American Idol 9: Come On Over – Shania Twain Week

Well, it's about time. The American Idol brass finally clued in and grabbed a relevant mentor for the week's theme. After a pretty decent appearance at the judges' table during the early audition rounds, the pride of Timmins, and one of my favourite CanuckGirls, the fabulous Shania Twain, shows "Up!" and shows 'em how it's done. I fully admit, country is NOT my genre. Pop-country, even less so. But I really like Shania. Unlike many of Canada's most famous divas (Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado, Jully Black and Feist, to name but only a tiny annoying bunch), this woman actually makes me feel proud to be Canadian. Face it, you've gotta like a girl who wears a Canucks jersey.

To kick off the evening's Shania festivities, usually one of my preferred contenders, Lee DeWyze took a bizarre turn on "You're Still the One." I'm not sure what happened with his tuning, but that key was definitely not on his chain. I love this guy, but this particular performance felt awkward and forced. Inexplicably, all the judges loved it. Sorry Lee, "That Don't Impress Me Much." Having said that, I'd rather the judges praise a great contestant's bad take over kissing the feet of an inferior wannabe. Keep this dude in the competition, America. He'll come back around next week.

Michael Lynche whiny-wept his way through "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing." Yeah, pretty much. For me, it only hurts when he's singing. I'm tired of this guy and I've had enough of his histrionic falsettos. Shania seems to dig him though, because she bestowed the "you can sing the phone book" approval upon him. The judges compared him to Luther Vandross. Oh, please! Don't make the poor soul turn over in his grave, already!

Casey James, a.k.a. "The Full Package", came back to us with his simple take on "Don't!" I consider Casey to be the perfect male version of Shania Twain. He has the good looks and sufficient talent to ride the fine line between rock and country. This vibe works for him, FULL ON! If this guy ends up in the Bottom 3 this week, then America is not paying attention. I hope you all marked what I said several weeks ago when this blog started, I still predict he will win this thing. Crystal may be the most clearly talented of the bunch, but Casey has the secret weapon.

Speaking of the most talented, Crystal Bowersox surprised nobody by dealing another standout performance with "No One Needs to Know." It's her message to her boyfriend to "man up." Seriously, buddy, MAN UP! This girl is worth it. I was beginning to convince myself that Crystal wrote this song herself. As Kara said, "It's kinda impossible for you not to be good." Fantastic.

Aaron Kelly then faced the misfortune of following Crystal with his interpretation of "You've Got a Way." I've said it before, I think he's a super sweet kid, he tries really hard, and he can actually sing. He did a nice job, and this genre is definitely his, but I feel panic for him every week. It saddens me to think that he'll more than likely vacate the premises after singing a song that suited him for a change.

Siobhan Magnus, or to be more accurate, Siobhan's NOSTRILS wheezed their way through "Any Man of Mine" before screaming bloody murder at the end. Oh, the horror! Simon likened the screech to that of someone giving birth. America, if you're planning to send Aaron home instead of this girl, you seriously need to invest in a box of Q-Tips. This was CRAP! For some reason, the judges thought she was money. Or maybe their cheers were inserted only in an effort to keep her from spending the next 20 minutes explaining her oh-so-quirky eccentricities? I might be on to something there.

Wednesday night's elimination show will apparently feature performances by nu-country greats Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and... wait for it... Shakira? Yeah, 'cause when I think country, I think "Hips Don't Lie." Y'all come back and join me tomorrow for the big round up. Yee-haw!

CANUCKGIRL delivers the thrills and spills of America’s favourite singing competition direct to your monitor. CanuckGirl is NOT a professional journalist, nor does she play one on television.