American Idol: You Better Shop Around

On tonight’s episode of American Idol our Top 8 contestants will take on the songs of Detroit, including Motown. Yup. So...we could see quite a hodgepodge of things this evening. Smokey Robinson is the guest mentor this week, imparting his wisdom and experiences on these hopefuls, many of whom probably aren't familiar with Mowtown at all. As the judges take the their seats, Mariah and Nicki are looking similar for the first time this season, and I have to wonder how Mariah’s people ever allowed this to happen. Someone is getting fired after the show.

Contestant: Candice Glover

Song:  “Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye

Candice gives us a bluesy, jazzy vibe with her rendition and I am absolutely loving it. She definitely makes the song her own, and I will be downloading this as soon as possible. Get it, girl. Love that she is so consistently awesome.

Judges Say: Keith says Candice has raised the bar and this was her best performance so far. Nicki tells Candice she kept her eyes alive for the whole performance. Okay. Randy says Candice has one of the best voices in the competition, calling it “crazy good.” Mariah believes Candice gave an old school R&B, gritty performance.

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Contestant: Lazaro Arbos

Song: “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder

Lazaro is fighting an uphill battle this week given the way he’s been struggling. For whatever reason…he is wearing some sort of leather/pleather pants and jacket combination with a tie and gold shoes as well. I find this ensemble entirely distracting. In terms of his singing though, he sounds better than has in a while. Regardless, I still think he’s way out of his league.

Judges Say: Randy is trying to keep it real, and he says that the performance was better than last week but not great. Mariah thinks the song choice was smart and she feels that he is “back” this week. Ohhhh Mimi. Keith thinks the song wasn’t rhythmically comfortable for Lazaro but an improvement vocally. Nicki asks Smokey to be her sugar daddy and I have to move on.

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Contestant: Janelle Arthur

Song:  “Keep Me Hanging On” by Diana Ross and The Supremes

Janelle sits in the dark with her guitar on a smoke filled stage and begins the song on her own before the band comes in. She takes this song in a completely different direction than I had anticipated, and she’s definitely made it more current. Janelle is emotionally connected to the song and she just sounds amazing. I really like this kid, and I hope she receives fair critiques tonight.

Judges Say: Mariah yells “Janelle at her FINEST!” and Janelle tears up. Keith loved the arrangement because it brought out the angst in the song. Nicki thinks Janelle shines more with her guitar and then says some nonsense about her voice not being as good tonight as it usually is. Randy says this is one of Janelle's best performances, and I get really excited for her…but then he exclaims “she is in it to win it!” and I go back to wishing I had fast forwarded.

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Contestant: Devin Velez

Song:  “Tracks of My Tears” by The Miracles

Great song. My favorite version is definitely Adam Lambert’s, but Devin is giving it his all here. He’s confident tonight, and he’s more dynamic during this song than he has been since he sang “Listen” back in the Top 24 days. Nicely done.

Judges Say:  Keith thinks Devin has such great style and he should really relax more and get into the song. Apparently Devin thinks too much. Nicki says the following to Devin: “you up there looking like a ripe banana right now.” She then compliments his “false-etto.” Sigh. Randy thinks this was Devin’s best performance in weeks. Mariah feels that the performance was flawless and hopes America realizes how good Devin is. Me too. This is one of the first seasons I can honestly see all of the guys being eliminated before any of the girls go home. Would the show runners let that happen?

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Contestant: Burnell Taylor

Song: “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. This isn't necessarily directed at Burnell...this song generally puts me to sleep regardless of who is singing it. Really the only things keeping me awake are Burnell's often ridiculous hand gestures and shoulder shrugs.

Judges Say: Nicki says Burnell just reminded us why we fell in love with his voice. Randy loves the choices Burnell makes with songs and then says “it’s like aw yeahhhhh” twice before saying Burnell is in it to win it. I pause for a second to scratch my nails against the keyboard of my laptop. Mariah feels that Burnell added modern flavor to the song and she appreciates him. Keith loved the whole thing. Maybe I'm all on my own, but I think the judges wayyyy over-praisethis guy every week.

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Contestant: Angie Miller

Song: “Shop Around” by The Miracles

Angie is working it tonight. Remember how I said she tends to look more comfortable behind the piano? Scratch that. She is strutting her stuff on stage like she's been doing this forever. I don't really like the arrangement of the song, but I appreciate that she stepped out of her comfort zone tonight. Seems on this show you get criticized for doing the same thing each week...and also get yelled at when you aren't true to yourself. We'll see how this works out for Angie.

Judges Say:  Randy says “Yo” a few times and then “Angie” a few times, and then he says he didn’t think Angie could hear in her ears because the song was pitchy. I was wondering when were were going to get the full blown Randy this evening. Mariah thinks Angie should have sang at the piano because she needs to stay true to Angie. And here we go. Keith says Angie was pulled down by the melody and that’s why she was so sharp in her pitch. Nicki thinks Angie was trying to show a side of herself that didn’t need to be shown. She raises her voice and gets pissy for no reason, and I wish FOX would just revoke her paycheck. Rude.

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Contestant: Amber Holcomb

Song: “Lately” by Stevie Wonder

Perhaps we should have just had a Stevie Wonder night. Amber positions herself behind a mic stand in front of a piano, and she just wails on this song. Good for her - it’s nice to see that she’s still confident even though she was in the bottom 3 last week.  This is quite a comeback.

Judges Say: Standing O from all four judges. Wow. I thought it was a great performance but I didn't expect the standing ovation. Mariah calls it a tour de force and then she is bleeped out. Heh. I would LOVE to know what she said just then...so would Steven Tyler. Keith says Amber picked the right song, felt it beautifully and sang it beautifully. Nicki mentions Amber's lack of pink lipstick again (why?) but mentions that Amber is something very special and she doesn’t want Amber to feel bad about being in the bottom 3. Randy says this was the best vocal of the night.

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Contestant: Kree Harrison

Song: “Don’t Play that Song (You Lied)” by Aretha Franklin

Remember when Kelly Clarkson sang this is Season 1? Let me remind you... watch it here.

Anyway, pimp slot for Kree! She is reliable each week in terms of giving us a great vocal and a ton of personality. This wasn't my favorite performance of hers, but she's a solid artist and should keep her status as a front runner in this competition.

Judges Say: Randy says there is Kree love in the building. Is that like free love? Mariah loooooves Kree and commends her for taking on the Queen of Soul. Keith is happy that Kree doesn’t try to be Aretha or any of the other artists she covers – she’s just Kree. Nicki rambles and then says Kree is a queen as well.

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I can't close out tonight's commentary without mentioning the duet/group numbers Idol used as filler. Given they way these performances were presented, I have to wonder if the contestants found out that day that they would be singing extra songs. Janelle and Kree did a pretty good job on Madonna's "Like a Prayer" (again, Detroit doesn't necessarily mean Motown...we've really stretched it tonight). Candice, Amber and Ashley were fine during "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by the Supremes. However, Devin, Burnell and Lazaro were a hot...hot...hot...mess while performing "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch." I don't think Lazaro knew any of the words at all. Worst thing I've seen during the live shows in a very long time. I thought Nicki was going to rush the stage and beat all three guys.



I'm sorry - were we supposed to be singing?



With that in mind, I have to hope that we bid adieu to Lazaro tomorrow night. While I am sometimes completely bored by Devin and Burnell, I'd prefer to keep them around at least another week, and the girls all earned their spots for sure. We'll find out if justice is served during the results show. Til then!