American Idol' recap: Season nine Top 12 boys perform live for the first time

The "American Idol" season nine Top 12 boys performed live for the first time on Wednesday. Before this week's performances even started, judge Simon Cowell had already called that this would be the ladies' season, and the boys' first performances showed that perhaps Simon does know exactly what he is talking about.

While the night did seem to be struck by a lot of negative comments - wrong song choice, pitchy, flat, loungy - there were a few standouts. All of the judges were a fan of Aaron Kelly's performance and voice, although they told him he looked like he lacked confidence. Casey James was also a favorite, although he seemed to be more of a favorite for proving that you can be eye and ear candy. And Simon couldn't stop raving about Lee Dewzye's performance, which he called the best performance of the night.

Unlike the girls, it is anyone's unfortunate game who will go home Thursday on the first results show of the season.

Learn more about the season nine Top 24

The performances

Aaron Kelly, "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts

Simon - Very good performance, except that he looked embarrassed and not confident
Kara - Liked the pop/country genre for Aaron; Great job
Ellen - Thinks Aaron will be on the show for a long time; Loves how humble he is
Randy - A couple of pitchy moments; Big fan, though

Alex Lambert, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

Simon - Painfully uncomfortable; Nerves totally shown through; Looked like he was doing exactly what producers told him to do (looking straight in to the camera, ect.)
Kara - Great voice; Great potential
Ellen - Adorable; Seems like a not-quite-ripe banana; Needs a little more confidence
Randy - Just needs to pull everything together; Great voice; Hopes he sticks around for a long time

Andrew Garcia, "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fallout Boy

Simon - Was disappointed; Didn't feel Andrew took a risk tonight; Too depressing; Not original enough
Kara - Strange rendition of the song; Loved that Andrew took the risk
Ellen - Wants to see Andrew shine more, be less serious
Randy - Arrangement was odd; Still a fan of Andrew because of his Hollywood week performance

Casey James, "Heaven" by Bryan Adams

Simon - Absolutely sang the right song; Very likable; Very natural
Kara - So in to the performance; Could barely contain herself; Eye and ear candy
Ellen - Pretty sure he is going to get a lot of votes
Randy - Great song choice; Really likes him

See pictures of the season nine Top 12 boys

Jermaine Sellers, "Get Here" by Oleta Adams

Simon - Way too over the top; Felt like Jermaine blew his opportunity
Kara - Felt old
Ellen - Love's Jermaine's look; Didn't feel like Jermaine was feeling the song; Felt he was pushing it too much and trying too hard
Randy - Trying to do too much vocally; Needs to just sing

Joe Munoz, "You and I Both" by Jason Mraz

Simon - Doesn't feel like he is the kind of artist that will sell millions of records; Forgettable
Kara - Liked that he chose a surprising song; A few issues at chorus; Probably one of the best and most consistent of the night
Ellen - Great stage presence; Joe seemed so confident
Randy - Great voice; Not the best song choice

John Park, "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday

Simon - Doesn't have the incredible voice needed for that song; Very flat; No emotion; Pointless performance because it didn't show who he was
Kara - Was loungy and sleepy at times; Can't figure out where he would fit in today's music industry
Ellen - Doesn't know why he chose that song; Liked the performance because he sounded great
Randy - Song choice made him seem old and out of sorts

Lee Dewyze, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

Simon - Best performance of the night; Naturally great song
Kara - Wished he had chosen a different song
Ellen - Great distinctive voice; Great song choice, although felt pushed toward the end
Randy - Didn't like the song choice; Feels he is more of a rocker than Snow Patrol

Michael Lynche, "This Love" by Maroon 5

Simon - Delivered very little; Michael was like the supporting act to the main act; Nothing unique about his performance
Kara - Felt there were good and bad things about the performance; Michael's comfort level shines through
Ellen - Loved the personality
Randy - Loved how he brought energy in to the room

Find out how the season nine Top 12 girls did during their first live performances

Tim Urban, "Apologize" by One Republic

Simon - Thinks they made the wrong decision bringing him back; Didn't come off as a natural performer; Voice is not good enough
Kara - Tim was lost in the beats and notes
Ellen - Wrong song choice because he couldn't hit the high notes
Randy - Felt Tim was better than his performance; Wrong song choice

Todrick Hall, "Since You've Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson

Simon - Came off as a dancer trying to sing instead of vice versa; Completely murdered the original version; Stupid move
Kara - Undeniable that Todrick is a performer; Don't be so risky next time
Ellen - Chorus was a little rough; Singing wasn't the greatest; Great performer; Loved that Todrick took a chance with the song
Randy - Wished Todrick hadn't changed the song so much

Tyler Grady, "American Woman" by The Guess Who/Lenny Kravitz

Simon - Doesn't feel his performance is natural; Doesn't think he is concentrating enough on his vocals
Kara - Needs to bring in originality
Ellen - Going through the motions without having the singing to back up who he is trying to be
Randy - Needs to be more original

Next episode (Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010): Two girls and two boys will be eliminated from the competition; Allison Iraheta performs

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