American Idol Top 6: Don't You Want Somebody To Love?

Tonight the Top 6 will be revealed and we will lose another contestant because, you know, the judges used their save a long time ago and left us with Twitter users to keep the suspense going. This week's theme is "American Classics," whatever that means, and each contestant will take on 2 songs each. We're at that point in the American Idol season where the 2 hour shows remain and instead of letting the contestants give complete performances, they essentially do snippets of songs so we can cram as much in as possible. Let's see how this goes... 

Contestant: Tyanna Jones

Song: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

Tyanna had such a great week last week that it's going to be tough to be as impressive tonight. Sure, the song is fun and she gets to be a teenager and have a good time...but at this point in the competition she needs to be 'bringing it' with every performance. I say all of these things lovingly because I am a big Tyanna fan. 

Judges Say: Keith says the song choice was interesting and did not show off Tyanna's vocal skills. JLo feels like they need just a bit more from her. Harry compliments Tyanna's rhythmic ease but wishes she had moved around more. 

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Contestant: Clark Beckham

Song: "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder

Clark needs to push himself outside of his comfort zone a little more this week and he accomplishes that for sure with this song. Dude looks like he's actually letting loose! Clark's vocals are (of course) on point, but he's doing some fun things with the song as well that takes his showmanship to a new level. 

Judges Say: JLo says Clark is looking good and calls the performance funky and amazing. Harry doesn't think Clark could have done the song any better. Keith demonstrates some moves Clark could do with the guitar and I have to rewind and watch those a few times. 

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Contestant: Jax

Song: "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin

I. Love. This. My only complaint is the performance is over too soon. Jax borrows one of JLo's wind machines and delivers a vigorous and gritty performance that makes me forget how many freaking times this song has been done on the show already. I just thank God that Qaasim never got a hold of this one.

Judges Say: Harry only knows 2 versions of this song...which means he didn't watch the first 10 years of this show. He says the performance was strong. Keith loves how Jax sings with the band behind her and JLo says Jax is in her element tonight. 

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Contestant: Nick Fradiani

Song: "American Girl" by Top Petty

Nick wants to rock n' roll for these last 5 weeks and surprise everyone. I would sure as hell be surprised. Nick is all denim-ed out tonight with some curliness in his hair, and I think he's actually at a point now where he thinks he can win. He sounds great, he looks confident, and this is probably his best performance of the season.  

Judges Say: Keith "wooooo"s a lot and says the song was perfect for Nick. JLo thinks Nick has a "radio ready" voice and Harry says the performance was dead on.

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Contestant: Quentin Alexander

Song: "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz

Well, I can say that Quentin absolutely looks the part. He's got some attitude and is very into the song and the performance aspect. Unfortunately this tune does nothing for his voice and his pitch is kind of everywhere. Did I mention his badass outfit though?

Judges Say: JLo says the whole thing worked. She then oddly follows that up by saying the pitch was all over the place but Quentin gave a good performance. Harry thinks the band was more captivating than Quentin. Keith likes that Quentin was laid back even though the band was going crazy. 

And now the show completely goes off the rails. Ryan takes the stage and tries to get Quentin talking. Quentin points at our bottom 2 - Rayvon and JOEY and says "this is whack" because they are two of the best vocalists. Well, I half agree with you buddy. Ryan reminds Quentin that there's still the #idolsave on Twitter and Quentin looks like he wants to punch him. I wish he had. Quentin leaves the stage and Harry yells that Quentin is being highly disrespectful by biting the hand that feeds him. He essentially says if Quentin doesn't like the process, he can just go home. Quentin comes back on stage (get him!) and says his personal feelings of "this is whack" are seeing two people he loves in danger of going home. Harry says that wasn't clear and Quentin quickly responds "Well, I'm glad that I got to clarify that for you." Ha! Shut up Harry. 

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Contestant: Joey Cook

Song: "My Funny Valentine" by Frank Sinatra

Joey is very glam tonight and I'm digging it. Much like last week's "Wrecking Ball," she doesn't change the song and relies on her vocals for the performance. She hits some bum notes as she tries to push her voice, but she's completely engaged in the lyrics and refraining from all of the animated moves that are typically distracting. I really want to see her stay over Rayvon and I hope she knocks it out of the park in her second performance. Regardless though, Melinda Doolittle's version of this song still reigns as my absolute favorite. 

Judges Say: Harry says Joey looks lovely and thinks she did a damn good job. Yes! Keith doesn't think the song was perfectly executed and JLo "didn't feel anything" from Joey's performance. Boooo.

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Contestant: Rayvon Owen

Song: "Long Train Runnin" by The Doobie Brothers

Rayvon's attempt to get the audience involved by shouting "Come on and help me sing this song" had to have been met with blank stares from the teenagers in the stage pit. Rayvon is finally trying to put on a performance this evening, but the hokey choreography is just killing me. Was he less boring tonight? Absolutely...but I'm tired of seeing him saved every week. 

Judges Say: Keith says the performance was good but wants Rayvon to get a little more edgy. JLo thinks Rayvon stepped it up and Harry admires Rayvon's fight every week. 

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Contestant: Clark Beckham

Song: "Moon River" 

Oh how I love this song. Clark gets all tuxedo-ed out and plays the piano for this performance, surrounded by fog and looking dreamy. The rendition is pretty and I sway back and forth on my couch. This isn't a standout moment, but the performance is a fitting tribute to a true American classic. 

Judges Say: JLo loved the performance, saying she felt like she was in a movie. Harry uses the words "cocktail piano thing" and encourages him to learn different chords. He then calls Clark the only "musician" left in the competition. Really?!?! I'm sitting here hoping that Quentin will rush the stage but he doesn't. I mean, Clark is a front runner and I want him to be my boyfriend...but in no way is he the only musician left. Keith calls the performance "warm and fuzzy."

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Contestant: Tyanna Jones

Song: "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

This is a tall order for someone so young. Tyanna does a hell of job though. She's got the right attitude, the right vocals, and the right moves to make this performance work. I'd love to see what she would have done if time allowed her to do the whole song.

Judges Say: Harry says the performance was as close to perfect as it could be. Keith reminds us that Tyanna is only 16 and if she's this good now, imagine how great she'll be when she's older. JLo thinks she wowed the audience and that's where Tyanna should be every time. 

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Contestant: Nick Fradiani

Song: "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel

This is another song that loses context and awesomeness when it's chopped up the way it is in Nick's performance. There's no way to tell the story with the sections chosen and this "let's have 14 performances of song snippets" thing is getting on my nerves. That being said, I really like the arrangement here and the way Nick slows the song down to show off his vocals. Rather than rocking out with his guitar, which I would have expected, Nick chooses the sit on a stool and sing the hell out of something route. Smart move dude...even though you're apparently not a musician.  

Judges Say: Keith says the arrangement played to every part of Nick's strengths. JLo agrees but Harry says the arrangement threw him off. He mentions the context of the song as well (it's seriously about a guy trying to get a girl to lose her virginity), and how that story didn't come across. 

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Contestant: Quentin Alexander

Song: "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel

I love this. "The Sounds of Silence" is a great song to begin with and Quentin takes moments here and there to really emphasize the lyrics of the song. He always has such a neat interpretation of the songs he performs on the show and I'm a fan of this one for sure.

Judges Say: JLo brings up the BS from earlier and sounds like she's scolding him. She then says it was a "nice" performance. Harry loves the tone of Quentin's voice when he holds notes...but he goes back to the pitch issue and I groan...because, you know, that doesn't seem to apply to everyone. Keith loves what Quentin goes for in all of his perofrmances but doesn't really give him any real feedback. My assumption is Quentin is the new Hailey Reinhart, Holly Cavanagh, Janelle Arthur or Jessica Meuse and won't be able to do anything right from now on. 

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Contestant: Jax

Song: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson

Oh. No. Just...no. Jax, honey, why? She is all over the stage, shouting the song as if her mic is turned off, and I think this performance is a mess. Paging Qaasim!

Judges Say: Harry compliments the static electricity in Jax's hair and her ability to run around stage. Keith thinks the performance was great and JLo says Jax looks cool. Where's the part when the judges offer critiques and for real criticism? Quentin needs to work on pitch but Jax can shatter my eardrums and it's okay? 

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Contestant: Rayvon Owen

Song: "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson

I definitely prefer Elvis Presley's version to any other rendition I've heard. Rayvon does a really nice job here though. He's still more concerned with the technical aspects of the song (and don't forget about the falsetto - did you know he has a falsetto?) than the lyrics but I really can't complain too much. This is one of his best performances of the season.

Judges Say: Keith says this was the right song and Rayvon sang it beautifully. JLo has goosies and Harry thinks ballads are Rayvon's strong suit. 

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Contestant: Joey Cook

Song: "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane

Joey goes all bluegrass-y with "Somebody to Love" and I'm loving every bit of it. She knows she's in a "sing for your life" scenario and she's giving it everything. This performance is 100% Joey - what you see is what you get, quirks and all, and I truly hope it's enough to keep her in the competition. 

Judges Say: JLo loved the performance and says this rendition gave all of the colors that Joey Cook is...I think I know what she means by that. Harry is very impressed by the inventiveness of the performance and Keith feels like he knows what a Joey Cook concert would be like.  

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After the ridiculous Twitter hashtags have been counted, Rayvon is saved once again, This guy has been saved THREE times now via #idolsave and I've had it. This could have been corrected if the judges still had their save, but nope...they used that a long time ago on the man who brought us karaoke "Hey Ya" last week. So, we say goodbye to Joey tonight and I need to go be bitter for a little while. We'll revisit this nonsense again next week. Til then!

American Idol Top 7: I Want You To Stay

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!

American Idol Top 8: Piece By Piece

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.

Best. Shirt. Ever. 

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!