American Idol 11: Top 13

While I'm tired of hearing the songs of Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on American Idol, I must say that this was a pretty good night for everyone! A couple of downright brilliant performances and some good ones!

But the best surprise tonight? The judges actually judged! Who knew? I have to hand it to them. They gave specific constructive comments without being mean-spirited. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but Randy Jackson actually impressed me - I never thought I'd put impressed and Mr. Jackson's name in one sentence. Haha. Even Steven Tyler was critical tonight. WOW!

Anyway, here we go!

DISCLAIMER: I am no expert, but this is my opinion - to each his own - and yours will be in the comments below! Haha.  

13. Shannon Magrane

I Have Nothing
Poor Miss Magrane. I wasn't a big fan of Shannon, but I seriously didn't expect her to crash and burn this early. It was odd because I was thinking that her voice is capable enough to handle a song as big as this, but she hits a couple of clunkers throughout the performance. This, to me, was a vocal mess. Also, it seemed like she growled wheneever she hits those high notes just to mask the fact that she couldn't hit them straight on. Sad. Painful loss of pitch while trying too hard. 5/10

12. Jermaine Jones

Knocks Me Off My Feet
Wow. That microphone looked comically small for Jermaine. Haha. It's silly, I know, but I'm just making things a little interesting here because his performance bored me to tears. "I don't want to bore", but you did! Haha. He sounded ok, but he's not entirely an exciting performer. There's something unmusical and falt about his tone. I don't know. 5.5/10

11. Jeremy Rosado

Ribbon In The Sky
A few pitch problems notwithstanding, this was surprisingly pretty good vocally. I thought his phrasing was kind of interesting and he seemed comfortable on stage. There were also a couple of solid vocal moments in there, but somehow the overall performance lacked "oomph". Such a shame because he's mostly forgettable and he needed something more remarkable. 7/10

10. Elise Testone

I'm Your Baby Tonight
To be fair, I didn't think her performance was as bad as the judges made it out to be, but I agree that this wasn't her best performance. Sure, her vocals were decent and I actually found some of the liberties she took with the melody were pretty good, but she did push a little too hard towards the end. Her voice sounded a little harsh and almost too agressive. Plus, she looked uncomfortable - maybe because of the sudden song switch? - and seemed bored as if she was just going through the motions or whatever. Oh, but I loved her b*tchface towards the judges. Haha. 7/10

09. Colton Dixon

Lately
I admit, I still don't see the appeal of Colton - his voice isn't the strongest, his expressions are a little too odd for my liking, and the skunk hair needs to go. Vocally, this performance was a little uneven. He was slurring his words at the beginning and there were a couple of pitch issues when he was singing softly, but when he decided to belt out towards the end, everything somehow got better. If it weren't for the fact that he ended great, he would've ranked a little lower than this. 7/10

08. Heejun Han

All Is Fair In Love
I was VERY pleased with Heejun's performance. The vocals weren't perfect, but he sounded divine especially the beginning. Also, who knew he could pull off a song with some genuine emotion. I still had problems with his diction, but if he worked on it, he'll be golden. 7.5/10

07. DeAndre Brackensick

Master Blaster
This was, well, different. Haha. I was worried when I heard that he's doing this, but he took a chance  and stepped outside the ballad zone. I liked that he abandoned his falsetto this week and sang in his mid register and he commanded that stage with some swag. I did have one major issue though: DICTION! I had a hard time figuring out what he was singing and it was frustrating because he looked like he was having so much fun and I wanted to join, but can't. Haha. Nonetheless, nice job! 7.5/10

06. Erika Van Pelt

I Believe In You And Me
Why was she trying to dress up like Coke's famous icon? Was this for the show's sponsor? Who's dressing her? Haha. Erika has an undeniably stunning tone and she showcased that with this song. Her vocals weren't perfect, but I though she had some great moments in there and a couple of great vocal choices. I could tell the difference when someone sings that has experienced life, compared to some kid that doesn't have a clue yet. And yes, she has a certain maturity that's quite refreshing in a sea of young vocalists. 8/10

05. Joshua Ledet

I Wish
This was a really hard song to sing and I thought Joshua nailed it. The grit in his voice gave his version some character, the energy he displayed bouncing around the stage was infectious and the he hit those climactic notes perfectly. I was even more impressed that he had enough breath control to still sing in the middle of the hard push the song required. This was pretty spectacular. 8.5/10

04. Skylar Laine

Where Do Broken Hearts Go
Some people on American Idol had trouble tackling these  songs just because Whitney and Stevie have a repertoire that are so personalized. The songs were written specifically for those two, so they are incredibly hard to sing. To me, Skylar was one of the few who made the song fit her style of music. Yes, the arrangement was kind of jarring in parts and she sounded a little nasal and sharp especially towards the beginning. But, when she went up to her higher register, that power on her voice just blew me away. I had no idea she could pull that on off and it was quite impressive. Good job! 8.5/10

03. Phillip Phillips

Superstition
While I disagree with Jimmy Iovine that Phillip is a great singer, I think he's a good musician and he's pretty engaging. This performance proved it. The rock version of this Stevie Wonder ditty actually sounded really current and fun. I enjoyed his raspy growly voice and there was something compelling about the whole performance. Better than his audition, but that's mainly because he had his guitar. So now, I wonder if the guitar is Phillip's crutch or not. 8.5/10

02. Hollie Cavanagh

All The Man That I Need
Yes, Hollie just made herself the most adorable dark horse on American Idol history. Haha. This was an outstanding vocal performance. Sure, she wasn't as vocally expressive as Skylar, but the performance was pitch perfect and there was a certain fierceness to her that urges one to root for her. Oh, and she's incredibly adorable!Impressive range. Strong voice. Perfect vibrato. Flawless key change. Good staging. As for you Jennifer Lopez, "That’s the Hollie that I know from last year.. and this year!"Umm, who the else would it be? Silly you! 9/10

01. Jessica Sanchez

I Will Always Love You
SUBLIME! While she came across a little too practiced and  studied, she sang the crap out of this song! Of course, no one will ever compare to the great Whitney Houston, but her vocal performance was just excellent from the pitch-perfect a capella to the practically flawless vocals towards the end. I compared her before to Pia Toscano, but the only similarities they have are their pitch perfect voices. Jessica has a passion and a swagger that Pia could never muster. I believe she just created a very special Idol moment right there. I'm pretty excited because she's not the next fill-in-the-blank successful Idol. She's not the next Kelly, or the next Carrie, but she can blaze a different trail all on her own. 9.5/10

PREDICTION

Who should go? 

Shannon Magrane

Who will go?

Jermaine Jones