I’ve said it once, and I will say it again. American Idol contestants sound much different when you hear them sing live on the Fox studio set than they do when we watch them on TV at home. They usually sound much better in person.

Case in point or shall I say Casey in point: I am a HUGE Casey Abrams fan. HUGE! However, his rendition of Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy just fell flat with me during Idol‘s Wednesday performance night.

Then again, I was watching it at home this week like most of America. Were you surprised to see the studio audience go absolutely wild for Casey’s rendition? If you were, it’s the live vs. TV factor differential.

The judges went nuts over Casey as well with all three joining the standing crowd to give Casey a unanimous standing ovation. Jennifer Lopez, the just-named world’s most beautiful woman, said Abrams brought “a special thing to music.” Randy Jackson said Casey gave a “Grammy-type performance…I thought it was brilliant. I thought it was absolutely genius.” Steven Tyler said Casey is an “artist in the truest sense of the word.” He compared him to Sting and told Casey “You took a song that my momma sang to me when I was a little boy and you took it and you did what’s in your heart regardless of what Jimmy told you.”

Casey picked the Nat King Cole classic despite Jimmy Iovine’s advice in rehearsals to choose something that could make him win like Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. Did he make the right choice or will this song selection cost him a shot at the Idol crown? Did you enjoy it at home and call in a vote in for him or were you shocked by the adulation you witnessed on TV?

What did you think of Casey’s performance?  Watch it for yourself and let me know! In this video, you can also hear Casey speak about his favorite Gnocchi and meatballs dish at Cafe Aroma!