Tonight the Top 8 will entertain us with songs from the 80s, and somehow the photo they show of 80s Randy in a polka dot shirt looks a lot like current Randy wearing…a polka dot shirt. He just has less hair now. Our guest mentors this week are Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal from No Doubt. Personally, I think it would be great if Gwen was also the fashion consultant. There's no word on wheather Gwen and Tony will have any influence on tonight's duets, so I'm already not getting my hopes up for those portions of the evening.
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Contestant: DeAndre Brackensick
Song: “I Like It,” by DeBarge
DeAndre walks through the audience to the stage, missing high fives from the audience as he goes, and the non-falsetto and non-hair tossing moments are my favorites. Perhaps if I were still a teenage girl I would be a bigger fan. Still, this may be my favorite performance of his, you know, when he's not whipping his hair back and forth.
Judges' Remarks: J.Lo likes it a lot. See what she did there? Steven is captivated…but I’m not sure how much it takes to really captivate Steven. Randy informs us that El DeBarge was the lead singer of DeBarge. Thanks for that
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Contestant: Elise Testone
Song: “I Want To Know What Love Is,” by Foreigner
Elise wanted to sing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” first, and I’m so glad she decided not too – far too many contestants have done that song over the years. I’m slightly distracted by her shirt sleeve, but then she gets to the chorus and I forget about her wardrobe and focus on the inexplicable pocket watches swaying on the screens behind her. Oh the song? Not perfect, but not bad at all.
Judges' Remarks: I have no idea what Steven says other than it wasn’t for him. J.Lo says Elise can sing anything (but she didn’t say the phone book, thank goodness). For Randy, for her, she was underneath the pitch, and she was out of tune everywhere. Everywhere? Meaning the stage, the dressing room? I need a Randy language guide - a dawgtionary perhaps.
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DUET: Skylar and Colton sing “Islands In The Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
There are steams in the background. Just sayin’. Obviously Skylar is much more comfortable with a country tune than Colton is, but Colton seems to be channeling an inner Randy Travis by barely moving his mouth as he sings. I don’t think I’ll be downloading this, but it’s pleasant to listen to overall.
Judges Remarks: Randy says “so yo” then some other stuff, and then tells them they are great. J.Lo says Skylar knows exactly where to bite into a song, and I immediately picture Skylar chewing on her sheet music.
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Contestant: Phillip Phillips
Song: “That Song,” by Genesis
Gwen says that Phillip is sexy, and I wholeheartedly agree. P squared did not look super confident during rehearsal and is not looking super confident as he starts this song, but then that vein on his forehead pops out and all is well with the world. Phillip takes Tony’s advice and stops playing the guitar during the bridge, and his brother-in-law is there on guitar to assist the performance. Interesting. I wonder if any of the other constants feel slighted by this...
Judges' Remarks: Steven loves his individuality, and Randy notes that Phillip and his brother-in-law have probably done this before. They sure did….during the pre-performance tape on the screen. Wow.
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DUET: Hollie and DeAndre sing “I’m So Excited,” by The Pointer Sisters. Hollie is working some Olivia Newton John leather pants tonight, and she is the better half of this song for sure. Again, pleasant to listen to, but I’m ready for the next solo.
Judges' Remarks: Steven calls it “beautiful.” Weird, huh? J.Lo thinks they are both at home while singing. Randy says they both can really sing. How does one work with that level of critique?
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Contestant: Joshua Ledet
Song: “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” by Simply Red
Joshua has a choir from the start, and I think Easter has come early. Joshua even adds a “woo!” here and there as he goes. I keep feeling we've already been here before. He gets a little to screechy for me in the second half of the song, but I can’t deny that he was born to sing. I just don’t enjoy this performance as much as I have enjoyed others.
Judges' Remarks: J.Lo says “ask and ye shall receive” and calls the performance spectacular. Steven said “it wasn’t too much over the top, and it then it was way over the top.” Chew on that for as long as you need to. Randy wanted to stand up from start to finish, but luckily, he did not overexert himself.
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Contestant: Jessica Sanchez
Song: “How Will I Know?” by Whitney Houston
I’m overlooking the fact that we already had a Whitney week, because I love this song. Gwen says Jessica’s voice is ridiculous during rehearsal. I am a huge Jessica fan, but given how amazing her performance of “I Will Always Love You” was last month, I’m not sure this was the best idea. I’m also not completely sold on Jessica singing up-tempo tunes.
Judges' Remarks: J.Lo calls her both a little girl and a women, both of which are meant as compliments. Steven says “everything you do is beautiful.” Randy worked with Whitney Houston…and instead of throwing my laptop, I ask my TV buddies to pause the DVR so I can compose myself.
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DUET: Phillip and Elise sing “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks
Phillip look s far more comfortable sans guitar than he ever has before, and they both sound great together. Equal measures of angst and rasp, and this is my favorite duet so far.
Judges' Remarks: Randy welcomes Elise back and says they were great. Steven thinks their duet was both beautiful and nice. K.
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Contestant: Hollie Cavanagh
Song: “What a Feeling,” by Irene Cara
Hollie is a big Gwen fan, and Gwen encourages her to be more energetic with the song. Hollie is still slightly apprehensive in her moves across the stage, but she is showing more personality than she has in any other performance (thanks Gwen). I am so proud of her. Nice job, kid.
Judges' Remarks: Steven calls her pitchy. WHAT? J.Lo says she didn’t let go. She tells Hollie to “forget about everything people say when you get up there”….but she also tells her she has to listen to people when they are trying to help her. Is it “say what you mean and then the exact opposite” day? Randy agrees with them and I’m cursing loudly at this point. I call shenanigans – they’re trying to push her out.
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DUET: Jessica and Joshua sing “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me,” by Aretha Franklin and George Michael. Since they are both so strong vocally, they are both also incredibly loud and trying to out sing one another here. I like them both, I do, but this is just too much for me.
Judges' Remarks: Standing ovation, and a lot of “most amazing, best ever” comments, and I’m done with the judges tonight.
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Contestant: Colton Dixon
Song: “Time After Time” by Cindy Lauper
Gwen sings with Colton, and I hope for a real duet from them soon. This song and its arrangement are actually perfect for him. Colton gets completely into all of his songs and really playing to the audience. It’s clear that he is trying to build a career here and not just win a competition.
Judges' Remarks: No really, I’m done with them.
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Contestant: Skylar Laine
Song: “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler
Skylar misses her guns, so the judges better watch out – seems she has quite the collection at home. I’m not sure what to anticipate with this song because of her twang, but I have to say that I love it. Get it, girl. If there ever was a dark horse in this competition, it’s Skylar. And if not, she’ll shoot you.
TAKE THAT JUDGES!
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Tomorrow we’ll see if Hollie and Elise survive the “pitchy, but you look great” kiss off, and if they do, I have to believe the judges would use their save for just about everyone else. I would honestly rather see DeAndre go home before...well...the rest of the contestants at this point, but I'm not sure I will get my wish.
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