad you can’t. This girl can make singing the phone book sound good! It was the perfect blend: a little bit county, a little bit R&B. Again, the judges spit out that crap about "Why didn’t you sing this? Why didn’t you sing that?" instead of giving her the credit she deserved for choosing something out of her usual choice.

And, people, way before there was a ‘Lil Bow Wow, there was a common first names like Lilly and Lillian. Couldn’t Lil’s name be a shortened version of one of those? Why does everyone think Lil’s name is short for Little Rounds???

Adam chose "Ring of Fire". Randy was totally thrown for a loop by Adam’s version. I give him kudos for trying something different, but instead of coming off like Daughtry when he sang "Walk the Line", he, once again, sounded like he was in a musical. Yes, he was true to himself as an artist, but I truly did not care for his version of this song.

Scott is singing "Wild Angels". Randy wasn’t sure about his choice of song, but ended up being rather impressed. I like Scott, and think he’s an impressive musician, but his vocals were a little weak tonight. I don’t think his performance was as strong as it needed to be. Paula started with advice for Scott to get out from behind the piano, try something different. Scott should try something different, Lil should stay "Lil", Kris was respected for gambling and leaving his guitar behind. Why do they tell one person to "stay the same" and others "take a chance"??

Alexis chose "Jolene" and Randy thought it was a good choice for her. I had high hopes for her when I heard what she was going to sing, but she seemed a little lost, almost like she forgot the lyrics. I didn’t think she was off-key, like Randy thought, but it didn’t leave me feeling satisfied, either. I was slightly disappointed by it.

Danny’s song choice is "Jesus Take the Wheel". Danny was totally nervous. Randy was impressed by Danny’s soulfulness. I was a little nervous after watching Danny mess up again, and again. But I had NOTHING to worry about. He knocked it out of the park with this one. Totally blew me away!! And, I can't believe it because I've come to hate this song because it's SO played out!!

Anoop is up next, singing "You are Always on my Mind". Really?? Randy is confident, but I’m skeptical that Anoop can pull off country. Okay, I guess I was wrong. I was so amazed, I rewound and played it again. Those were probably the best vocals I’ve heard from him yet. Really, really impressive!! If he continues to sing like this, he’s welcome to stick around for a long, long time.

Megan chose "I Go Walking After Midnight". Randy was a little hesitant about her choice, but was impressed by her unique take on the song. Great choice of wardrobe and very, very good job on the song. Even sick, this girl can sing!!

Matt’s song is "So Small" – Randy was unsure of his choice, but was surprised at how well he did. I really liked Matt early on, but man, as the weeks go by I’m beginning to adore him. He is SO talented, and makes it look so easy. He didn’t try to sound country, but turned this song into his very own.

Based on tonight’s performances, I predict America will send Scott McIntyre packing. He would also be my choice tonight because I thought his performance was the weakest of the night.

However, they may have hated Adam’s rendition so much that they might send HIM home instead.