We have reached Top 4 week on American Idol and the end is near. Tonight the elimination is entirely in the voters hands and the judges' save is kaput. Finally. Like last week we will lose a contestant mid-show, but the remaining hopefuls will have the chance to perform twice tonight with themes that...do not go together at all but I'm kind of excited about them. Round 1 will be classic rock songs, mentored by Stevie Van Zandt, and Round 2 will be a Sia round that was mentored by Sia and her wig. Who will make it through the first round unscathed? Let's find out.
ROUND 1
Contestant: La'Porsha Renae
Song: "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
As I watch the pre-performance video, I'm wondering how La'Porsha is going to sell herself as a cowboy riding a steel horse. The answer? New hair, don't care. She works the stage and sells herself as a badass who's rocked a million faces instead. Am I more excited to hear her sing Sia than I was to hear her cover classic rock? Yup. But as The Dawg would say: "Girl, you did your thing up there tonight."
Judges Say: Keith loves that La'Porsha picked a song that normally would not be a La'Porsha song and he notes that she brought out some blues and swagger with her performance. JLo busts out the long awaited "you could sing the phone book" compliment, and Harry says La'Porsha reminded him of Tina Turner. He's also very pleased with how she slowed down her vibrato for the song.
----------------------------
Contestant: Mackenzie Bourg
Song: "I Want You To Want Me" by Cheap Trick
MacKenzie knows not to really attempt the "rock" part of this song so he completely redoes the arrangement. It starts off a little rough, and then it's okay at times, but overall I'm not digging it. I'm normally a big fan of the singer/songwriter vibe MacKenzie puts out but this was really snoozy for me.
Judges Say: JLo says she did not love the arrangement and then she forgets Stevie's name and I can no longer listen to her. Harry thinks the performance was just alright and Keith haaaaaaaaated the arrangement.
----------------------------
Trent, Sonika and Dalton take center stage as we get the "who's going home, dim the lights" portion of the night squared away. The Bottom 2 are Sonika (natch) and Dalton, who looks like he could cry at any moment. We eventually say goodbye to Sonika just before Round 2 starts and the poor kid doesn't get to sing either of the songs she's spent the last week rehearsing. We do, however, hear her Sia song play during her journey video. She tearfully thanks her mom before leaving the stage and I just want to give her a hug.
Contestant: Trent Harmon
Song: "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
Trent goes with a slooooow and sexy opening to the song and I initially worry that this will be the pace of the performance. You can't do that with a ZZ Top song in a classic rock round dude. But my worries are taken right away as the band kicks in and Trent turns on the sass. His falsetto is totally on point and he may have just run away with Round 1.
Judges Say: Harry thinks the performance was brilliant and Keith says the performance was a 10 out of 10. JLo tells Trent this was the performance everyone has been waiting for.
----------------------------
Contestant: Dalton Rappatoni
Song: "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
Dalton had originally wanted to sing "Seven Nation Army" this week, but Stevie and Scott Borchetta
Judges Say: Keith was impressed by the performance and JLo thinks Dalton had a really good moment with that song. Harry says the arrangement showed Dalton's vulnerability and tells Dalton he did a great job getting into the lyrics.
----------------------------
ROUND 2
Contestant: La'Porsha Renae
Song: "Elastic Heart"
Yessssss. I love this song. I love La'Porsha singing this song. Sia loves La'Porsha singing this song. So. Much. Love. From the opening with the harsh drum beats all the way through to the soft finish with the purple lights, this performance is just wonderful. She gave two strong performances tonight and I'm thrilled for her.
Judges Say: JLo calls La'Porsha "a fully realized artist" and Harry feels like he's in the passenger seat of a NASCAR driver. Keith compares the performance to something awesome he'd watch on an awards show.
----------------------------
Contestant: Mackenzie Bourg
Song: "Titanium"
MacKenzie is worried about the high notes in this song but Sia wants him to challenge himself, and really he has to at this point. MacKenize is accompanied by a strings section and the performance starts off really well. He gets to the first "ti-taaaan-iiii-ummm" part though and his voice is shaky and he knows it. By the time he hits the second one, MacKenzie looks like he has lost all confidence. Bummer.
Judges Say: Harry thinks the performance was "nice," but then gives MacKenzie a whole bunch of crap about making the performance all about one note. Keith liked the arrangement and he's glad MacKenzie was able to ride through "that moment." That moment? Awww. Keith is trying so hard to balance out Harry's unnecessary scolding. JLo thinks MacKenzie needed to go out of his comfort zone tonight and mentions that everyone was rooting for him....also trying to be very nice.
----------------------------
Contestant: Trent Harmon
Song: "Chandelier"
This is a gutsy song choice, but if anyone can handle "Chandelier" it's definitely the guy with the killer falsetto. I mean, wow. Trent might have just run away with Round 2 as well with this performance. He hits notes I never, ever thought we'd hear from and I've got goosies. I would have looooooooooved for Kristen Wiig to storm the stage at one point, but this is probably the best performance of the night even without a mesmerizing dance in the background. La'Porsha's "Elastic Heart" is a very close second though. I still love you, boo.
Judges Say: Keith says "Chandelier" played to everything that is special about Trent and calls the performance exquisite. JLo tells Trent he can sing anything, and Harry thinks the performance was phenomenal from the first note to the last note. He gives it 100 out of 100.
----------------------------
Contestant: Dalton Rappatoni
Song: "Bird Set Free"
Dalton closes the show tonight with a lesser known Sia song. He's really feeling it though. The performance is less about pouty faces, watery eyes and being dramatic (see performance #1) and more about Dalton throwing himself into something and totally letting go. He cries when the song ends and I'm clapping and cheering for him as if he can hear me. I'm not sure what the next two weeks hold for Dalton, but this would be a very worthy swan song if this ends up being the end of the road for him.
Judges Say: JLo says the room is cheering for Dalton's bravery and she also says he touches everyone's hearts each time he gets on stage. Harry tells Dalton this song was a great match for him and Keith compliments Dalton on always trying to push through his limits.
----------------------------
While Stevie Van Zandt possibly stormed out of the building when JLo couldn't remember his name, Sia stuck around and performed "Cheap Thrills" and gave me those funky dancers I've been waiting for. American Idol also welcomed back David Cook and Katherine McPhee which brought back some fun memories. David sang his new song "Heartbeat" while a montage of Idol finale confetti moments played on the screen behind him. Sniff. If Katherine McPhee was watching the performance, I'm sure she grimaced remembering how she lost to Taylor Hicks. Maybe it actually got her all fired up though....because when Katherine took the stage to reprise her version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," she slayed it.
Next week we will find out who makes it to the final finale ever! Really, Trent and La'Porsha were in a league of their own this evening with Trent winning the night. In my mind MacKenzie and Dalton should both be worried going into next week, but they're both so darn cute their fans might just come through for them. Will there be drama? An upset? Will Jenny from the block realize she slighted a member of the freaking E Street Band who grew up in New Jersey? Man I hope so. We'll see if there's any commotion when the contestants face off in the semi-finals. Til then!
No comments:
Post a Comment