Idol: The Top 5 Perform

Tonight the remaining contestants will take on two themes – the 60s and British Pop. As we let these two themes sink in (wasn’t there British Pop in the 60s?), Ryan introduces the Top 5 and lets us know that one of them will be the next American Idol…we should save that kind of narrative for Randy.

Contestant: Hollie Cavanagh
Song: “River Deep, Mountain High” by Tina Turner

With Elise gone, Hollie is the only contestant left who has had a permanent seat in the bottom 3. Do we think Elise passed on any bottom 3 words of wisdom before she went home? Hollie hopes that by singing this song well and letting loose tonight, she’ll please the crowd as well as the voters.  Hollie sings the hell out of this song. She even shimmies, and she looks EXTREMELY comfortable. J.Lo has no business telling her to feel her songs more or open up a little tonight.

Judges’ Remarks: Steven and Randy stand, and J.Lo remains seated because she bitterly knows she can’t sing live like Hollie can. Steven thanks The Lord for Hollie's performance. I imagine that somewhere in America, Tim Tebow does this as well. J.Lo likes that Hollie was biting into the words. Grrr? Randy asks both judges if they loved it…so he must not have been listening. And here we go: "Yo. That second verse? You wore that verse out. I was like,  'Yo, she diggin in. She’s goin in.'” Do whatever you like with that.
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Contestant: Phillip Phillips
Song: “The Letter,” by The Box Tops

P squared changes the arrangement of this song, so I already like it better than the Dave Matthews carbon copy he did last week. I could do without all of the falling pieces of mail on the screens in the background (I get it – the song is about writing a letter. Overkill.). This is a good performance. Not a “moment” but he deserves some praise here.

Judges’ Remarks: Randy enjoys that Phillip made the song new for him. J.Lo doesn’t know this song…even though it has been performed on this show before (see Carly Smithson and Michael John's duet), and J.Lo claims to have always been a huge fan of the show. Just sayin. Steven misses the melody of that song, but he also says Phillip got away with it.
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Contestant: Skylar Laine
Song: "Knock on Wood," by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Crazy, energetic, all over the stage Skylar returns to us tonight. She loves what she’s doing, and the joy she gets from performing is infectious. I’m not even super familiar with the song, but I want to get up and dance and clap along. I really like this kid.  

Judges’ Remarks: J.Lo thinks her energy is amazing, and she calls Skylar fearless. Steven likes it when Skylar boot scoots. Randy wants everyone to give it up for Creedence Clearwater Revival. I hope The Lord wasn't expecting another shout out here. He then lets America know that Skylar was born to be on stage. She was born this way?
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Duet: Joshua and Phillip attempt to sing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” by The Righteous Brothers. This is just bad. So bad. Phillip is clearly not comfortable with this song, and Joshua is entirely too low on his verse. They make every endeavor not to make eye contact with one another, and Phillip just smiles as if he knows how awful this duet is. So awkward. By the end he just lets Joshua screech over him, and I am soooo glad when this is over.

Judges’ Remarks: Steven wishes they had loved and embraced each other during the song. “That’s back when a song was a song,” he says. Is a song something else now? J.Lo says they shouldn’t have been afraid to sing that song. Randy says “Yo, you delivered it,” so I must have been listening to something else - perhaps a different song that was also a song.
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Contestant: Jessica Sanchez
Song: “Proud Mary,” by Tina Turner (Tina must have been one of the only artists in the 60s)

I’m so hesitant about Jessica singing a this song because she is really more of a ballad singer. Her backup singers double as dancers, and Jessica is kind of hopping/skipping and trying to insert some personality in her performance with some Tina-ish moves. But I really don’t know what else to say here. It just doesn’t work for me because all I can think of is how awesome Tina Turner’s legs are…I mean, how awesome Tina Turner is.

Judges’ Remarks: J.Lo says Jessica is grown, and tells us Jessica is a little Tina and a little Beyonce. Hmmm. Steven says Jessica did it again. Randy and I finally see eye to eye on something as he says the performance was just okay based on how Tina is able to perform “Proud Mary.” J.Lo jumps back in and says “you can’t compare a 16 year old to Tina Turner.” Um, yes you can. If she is going to sing a Tina song in the style of Tina, how else do you critique the performance?
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Contestant: Joshua Ledet
Song: “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” by The Temptations (not TLC’s version, which I would love to hear on this show as well).

Joshua starts off very Motown with his backup singers doing the sway and snap move as they all groove at their mic stands. So at first, I really like this song and his performance...but I know what’s coming. Indeed, the screeching and screaming begin, but fortunately for Joshua, the volume is not as painful as it has been in the past.  I'm generally okay with this performance.

Judges’ Remarks: Steven says Joshua has to be one of the best two Idols of all time. WHAT???? You have to be kidding me. I would love to know how many Idol's Steven can name from any season that he hasn't been a part of. J.Lo says Joshua is a throwback from another era. Randy says Joshua can bring R&B back.
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Contestant: Hollie Cavanagh
Song:  “Bleeding Love,” by Leona Lewis

Hollie slows this song down and sings from the top of a piano. Vocally, Hollie is just fantastic. Perhaps if the judges can stop drooling over Joshua they would realize what a controlled voice is capable of.  I LOVE this. Hollie has had a great night.

Judges’ Remarks: Steven loves it too and compliments her ballad voice even though he doesn’t know the song. Where has he been? J.Lo says the performance had a beautiful and intimate quality. Randy educates us on Leona Lewis and where she came from. He then says Hollie is peaking at the right time. Somehow the clouds disappear, and Hollie is no longer Season 11's Haley Reinhart.

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Contestant: Phillip Phillips
Song: “Time of the Season,” by The Zombies

Any song that has Phillip looking into the camera and asking “Who’s your daddy?” is just fine by me. His high notes aren’t the best, but lucky for him the backup singers pick up the slack there. I like the arrangement, and I find the performance incredibly sexy. Vocally, this is not his best though.

Judges’ Remarks: Randy likes the song because “it was a lot more less energy.” J.Lo says his voices was more comfortable in the verses, and Steven is happy Phillip stuck with the melody. So…all three judges avoid saying the high notes were rough. Interesting.
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Trio: Skylar, Hollie and Jessica sing Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” and this is exponentially better than Phillip and Joshua’s duet. I have to wonder if the two guys are back stage now saying “we SO got the shaft on this one.” The song is enjoyable but all I can think of is the part of Ghostbusters II where the statue of Liberty is able to walk through New York while this song played.  

Judges’ Remarks: Steven loves them, and J.Lo says they are cute. Randy thinks all three of them sound amazing. He also calls Jackie Wilson “one of the greatest singers of all time from the 60s.” I’m not sure what that means.
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Contestant: Skylar Laine
Song: “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” by Dusty Springfield

Skylar has done some great ballads on this show (I’m still in love with her version of “Wind Beneath My Wings"), but this one falls just a little short for me. She sings it well, but maybe I just don’t like this song country-fied. However, I always applaud Skylar's tendency to switch up her performances, as we can't always have rowdy Skylar.

Judges’ Remarks: Randy lets us know the first round was round 1, and this is round 2, and he thinks the performance was flawless. J.Lo notes that Skylar wants to win and then rambles a bit. Steven says Skylar took that song into the 21^st century. I’m assuming that the previous century was the 20^th, but I will double check with Randy.  
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Contestant: Jessica Sanchez
Song: “You Are So Beautiful,” by Joe Cocker

Really? You want to take on “Proud Mary” and “You Are So Beautiful” in the same night? These are two HUGE songs, and I worry for her. Jessica begins the song in the Fantasia and Katharine McPhee “I’m slightly laying down on the stage which proves I want to win” pose. She has a great voice, she does some interesting things with the arrangement, and I think this is definitely better than her first performance tonight.

Judges’ Remarks: Steven tells Jessica she will be number 1. Wait - I thought Joshua was the chosen one. J.Lo references the time that the judges saved Jessica. Randy gives round 2 (even though it is not over) to Jessica and then tells her she is off to the races.
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Contestant: Joshua Ledet
Song: “To Love Somebody” by The Bee Gees

See, the first three quarters of this song are amazing, and I start to feel bad about all of the criticism I give Joshua. And then everything falls apart for me (for you?). I may be in the minority, but I think Joshua absolutely ruins the performance by screaming the last portion song. It’s just not necessary to do that, because he had been singing so beautifully. Sigh. Too Much.

Judges’ Remarks: Standing ovation. Of course – they held back on his first performance, so I'm surprised they don't climb up on their table for this one. Randy calls The Bee Gees “one of the greatest song writing people in the world.” The English language just called, and it would like an apology. J.Lo thinks Joshua is one of the greatest singers in the past 50 years. Okay. I must just be insane. As Simon would say "That was complete and utter nonsense." Oh how I miss him.
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There are no closing remarks from the judges as we have run out of time. Tomorrow night we’ll see who survives tonight's voting, and if Jessica, Phillip, Skylar and Hollie bother showing up at all since Joshua might be one of the greatest singers of all time. OF ALL TIME! That's for you, Kanye. 

Until then!

The Voice - Welcome to the Finals!

Tonight the remaining eight contestants will be whittled down to four finalists, who will compete in next week’s live finale show. To prove how important being a finalist is, we will also welcome back last year’s final four – Vicki, Beverly, Javier and Dia, who will be performing their new singles tonight. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how far they’ve come.

Dia Frampton is up first, singing “Don’t Kick the Chair” with Kid Cudi. To drive home the whole “chair” thing, Dia sings atop a staircase that doubles as a mountain of chairs. Somewhere right now a Nickelodeon producer is planning to bring back Guts with a chair mountain replacing the final crag of doom challenge. I think my favorite part of this performance is how incredibly proud Blake looks. You can tell that he is emotionally invested in each of his contestants even though he doesn’t have all of the weepy drama other coaches have.

Results! Chris and Lindsey are center stage awaiting their fate. Xtina vows not to get emotional as Carson reveals her 50/50 scores for her two contestants. Tonight she is letting America decide. Chris Mann wins 104 to Lindsey’s 96. Congrats to him – I was hoping he would make it through.

Vicki Martinez sings her new single “Come Along” with Cee-Lo, and she has a new “don’t mess with me” look about her. I’m still a huge fan of her voice, but this song does not allow her to rock out the way I hoped it would. Still, I’m going to check out her album because I think she’s pretty awesome.

Results! We now have the nail biter between Tony and Katrina. Adam thinks that regardless of the results both will launch successful careers after this. Adam then disappoints me by splitting his percentages 60/40 in favor of Tony. He says they are both equally talented (what?), but Adam “gets” Tony more. Katrina, however, wins the “most improved” award. Ugh. Is she also Miss Congeniality, most friendly, and most likely to go back to a cubicle? Did Adam go to a local craft store and buy her an honorable mention ribbon? I love Tony dearly, but I think Katrina deserved a fair shot here. Adam also talks as if Katrina has already been eliminated, and we haven’t even seen the final scores. Make it stop! The more you talk, the less I can take. Tony beats Katrina 108 to 92, and for those of you who can do math, you know Katrina would have been the finalist without Adam’s 60/40. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can remain a Team Adam fan.

Beverly McClellen takes the stage now to sing “Money Changes Everything.” She is joined by Cyndi Lauper, and boy do I love Cyndi Lauper. I never have any idea how she is going to look or sound, and that’s just fun for me. I’m not entirely sure that I heard any lyrics clearly beyond “money changes everything,” but Beverly and Cyndi both shake their heads a lot while they are singing loudly, and I’m honestly entertained. Crazy. Hot. Mess. Maybe you had to be there?

When we return from commercial, Season 1 champion Javier Colon performs his new single “A Drop in the Ocean.” It’s nice to see that he still wears a crooked baseball cap. I still think Pip abandoned the bow tie too quickly… Anyway, this is probably the best performance from the Season 1 finalists tonight. I don't know that he has had much success he’s had in the past year, but maybe this new album will get things going for him.

Results! Jermaine and Erin are up now, and Blake lets them both know how much he respects both of them. This must be why he gave them a 50/50 vote, leaving the decision up to America. America overwhelmingly chooses Jermaine, and now I need to pull for Juliet and root for Team Cee-Lo.

Results! Did I mention I’m rooting for Juliet? She and Jamar stand together hanging on every word from their coach. Cee-Lo states that he has the best contestants on this show. He’s not exaggerating too much in my opinion. He gives Juliet the 60/40 edge and both contestants actually look devastated. He says he based his score on last night’s performances alone, saying Juliet was the clear victor. That’s a better rationale for me than Adam’s “I connect with Tony more, but you’ve really improved.” However, it wouldn’t have made a difference if Cee-Lo had done a 50/50 or even a 60/40 in Jamar’s favor, because Juliet wins by a large margin of votes.

Well, there you have it. Next week Chris, Jermaine, Tony and Juliet duke it out for the title, and we’ll see if Justin Bieber makes good on his promise to sing “Boyfriend” at the finale. I can’t believe I just typed that.

Until next week!

The Voice: Semifinals

Before we can even get to the performances, we first have to pause and make a confused face at Xtina’s tiara, as well as Cee-Lo’s "cat in the shape of a heart" shirt. He must have a deep love for felines? Moving on - the remaining 8 contestants will sing for America's votes tonight, and only one contestant from each team will move on to the finals next week. The judges have the opportunity to rank their contestants as well, and their percentages will be combined with America's votes.

Team Adam Contestant: Tony Lucca
Song: “How You Like Me Now?” by The Heavy

I’m initially distracted by the two…we’ll just call them women… on either side of Tony, but then when he breaks free of them and essentially goes crazy with the song, I’m incredibly happy. His "I'm singing so passionately I look angry" face troubles me at times, but he's dancing, strutting, and owning this song.

Coaches Say:  Blake doesn’t know that song, but he thinks it was a bad ass performance. Xtina needs everyone to know that she cleared that song for Moses at the beginning of the season. Thanks. Where's Moses now? She likes the performance though, calling it “slick.” Adam thinks this was the perfect thing at the perfect moment.

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Team Blake Contestant: Erin Willett

Song: “Without You,” by Usher

The audience wears glowing red rings to assist them in the cheesy arm sways. Erin sounds good, though with a ballad she is much less feisty. She is emotional at the end, most likely connecting the recent loss of her father to the song lyrics, so no one can say she is not connected to her songs. Erin has quite a voice, no doubt about it, but I prefer her other performances to this one. Maybe it’s just the song choice. Maybe I just really loved the way she sang "Proud Mary" during Team Blake's elmination episode.

Coaches Say: Xtina thinks she was unique and original and loves her emotions. Cee-Lo says she sang it beautiful. Blake tells Erin she looks beautiful, and he would give anything to have a tenth of the talent she has. That's high praise coming from someone who is so successful.
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Team Xtina Contestant: Chris Mann
Song: “Ave Maria”

Chris returns to his opera style for this performance, and he keeps it simple. He stands center stage at a mic stand with a row of candles on each side, and he just projects an amazing rendition of the song. Will America connect with Chris? I don’t know. But this is just beautiful.

Coaches Say: Cee-Lo calls his voice perfect and says it was a stellar performance. Adam says the performance was classy and simple and incredible to see. Xtina felt the heavens open just now. Well, if that had actually happened God would have ripped the tiara off her head. She notes that none of the other contestants could get up there and sing that song.
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Team Cee-Lo Contestant: Jamar Rodgers
Song: “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” by Simply Red

Jamar chooses to keep it simple here too, which I’m okay with. It was time for him to show his softer side without the props, backup dancers, etc. I like this version. He’s not my favorite, as I am pulling for Juliet to represent Team Cee-Lo in the finals, but he is talented and I hope good things happen for him after the show is over.

Coaches Say: Adam is purely a fan of Jamar’s. Blake appreciates that Jamar gave a laid back performance. Xtina pulls a "look what I can do" and sings the notes that Jamar just sang. He should take that as a compliment? Cee-Lo thinks the story of Jamar’s life will be a best seller because it’s a success story.
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Team Adam and Team Cee-Lo perform The Killers' “All These Things That I’ve Done.” Apparently we have super group performances this season. Does this mean Team Blake and Team Xtina will perform together as well? I hope there are male strippers.  The coaches do not perform with their contestants, which is okay. All four semifinalists shine in with this song. Nicely done.
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Team Blake Contestant: Jermaine Paul
Song: “Open Arms,” by Journey

If Randy Jackson is watching this show at home, he just said aloud "you know, I used to play guitar for Journey." Jermaine makes sure to open his arms a lot while he is singing. I don’t think that makes him connected to the song unfortunately. This is just okay for me - I'm pulling for Erin to make it through.

Coaches Say: Xtina thinks he is a crazy talented vocalist. Cee-Lo thinks it was a wonderful performance. Adam congratulates Jermaine on not being a backup singer, because Adam had always seen him that way. I guess this means you're sorry? Blake thinks Jermaine is the guy to beat. I don’t agree with that at all.
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Team Adam Contestant: Katrina Parker
Song: "Killing Me Softly," by Roberta Flack

Katrina sounds great in every performance. Other artists have given us more soulful renditions of this song, but she is on point here. The camera cuts to Xtina singing in her chair, and I have to wonder if she will do the same thing with Katrina’s “critique” that she did with Jamar’s.

Coaches Say: Blake thinks her voice is so seasoned even though she was working from a cubicle not too long ago. Xtina has fallen in love with Katrina, and she wishes she had been able to coach Katrina on this song. Xtina is also a huge Lauryn Hill fan. She asks Adam to take a good look at Katrina and not go with the obvious choice in Tony in his scores tonight. Does Xtina just think there's no room in the showbiz world for another successful Mouseketeer? Cee-Lo notes how amazing Roberta Flack’s rendition was (thank you for referencing the original artist), but he enjoyed the performance. Adam likes that she stayed faithful to the arrangement of the song while still being Katrina.
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Blake sings his new song "Over." I do like the song, but I'm always going to have "Some Beach" in my head when I see him with a microphone. Great song - look it up if you don't remember it.

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Team Xtina Contestant: Lindsay Pavao
Song: "Skinny Love," by Bon Iver

I'm going to try to be fair to Lindsay even though I am still bitter about Ashley De La Rosa's elimination last week. Xtina finally makes a smart move here giving Lindsay a guitar and just having her sing. She doesn’t overdo it, she sticks to her own style, and it might be my favorite performance of hers. Granted I don’t understand a lot of what she is singing (enunciation?) but I prefer the scaled back vibe for sure.

Coaches Say: Cee-Lo is more into big love than skinny love, but he thinks she did a great job. Adam loves that everyone left in the competition is unique. Blake gives Xtina credit for taking her contestants back to why we liked them to begin with. Oh Blake, you know she is going to run with this compliment. Xtina loves Lindsay and loves the setup she gave Lindsay. Yup.
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Team Xtina and Team Blake sing “Edge of Glory.” I LOVE this song. LOVE it...more than the average person should. However, I don't love this version. Jermaine and Erin are the most at home here. Chris gets an “A” for effort, but Lindsay goes back to annoying me again. Also, there are no male strippers.
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Team Cee-Lo Contestant: Juliet Simms
Song: “This is a Man’s, Man's, Man's World”

I love this girl. I know Cee-Lo is a big supporter of Jamar’s story, but man, how can you not take Juliet to the finals? She holds nothing back in each performance, and she was meant to do this. Fantastic.

Coaches Say: Adam  says “that was something special.” Juliet is one of his favorites and she is the one to beat. Xtina realizes it's been a few minutes since the focus was on her, so she notes that Juliet takes her back to the time she sang this song at the Grammys. Compliment? Cee-Lo says she both killed it and murdered it.
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So tomorrow we find out who moves on the finals, and I am far more excited about this finale than I was last year (was pulling for Vicki, even downloaded her original song, knew Javier would win, and we haven't heard a peep from her since).  I'm pulling for Juliet, Erin, and Chris to make it through, and I am honestly torn between Tony and Katrina. I've declared my undying love for Tony all season, but I would not be resentful if Katrina made it through. We'll see what happens on the live results show tomorrow!