Review

Dear Lauren Alaina,

Chad Benefield here again from WBKR in Owensboro, KY.  I am writing to you today to tell you that I have just about had enough and am ready to break up with you.  I wrote to you a few weeks ago when it appeared that your nerves were holding you back on American Idol.  In my initial letter to you I said that I truly believe that you have the perfect combination of personality and voice that's needed to win the show.  But I urged you (in the friendliest of manners) to step up the singing, go for bigger notes and just lay a song out for us once and for all (like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood would have).  After all, American Idol is a singing contest and, to win, you've gotta sing.  Now, I don't mean to sound like Ike Turner, but, Tina .  . I mean, Lauren . . . you have to sing!  Rougher!!  Harder!!  You better sing, Tina!

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If you tuned into American Idol last night, you saw Lauren Alaina narrowly escape elimination and a mental breakdown!  Country's aspiring sweetheart let her nerves keep her from making all the right moves and hitting all the right notes in "Unchained Melody" on Wednesday night and she nearly paid the price for it on Thursday night.  But Lauren lives to see another day, but Jacob will not.  Idol's resident gospel/r&b crooner is gone.  So, what's in store for the final four?  Let's check in with our Idol expert, Steve Thompson!

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With five contestants left on American Idol, the stakes are raised!  And, last night, each contestant had to take on two songs . . . one from NOW and another from THEN!  For me, the performance of the night belong to James Durbin.  I thought his performance of "Without You" was powerful and moving.  Any rocker who cries while he sings earns my vote.  Okay, correction.  He earns my 52 votes.  (I think I sprained my text finger last night.  LOL!)  But what does our Idol expert, Steve Thompson, think about the show and who its star was?

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Last night on American Idol, our remaining 6 contestants took on the songbook of Carole King.  If you tuned into the WBKR Waking Crew this morning, you know that her music has divided Moon and Chad!  Moon's a fan of Carole's voice and her songwriting.  Chad doesn't think Carole is much of a singer and, consequently, wrote songs that didn't require much "singing!"  So, which Idol hopeful manage to choose the RIGHT song?  Who was the KING of the last night's show?  We turn to our Idol expert, Steve Thompson.

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"Songs from the 21st Century" last night on American Idol. It was definitely a mixed bag . . . with Scotty McCreery singing 'Swingin'" by Lee Ann Rimes (Uh, what?), my favorite little underachiever Lauren Alaina taking on Sara Evans' "Born To Fly" (Uh, why?) and James rocking out to "Uprising" by Muse (Uh, awesome!!).  What did our Idol expert Steve Thompson think about the show, how did he rate the performances, and who does he think is hitting the road, Jack?

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Well, yesterday I wrote "An Open Letter To Lauren Alaina" and encouraged her to start singing like she can WIN this competition.  And, last night, Lauren and the other members of Idol's Top 8 went to the movies and performed songs from the cinema.  So, how did they fare?  Who rocked it out and who's in danger of following in Pia's steps and hitting the house?  Our Idol expert Steve Thompson shares his thoughts . . .

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Dear Lauren,

You don't know me, but my name is Chad Benefield and I do mornings at 92.5 WBKR, a country radio station in Owensboro, KY.  We are situated just about 120 miles from Nashville, TN, where you stood on the stage of the historic Ryman Auditorium and knocked the socks off of Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and the rest of the America with your version of "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing."  I watched that performance, saved it for days on my DVR, and proclaimed YOU the person to beat in this year's season of American Idol.  I am writing to you today because I don't think you listen to my radio station and apparently you didn't hear me. 

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You got to read my rant about American Idol and what needs to be done to fix it.  Now you get to hear from our Idol expert Steve Thompson.  How did he feel about last night's SHOCKING result??

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Last night, the Top 9 contestants on American Idol tore into the songbook of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, again, for the most part, delivered ROCKING performances.  In fact, Moon and I were chatting this morning about the fact that this season of American Idol is very much like this season of Dancing With The Stars!  The contenders are so evenly matched it's hard to pick a winner.  And, after last night's show, it's hard to predict who's going on home.  But our resident Idol expert, Steve Thompson, hits it with his best shot!

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After last week's shocking vote on American Idol, the stage was set!  We knew, headed into Elton John week, that two contestants were going home this week thanks to the fact that the judges used their lone "save" for the season on Casey!  So which two contestants bit the proverbial dust?  Which two potential American Idols were sent packing by the public?  And what does our Idol expert Steve Thompson think about it all? 

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Last night, our remaining 11 contestants on American Idol took on the songbook of Sir Elton John, and, for me, it was the first time this season that contestants really showed what they're made of.  From top to bottom, the show was one of the strongest episodes of Idol in years.  So, who was the cream of the crop, the top of the heap?  And who's going to say "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road!"   We look to our Idol expert Steve Thompson to make his predictions . . .

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Yesterday afternoon, American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe "tweeted" that there was going to be a shocker on Thursday's results show!  I immediately thought to myself, because he was so mediocre the night before and performed first, that Casey was doomed.  I could tell by Nigel's "tweet" tone that he thought the result was going to floor the audience.  But I guess he forgot that THE AUDIENCE voted Casey off!  But Nigel and the judges weren't having it . . .

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