First off, let me be the first to say ...

DUMP KARA AND BRING ON SHANIA!

Perhaps the best mentor since Barry Manilow a few years back. She was honest, insightful, practical, and actually was able to relate to the idols. Brilliant mentor, best of the season.

Now, on to the rankings. This is tough. Everyone was good to a degree in their own way. How to rank? Off the top of my head..

1) Casey James - Don't - This one brought back memories of "Jealous Guy", and actually topped it. I think it was the best of the night, and Casey needed this in a HUGE way.

2) Lee - Still The One - I've said it before, he is the second coming of David Cook. A rocker with a heart.

3) Aaron - "The Way You Love Me" - Hate to put him this high, but this is his genre and he picked a damn good song.

4) Crystal - "No One Needs To Know" - Hate to put her this low. I think she picked a good song, but the delivery was a bit sedated for a peppy song like this, and for this point in the competition.

5) Siobhan - "Any Man Of Mine" - This had potential, but she lost me a bit when she kept losing her way and got behind the band. I am shocked the judges didn't mention it, but they did run out of time. She's unable to walk and sing, I guess.

6) Michael - “It Only Hurts When I Breathe” - As usual, he doesn't do much for me. I wish he would do more uptempo songs, in all honesty.

geekboy

"I think what Randy Travis was trying to say was 'What the hell was that?!'" - S. Cowell

• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,zazzy, 10:30 PM, 04-27-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,mathiascruz, 11:16 PM, 04-27-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,csnumber23, 11:33 PM, 04-27-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,Glow, 08:18 AM, 04-28-10
  • RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,zazzy, 03:02 PM, 04-28-10
  • RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,mathiascruz, 04:29 PM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,Snidget, 08:35 AM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,emydi, 09:00 AM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,mrc, 09:57 AM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,Tummy, 10:15 AM, 04-28-10
  • RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,mindy23, 10:35 AM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,cahaya, 11:37 AM, 04-28-10
• RE: Rankings - Top 6 - Shania Twain Week,Belle Book, 08:39 PM, 04-28-10

1. (tie) Casey -- so heartfelt, so lovely.

1. (tie) Crystal --I love everything you sing. Not my favorite, but you always sing so well! And I love how you showed your personality about your boyfriend. That surprised me, but it helped to see him beaming proudly in the audience.

3. Lee --clean up the pitchiness and you are tied with Casey and Crystal! Good song choice.

4. Siobhan --there were a few rough areas but I think it was a tough song to sing because of the number of words and tempo. You made it memorable, though, good for you!!

5. Mike --I liked this better than 5th; there were shades of Luther V like one of the judges said, but again, it's forgettable. So it's fifth.

6. Aaron --because I have to put him somewhere*.

* he's a nice guy, it's his singing that does noth-ing for me whatsoever.

LAST EDITED ON 04-27-10 AT 11:17 PM (EST)

1. Aaron - the best of the night, no doubt
2. Mike - great as always
3. Lee - sexy, hot, delicious
4. Casey - very strong performance that can rival Keith Urban's
5. Siobhan - sweet but pitchy at times
6. Crystal - very boring as usual

Actually, I thought it was a 4-way tie among Aaron, Mike, Casey, and Lee.

#1 - Siobhan - Absolutely loved this, she sounded great, moved all over the place and performed excellent!

#2 - Lee - My hopeful winner was again very good

#3 - Casey - I thought this was very good and hope he gets another week

#4 - Chrystal - Her worst performance in my opinion but still not bad.

Huge GAP

#5 - Aaron - Not impressed at all especially considering it was his music week.

#6 - Mike - By far the worst of the night, not because he didn't sound good but because I had absolutely no clue it was a Shania song. It is a theme for a reason and I know they need to make it there own but we still need to recognize the song.

Overall - Mike and Aaron should be the bottom two but the 3rd I guess should be Casey even though he had a great week, there is no way Chrystal should be there based on the whole season.

Casey - Perfect song choice. Just gorgeous.
Lee - I'm not sure it was the perfect song choice but he did what he could with it and it turned out pretty good.
Aaron - nice.
Michael - So heartfelt. It was lovely.
Crystal - meh. It was what it was.
Siobhan - terrible. In my opinion, this was easily her worst performance to date. I was surprised she got slobbered on for it. yuck.

"So heartfelt. It was lovely."

Wonder where I read that before? ;)

Casey - Perfect song choice. Just gorgeous.

Glow, what is it really? gorgeous or not gorgeous? sometimes you think he is sometimes you think he is not.

Based on what they did to my drug induced coma from the migraine meds

Headache is better this morning, but it may come back, or the results show will probably set it off again.

7. Siobhan. At least she woke me up. I know some people don't like the belting, but I kinda do and at least she seemed I dunno, like she was alive and actually trying to put on a performance.

<gap>

8. Crystal. All your performances are mostly the same, but worth seeing what props you brought this time. May be your worst performance but still miles above the guys.

<big gap>

What a group of mediocre performances this week was, especially for the guys. Usually something interesting happens when the guys shop in the women's department.

9. Lee-Rehearsal footage at the end of the show. Where was this voice during the live performance?

10. Casey--not a fan of the vibrato or the singing with your eyes closed, but it was a typical Casey performance and was serviceable. I don't get how this was so different other than you sat on a stool and closed your eyes.

11. Michael. Didn't annoy me as much as the bottom two performances.

12. Lee--Live Performance--I dunno if it is that you need to take something for your nerves, or you need to stop taking something for your nerves, but this was way worse than the clip at the end from rehearsal so dude needs to do something about the nerves.

13. Aaron. Please. Go. Now.

This was probably the best week yet. I do like Shania...was that her sister sitting next to her?

1. Casey- I loved this and he is my fave even with the goat vibrato!

2. Aaron- I really liked this, he should go country definitely

3. Michael-I love Luther and he did well

4. Crystal-it was good but meh. loved the talking back tho, she's trying to get the VFTW pick after Siobhan

5. Siobhan-meh, the screech is back. I didn't like this at all. They are trying to keep 2 women in the show, she gets the pimp spot then the judges smother her with praise? what? I think Aaron should have had pimp spot

6. Lee-just enough already, he just is so bad and he schtick of aw shucks I'm so shy is getting lame and old. Nickelsucking the life out of songs since 2004*

*I have no idea when he started singing but he has like what 10 albums out already, right z?

1. Siobahn. Rough start, but about midway through, she became awesome.

2. Michael. Very Luther Vandrossy, which is a good thing.

3. Lee. Stage presence is still weird, but he's got the vocal chops.

4. Crystal. Meh. A little awkward.

5. Casey. A different kind of boring from previous weeks.

6. Aaron. Blech. He's always pitchy. I don't understand how he's gotten this far in the competition.

To add to geekboy's thoughts, they could get rid of both Ellen and Kara and take on Shania as a judge.

1. Casey - Loved it. He did an awesome job with this song. I've kind of been off Casey lately but this brought me back as a fan.

2. Siobhan - She has way more fun with a song when she knows she's going for that scream at the end and I love it.

3. Lee - I don't think I would recognize a Lee song for a Lee song on the radio, but he did a good job.

4. Crystal - boring but she can sing.

5. Aaron - definitely should go country.

6. Mike - he sang beautifully and is only on the bottom because of the type of artist he is. Not someone I would listen to unless it was a One Hit Wonder type song.

Overall, a very good night which was a very good surprise.

Have to agree with the judges, for the most part, that this was, overall, a good night. Everyone kicked up their game and came out doing very well, IMHO.

1) Lee-can do little wrong, as far as I'm concerned. Although he did start out a bit off base. Once he kicks it in gear, he definitely grabs my attention and keeps it. Doesn't hurt that he's nice to look at, either!

2) Aaron-this is what he was born to do. And he put a great deal of emotion into it. Loved it, and loved that he sang it for Mommy.

3) Crystal-no, not her best, but ok to change things around every now and then, right? Actually, how do you compare great with great? It was just 'different', as far as I'm concerned, and she still did well!

4) Casey-emotion, spot-on, but I'm getting a little weary of the vibratto, too. Needs a little better control. Don't know if he likes it, or it's a part of being nervous. Either way, smooth it out, and you'll be better!

5) Micheal-had no idea what this song was, so it's hard to judge what he did with it. BUT, his voice was very lyrical, and smooth. LVD-like, yah, what they said. So, Shania cried? That's supposed to garner votes?? Nah, I don't think so...

6) Shioban-go to Broadway and get set for Grease 5, or whatever number they are on now. You are just. not. getting. it. You sounded much better when you rehearsed for Shania then when you actually DID IT. WHY??? Stop trying to prove you have pipes. We know, and we don't likey.

Bottom 2 should be my bottom 2: Mikey and Shobey. Going home? Hopefully Shobey, but I doubt it. How dare they have only ONE girl at this point in the game??? Well, I do think it's happened before....I can't remember. But it would be ok with me!

Somebody has to say it: No Twain wreck this week!

Ranking this week is more challenging than in weeks past. A few who had weak performances in the last couple of weeks suddenly came on with strong performances, while the front-runners suddenly don't look so far ahead.

1. Casey James - "Don't" - Arguably his best performance to date (agreeing with the judges), very comfortable in his niche and playing in his zone. Good performance, although still somewhat predictably Casey with his rhythm and tone. So far, so good. (This is the first and probably only week he'll top the chart here.)

2. Crystal Bowersox - "No One Needs To Know" - A very understated song, but intentionally so. It's like yet one more track she could put on a Billboard 200 ranked album. I liked the arrangement, key and rhythm, uniquely Crystal and out of reach of the other contestants. Did I love it? Not really, but her performance was pleasing to listen to and watch, as if it were an interlude between two other songs that bring the house down.

3. Aaron Kelly - "You've Got a Way" - Well, what a pleasant surprise with Aaron in his groove. This is a week he could have just gone average like in weeks past, yet he connects in this song unlike we've heard in a while. Smart kid who's still growing... it's like he grew up and matured a year in a week. Thumbs up.

4. Siobhan Magnus - "Any Man of Mine" - Siobhan fell in with a good arrangement and rhythm that accentuated her voice and vocal power. She moved around lot more this week, almost distractingly so with the poor camera work, but her performance was spot on. I remain a fan of hers.

5. Michael Lynche - "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" - Good performance that only got better as it went along. After so many weeks, we see who Michael Lynche is. He's not a rocker, he's not a pop singer, he's got that touch of blues, but most of all he's a balladeer extraordinaire. Thumbs up. (I fear, though, he won't get the votes this week.)

6. Lee DeWyze - "You're Still The One" - Good sound, good voice, good arrangement, nice pick up there half way into the song to give it some uplift. But he still looks like a stranger on the stage, as if he isn't sure he belongs there, awaiting potentially scathing verdicts from the judges. He passed with flying colors this time, but he needs to just assert himself without fear of criticism. (It was such a good night, it was hard to decide to put on the bottom. Lee has good sound, but I cast my last-place vote here based on his lack of stage presence.)

Ragtop Ride by foonermints

Here are my rankings:

1. Siobhan -- I loved this performance! I think she found her way at last.

2. Casey -- now you're taking things seriously! Only problem is, are you in danger?

3. Crystal -- not your best performance, but still in the top half. Good job.

4. Aaron -- much better than last week, but you're still in danger.

5. Michael -- good but very predictable. You are in serious trouble.

6. Lee -- pitch problems in the beginning ruined your song for me. Sorry.