Tonight we have a double elimination to look forward to on American Idol as the judges went crazy last week and used their save during the Top 11. Boy George is mentoring the contestants this week (which is kind of awesome) and the theme takes us back to the 1980s, when I was growing up and these contestants were not yet born. I'm already bitter....but hey, it was a great decade for music. Can the contestants bring anything new and exciting to these tunes? Let's find out.
Contestant: Daniel Seavey
Song: "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates
I think even Sanjaya would call BS at this point. Daniel has worked in some choreography tonight and is successfully working the "I'm adorable" angle with the crowd. His vocals are up and down throughout the song, and I just sit here wondering whose spot he took tonight. The competition has surpassed him.
Judges Say: Keith is glad Daniel is still here(!) and JLo really loved the song for Daniel. She says the performance was much better than last week. Well, that's not saying much Jenny. Harry asks Daniel what he loves to do and Daniel replies "Make people happy." Harry says this is exactly why Daniel should be up there. God help me.
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Contestant: Quentin Alexander
Song: "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins
I looooove this song. Quentin is wearing one hell of a jacket and some heels for this performance. He opens the song seated and eerily surrounded by fog. With or without the fog though, Quentin completely embodies the haunting qualities of the song and he's 100% in touch with the lyrics. This is probably my favorite Quentin performance.
Judges Say: JLo says Quentin's "cool factor" was on 1000. She thinks the performance really, really worked and calls it a home run. Harry says Quentin digs as deep as he can into song lyrics and he really enjoyed the performance. Keith feels that the song suited Quentin perfectly and compliments his artistry.
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Contestant: Joey Cook
Song: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
Joey calls tonight's look "Madonna in space" and that's a pretty good way to describe it. I'm really excited about the song choice when the rehearsal package starts, but sad to say...I'm not in love with this performance. There are some cool things happening with the arrangement, and I like her energy, but not so much the vocals. Bummer.
Judges Say: Harry thinks Joey was distracted a lot tonight and Keith says Joey's bar has already been set really high. Keith tells Joey there were some inconsistencies with the performance but he knows his wife and daughters were at home dancing around and loving it. JLo tells Joey she looks adorable but says she didn't find her groove vocally. Boy George storms the stage and gives her a great big hug. Awww.
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Contestant: Tyanna Jones
Song: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
Yayyyy! I was worried about Tyanna last week with her "The Circle of Life" issues. I'm so glad she made it through. She is ALL OVER this song though. Tyanna makes the "my loneliness callllllllllls!" portion seem easy and she's in total control during the entire performance. I love it.
Judges Say: Keith says "If anyone can take on a Whitney song, it's you Tyanna." JLo tells her to get out of her head and just do what she was born to do. Harry thought the arrangement was cool and tells Tyanna that it always seems like she's in the driver's seat in her performances.
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Contestant: Jax
Song: "You Give Love a Bad Name," by Bon Jovi
Jax plays the piano for this tune and really slows down the first verse. Kinda neat. When she gets to the chorus, the band kicks in and she gets sassy. I'm loving it for a little while but then just before the final chorus, she stands, kicks her seat across the stage, violently grabs hold of the mic stand...then her voice cracks during what I assume is supposed to be the dramatic climax of the performance. She ends the song alone on the piano and I think that's my favorite part.
Judges Say: JLo loves the punk attitude Jax has going right now. She thinks Jax got lost a bit in the middle of the performance but she also says the Jax the judges fell in love with came back tonight. Harry thinks Jax was swimming in a lot of sounds and should have stuck to just the piano the whole time. Keith loves that Jax has so much originality but thinks the arrangement wasn't quite put together right.
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Contestant: Nick Fradiani
Song: "Man In the Mirror" by Michael Jackson
This is a tall order. Not only has this song been done A LOT on reality TV, this is a song about taking a good look at yourself, and dude has really struggled with confidence. He's a little timid at first but once he gets off his stool and starts emoting, he's got that "connection" that everyone says he is lacking. I'm not sure that he "owns his hotness" as JLo would say, but I do think he's breaking out of his shell.
Judges Say: Harry thinks Nick chose the perfect song and gave us a fantastic vocal. Keith feels that Nick needs to smile more and that will help him loosen up. JLo says Nick started to get lost in the song (in a good way) toward the end and that's where he needs to be every single time.
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Contestant: Clark Beckham
Song: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
Clark goes solo on the piano tonight and this sooooo does not sound like the crazy stalker song that it is. He doesn't step out of his comfort zone with this song choice, and at some point that's going to become an issue, but tonight Clark sounds amazing and I would love for him to call and sing me to sleep. For real. And if Mr. Urban could follow that up by reading me "Goodnight Moon" in that amazing Australian accent, my life would be complete.
Judges Say: Keith thinks the song choice showed a different side of Clark because he took us on an emotional journey. I didn't get quite that far, but JLo got goosies. She says the song really showcased his voice and the performance was beautiful. Harry loved the performance and says Clark doesn't need to do any of the running around the stage stuff that the other contestants do. He just needs to sit there and sing.
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Contestant: Qaasim
Song: "Addicted To Love" by Robert Palmer
Qaasim wants to focus on being a vocalist for this performance...but "Addicted To Love" is not really a song that showcases any vocals. He tries to throw in some falsetto notes here and there, which is okay, but otherwise I'm just kind of distracted by the big heart with light bulbs in the background and waiting for the hiccup singing noises to stop. Did I mention I wasn't happy about the save?
Judges Say: JLo loved it. Of course she did. Harry thinks Qaasim's strength is his ability to perform and he says the performance was great. Sigh. Keith wants to hear something more vulnerable from Qaasim.
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Contestant: Rayvon Owen
Song: "Everybody Wants To Rule the World" by Tears For Fears
During the rehearsal package Rayvon essentially says that the mentors are great and all, but he's going to do what he wants to do. He's all about being in the moment and stuff. In terms of this moment, I think he's out of breath and off pitch for much of the performance. He closes with his signature falsetto, but I'm really just bored by the whole thing. That could easily be the song choice though.
Judges Say: Harry says Rayvon has been lacking interpretation but had it tonight. He tells Rayvon that he gave a solid performance. Keith thinks the song choice was perfect and showed off his voice in all the right places. JLo tells Rayvon that he should be open to stepping outside of his comfort zone and have more of an open mind with the mentors. Burn!
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This leaves Maddie Walker and Adanna Duru packing their bags tonight, so I don't think the judges' save was a waste YET. I liked Maddie a lot but I think she would have been gone in another week or two anyway. However, given Joey's rough night, I worry that she'll be in trouble next week....and I can't be stressed out next week because (drum roll) IT'S KELLY CLARKSON WEEK! She'll be a mentor, her songs will be all over the place, and I will truly be insufferable. Just warning you. Til then!
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