'American Idol' season 12 semifinalist first ten males recap

Who was in? Curtis Finch Jr., despite his old-fashioned feel, is well loved by the judges and producers so he was an easy in. Elijah Liu, who the judges like for his modernity, makes the cut, too. Paul Jolley was a split vote and tie-breaker Jimmy Iovine let him through because he likes his voice, even though he "over-sang" the Urban song. Charlie Askew, despite a poor performance, had enough support from Keith and Nicki to survive the cut. The easiest pick for me was Devin Velez. No brainer there.

Out? Jimmy Smith and fodder Kevin Harris were cut. I object to JDA not making it because he brings someting so different to the stage. Shame. Chris Watson's messy vocals killed him. I'm bummed to see Johnny Keyser out but I think he didn't push it hard enough.

In general, Randy is really obsessed with "moments" this year, eh? And I've noticed Keith Urban tends to use the phrase "effortless" a wee bit too often. And as usual, Mariah uses 100 words when she could use 30. Edit! And Nicki clearly likes performances, even if the vocals are subpar.

- Paul Jolley (Palmersville, Tenn., "Tonight I'm Gonna Cry" Keith Urban) - Bonus points for singing a Keith song in front of Keith. He definitely opted for cheesy big notes over feeling the lyrics, which apparently is an early theme with these judges. MJ says he gave off a Clay Aiken vibe. Great voice, affected demonstrative moves. Indeed. Keith said he was over-performing at times. Nicki said it wasn't her favorite. "Even when the song may be understated, your eyes are very theatrical," she said. Randy said Paul has potential to use his power in country. "I applaud the possibilities of you." Mariah said she liked the first half, where he was more intimate. Grade: B/B-plus IN

- Johnny Keyser ( 23, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "I Won't Give Up" Jason Mraz) - This is such a laid-back performance, it borders on soporific during the opening verse.  He makes up for it with charm and a solid voice. It simply lacked urgency. Does he really want this? There's a tricky balance between that inner drive and desperation. Keith said it was good, an "effortless" effort for most of it. Nicki: "I did not see nervousness. You came out really really relaxed. You look real sexy tonight... You have a nice sparkle in your eye." Randy: "For me, that felt a little just an okay performance. There weren't enough spots in there... You can't play it too safe." Mariah: "I love your commitment to music. You are bringing the masculinity and sexiness." Grade: B/B-plus OUT

- Josh "JDA" Davila (27 cosmetics salesman "Rumour Has It" Adele) - He clearly takes the opposite tact of Johnny Keyser. He's all in, with intensity and a Jack Sparrow insouciance. It's fun. Period. The judges seem to be having a good time and the audience eats it up.  "I have to represent for the gays," he said. Keith: "We're in Vegas. You were right at home on that stage... I applaud your originality. The only thing I wish I had felt was counting steps. I felt like to a degree, you had written every move with every lyric." Nicki: "Work it girl! You are a superstar performer... Your vocal wasn't good today. It was a phone-voicy-whiney." Randy: "You were so keyed in on the performance. You should think more about the vocals." Mariah was a fan across the board. Grade: A-minus OUT

Kevin Harris (Birmingham, Ala. call center supervisor "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" Bryan Adams) - He's from Bo Bice/Ruben Studdard/Taylor Hicks country! I hate, hate, hate this song. I don't remember this guy. He has an okay voice but he doesn't make me like this song any more than I already don't. Keith: "I love your voice. You have a great range." Nicki: "Every single choice you made was perfect. There was so much conrtol." (Huh?) Randy: "I was bored. I felt it was karaoke. There were no moments." Mariah: "I love that song but I would have loved you singing something you can do. Take a note 56 places."   Grade: B/B-minus OUT

Chris Watson (Dover, Delaware, server, "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay" Otis Redding) - He's goofing around too much with the melodic line. He sucks all the emotion and soul from it by riffing over each note. He does work the performance side and Nicki is really into it. I hate his silly outfit. Keith: "The voice wasn't the best it could have been. That wasn't a good song to show off the voice. But you have great confidence... You have a lot going for you." Nicki: "You are the prettiest man I've seen. I want to marry your vibrato." Randy: "I love your look. The whole headband. The whole vibe. Show me something vocally. Sounds like the show goes nowhere." Mariah said she thought he had the wrong song. Grade: B-minus OUT

Devin Velez (Chicago student and barista who grew up w/o a dad, "Listen" Beyonce) - He had one of my favorite pure voices from the Hollywood rounds and he does not disappoint tackling Beyonce. He has a bit of that Clay Aiken vibe in a good way. I even liked when he went Spanish for a moment. He's the first singer tonight I really enjoyed for his vocals. Nicki: "Not only did you do a good job singing a song, you made a smart choice singing in Spanish." She admires the warmth he exudes. Thumbs up from Randy, too. "Great arrangement. Big props." Mariah also loved the Spanish. Grade: A-minus IN

Elijah Liu (Half Chinese, half Hispanic 18 year old and a ladies man. "Talking to the Moon" Bruno Mars) - He has a pretty soprano voice. While it wasn't great, it wasn't half bad. He has charisma. Keith: "A perfect song choice. It was a fairly shaky performance. But what I love about you, you look like a freakin' pop star. You are so relevant and now." Nicki: "I don't care about that song. You are a super duper star, little boy.  I want to have your babies. You have the most marketable face and voice. You are ready NOW." Randy: "You had no moments in that song. You're capable of it. I'm torn there." Mariah added nothing to the equation as usual. Grade: B-plus IN

Charlie Askew ("I glorify weirdness." "Rocket Man" Elton John) - He sounds very shaky in the opening. Overall, he seems to get swallowed up by the song. The upper range is horrid. It was a mess though he soaked it all in. Keith: "It's like Freddy Mercury had a love child out of Woodstock. I love your originality, your fearlessness, your unpredictability. Tackling that song is like what the hell are you doing?" Nicki: "You made the most interesting song choice. Your weirdness. Your awkwardness. It excites me." Randy: "I don't know where I am right now... I love you... It was a bit stage school."  Then he gets sarcastic: "Forget singing. Let's just all perform!" Grade: C-plus

Jimmy Smith (Nashville singer. "Raining on Sunday" Keith Urban) - He seems like a sweet, likable guy but his vocals in this case simply don't cut the mustard. It lacks depth or any special force to it that this song desperately needs. It's pleasant and not much more. Nicki and Randy were both bored. Mariah is still pulling for him. Grade: B-minus/B OUT

Curtis Finch Jr. (24, St. Louis tutor "Superstar" Luther Vandross) - Ruben Studdard slayed this song season two so I can't help but compare it. He definitely approaches this in a very gospel way. I'm thinking Jacob Lusk and Joshua Ledet, too. He isn't quite as charismatic as  any of those three. As MJ noted, he's extremely studied. It doesn't feel real. It feels like he's practied this a LOT. Keith notes the "over-performed" parts but is mostly positive. Randy thinks maybe he should feel younger. (He doesn't.). Mariah said he should loosen up. Grade: B IN

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