American Idol 11 - Top 8 Perform - Live Blog Recap
Tonight, the Top 8 of American Idol 11 take on "The '80s"--which will definitely yield some interesting song choices. The mentors are No Doubt's Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal!
You can check out the song spoilers HERE. It looks like there will be duets tonight in addition to solo performances. OMG YAY! I'm actually pretty pumped looking at those songs. I'm glad Idol is leaking the spoilers. This way, it gets some interest in the show. Heh.
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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!!!
"In this competition...you must make every moment...count more than your last."
Deandre Brackensick is up first! He's singing "I Like It" by DeBarge. Oh snap! He starts out in the audience. He's in his lower register. Yes. Thank you. Oh, there's the falsetto. He never connects with what he's singing. That's his problem. He makes his way to the stage. This is pretty middle-of-the-road. Midway through, he really puts some grit in his voice. What is that? And he's ending it with some...HAIR FLIPS!!!
J.Lo thought it was great and it looked like he was comfortable. She points out his hairography. Check out his full performance HERE.
Next is Elise Testone! Damn. She gets the second spot... She's singing "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner. She's seated on stage right. There's a guitarist on stage. lol. Man, this song. They are totally setting her up to be eliminated this week. Her vocals are pretty raw and awesome tonight. It certainly is a stark contrast from last week. I'm just not sure this was the best song choice for her. I would have preferred to hear her to do "Hallelujah." Oh geez, there are clocks dangling on the panels behind her. Damn. Towards the end, a choir comes out. SHE DOESN'T NEED A CHOIR!!! Sigh.
Steven didn't think it was a good choice for her. J.Lo said she felt her emotion and her heart in the performance. For Randy, he thought it was pitchy the entire song. Check out her full performance HERE.
DUET - Skylar Laine and Colton Dixon - "Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
Oh man. This song. Predictable much. I guess Colton is the closest to country they have? Skylar's voice is pretty perfect for this song, but it's more for like, a finale random performance/collaboration than a competition showstopper. If you tune Colton out, it sounds pretty great. When you needed a nice warm bowl of cinnamon that was left on a windowsill, you just got served.
JUST SO YOU KNOW...Skylar and Colton are NOT dating. Oy.
Phillip Phillips is up! He's singing "That's All" by Genesis. OMG. I love this song. Yup. He has his guitar! I gotta be real for a moment...this guy is growing on me. He's growing on me like my favorite Xmas sweater. My main problem is that most of his performances all sound the same. Regardless, he's a cutie and I've prepared myself for him to win. His vocals are in rare growly form tonight.
His brother performed on stage with him. Pimping much? Check out his full performance HERE.
DUET - Deandre Brackensick and Hollie Cavanagh - "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters
Worst duet partners ever? This should be interesting... Hollie starts out in the middle of the band. Deandre--with colorful rainbow stairs--comes down the middle of the stage. The join each other. Is Hollie wearing black leather pants?! Oh. Glitter. I love karaoke. I do this song whenever I go out. However, Hollie does sound great on an uptempo song. Deandre...whatever. I feel like I was just transported back to Season 1.
Joshua Ledet is next! He's singing "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red. Carrie Underwood and Anthony Fedorov performed this during Season 4 Top 4 night. A whole choir begins on stage and he comes on after they scatter. There are candles EVERYWHERE. I guess we're in church. He's vocally running all over the place, as expected. Gwen was right, most of the time, it's just too much. Towards the end, he wails on the high notes. Why can't he just sing a song? Does it really need all those runs?
The judges give him a standing ovation. OK...then... Check out his full performance HERE.
Jessica Sanchez takes the stage! She's singing "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. Oh. Right. Jessica has a great voice, when she knows how to control it. This is a predictable song choice, but I get it. She's so young, so her song book knowledge would be rather limited. I need some originality from this girl. Where is it? Maybe stuffed in her side-swept hair. Towards the end, she really brings the vocal punch, but this comes off very bland.
J.lo tells her she's a real performer. Check out her full performance HERE.
DUET - Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone - "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks
This song is perfect for Elise...and P2 isn't bad. I adore this song. I think Elise just redeemed herself for her lackluster solo performance. This is what it means to just sing a song...without all the vocal fluff. This is definitely the duet of the night. Can you imagine them as the final 2?
Hollie Cavanagh is up! She's singing "Flashdance...What a Feeling" by Irene Cara. Technical difficulties to start out. She begins the track just like her other ho-hum ballads. Then as the song kicks in, she starts MOVING around the stage. I'm distracted by her dress. Her vocals actually sound great on this song, even though she's a little too rehearsed. She was far less pitchy than her previous performances. That was good, enjoyable.
Steven said her pitch was all over the place. Check out her full performance HERE.
DUET - Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet - "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" by Aretha Franklin and George Michael
This is exactly what I've been dreaming about. Jessica is a soul singer? Heh. This is better fit of Joshua than Jessica, but they are both bringing their vocal power. Who can out sing who? A choir comes out towards the middle. Oh joy.
OH LOOK...the judges give them a standing ovation. Barf. Vomit. Spit.
Colton Dixon is up! He's singing "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. Oh. Wow. He brings his rocker-emo side. Did you notice his blonde 'do? Where's the skunk? The original had such a gut wrenching eeriness to it, and Colton has totally thrown that away. He's scrambling across the stage. His vocal is pretty good; he just doesn't have a big range. Eh.
The judges loved him. Sigh. Check out his full performance HERE.
Skylar Laine closes the show! She's singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler. I guess after her hitting the bottom last week, they need to build her up. She's in a gorgeous red dress standing middle stage. There's some classic Country twang in the instrumentation. It is rather slow-going. I get her taking risks, but this isn't who she is as an artist. She's the rowdy Country belter. Towards the end, she really ups her vocals. On the close up of her, you could tell she was pouring her heart into that.
The judges give her a standing ovation... Check out her full performance HERE.
After tonight, my anger level towards this show is at an all time high. I feel like I'm back in Season 10 with these judges.
Top 2: Jessica, Elise (yup, I'm biased)
Middle: Phillip, Skylar, Colton
Bottom 3: Deandre, Joshua, Hollie
However, here is how the bottom 3 will go tomorrow: Elise, Hollie, Deandre
Who was your favorite? Who will be in the bottom three?