American Idol 11 - Top 7 Perform Redux - Live Blog Recap
Tonight, the Top 7 (again) of American Idol 11 take on “Now & Then." Each contestant will be singing two songs each: a Billboard No. 1 hit and a soul number. The mentor, according to Idol's Facebook page, is Jimmy Iovine!!! Well, look at that ridiculata soup and crackers.
The show will be paying its respects to the late Dick Clark -- who passed away today. RIP
You can check out the song spoilers HERE.
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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 Elise and Jessica!
This…is AMERICAN IDOL!!!
Recap of the SHOCKING elimination last week of Jessica. Now, we get a dramatic look at J.Lo rushing the stage and swiping the mic from her. They make it sound like everyone gets a new beginning tonight. OK, she's not the second coming...
Ryan starts out by acknowledging the passing of Dick Clark. Idol would not be there if it wasn't for him.
"NOW" PERFORMANCES
Hollie Cavanagh - "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele
Oh. She chose a horrible song to cover AND she's going first. Bye, bye, girl. She starts out acapella, and after the first line, percussion kicks in. This is very different from what my expectations were of her. I'm not hating this, but she's still no Adele. She lacks the passion and grit this song needs. Vocally, she's on top of it tonight, though. This is probably her best performance in the entire competition. Good for her.
Steven said it was perfect. J.Lo is so happy for her. Check out her full performance HERE.
Colton Dixon - "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
He's making it into a rock song! He's a rockstar tonight! He's wearing red leather pants and a bright red highlight! I'm not hating this. It's good to see how current he can be, even more so than last week. He's a game player. He knows exactly how to play this Idol game. He took a Gaga song and really changed it up. He didn't stray too far from the original melody, but add a few changes to it. Not bad.
The judges did NOT give him a standing ovation. Heh. Randy felt like it wasn't his greatest performance, but job well done. Check out his full performance HERE.
Elise Testone - "No One" by Alicia Keys
HECK YES! I was hoping she would pick this song. She starts singing by the piano. Her vocals are stellar tonight. She has an air machine!!! I wish the arrangement was a little more stripped down and that there were no background singers, but with that said, this is fantastic. VOTE FOR THIS GIRL, PLEASE!!! Yup. :)
Check out her full performance HERE.
Phillip Phillips - "U Got It Bad" by Usher
I wouldn't expect him to pick this song. Good move, dude. He's pulling out his guitar, again! There's a saxophone player on stage with him. The ladies will love this. Phillips problem is that he is too much like DaveMatthews DaveMatthews. This is solid, but nothing spectacular. Can we get a shocking elimination tomorrow night?! Moving on...
...the judges give him a standing ovation...WTF?! Check out his full performance HERE.
Jessica Sanchez - "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys
Good song, but I hope she brings her own flavor to this. In the past, she just mimics the original. There are RED umbrellas hanging around the stage. So far, she's simply copying Alicia. Look, Jessica has a great instrument, but she does NOT connect to the material. That was not an Idol moment...
Huh. The judges didn't give her standing O? I thought that was a given after last week. Check out her full performance HERE.
Skylar Laine - "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
Interesting song choice. The arrangement is pretty sparse with just violins playing. Perfect. I can't help but think of a group performance when I think of this song. Midway, the band kicks in, and it loses some of its charm. Vocally, she's bringing her twangy grit to the song, but overall, this is a middle-of-the-road kind of performance. She gets spark confetti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did she just win?! LOL
J.Lo loves that version; she's never heard the Gaga Country version before, apparently. Check out her full performance HERE.
Joshua Ledet - "I Believe" by Fantasia
Hmm. Mantasia for Fantasia. Joshua looks tired. To be honest, this is a lazy song choice, given the vast music songbook of the past 12 years. Points though for his red blazer! He certainly brings us to church, but I'm not sure this type of performance will get him more fans. Is the show sacrificing him to save a few of the girls?
The judges give him a STANDING OVATION! I'm done trying to understand these three ducks. Check out his full performance HERE.
VIDEO OF AMERICAN BANDSTAND
We get a look at how it shaped American culture. I remember growing up and my parents telling me about it. Soul Train!!!
"THEN" PERFORMANCES
Hollie Cavanagh - "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield
Aww. She's singing this? I was hoping Skylar was. She's in a lovely pink dress. The band is in full force tonight! Her vocals are good, until the song starts to build. She lacks conviction on this song. I always think of Joss Stone's version of this song. Good, but a little bland.
The judges thought this was better than her first song and it suited her. Check out her full performance HERE.
Colton Dixon - "September" by Earth, Wind, & Fire
There is a giant tree on stage! He broke out the red piano again! Wow. This sounds nothing like the original. His vocals sound pretty perfect on this. Love him or hate him, he knows exactly how to work the camera and how to play the Idol game. His Gaga cover was better.
The judges still did NOT give him a standing ovation. Steven didn't like it. J.Lo said it wasn't the best song choice.
Did the judges just throw him under the bus? Check out his full performance HERE.
Elise Testone - "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
She's on a leather coach! I wouldn't have chosen this song, but she does have a lot of soul. Oh. Everyone here knows how much love I have for Elise, but this isn't her best. She really needed to come out swinging this week. She's gonna be eliminated tomorrow night. Sigh.
Regardless, I can't get over her fabulous tone and phrasing.
J.Lo starts with her little snide "baby." STFU, J.Lo. Elise, I want you to walk over to the judges and smack them square in the FACE. Check out her full performance HERE.
Phillip Phillips - "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett
No guitar!!! He seems to be screaming at me right now. At the start, it seems pretty good, but as the song builds he strays from the melody into a scream-sing-motion. Stop screaming at me, dude. Wow. That was a trainwreck.
Randy loves it and says he let it breathe. Steven thought it was beautiful. Check out his full performance HERE.
"Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding
What is she wearing?! Her vocals, as expected, sound great on this, but I'm still missing that key component: emotion. She's pouring her vocal runs onto this track. She has some spunk. I give her that. So much growling towards the end.
The judges tell her there's more than just having a great voice. THANK YOU. Check out her full performance HERE.
Skylar Laine - "Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
An interesting choice for the Country singer. She brings her trademark spunk to this. I'm really diggin' it tonight. Was it her best? Certainly not, but I like this girl.
Check out her full performance HERE.
Joshua Ledet - "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
Perfect song choice for him, even though it's been done to death on this show. His vocals sound pretty good on this. Midway through, he has this weird grunting hurl on the stage. There are just too many vocal acrobatics on this. It was good, but Syesha Mercado nailed it during season eight.
The judges give him a STANDING OVATION. I'm confused. Check out his full performance HERE.
Note: The site went down for me towards the end -- which is why my reactions became shorter and shorter.
Top 2: Elise, Jessica
Middle: Colton, Skylar
Bottom 3: Phillip, Hollie, Joshua
What was your favorite tonight? Who will be the bottom three?
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