American Idol 11 - Top 4 Perform - Live Blog Recap
Tonight, the Top 4 of American Idol 11 take on California Dreamin' and Song You Wish You Had Written in a double theme. Each contestant will be singing two songs each, plus there will be duets. So much music! Word on the street, according to this Twitter account, is that Mindi Abair will be performing with Phillip Phillips tonight. Hmm.
You can check out the song spoilers HERE.
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Well, I wonder if that Abair "rumor" is true. If so, I wonder who they want to win? Heh. In a recent interview with TooFab, Randy Jackson revealed that he thinks a guy will probably win again this year. Yup.
Anyways, I will be live blogging the events of the night right here. Come back soon and often to check out my thoughts on the talent. Fingers crossed for Hollie and Jessica!
Recap of last week. Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" plays over the montage. IT'S CARRIE UNDERWOOD DAY!!!
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' PERFORMANCES
Phillip Phillips - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by CCR
Hmm. This song should be right in his wheelhouse. No guitar! Death spot! His isn't as grating tonight as usual. This is much better than last week, that's for sure. Sexy sax player! Not bad. And the crowd goes absolutely wild.
Steven said he's "something else." J.Lo said he had a Joe Cocker quality about it and that it was a great way to start the show. Randy said it started off rough, but fell into place by the first chorus.
Check out his full performance HERE.
Hollie Cavanagh - "Faithfully" by Journey
Great song. She could well with this. She starts up center stage with a guitar and piano arrangement. She's sounding pretty good. She's emoting; that's always a good sign. However, there seems to be something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's that this is a power ballad that isn't quite going anywhere. She powers through the notes towards the end. Pretty good vocally, but not as good as last week. Let's hope the underdog edit will help her get into next week. She seems like a sweet girl, so I'm rooting for her!
Check out her full performance HERE.
Behind the Scenes Video: We get a sneak peek with Jason Derulo in the studio working on that hit song. He's still wearing that neck brace. It's called "Undefeated."
Joshua Ledet - "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban
Oh boy. Love this song. He's center stage and doesn't sound half bad. This doesn't compare to the original though. I'm waiting for his over singing...and here it begins. He's pouring his heart into this, so I give him that. Not a great performance, but not bad either. It sort of just hangs there in the middle somewhere. The choir comes out to join him. He's now like three feet in the air on a floating platform.
Surprisingly, there's not standing O. J.Lo said it was another great performance and loved the drama of that raising platform. Steven just made absolutely no sense. Randy said he's showing them that he's a great singer.
Check out his full performance HERE.
Jessica Sanchez - "Steal Away" by Etta James
Very old song choice for her. I was hoping for some, I don't know, Katy Perry. Oh well. She's got a full jazz band on stage with her. No more short dress for her! Vocally, she sounds great, as always, and midway through, she really digs into those power notes. Not bad, but not a performance I'd write home about.
J.Lo is happy the growl was there since the beginning. LOL. Steven loved it and that it showed another side to her voice. Randy (what is up with his SUIT) said he can sing the phonebook.
Check out her full performance HERE.
DUET - Joshua Ledet and Phillip Phillips - "This Love" by Maroon 5
Another collab for them! Not gonna lie, I love this song. Great fit for Joshua; Phillip, the jury is still out. This performance is pretty pedestrian, if you ask me. Vocally, it's pretty good. It's much better than their duet last week. So, I guess that means, we win?
J.Lo thought it would be the perfect song. It was like if Adam Levine and Usher came together. Um. No. Randy loved the runs and thought it sounded amazing.
DUET - Jessica Sanchez and Hollie Cavanagh - "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles
They're in swings!!! OMG! They sounds pretty good together. I could get behind them for the finale. Girl power! It's great to finally here these to on a song together. They've been compared to each other all season. Vocally, they both bring the fire. Definitely the better of the two duets.
Why is Randy throwing the girls under the bus?!?! UGH.
Exclusive Footage Video: Adam Shankman stops by the mansion to get a tour. Then we get a Rock of Ages preview.
Musical Performance - The Top 4 - "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner
So. much. music. Another dated song for these young kids. They've probably never even heard of this song until tonight. "I've been waiting for a girl like you," Joshua sings. Yes. I'm sure that's true. Heh. This is cheesy without the pointy pose. Where's the pointy pose!!!???
SONGS YOU WISH YOU WROTE PERFORMANCES
Phillip Phillips - "Volcano" by Damien Rice
WGWG FTW!!! Guitar is back! There's a girl playing a stand up bass on stage with him. Cool arrangement. Red light. Vocally, this might be his best of the competition. When he's whispering-singing, he sounds so much better than his gravelly grunted. This is a million times better than his trainwrecks from last week. I think he just won the competition. #markmywords
Steven said he's never heard him sing like that before. J.Lo said very no one could have pulled that off. Um. Did you not watch when KRIS ALLEN rocked the show?!?!?!
Check out his full performance HERE.
Hollie Cavanagh - "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt
I freaking love this song. Allison Iraheta totally nailed this song during season eight. Hollie begins with just a piano accompanying her. Slowly, an orchestra trickles in. Hollie sounds pretty fantastic on this. I'm a little surprised. Wow, Hollie, look at you go.
Steven thought it fell a little short. J.Lo thought Hollie's emotion got the best of her. Oy.
Check out her full performance HERE.
Joshua Ledet - "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown
How ironic, huh? I predict the finale to be PP and him. Yup. He comes down the big stairs! Orchestra on stage with him. This is so much better than his Groban-like performance. Although, I could do without the over singing. Otherwise, he sounds great. OH, what was the grunt-singing section. Did he forget the words?!
The judges give him a STANDING OVATION!!!!!!!!!!! I...just...can't...
Obviously, these judges have NEVER watched this show before.
Check out his full performance HERE.
Jessica Sanchez - "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" by Jennifer Holliday
Come on, girl! You can do this. The lighting and her blue top remind me of her "I Will Always Love You" performance. She's workin' this song out. Damn. This is the first time in several weeks that I've loved her. If she doesn't make the finale after this performance, there is something seriously wrong. WOW. Loved that.
The judges give her a STANDING OVATION. It's about time they did something right tonight. Steven called it a "winning performance." Yup. Totes agree.
Check out her full performance HERE.
Best Performance of the Night: Jessica's "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"
Worst Performance of the Night: PP's "Have You Ever Heard the Rain"
What an interesting night. Once again, the judges prove they're useless and lack any knowledge of this show. They clearly want a Joshua, PP and Jessica Top 3, and are willing to throw Hollie under the bus. Sure, she wasn't as good as last week, but she's miles better than DaveMatthews DaveMatthews. He was totally outclassed tonight, but the judges absolutely ate him up.
Jessica easily gave her best performance of the season tonight. I'm hoping that can catapult her into the finale. A girl needs to win this show!
Who Should Go Home: PP
Who Will Go Home: Hollie
So, who gave the best performance tonight? Who's getting the boot tomorrow?
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