Steve Carell said it best: AHHHHHHH Kelly Clarkson! That's right folks. Tonight the house that Kelly Clarkson built is giving its first American Idol the run of the show. Kelly is a mentor this week, her songbook is the theme of the night, and she will be performing twice. You think I'm excited? Check out Keith's t-shirt! Ryan announces a "shocking twist" to the Idol universe by revealing a Twitter save tonight. Yup, the one ridiculous thing The Voice does is now being implemented on American Idol. So the bottom two will perform tonight for the chance to be saved by America via Twitter. I'm not sure if we're doing this because we're just trying to kill time, but if I were one of the recently eliminated contestants, I'd be pretty pissed right now. However, if this gets me more "Kelly as a mentor" footage then I won't complain.
As thrilled as I am to get this party started, I'm also a little hesitant because obviously I prefer Kelly Clarkson singing Kelly Clarkson songs. Can these contestants do her tunes justice? Before we can find out, Ryan needs the results. Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard delivers the envelope...and I can't decide if the Idol producers are being nice by inviting him along at all or being jerks by tasking him to carry an envelope on "Kelly Clarkson Night." I'm also not really sure that I care. Let's get to the performances!
Contestant: Nick Fradiani
Song: "Catch My Breath"
Nick kicks off the show with one of Kelly's more challenging songs. He mentions during the rehearsal package that he and his band used to play an acoustic version of this song during their shows, and that would have been nice to see here. Nick starts off a little too low and he has some pitch problems throughout the performance. He's still doing much better connecting to songs and having a better time on stage, but vocally this was not his best performance.
Judges Say: Keith thinks the song was great for Nick's voice (huh?) and loved the low part in the beginning. It's like Keith read my mind and then said the opposite. JLo says there is some blossoming happening but thinks Nick needs to figure out his movements better. Harry tells Nick it was not his best vocal performance but agrees "Catch My Breath" was a great song choice.
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Contestant: Jax
Song: "Beautiful Disaster"
The version of this song on the Breakaway album is one of Kelly's prettiest renditions ever. And I say that after having seen her sing it live in concert on many, many occasions. Going into tonight I can't say that I would want to ever hear anyone else put their spin on it. However, Jax throws herself into "Beautiful Disaster" in such a way that this is her song. At least for tonight. Yes. I just said that. She sings it beautifully and completely tells the story. Kelly had "no notes" for Jax and I totally understand why.
Judges Say: JLo heard a tone in Jax's voice that was very pure and beautiful. Harry says the performance was fantastic and Keith compliments Jax's "great ahhhtistry."
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Contestant: Tyanna Jones
Song: "Mr. Know It All"
Tyanna hasn't had any boyfriend experiences but she sure knows about bullies. She wants to be a fighter tonight and she shows it. Tyanna is a bit timid for the first part of song but when she leaves the mic stand behind, the attitude is there and so are the vocals. I smile when she leans forward and sells the line "You don't know a thing about me." I'm loving this kid more and more every week.
Judges Say: Harry thinks there were some pitch issues but feels like Tyanna matches the mystery of the song. Keith doesn't think Tyanna connected with the song at all. Bummer. JLo agrees with Keith but reminds everyone that Tyanna has amazing pipes.
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Contestant: Joey Cook
Song: "Miss Independent"
I love that we're going right from "Mr. Know It All" to "Miss Independent." If you haven't seen Kelly's combo of these songs, you must. Joey takes the song in a completely direction (of course) and makes it much more jazzy. I'm not digging it during the first verse, but from the chorus to the end of the song I'm totally on board. I think Joey absolutely bounced back from her not so great performance last week and Keith and his amazing t-shirt agree.
Judges Say: Keith gives Joey a standing ovation and keeps looking down at JLo in a "why aren't you up?" sort of way. He says Joey makes him hear lyrics in ways he never had before. JLo thinks this was one of the best performances of the night. Well, we're only half way through but I hope she's right. Harry wishes Joey hadn't treated the song as such a novelty because jazz is a modern thing too.
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Kelly break! The contestants chill out for a bit while Kelly sings "Heartbeat Song." Now tell me you'll be able to go to sleep tonight without that tune playing in your head. It's so catchy, and it's from her new album which is just fabulous. Listen, I mentioned last week that I would be insufferable with this post. I'm a woman of my word.
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Contestant: Quentin Alexander
Song: "Dark Side"
Quentin has a tough act to follow but he picked a song that should be right in his wheelhouse. He's all about the vulnerable, pleading messages and tonight we have that as well. It's interesting though...he sticks with the original upbeat tempo, which is quite a surprise, and I appreciate that he's trying to step out of his comfort zone. He's still got some pitch problems, but he definitely showed some growth in this performance.
Judges Say: JLo thought the song was perfect for him and says he killed it. Keith compliments Quentin's poise and his ability to always perform with the truth. Harry wants Quentin to concentrate more on the technical stuff. At that moment Ryan appears with a note Kelly wrote backstage to pass to Quentin. It says "I want to make sweet love to those amazing eyes." Fan. Tastic.
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Contestant: Qaasim
Song: "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
Qaasim does the opposite of what I expect him to do here. This song is an anthem of sorts which goes right along with his tendency to go crazy all over the stage. Instead Qaasim plays the guitar and completely strips the song down. I really like the idea, but unfortunately his vocals are so inconsistent that I can't get into his performance at all. The high notes are rough, the low notes are rough, and the squeaky notes are...well...squeaky. I'm not sure that he would have fared much better keeping this a dance song tonight though.
Judges Say: Harry loved how comfortable Qaasim looked but says he can't get the runs right. "If you're going to sing them, you better sing them." Keith thinks the transition from the verse to the chorus got Qaasim all mixed up and JLo says that type of vulnerable performance takes a lot of practice. Qaasim admits this was not his best but says he can absolutely do better.
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Kelly break! She takes the stage to sing "At Last," which was her audition song way back when. I mean, it doesn't get much better than this. When Harry talked about singing runs, he had to have been talking about Kelly's unbelievable voice. I'm out of words. Just watch the video.
All three judges are standing and yelling when the song ends (Harry rarely looks this happy). Harry and Kelly meet for the first time and it's adorable. When he says his daughters are going to freak out because they are watching at home, she jokes that he's a "crap dad" because he didn't bring them to the show. Ha!
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Contestant: Clark Beckham
Song: "The Trouble with Love Is"
Whew. It took way too long for Clark's chair to turn green. During rehearsals Kelly had told him to open his eyes more, and we do see those beautiful eyes more during this performance than we usually do. However, Clark's piercing eyes are an afterthought when compared to the performance he gives with this song. I don't know how he does what he does with his voice and how he gets so much soul into his performances, but this by far is my favorite Clark moment of the season. And yes, I think it's a "moment" for him on the show. I have the goosies that JLo is always talking about.
Judges Say: Keith says Clark needs to remember to lead with his feelings and JLo is mostly speechless. Harry tells Clark "You just followed Kelly Clarkson with a Kelly Clarkson song and you nailed it." Yes he did!
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This leaves the bottom two as Daniel Seavey and Rayvon Owen. Daniel sings a rendition of "Breakaway" that almost brings me to tears for all the wrong reasons, and Rayvon does a snoozy take on "Since U Been Gone." As uninterested I've been in Rayvon these past few weeks, I couldn't take another week of Daniel. There's just no way. Apparently Twitter couldn't either and Daniel is on his way home tonight.
So after what I hope is the only Twitter save nonsense this season, only 7 contestants remain in the competition...and Kelly Clarkson night is over. It went by sooooo quickly. Has anyone already started the campaign to bring her on permanently next season? Mentor? Judge? Weekly performer? Host? Something? ANYTHING? I don't care how, but this needs to happen. Duets was such a cruel tease for someone who couldn't wait to have their favorite artist on TV every week again. Thank goodness for the summer tour. In closing, I'm just going to post a picture of me with KC and say I really enjoyed the evening. I will catch you all again next week when these hopefuls compete once more for the title. Til then!
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| Best. Shirt. Ever. |
Contestant: Nick Fradiani
Song: "Catch My Breath"
Nick kicks off the show with one of Kelly's more challenging songs. He mentions during the rehearsal package that he and his band used to play an acoustic version of this song during their shows, and that would have been nice to see here. Nick starts off a little too low and he has some pitch problems throughout the performance. He's still doing much better connecting to songs and having a better time on stage, but vocally this was not his best performance.
Judges Say: Keith thinks the song was great for Nick's voice (huh?) and loved the low part in the beginning. It's like Keith read my mind and then said the opposite. JLo says there is some blossoming happening but thinks Nick needs to figure out his movements better. Harry tells Nick it was not his best vocal performance but agrees "Catch My Breath" was a great song choice.
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Contestant: Jax
Song: "Beautiful Disaster"
The version of this song on the Breakaway album is one of Kelly's prettiest renditions ever. And I say that after having seen her sing it live in concert on many, many occasions. Going into tonight I can't say that I would want to ever hear anyone else put their spin on it. However, Jax throws herself into "Beautiful Disaster" in such a way that this is her song. At least for tonight. Yes. I just said that. She sings it beautifully and completely tells the story. Kelly had "no notes" for Jax and I totally understand why.Judges Say: JLo heard a tone in Jax's voice that was very pure and beautiful. Harry says the performance was fantastic and Keith compliments Jax's "great ahhhtistry."
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Contestant: Tyanna Jones
Song: "Mr. Know It All"
Tyanna hasn't had any boyfriend experiences but she sure knows about bullies. She wants to be a fighter tonight and she shows it. Tyanna is a bit timid for the first part of song but when she leaves the mic stand behind, the attitude is there and so are the vocals. I smile when she leans forward and sells the line "You don't know a thing about me." I'm loving this kid more and more every week.
Judges Say: Harry thinks there were some pitch issues but feels like Tyanna matches the mystery of the song. Keith doesn't think Tyanna connected with the song at all. Bummer. JLo agrees with Keith but reminds everyone that Tyanna has amazing pipes.
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Contestant: Joey Cook
Song: "Miss Independent"
I love that we're going right from "Mr. Know It All" to "Miss Independent." If you haven't seen Kelly's combo of these songs, you must. Joey takes the song in a completely direction (of course) and makes it much more jazzy. I'm not digging it during the first verse, but from the chorus to the end of the song I'm totally on board. I think Joey absolutely bounced back from her not so great performance last week and Keith and his amazing t-shirt agree.
Judges Say: Keith gives Joey a standing ovation and keeps looking down at JLo in a "why aren't you up?" sort of way. He says Joey makes him hear lyrics in ways he never had before. JLo thinks this was one of the best performances of the night. Well, we're only half way through but I hope she's right. Harry wishes Joey hadn't treated the song as such a novelty because jazz is a modern thing too.
---------------------------------------------
Kelly break! The contestants chill out for a bit while Kelly sings "Heartbeat Song." Now tell me you'll be able to go to sleep tonight without that tune playing in your head. It's so catchy, and it's from her new album which is just fabulous. Listen, I mentioned last week that I would be insufferable with this post. I'm a woman of my word.
--------------------------------------------
Contestant: Quentin Alexander
Song: "Dark Side"Quentin has a tough act to follow but he picked a song that should be right in his wheelhouse. He's all about the vulnerable, pleading messages and tonight we have that as well. It's interesting though...he sticks with the original upbeat tempo, which is quite a surprise, and I appreciate that he's trying to step out of his comfort zone. He's still got some pitch problems, but he definitely showed some growth in this performance.
Judges Say: JLo thought the song was perfect for him and says he killed it. Keith compliments Quentin's poise and his ability to always perform with the truth. Harry wants Quentin to concentrate more on the technical stuff. At that moment Ryan appears with a note Kelly wrote backstage to pass to Quentin. It says "I want to make sweet love to those amazing eyes." Fan. Tastic.
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Contestant: Qaasim
Song: "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
Qaasim does the opposite of what I expect him to do here. This song is an anthem of sorts which goes right along with his tendency to go crazy all over the stage. Instead Qaasim plays the guitar and completely strips the song down. I really like the idea, but unfortunately his vocals are so inconsistent that I can't get into his performance at all. The high notes are rough, the low notes are rough, and the squeaky notes are...well...squeaky. I'm not sure that he would have fared much better keeping this a dance song tonight though.
Judges Say: Harry loved how comfortable Qaasim looked but says he can't get the runs right. "If you're going to sing them, you better sing them." Keith thinks the transition from the verse to the chorus got Qaasim all mixed up and JLo says that type of vulnerable performance takes a lot of practice. Qaasim admits this was not his best but says he can absolutely do better.
---------------------------------------------
Kelly break! She takes the stage to sing "At Last," which was her audition song way back when. I mean, it doesn't get much better than this. When Harry talked about singing runs, he had to have been talking about Kelly's unbelievable voice. I'm out of words. Just watch the video.
All three judges are standing and yelling when the song ends (Harry rarely looks this happy). Harry and Kelly meet for the first time and it's adorable. When he says his daughters are going to freak out because they are watching at home, she jokes that he's a "crap dad" because he didn't bring them to the show. Ha!
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Contestant: Clark Beckham
Song: "The Trouble with Love Is"
Whew. It took way too long for Clark's chair to turn green. During rehearsals Kelly had told him to open his eyes more, and we do see those beautiful eyes more during this performance than we usually do. However, Clark's piercing eyes are an afterthought when compared to the performance he gives with this song. I don't know how he does what he does with his voice and how he gets so much soul into his performances, but this by far is my favorite Clark moment of the season. And yes, I think it's a "moment" for him on the show. I have the goosies that JLo is always talking about.
Judges Say: Keith says Clark needs to remember to lead with his feelings and JLo is mostly speechless. Harry tells Clark "You just followed Kelly Clarkson with a Kelly Clarkson song and you nailed it." Yes he did!
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This leaves the bottom two as Daniel Seavey and Rayvon Owen. Daniel sings a rendition of "Breakaway" that almost brings me to tears for all the wrong reasons, and Rayvon does a snoozy take on "Since U Been Gone." As uninterested I've been in Rayvon these past few weeks, I couldn't take another week of Daniel. There's just no way. Apparently Twitter couldn't either and Daniel is on his way home tonight.
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