American Idol Top 12 Perform
American Idol Season 10 (Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8PM on FOX)
I was pleasantly surprised by the song choices last night, there wasn't one that I didn't know (except maybe Scotty's). Although, the actual performances lacked for me. There wasn't really a stand-out performance in my opinion. There were a few solid ones and a couple bombs, but for the most part the group did okay and each of them seemed to have some problems.
Photo Credit - FOX (via Rickey.org)
Last night they had to chose a song from their birth year (ranging from 1984 to 1995), which means I'm older than every single contestant for the first time. Ouch. Anyways... We got some intro-clips with the contestants parents and a few had me laughing and a few had me crying...
Let's get to the recap! Like always I'll give you the singer, the song (& artist), the judges' thoughts, my thoughts (& score)!
Naima Adepado - "What's Love Got to Do With It" (Tina Turner - 1984)
Intro Clip - We learned Naima got her musical talent from her mom, who used to sing, and the lullaby was cute.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty said she's "got a sorcerer's grasp of melody" but both J.Lo and Randy called her out for being "consistently pitchy" and that she needs to gain control over her breath/pitch during performances.
My Thoughts - There were some really good moments in there, but I agree with the judges that there were times that it was really pitchy. I like her style and I think she brought something different to the song, but I'm a little worried for her. SCORE - 7.5/10
Paul McDonald - "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (Elton John - 1984)
Intro Clip - We get to see baby Paul in a cowboy costume
Judges' Thoughts - J.Lo and Randy refuse to give him a pass this week, because every performer must make it happen on stage, even if they're sick. They saw and heard some pitch problems, but overall they still like him. S.Ty jumped on that and said he "defines a cool dude in a loose mood".
My Thoughts - For the most part I couldn't really tell he was sick, his voice sounded pretty much the same. I thought his voice carried better in this performance compared to last week and his performance was less manic. The only time it was off was when he was pushing for a note and his cold just wouldn't quite let him get there. SCORE - 7.75/10
Thia Megia - "Colors of the Wind" (Vanessa Williams - 1995)
Intro Clip - We found out that Thia was a happy baby (or robot) and started singing early... plus I love her mom singing (so cute!)
Judges' Thoughts - Randy was BOR-ED and called the whole thing "pageanty". S.Ty asked if this is the kind of thing she sees herself singing (Thia brought up all the stuff happening in Japan, and thought it was the best choice this week) and J.Lo wants her to step out and maybe doing something different than a ballad (and use her unique tone).
My Thoughts - Seriously, how did Disney miss this girl?! She's ripe for the Disney-picking. I'm afraid she has no idea what kind of artist she wants to be and she's starting to bore me to tears. SCORE - 7.5/10
James Durbin - "I'll Be There For You" (Bon Jovi - 1989)
Photo Credit - FOX
Intro Clip - James' mom outted him for having a doll and we learned he was just a big a ham back then...
PLUS - Kate Hudson and her growing fam (son Ryder, her baby bump & fiance) were all in the audience as she tried to hide behind some cheetos.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty warned him not to "get to poppy" (to which James said he didn't want to bring out the Aerosmith til the finale), to which S.Ty said "that man up there has a rich vein of crazy. I'll join him." then when the two shook on it, there was a section of time bleeped out. (Hilarious!) J.Lo loved it too, saying she was going wild during the whole thing and Randy liked it too.
My Thoughts - I don't think it was his best performance, and you could tell he was having some cold issues too. But he did work the stage (hello butt-scarf and studded dog collars!) and the crowd (high-fives for everyyyyy-one). I'm worried that talk about going to the finale this early was a bit cocky and I hope it doesn't bite him in the arse. SCORE - 8.25/10
Haley Reinhart - "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Whitney Houston)
Intro Clip - We find out that her parents are still in a band together and sing "Black Velvet"; I love them already.
Judges' Thoughts - J.Lo decided to ignore the red lipstick to give Haley critiques about how tense and uncomfortable she looks on stage and told her to try and do what's natural. Then Ryan comes up to clean up the mess. Randy told her she needs to "find out what kind of artist she wants to be" and even S.Ty wants to hear her get back to doing blues.
Photo Credit - FOX
My Thoughts - I'm not a Haley-supporter, let's just say that. When she tries to be sexy, she comes off super-awkward in my opinion. I love this song, and although there were a couple times I thought she found her groove she lost it for long periods too. The lipstick thing was just one more thing that makes her even more awkward and I don't think she's showcasing herself as a star. I'm definitely wouldn't be surprised to see her in the bottom again. SCORE 7/10
Stefano Langone - "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Simply Red)
Photo Credit - FOX
Intro Clip - He totally dogged the songs of 1989. What's so bad about NKOTB I say. You could have totally changed it up and actually stood out... But his dad was the first to make me tear up because of his pride.
Judges' Thoughts - Randy called it the "best performance of the night so far", S.Ty called it "over the top" and "beautiful". J.Lo thought it was the perfect song choice, but wants him to "connect to my eyes" and the eyes of the audience more, then tells him to go hug his mom (which he does!)
My Thoughts - I wish he started off softer so that it built more, plus I love this song because of how emotional it is, and I kind of felt he was going through the motions and just wanted to hit the notes instead of connecting to the song, which bummed me out because he's so good technically. SCORE - 8.75/10
Pia Toscano - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Whitney Houston - 1988)
Intro Clip - She wouldn't behave for her dad while her mom was out unless he video-taped her singing. But the real story was with her grandfather and how much he supported her singing before he passed away (tears!)
Judges' Thoughts - J.Lo told her she "definitely has an angel watching over her. You're perfect every week" and liked that she went uptempo. Randy said that "Pia's in the competition to win it" and S.Ty called that song "American Idol".
My Thoughts -I thought the uptempo was odd, but there's no doubt she's one of the best technically in the voice department of the group. I however, think she's a bit boring to watch on stage compared to most of the guys still in the competition. (plus that white jumpsuit didn't do her any favors) SCORE 8.5/10
Scott McCreery - "Can I Trust You With My Heart" (Travis Tritt - 1993)
Intro Clip - He used to love Elvis... A LOT! And his parents singing his imfamous "baby turn the lights..." was ah-maz-ing.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty told him to keep knowing who he is and that he can go places. J.Lo said he pushed it out there a little bit more in the end and wants to see him keep growing (he held the last note longer in rehearsals) and Randy talks about how he did Travis Tritt right. (Scotty's Blue Crew was there to support him)
My Thoughts - I'm not the biggest country fan, so this was just okay for me. It's the kind of song I wish AI would let Scotty strum his guitar too. (Why are the basically banning all instruments this year!?) But it was also on key and in his safety zone. SCORE 8/10
Karen Rodriguez - "Love Will Lead You Back" (Taylor Dane)
Photo Credit - FOX
Intro Clip - Her intro-clip was mostly overshadowed by her sister's need to meet Nick Jonas for me. Really?
Judges' Thoughts - Randy said it was better than last week, but he still "wasn't jumping up and down", S.Ty liked that she broke into her "ethnic what-is-it-ness" and J.Lo saw that she was nervous but liked that she decided to be fierce with it instead of slinking back, but also told her that if she can't hit certain notes, she should be afraid to change them.
My Thoughts - This was a perfect example of a AI contestant trying too hard. I love me some Taylor Dane, she was one of my favorite artists in the late 80s/early 90s, but the girl is hard to sing and Karen didn't have the chops. She tried to bring back some Spanish, but this time it felt like an add on to me. I think she'll be in trouble again. SCORE 6.75/10
Casey Abrams - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana)
Photo Credit - FOX
Intro Clip - No wonder Casey's such a crack-up, his parent's clip was basically them laughing at each other.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty called him "so crazy and talented", J.Lo pointed out that there were "parts where it was screamy screechy" but says she still loves him and thinks he's sexy. Randy loved that he takes risks and calls him "fearless"
My Thoughts - He's the only one to be able to play an instrument on the main-stage so far this season and I must say I miss it. When I heard the song choice, my mouth actually dropped in elated surprise. I think the first part was really good, but the second half went into pure screaming (and not in a good Nirvana-way) plus he looked crazy (not sexy) at the end. SCORE - 7.75/10
Lauren Alaina - "I'm the Only One" (Melissa Etheridge - 1994)
Intro Clip - Does Lauren look just like her mom or what? And I can totally see Lauren being that annoying kid that won't shut up until you hear her sing, but her dad choking up at the end... adorable.
PLUS - Was she looped on flu-medicine during her chat with Ryan? The girl is an immature banana.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty has loved her since he first heard her and calls her a "shinning star" that sings better when she has a cold. J.Lo said it was "very nice... made it her own... very good job" and Randy said it was very nice and she shoul "have a cold every week"
My Thoughts - This was the first time I really took notice of Lauren's voice instead of her personality, and I liked it. I love this song and I think Lauren did it justice, even with a cold. The only thing it lacked was actual connection to the lyrics through her performance. It's kind of a heartbreaking, yet angry song and she was singing it with a smile on her face, which was odd to me. She's got to work on that. SCORE 8.25/10
Jacob Lusk - "Alone" (Heart)
Intro Clip - His mom sings. Hilarious.
Judges' Thoughts - S.Ty shouted out his mom for giving him "the moxy" and also said "gospel had a baby and named it
My Thoughts - I liked the beginning... a lot. But then the power middle section came and Jacob went nuts. When he tries to push up that high for that long, the crazy runs and things go way out-of-tune for me. And unlike Randy said, I don't think he recovered it. SCORE 7.5/10
So my BOTTOM THREE would definitely include Karen Rodriguez and Haley Reinhart, much like it went down last week, with Karen getting the boot this time. To round out the BOTTOM THREE I think it will either be Thia Megia or Naima Adedapo...
Check out my rankings post to see how this week's performances shook out and check back tomorrow for the recap of the results show (including performances from Lee DeWyze and the Black Eyed Peas!)
