American Idol: Someone's Bound to Get Burned

On tonight’s episode of American Idol, the Top 3 ladies duke it out in what may be the closest race for the finale in a very long time. The contestants will take on three songs tonight: one chosen by Jimmy Iovine, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by the producers. Nice to know the singers have so much input… Let’s get to it and see if any favoritism resurfaces with these choices.

ROUND 1

Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song:  “Perfect” by Pink

While Hollie Cavanagh was wonderful when she performed this song last season, I kind of also enjoy the country-ish version Kree gives us here. Not my favorite Kree performance, mainly because we mostly just get the chorus over and over again, but I’m looking forward to her other two songs tonight for sure.

 

Judges Say: Keith reminds us that Kree is country. Nicki’s voice at this point is just like nails on a chalkboard to me. She thinks Kree should try wearing flat boots so she can move around more….which makes total sense given Kree was not singing an up tempo dance tune. Randy didn’t love the song choice (not her choice, Randy) and thought it fell a little flat. Mariah feels that it’s difficult to have the song chosen for you, and she feels like Kree was connected and did the best she could.

_________________________

Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “One” by U2

Candice’s rendition reminds me of the Mary J. Blige take on the song from a few years ago. This is meant as a compliment, and honestly, I think Candice might even do it better. The song takes off immediately and stays powerful throughout the entire performance.  Jimmy did a much better job with Candice’s selection than Kree’s. Interesting.

Judges Say: Nicki’s boobs do a Q&A with Candice and then Nicki tells Candice she did the song justice. For the second time tonight, Randy begins his critique with “yo” and then compliments Candice on her emotional connection to the performance. Mariah is still trying to figure out how Candice has been working as anything other than a singer because she is a professional. Keith loved the song choice and says the power in her makes everyone feel what she feels when she sings.

_________________________

Contestant: Angie Miller
Song:  “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” by Elton John

Someone else is playing the piano for Angie in Round 1 and I’m actually really glad. As much as I like it when Angie gets all fiery when she’s playing, I think her subtle set up is perfect for this song. I’m also not seeing any pageant-y nonsense either, so all in all, I really like this performance.

Judges Say: Randy thoughtfully asks Angie if it was hard for her to sing that song without the piano…because, you know, Angie can’t really sing without the piano…and the judges love the piano. Angie says “no” with a smile and Randy talks some more about the piano and how much he likes Angie with the piano. We finally move on to Mariah who feels that this was one of Angie’s best performances. Keith thinks Angie could have held back more (Really? Did he want her to whisper?) and choose her big notes carefully. Nicki loves Angie’s outfit and believes Angie has stepped up her game.

_________________________

ROUND 2

Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “Next to Me” by Emeli Sande

I love this song. I may have spent several days with it on “repeat” on my iPod when it was first released. Much like her Bruno Mars cover last week, this performance is all about storytelling for Candice. It’s great to see her doing something upbeat as well and she looks like she’s having a great time. Glad to see that smile, because her hometown video footage was just unreal. Sooooo much emotion, and the whole thing was very moving.

Judges Say: Mariah feels that Candice was re-energized with her trip home and has nothing but good things to say. Keith said he was “in” from the opening lyrics. Agreed. Nicki is still emotional from watching Candice’s trip home which gets Candice crying too. Randy mentions how great it is that American Idol provides the opportunity for people who come from nothing to be successful, saying “kudos to us!” Thanks Randy. I’m sure Candice’s immense talent hasn’t contributed at all.

_________________________

Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “Try” by Pink

Wow. Pink is getting all sorts of attention tonight. Amber covered her last week as well. I’m not complaining though…these are all good songs. Incidentally, if you have never seen Pink perform this live, you must do so as soon as possible. As for Angie, I’m enjoying what she’s doing with the verses but I feel like she’s yelling (rather than belting) the chorus. Granted, she doesn’t do the upbeat songs too often, and the judges tend to criticize her when she does… but I much preferred her Round 1 performance. Just me.

Judges Say: Keith loves that Angie didn’t play the piano. At this moment I kind of want to set fire to Angie’s piano so we can stop hearing about it. He thinks she has never looked more comfortable sans piano. Nicki agrees with Keith, asking Angie what has changed about her. Angie attributes her confidence to her trip home to Boston. In watching the video footage, it was really nice to see that her visit brought some bright moments to the people there amid all of the recent tragedy. Randy ruins this idea for us by giving kudos to the judges again and saying Angie is in it to win it. Mariah thinks Angie was moving freely during the performance and she is finally “at home” on stage.

_________________________

Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song: “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts

Have mentioned that Kree is a country girl? Just wanted to be sure. This performance, by the way, is just beautiful. I swear I’m going to flip out if any of the judges say anything about Kree lacking emotional connection here. Given that her hometown visit was a tear-jerker filled with stories about Kree’s parents (who both died separately in accidents), the song choice is brutal. I’m so proud of her.

Judges Say: Nicki notes that when Kree went back home she regained her strength when she went home and she tells Kree her parents are watching over her. Randy thinks this is one of the best Top 3s we’ve ever had on Idol and then gives another shout out to the judges. Mariah thinks the performance was more than brilliant and Mariah is overwhelmed by Kree’s purity and realness. Keith says Kree sang the song just right and felt it just right.  

_________________________

ROUND 3

Contestant: Angie Miller
Song: “Maybe” by Emili Sande

Was the list of artists for this week limited or something? Two songs from Pink and Emili Sande? Shrug. Angie is back at the piano, which one would think is a good idea… but this performance is even more shouty than the last one. Her vocals are a little shaky too. Uh oh, Angie. Not the best way to end the night at all.

Judges Say: Randy says Angie sang her heart out and he thinks it’s interesting because Angie performed two songs without the piano and one with the piano. How is that interesting? Is it also interesting that sometimes Ryan is on stage and sometimes he isn’t? Mariah thinks the song was hard to sing but compliments Angie on no longer being a pageant queen. Keith jokes that next week Angie should sing a song under the piano. Nicki believes Angie has come full circle. So…they didn’t witness the same performance I did.

_________________________

Contestant: Kree Harrison
Song:  “Better Dig Two” by The Band Perry

Really? The producers are giving Kree a song about digging two graves? Good Lord. If she makes it to next week, why don’t we just place pictures of her parents directly in front of the mic stand and on the screen behind her? The song is too low for Kree at certain points, but she still manages to give the performance some energy. Round 2 was definitely her best...it’s a shame she couldn’t end her night with that one.

Judges Say: Mariah likes that we got to see a wild side of Kree but likes her sorrow more than her anger. She can’t cry all the time, Mimi. Keith didn’t think the song was the best choice for Kree. Nicki thinks whoever chose the song should be stoned. Randy said the song was too ordinary but she did her best.

_________________________

Contestant: Candice Glover
Song: “Somewhere” from West Side Story

LOVE. THIS. Best of the night…best of the season. How can this girl not win?

Judges Say: Standing ovation that lasts for a while. Keith has the best line of the show, saying “If you want to vote for Candice, dial the number on your screen. If you don’t, call your doctor because you probably don’t have a pulse.”  Nicki tells Candice she’ll see her next week. Randy says this was one of the greatest vocals in Idol history. I feel like Randy says things like this way more than he should, but in this case I do not disagree. Candice has made Mariah cry again. Mimi tells her she can sing any type of song.  

_________________________

So with that, it’s clear that the Idol producers love Candice and could flip a coin on who joins her next week. Candice was given a moment… no… a MOMENT in Round 3, and Kree and Angie were given songs that did them no favors whatsoever. Jimmy’s choices were okay, but I think the judges’ picks in Round 2 were the most fair.

 

Tomorrow night we will find out who moves on to the finale. I’m personally pulling for Kree to make it through but Angie is definitely the most improved contestant of the season. Jimmy was spot on when he called her a dark horse in the beginning of the live shows. We’ll find out what happens during the results show. Til then!