After and amazing and wonderful Kelly Clarkson week, American Idol returns tonight with a "Billboard Hits" theme. Not sure that Idol could be any more vague with this choice, but now that we're at the Top 7 stage of the competition, these hopefuls have to "bring it" regardless. This week's mentors are the boys from Florida Georgia Line as well as Jason Derulo...go ahead and wrap your brain around that combo for a minute. The contestants are split into 2 groups - Team Jason includes Tyanna, Clark, Joey and Quentin, while Team FGL includes Jax, Qaasim, Nick, and Rayvon. Will one group dominate the other? Let's find out.
Contestant: Jax
Song: "Poker Face," by Lady Gaga
Jax completely jazzes up this tune, kind of like Joey's "Ms. Independent" performance last week. I mean, a lot like it. Wait....did Joey come up with this arrangement? Jax sounds fine and she certainly "makes the song her own." The song is just unrecognizable and everything Lady Gaga does has such a stamp on it. Not my fave.
Judges Say: Keith says the arrangement of the song was interesting but complements her artistry. JLo thinks Jax crossed the line in terms of "making the song your own" and tells her not to go so far off the chart that the audience doesn't get it. Harry says Jax has magic in her voice but doesn't think she connected with the song tonight.
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Contestant: Nick Fradiani
Song: "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
I'm a little shocked when Nick chooses this song over what I assume is a mountain of Billboard hits at his fingertips. Nick's not messing around tonight though. He plays the guitar, starting at a mic stand on a platform, then confidently struts his way to another stand front and center just before he starts the last chorus. The only problem with his confident strut is....his vocals start to go all over the place once he starts that last chorus. He definitely "embraced the sexy" tonight though, or whatever sex-driven advice JLo gave him. Nick is continuing his progression, slowly but surely.
Judges Say: JLo says Nick was amazing and thinks she could hear his version of the song on the radio today. Harry liked the energy but thought there were some pitch issues. Keith says this was a killah song choice and thinks Nick looked really comfortable.
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Contestant: Quentin Alexander
Song: "Latch" by Disclosure and Sam Smith
During rehearsals, Jason wanted Quentin to step out of his comfort zone and show off his vocals more. He stays with the uptempo version of the song and to my great surprise, he owns every bit of it. I think Jason would be very proud of Quentin's falsetto tonight and I'm relieved to know Quentin still has some tricks up his sleeve.
Judges Say: Harry thinks Quentin looks great tonight and says the song choice suited him. Keith agrees and tells Quentin that the phrasing of the song was really cool in a very laid back way. JLo loved it too but thinks Quentin may have been overpowered by the drums in the beginning.
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Contestant: Joey Cook
Song: "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus
When the rehearsal package begins, Joey says she decided not to change the arrangement for "Wrecking Ball," which is unexpected for sure. She really has to rely on her vocals to get the job done tonight and overall she does a pretty good job. Miley's version is absolutely more passionate, and Joey misses that aspect tonight, but she has a subtle quality in this performance that allows the emotions to still peek their way through. This doesn't rank as one of my favorite Joey performances, but I think it's still pretty solid.
Judges Say: Keith thinks Joey held back a little bit on the choruses but liked it overall. JLo agrees and compliments the quality of her voice. Harry says the vocals were just okay and he felt a little bored toward the end.
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Contestant: Clark Beckham
Song: "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran
Clark goes with an electric guitar tonight, really taking this song to a bluesy place, and I love it. I actually am unable to type my thoughts until he's done because Clark's voice always requires 100% of my attention. I think he still needs to step out of his comfort zone a bit more, but I'm just mesmerized by him and he gave another fantastic performance tonight.
Judges Say: JLo says the way Clark sings is effortless and uses the word "finale." She also encourages him to build more swag. I can see that. Harry tells Clark he is a highly gifted young man but could have done without the guitar. Keith says Clark "killed it" at the end of the song.
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Contestant: Tyanna
Song: "Stay" by Rihanna
Yesssssss. In choosing this song, Tyanna thinks about her grandmother who passed away. I'm teary before she even starts. Her vocals are just about flawless and her overall performance is heartbreaking...in a good way. Tyanna feels every word and her pleas to "stay" are completely believable. There's nothing quite like a special, supportive grandparent and I desperately wanted to give her a hug all throughout the performance. Best of the night for me.
Judges Say: Tyanna is crying, Tyanna's mom is crying, and I'm a mess. Harry thinks Tyanna did an amazing job and gave a fantastic emotional performance. Keith says she sang it beautifully and JLo tells Tyanna her voice is heavenly.
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This leaves Rayvon and Qaasim in the bottom 2 and fighting for the stupid Idol Twitter fan save thing. Rayvon's song choice is "Set Fire To the Rain," and there are some interesting drum things happening in the background of his performance. This is probably the most dynamic he's been in weeks and I hope he gets to stick around. Qaasim goes with "Hey Ya" by Outkast, and as you can imagine, dude is borderline psychotic on stage. I mean...he's freaking crazy. Shout out to the band and back up singers who get to jam out on stage with him though. I really enjoyed that part.
In the end, we say goodbye to Qaasim...the guy the judges wasted their save on...the guy who entertained often but whose vocals were consistently faulty every week. America got it right this week and we're at a point now where the remaining contestants are all fierce competitors. Will Rayvon continue his stay in the bottom 2? Will the stupid Idol Twitter fan save thing continue? Will Joey go back to her quirky ways next week? I sure hope so. We'll find out when the Top 6 take the stage to duke it out again. Til then!
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