Kat Perkins sang Landslide by Fleetwood Mac-- I completely admit, this song has been a little bit overdone on reality shows, but the style and tempo change was exactly what Kat needed. She was starting to sound similar in all her performances, and this was actually different. Kat started to cry at the end of the song, and Blake said it was making him cry.
Tess Boyer sang Ain't It Fun by Paramore-- Tess is my favorite female voice on the show this season. I love her so it hurts me when so many people are critical of her. I cannot understand why she went home at this point. She did not have the worst performance. I think I would have sent Kat or Audra home this week. Tess should have been there through the end. Another fact is that Tess never received anything but compliments from the coaches, and her last night performing was no exception. Blake commented on her perfect pitch, and Shakira felt like she nailed the performance.
Audra McLaughlin sang You Lie by Reba-- Unlike the coaches, I actually felt like this was one of her weaker performances. I didn't really like the choice of song, it made her seem dated. It would be nice to see her do some Carrie Underwood or Band Perry or Thompson Square. She should have been in the bottom three rather than Tess.
Josh Kaufman sang This Is It by Kenny Loggins-- OMG! Horrible song choice! Usher, what on Earth were you thinking? You could have got Josh sent home with a song choice like that. Luckily, America saw how talented he is. This was dragging at points. I think I disliked the song so much that it bored me a little bit. Adam once again regrets losing Josh and Blake thinks he is dumb for losing Josh.
Christina Grimmie sang Hold On We're Going Home by Drake-- This was the performance of the night. What a daring, yet smart song choice. This was such a risk but it showed so much creativity and it worked. She handled the song and the stage so well, the high note was amazing. I honestly think Christina deserves to win the whole thing this year. Shakira said it was her best performance thus far. Adam approved of her artistic decisions.
Jake Worthington sang Run by George Strait-- I enjoyed this performance. Jake remains one of the most likable contestants this season. It was nice to see him change things up a little and see him without a guitar and singing a song somewhat outside of his comfort zone. Usher loved his spirit and Blake thought he gave a solid performance.
Bria Kelly sang I'm With You by Avril Levine-- Overall, she was my pick to go home for the week, that didn't happen. I just don't see Bria's desire and hunger to be here. Vocally, she isn't where the other contestants are. There were lots of pitch issues in this performance and Adam was the only coach who had the courage to bring them up.
Delvin Choice sang Bright Lights from Gary Clark Jr.-- This wasn't my favorite Delvin performance, and maybe it's because I wasn't familiar with the song. However, I do need to mention how much I love Delvin's voice, and the fact that I feel like he puts 100% of himself into every single performance.
Kristen Merlin sang Let Her Go by Passenger-- I wasn't sure at first if I liked Kristen, but I grow to like her more every single week. She is quite the talent. Actually, she reminds me a lot of Melissa Etheridge. She has a strong, genuine texture to her voice.
Sisaundra Lewis sang Oh Sherrie by Journey-- Sisaundra took a huge risk by opening the song acapella, and man oh man, not only did she sound amazing, but it paid off big time! She worked the stage, and her vocals were dreamy. I loved this, and I cannot wait to see her rock out again. Adam commented that she blew the roof off the place, and Blake said she made him look smart.
The following night, it was revealed that Bria, Tess, and Kat were the bottom three, and at the end of the night, although Tess had the better voice, it was Kat's confidence that won out in the end. Even I must admit that her performance of Paris was convincing.
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American Idol brought with it a surprising twist this week. The day after the final five sang songs chosen by the public, they were asked if they all wanted another week together as the final five and two people would be sent home the following week, or they could vote to send someone home like they always do. The decision had to be unanimous, and it wasn't and 18 year old cutie Sam Woolf was sent home. The big story following results night was which two contestants voted to break the final five apart rather than keeping them together another week. It was later revealed to be Jena and Alex. I personally would have liked to see everyone stay together another week. What's the harm? I think it would have brought stronger performances in the upcoming week for the contestants.
Here is a recap of how I felt their performances stacked up---
(Jason Mraz coached the contestants this week, and he was pretty awesome)
Round 1:
Alex Preston sang Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhoods-- Enjoyed this song choice for Alex. Very much in line with this style, and Jason Mraz's comments appeared to help Alex as he is definitely more engaged.
Caleb Johnson sang I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith-- Not loving it, and I can tell Caleb didn't love it either. Perhaps a little bit of a lackluster choice for him from America. It seemed like the right idea in theory but I think all that was on Caleb's mind is that the song has been overdone.
Jessica Meuse sang Human by Christina Perri-- I am on the same page as Harry. It wasn't my favorite performance but the song choice was right on. Her vocals were good, the dynamics were nice. Definitely, a better than usual performance for Jessica.
Sam Woolf sang Sing by Ed Sheeran-- This is the song of the minute right now, so Sam would have really had to knock it out of the park for it to be a hit for him. He did better than usual, but what it was missing is the falsetto that Ed laces throughout the song. This is a song that is really based on those high notes, and Sam lacked that. Performance wise though, Jenn was right, it was the most comfortable he's been on a stage.
Jena Irene sang My Body by Young the Giant-- Jena takes Jason's advice to heart and her stage presence improves. I am not too familiar with the song, but she does a great job with it nonetheless.
Round 2:
Alex Preston sang Say Something by A Great Big World-- Harry called this the performance of the night, and it actually was. I think Alex won the night. I believed every word, and I agree when Keith called it the perfect marriage of song and artist. I was overwhelmed by emotions as Alex sang this but he managed to hold it together.
Jena Irene sang Valerie by Amy Winehouse-- I didn't initially get this choice for Jena, but the moment she opened her mouth and started singing, I understood. This was everything it needed to be, a jazzy vocal, it was a different choice for Jena but still in her wheelhouse. Oddly enough, although I thought she pulled this off, the judges didn't.
Sam Woolf sang How to Save a Life by The Fray-- I liked this song for Sam better than the first. It had some bumps along the way, but it finished up strong. I think in general, the reason Sam got sent home before his time is because she song choices were not the best for him. Too bad, he is a really talented kid.
Jessica Meuse sang Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey-- I love this song and loved it on Jessica. Consequently, I think the great song choices she got are the reason that she is still in the competition instead of at home.
Caleb Johnson sang Still of the Night by Whitesnake-- No idea how this was chosen for Caleb but it was a great choice. Clearly there are some fans of Idol who are really into 80's rock. This was a great performance. Caleb holds strong as a contestant, but this might be an Alex verse Jena final.
What do you think?
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