The American Idol semifinals kicked off with a whimper last night. The show was plagued with poor song choices and even worse performances. But there was a shining light in the form of Danny Gokey.

Danny’s story was classic American Idol. His wife passed away just a month before he auditioned, but he somehow found the strength to go on. And it was that strength that saw Danny take Mariah Carey’s cornball power ballad “Hero” and make it good.

Like most discerning music fans, I hate this song with a passion. But with Danny’s natural rock voice and conviction, it actually became brilliant. The lack of Mariah-esque trills probably helped. With this performance Danny’s all but assured a place in the finals.