Welcome to the first ever all female Top 5 performance show! Tonight on American Idol we’ll see the remaining ladies duke it out with two songs each, representing “songs from the year they were born” and “divas.” Given how young these ladies are, I'm already cringing while waiting to hear the songs they have chosen for the first round. Let's get this going.
ROUND 1
Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul from 1989 (The year I thought Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was the best movie ever. My preferences have since changed though I do like to hear Sean Connery yell "Junyaaaaahhhh!" on occasion).
Judges Say: Keith yells “woo!” several times followed by a very sexy “baby, that was so good.” I’m now too distracted to hear the rest of his comments but it seems he liked the performance. Nicki and her boobs congratulate Candice on making the Top 5 as well as being the one to beat. Randy loves seeing Candice have fun and he thinks she is definitely in the zone. He then gives a shout out to Paula Abdul. It’s okay, Randy…I miss her too. Mariah says the song choice was genius and the performance was amazing.
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Contestant: Janelle Arthur
Song: “When I Call Your Name” by Vince Gill from 1999 (when I graduated High School… super).
Janelle takes last week’s criticism to heart and plays the guitar behind a mic stand for this performance. It’s a very pretty rendition, but even though it's a country song, it's not really my favorite song choice of hers. I still really like the performance though.
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Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song: “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes from 1990…the year I discovered Madonna (cut me some slack – I was 10).
Kree starts off the song completely acoustic then joins the band center stage. I worry for a second that she won’t move around and really get into the performance, but she puts those fears to rest quickly and completely owns the stage and the song. Well done.
Judges Say: Randy loves that the naturalness in Kree’s voice also includes a bit of soul. Mariah thinks Kree can sing anything (she doesn’t say phone book though and I'm grateful) because she is just so real. She does mention, however, that Kree felt the need to really perform in this rendition, and Mariah prefers Kree to just emote. Keith says Kree’s voice is so fine and so beautiful but feels that the elements of the cameras, stage, audience, judges, etc. make her uncomfortable. Nicki disagrees, beginning her commentary in an English accent and I have my first “shut up, Nicki” moment of the night. She thinks Kree’s performance was the best so far, then struggles (again) to remember Janelle’s name. Mariah tries to defend her critique and Nicki interrupts her and talks more… Next.
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Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders from 1994 (the year Kurt Cobain died and I wore black for a week because I thought in my teen angst I was doing something very profound. I really wasn't).
I was already anticipating an emotional performance, but when Angie dedicates this song to her home city of Boston I know we’re in for something pretty amazing. She is at the piano again, and in case you hadn’t noticed, the judges love Angie when she is at the piano. She is vocally on point and her passion is absolutely uplifting. This is hands down her best performance to date.
Judges Say: Standing ovation from everyone but Nicki. I imagine her boobs are weighing her down tonight. Mariah calls the performance perfect and a very touching tribute to the people of Boston. Keith thinks the song choice was great and her voice makes him want to cry every time (in a good way). Nicki mentions how much she likes Angie on the piano, and then talks about how great Angie is on the piano. Randy gives a shout out to Boston and also mentions that Angie is great behind the piano. Okay guys… we GET IT.
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Contestant: Amber Holcomb
Song: “Without You” by Badfinger… but Mariah’s version from 1994 (also the year MLB went on strike and broke my heart. But the strike also ended Michael Jordan’s baseball “career,” so there’s that).
You already know that I’m going to say that my favorite cover of this song is Kelly Clarkson’s version in Season 1. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Amber does struggle a bit during the first half (her lower register is not her strong point), but she does a fantastic job on the chorus. Interesting that Amber has the pimp slot tonight. The producers must not be happy that she’s been a bottom 2 dweller more than once.
Judges Say: Standing O from everyone but Nicki, and for the first time this evening, I agree with Nicki. I think it’s ridiculous that she got a standing ovation from the other judges for a performance that was half great. Keith says “there’s an Amber alert going on!” then immediately recognizes that was an in appropriate thing to say. He tells Amber that she has grown leaps and bounds throughout the competition and her notes during performance just bloomed near the end. Yup. Near the END. Nicki says that Mariah’s version of the song is the only version she has to go by and talks a lot about how awesome Mariah is when she sings that song. Agreed. She then calls Amber out on her lower register and I yell “Yes!” in my living room. Randy tells Amber the song wasn’t perfect (then why the hell did you stand up?) but gives Amber props for singing a Mariah song in front of Mariah. Mimi loves Amber’s upper register and wants America to vote for her.
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ROUND 2
Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
If there is anyone in this competition who can take on the Mariah/Whitney duet, it’s Candice. She doesn’t try to do an impression of Mariah or Whitney. She’s not even trying to top them. She just stays completely Candice and gives a moving, flawless performance. I’ve really run out of things to say about her at this point. She’s incredible.
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Contestant: Janelle Arthur
Song: “Dumb Blonde” by Dolly Parton
Oh how I love Dolly…and I really love Janelle too. She sings this song with so much spirit and joy, and I’m so proud of how far she’s come. I actually really, really enjoy her performance. It’s a shame though that Janelle has turned out to be this year’s Hollie Cavanagh, who I still heart greatly. She just could not do anything right for the judges last year despite her beautiful performances. Hollie wasn’t meant to win in the eyes of American Idol’s powers that be and neither is Janelle, unfortunately.
Judges Say: Randy thought the song was fun but didn’t show off anything vocally. Really, Randy? Were you even watching? Mariah does not know the song but thought Janelle was very “Pow.” Keith thinks Janelle chose the wrong Dolly Parton song and did not shine. I can’t possibly listen to Nicki.
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Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song: “Have You Ever Been in Love?” by Celine Dion
This is a great song choice for Kree and she slays it. This is one of those performances where no movement is necessary – just singing the hell out of the song, and that’s what Kree does. She’s emoting the way Mariah loves, and I would say this is a “moment.”
Judges Say: Everyone stands. Mariah calls Kree “diva-licious” and says even though Kree is essentially a country artist, she’s very versatile and that will help her in the long run. Keith thinks Kree stayed in control of the song the whole time and tells her she is going to inspire so many girls who hope to be country music stars someday. Nicki then blows my mind with her epiphany: “You know what occurred to me tonight? You're not country. You're worldly. You're iconic. You are Adele. You are Celine Dion. You are one of those divas that we can watch when they’re 20 and watch when they’re 50.” Randy can’t possibly top that, so I move on.
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Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “Halo” by Beyonce
Uh oh. Angie isn’t behind the piano! She’s so good behind the piano! Whatever will the judges do with this outrageous situation?!??! They really shouldn’t have to do anything. Angie has a shaky start but the remaining 90% of the song is sheer power. She’s really had an amazing night. Jimmy was right about Angie being a dark horse.
Judges Say: Everyone stands but Mariah and I think the chairs are just optional at this point. Keith says Angie is definitely Top 3 material. Nicki screams at Angie (in a good way) that she just did that song like a queen could and a queen should. Randy says “Angie’s in it to win it y’all” and I throw my pillow at the TV. How much money does this man make when to say the same thing all the time? Could he at least tell someone they are not in it to win it? Mariah says it’s very difficult to sing a Beyonce song and thinks Angie’s voice had a certain clarity that did the song justice.
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Contestant: Amber Holcomb
Song: “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” by Barbara Streisand
Now here is an Amber performance I can get behind. She takes a song by a classic diva, keeps it very traditional and jazzy, and I'm a big fan of her rendition. Earlier this evening I was annoyed that Amber would be closing the show tonight, and while I still think the evening still goes to Candice, Amber definitely earned the final performance slot.
Judges Say: Everyone stands again. Jeez. Nicki calls the performance simply perfection. Randy says Amber took on the hardest song of the whole season. He then calls her a young Rihanna. I’m sorry…when did Rihanna become old? Did her time on Battleship age her in a way I haven’t seen? Mariah says Amber is potentially a massive star and thanks her for her performance. Keith thinks the song delivery was elegant and beautiful.
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| Will you be joining us? |
So the night of standing ovations for everyone but Janelle comes to an end. It’s clear who the judges think should go come, but is it clear to America? If Janelle stays in the competition, it shouldn’t be an upset – the kid has a growing number of fans at this point and she’s both talent and lovable. The judges may also use their save if the eliminated contestant is anyone else and then no one would go home this week. We’ll see how it all plays out on tomorrow’s results show. Til then!
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