Tonight on American Idol the remaining contestants perform again, hoping to avoid the stools of doom and a tenth place finish. The competitors will be taking on Top 10 songs from the Billboard charts. See what they did there? Top 10 singing the Top 10? Genius. I'm still kind of bitter about Ben's departure last week, but there are a few contestants I'm really looking forward to tonight. Let's see how they do.
Contestant: MK Nobilette
Song: "Perfect" by Pink
Fantastic song. I love Hollie Cavanagh's rendition, and of course, Kelly Clarkson does a pretty wonderful cover as well. I'm nervous fro MK when the song starts though because it's easy to be lackluster compared to Pink...and MK goes into the competition tonight trying to overcome confidence issues. She does SO much better in terms of connecting with the audience for this performance. Vocally, however, I feel like we lose her at times. There are certain awkward spots where the background singers are singing, and there's an opportunity for MK to ad lib or jump in...but she doesn't. Maybe there were some timing issues.
Judges Say: Keith loves MK's style tonight. He mentions her not coming in at the right time with the band, and he encourages her to own the stage more. JLo really liked the way the song started but tells MK she has to handle mistakes better. Harry doesn't think this was a strong performance and didn't get any feeling from the song.
----------------------------Contestant: Dexter Roberts
Song: "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line
Confession: I hate this song. The teenagers I coach would probably throw things at me if they were in my presence right now. However, something about Dexter's version is incredibly endearing. The slow start was a good move and I love that he abandoned the guitar and worked the stage a little bit. Dexter definitely could have been more into the song and more comfortable with his (kinda) strut, but I thank him for helping me to not cover my ears when the music started.
Judges Say: JLo says the great thing about Top 10 records is that the audience knows the song...so he should have had everyone up and clapping and doing something. Harry did not like the performance because Harry doesn't like anything. He says Dexter didn't to anything different with the song and there was no joy to it. Keith liked that Dexter slowed the song down in the beginning and wonders why he didn't just stay there. Fair point.
----------------------------Contestant: Jena Irene
Song: "Clarity" by Zedd
Jena's got a Katy Perry vibe going tonight and the audience is armed with glow sticks to do her bidding. She totally takes the whole "it's a Top 10 song so everyone should be on their feet" thing and runs with it. Sure, she's out of breath at times, but this at least feels like a concert performance and not just a TV show. She's had two solid weeks in a row now and is starting to place herself above many of the other contestants. I'm definitely a Jena fan.
Judges Say: Harry thinks this song was in Jena's wheelhouse and says she is a very strong singer. Keith loves the song and thinks this was the best performance of the night so far (agreed). JLo says Jena has great energy but advises her to hold the middle of the stage more.
----------------------------Contestant: Alex Preston
Song: "Story of My Life" by One Direction
I was harsh on Alex last week. I was. I completely stand by my displeasure with his version of "Falling Slowly," but I love what he's doing this week. Alex switches up the sound in a risky but fantastic way, totally removing the "boy band" association the song has. Welcome back dude.
Judges Say: Keith has to wait for the cheering to die down and then says Alex knows who is and knows what do with songs. He thinks the performance was great. JLo says the vocals were beautiful and Alex owned the stage. She also thinks Alex has a Buddy Holly vibe. I can see that. Harry tells Alex he hit the bulls-eye on the artistry target.
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Contestant: Malaya Watson
Song: "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars
This one's tough for me because Candice Glover did such an amazing job on this song last season...but Malaya seriously holds her own. This performance seems effortless and she is really progressing on this show. Malaya is also slowly becoming someone I'm excited to see each week. Girl can siiiiiing.
Judges Say: JLo says she was ready to hate on Malaya in the beginning because she wasn't sure how Malaya would change the "was your man" part. She didn't. Neither did Candice, JLo. But Ms. Lopez calls the performance beautiful and we move on to Harry...who believes Malaya was 100% present in each word that she sang. Keith says Malaya knocked it out of the park.
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Contestant: Caleb Johnson
Song: "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga
Oh. My. God. Aside from the fact that this is my favorite Lady Gaga song ever (I will proudly put my paws up), Caleb's rendition is fantastic. He make this tune into a rock anthym that I can still do a slow fist pump to and I love it. Caleb is a total bad ass and really should be a shoe in for the finale. One might say he's on the edge of glory... Sorry. Had to.
Judges Say: Harry loves that Caleb took a pop tune and put his own spin on it. "I give you an 'A' for originality on that." Thanks Harry. Keith thinks Caleb has a killer tone but he did not dig the feel of it. JLo liked the performance but felt it lacked feeling. Boooo.
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Contestant: C.J. Harris
Song: "Invisible" by Hunter Hayes
The strings section is a nice touch here but I feel like C.J. is yelling over the background music...and the background music isn't that loud. His voice cracks a couple of times and he's really just all over the place. While I appreciate the emotion he puts into the song, I don't think this is a good performance at all.
Judges Say: Keith is rooting for C.J. but says he couldn't stay in tune tonight. JLo hopes C.J. is able to get control of his gift because this performance wasn't what it should have been. Harry educates C.J. on pitch and sharpness and says he has to get it in check...and I agree with Harry, which startles me for a second.
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Contestant: Jessica Meuse
Song: "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People
Jessica does a stripped down version of the song to start and then the band kicks in about half way through. She sounds great and she is someone I would be happy to hear on the radio any day. I don't think this is a "wow" moment for Jessica...and she's really due for one. I'd like to see her stick around though because I think she could be a contender when the competition gets down to the wire. Fingers crossed that voters took notice of her tonight.
Judges Say: JLo is really happy with the performance and says Jessica sang the song perfectly. Harry didn't like the performance because he wasn't sure how Jessica was interpreting the lyrics. Even JLo yells "booooo." Keith liked it and says Jessica made the song her own and sounded very 60s/country-esque. Harry interrupts and I fast forward to the next contestant.
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Contestant: Majesty Rose
Song: "Wake Me Up" by Avicii
Such a great song and for the most part I love the way Majesty performs it. I think she might be a little nervous based on her time in the bottom 3 last week. She looks very shy at times. It all seems to work out okay though because the folksy arrangement allows for those subtle moments.
Judges Say: Harry likes what Majesty did with the song, saying she took it in a very different direction. Keith disagrees because Avicii's arrangement works better (huh?). JLo notes that Majesty looked afraid tonight but says half way through the performance took off.
----------------------------Contestant: Sam Woolf
Song: "We Are Young" by fun
Sam also has to bounce back from a trip to the bottom 3. He does a good job with the song and he looks more confident than Majesty did for sure. Sam doesn't really do anything different with the tune, but he's improving on his stage presence and making sultry eye contact with the young ladies in the audience. We'll see how the judges feel about all that.
Judges Say: Keith thinks Sam did a great job. JLo loved the performance and says it was much better than last week. Harry tells Sam he has to be more self assertive and own the stage.
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This was a very uneven performance night on American Idol but with a Top 10 sing the Top 10 theme, it was pretty clear from the get go that several of the contestants probably wouldn't rise to the occasion. Tomorrow we will lose another young hopeful and based on the feedback tonight, I'm not sure anyone should feel super confident going into the results show. Even the people that Harry liked didn't get great reviews from the JLo and Keith. So...can Majesty and Sam avoid the stools of doom this week? Will MK's awkward performance ultimately send her home? Did C.J.'s pitch problems seal his fate tonight? We'll find out what happens during the results filler hour. Til then!
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