Tonight the Top 10 will be revealed and perform once again for America's votes. One by one they will be called up to "safety," and I can't imagine the anxiety of sitting in one of the red chairs for the duration of the show, wondering if you have to be the 11th place finisher who probably has no chance at the judges' save. Tonight's theme is "Movie Night," which inevitably means at least one contestant is going to take on a song previously done by many, many other Idol contestants with the intention of "making it their own." Sigh. Let's see how they do.
Contestant: Adanna Duru
Song: "I Love You, I Do" from Dreamgirls
Kicking off the show and also taking on a Jennifer Hudson song is a very tall order...a song, by the way, that J-Hud
Judges Say: Keith thinks Adanna's voice was well suited for the song but JLo wanted some more emotions from her tonight. Harry says Adanna looks like a movie star and tells her everything was good, but says she needs to connect with the audience more. "Don't just shake their hands - really sing to them." Good advice.
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Contestant: Daniel Seavey
Song: "Lost Stars" from Begin Again
Yup. This super cute boy is safe again. He wanted to play the piano for this performance but during the rehearsal package, it just wasn't working out as planned. Daniel goes with the guitar instead and his voice is just all over the place. He knows it too and I feel bad for him...and us. Shout out to the woman playing the cello in the background though. She's awesome.
Judges Say: JLo says this wasn't Daniel's best performance (no kidding) and Harry tells Daniel that it sounded like he was in a practice room. "It just wasn't strong tonight, man." Thank you. I know he's adorable, but let's not sugar coat it....like Keith does when he says it was a good performance but Daniel just needs to "dig in" a little more. Sure, that's his problem.
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Contestant: Rayvon Owen
Song: "Stayin Alive" from Saturday Night Fever
Holy falsetto, Batman! This is definitely better that "Burn" was last week and Rayvon has some pretty kick ass backup singers. The song has a slower, jazzier groove than the original and I really like the arrangement. For me though, this is much more of an ensemble piece that an Rayvon performance.
Judges Say: Harry says this was a really cool way to reinterpret the song. He encourages Rayvon to choose a song with a set of lyrics to chew on...he's looking for more substance. Keith says Rayvon shouldn't loiter like he's not sure where to go on stage. JLo tells Rayvon that he needs to think about how to capture the audience each time.
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Contestant: Nick Fradiani
Song: "Danger Zone" from Top Gun
I immediately want to watch this movie now. I still have the VHS tape and a working VCR....let me pause real quick for all readers who were born after the late 90s to google those acronyms. Nick is definitely having fun with this song, and I'm relieved to see that he can let loose a little on stage. Just a little. I'm always a big fan of his voice and I'm hoping the performer in him continues to come out.
Judges Say: Keith thinks Nick is getting more comfortable on stage and JLo agrees. She says he's a "hot guy" and the song was perfectly suited for him. She encourages him to own his hotness. Harry tells Nick he needs to choose a song he can be sexy on.
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Contestant: Joey Cook
Song: "Mad World" from Donnie Darko
Hmmm. Adam Lambert did a pretty fantastic version of this tune, so I'm a little unsure of Joey when the song choice is revealed. My uncertainty is only momentary though. While Adam's version is definitely superior, Joey still tells the story in her own way and tells it really, really well. She's worked on keeping her eyes open and animation down this week and I think it helps her deliver a truly believable performance. I'm a fan.
Judges Say: JLo tells Joey the performance was beautiful and says Joey gave her Sia vibes. JLo then loses all credibility by asking "Do you guys know who Sia is?" Anyway, JLo appreciated seeing a different side of Joey and congratulates her. Harry likes that Joey is staying in her lane but widening her lane. He says it was a great song choice and thinks she did a tremendous job. Keith says "You're such an ahhhhtist, Joey" and I swoon.
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Contestant: Tyanna Jones
Song: "Circle of Life" from The Lion King
Another song that makes me think of J-Hud. Her performance of this song was effortless and amazing. Tyanna starts out very strong but then starts to hit some questionable notes, followed by more questionable notes. Damn it. I really like the kid, but this was not her best performance.
Judges Say: Harry says Tyanna looked like she was trying really, really hard and may have overshot the mark tonight. Keith tells her there were some serious pitch issues and uses the words "if America votes you through." Uh oh. But Daniel got an "it's okay, just dig in more?" Shenanigans. JLo says no worries because Tyanna will do amazing next week.
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Contestant: Quentin Alexander
Song: "You're the One That I Want" from Grease
I did a double take when I heard the song choice. I did a triple take when I heard Quentin say he's never seen the movie. Most Grease loyalists are going to hate this performance. Me? I've seen the movie sooooo many times and it's hard at first to wrap my head around what's happening on stage right now...but honestly, I like Quentin's interpretation. The lyrics take on a totally different meaning with the way he's delivering them - it's a desperate plea to the one that he wants, rather than the sassy "get your act together" message we're used to.
Judges Say: Keith says it was an interesting performance and JLo calls the performance haunting and beautiful. Harry tells Quentin it was a mistake for him to worry about emotion and not pitch. This is so not what I was expecting from the judges.
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Contestant: Maddie Walker
Song: "Let's Hear It For the Boy" from Footloose
Maddie is all about the camera - she has it circling her while she stares into if for the entire first verse of the song. Not sure why. I really, really want Maddie to convince me that she's enjoying herself. This is absolutely the song to have fun with and what I'm seeing is still very uncomfortable.
Judges Say: JLo calls the performance cute and she liked Maddie's twang. Harry didn't think it was good because he doesn't know who she is as an artist. He says the song was pageant-y. Keith thinks it comes down to song choice and picking a song that plays to Maddie's strengths.
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Contestant: Clark Beckham
Song: "Sunday Morning" from Cheaper By the Dozen 2
Oh how I love Clark. LOVE him. He's trying to show us his sensitive side tonight and mission accomplished. Keeping this Maroon 5 tune completely acoustic, he accompanies himself on guitar and the performance is pretty much perfect. Best of the night, hands down.
Judges Say: Harry says Clark knocked it out of the park tonight. Keith tells Clark he is such a good singer but needs to put a little bit more of a smile in there. JLo loved the performance. "It was so you." Yes, yes it was.
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Contestant: Jax
Song: "I Wanna Grow Old with You" from The Wedding Singer
I never would have thought Jax would pick this tune (I actually almost forgot this tune existed), and the song itself is very quirky. Her performance, though, is very enjoyable. It's not a showstopper or a "moment" or anything, but it's pleasant and cute.
Judges Say: Keith loves that Jax did the song, saying the performance was beautiful. JLo liked the song choice as well, and Harry says it was a "high risk, high reward" scenario for her tonight.
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This leaves Qaasim and his adrenaline with the daunting task of singing for his life. He chooses "Come Together," which has been done SO many times over the years, so I groan immediately. He sounds much better than he did last week though. I'm thinking "good for him, going out on a high note," but then...inexplicably...the judges use their save THIS early in the competition on a guy who I don't think has a chance in hell of winning this thing.
Next week two people will be eliminated and the judges' save is now out of play. Will Qaasim be eliminated anyway? Will Daniel's fan base take pity on the rest of us and put their phones down tonight? Will Tyanna get another chance after the tough reviews she received? We'll find out next week when these hopefuls compete again. Til then!
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