Oh, and a couple of observations. Ryan's selfie obsession was irritating to watch, Randy is the most useless mentor in the history of any competition show, Caleb looked fatter tonight, and Ryan's facial hair oddly looked good on him. Haha.
On with the rankings!
ROUND 1: BREAK-UP
Since U Been Gone
Jessica has been surging lately with a string of good performances, and she was becoming a real underdog in the competition. Sadly, she chocked this week. No, this wasn't a total train wreck, but this was possibly one of her weakest performances to date. She started off flat, her verses sounded dire, and while things got better once the chorus hit, I didn't think she fully recovered. This was a rough one for Jessica and it's unfortunate. 4.5
You Give Love A Bad Name
Remember when Blake Lewis reinvented this exact same song six years ago? Yes, that changed the whole landscape of American Idol, and it's ironic that Caleb's version was pure karaoke crapola! I don't know. His rendition wasn't particularly exciting as we've already seen this from him. Oh, and "No one can save me, the damage is done". Was that a prophecy post his "retard" comment? 5
Too Close
Solid. His first choice of the evening was a smart decision as the song itself played to his strengths. He's still nothing more than a brilliant coffee house singer, but his take on Too Close was actually pretty nice. I would've enjoyed it better with a more hard hitting arrangement as I was missing the thumping beat that made the song memorable, but the groove worked on certain levels. 7
Heartbreaker
Jena has grown the most of anyone else this season, and her rendition of Heartbreaker further proved that. There's an astounding confidence in her performance that was riveting to watch, her vocals soared, and despite not veering away too much from the original, I seriously didn't mind. Easily the best performance of this round. 7.5
ROUND 2: DEDICATION
I'm Yours
This song seemed to suck the life out of him and leave the audience with a simple and solid karaoke number. Sure, it was decent, but Alex is a frontrunner and he can’t afford to start running out of steam at this stage of the competition. The performance didn't go anywhere, and it seemed lazy and forgettable. Pointless. 5
So What
Haha. The song choice that did very little to help her cause. As much as I enjoyed watching her "perform" the song - she seriously looked like she was having fun - this was another unfortunate song choice for Jessica. Look, if you're going to do something from Pink, you have enough energy to pull it off. This was somehow a lackluster performance although her vocals sounded better here than her first number. 5.5
Bad Romance
Oh look, it's the song that took out Colton Dixon in one quick swoop. Haha. Despite being praised by the judges, Bad Romance was empty. The edgier vibe of the song dragged on the Idol stage and her voice wasn't nearly as supported as it has been in recent weeks. Jena has a powerful voice, and yet it felt a little wonky during this number. 6.5
Oh look, it's the song that took out Colton Dixon in one quick swoop. Haha. Despite being praised by the judges, Bad Romance was empty. The edgier vibe of the song dragged on the Idol stage and her voice wasn't nearly as supported as it has been in recent weeks. Jena has a powerful voice, and yet it felt a little wonky during this number. 6.5
Travellin' Band
It was quite fearless to take Travellin' Band and turn it into this pop rock number that soared. This was still annoyingly karaoke, but this was a great vocal performance. The energy was infectious and he did enough to interest me. Unfortunately, this wasn't the moment I think he needed. 7
It was quite fearless to take Travellin' Band and turn it into this pop rock number that soared. This was still annoyingly karaoke, but this was a great vocal performance. The energy was infectious and he did enough to interest me. Unfortunately, this wasn't the moment I think he needed. 7
ROUND 3: MAKE-UP
Yellow
If I'm being honest, this wasn't the best week for Alex - relative to his competitors. When I heard that his last choice for the evening was Coldplay's Yellow, I felt relieved. I thought that it was a strong choice for him as he only had to tell the story and connect with the lyrics and he would easily have a solid moment. But while he sang well enough and he showcased a pretty good vocal dynamics, his performance ended up solid, when he needed to be outstanding. 8
If I'm being honest, this wasn't the best week for Alex - relative to his competitors. When I heard that his last choice for the evening was Coldplay's Yellow, I felt relieved. I thought that it was a strong choice for him as he only had to tell the story and connect with the lyrics and he would easily have a solid moment. But while he sang well enough and he showcased a pretty good vocal dynamics, his performance ended up solid, when he needed to be outstanding. 8
Maybe I'm Amazed
Caleb's rendition of Maybe I'm Amazed was one of his shining moments and proved my point. He's very talented once he is reined in and given limitations and subtlety. We saw a very restrained, but vocally superior performance from him and it was a pleasant departure from his usual loud antics. This was emotional and we finally got to hear him sing something with more depth. 8.5
Caleb's rendition of Maybe I'm Amazed was one of his shining moments and proved my point. He's very talented once he is reined in and given limitations and subtlety. We saw a very restrained, but vocally superior performance from him and it was a pleasant departure from his usual loud antics. This was emotional and we finally got to hear him sing something with more depth. 8.5
You And I
Jessica had a rough first two performances, but she quickly redeemed herself on this one. She delivered pristine vocals that were practically dripping with emotions. I loved that she finally connected to a big song on an emotional front and it hooked me in. I had goosebumps and I could sense the pain in her voice. This was Jessica all guns blazing. Just lovely. 9
Jessica had a rough first two performances, but she quickly redeemed herself on this one. She delivered pristine vocals that were practically dripping with emotions. I loved that she finally connected to a big song on an emotional front and it hooked me in. I had goosebumps and I could sense the pain in her voice. This was Jessica all guns blazing. Just lovely. 9
Can't Help Falling In Love
This was Jena in her element. I admit, I was a little skeptical with the song choice at first, but she managed to deliver another stirring vocal that will be named one of the best of the season. It was gorgeous, haunting, restrained that showed everyone the difference between knowing what you're singing about, and just making noise. Outstanding. 9.5
PREDICTION
Who should go?
Jessica Meuse
Who will go?
Caleb Johnson
2 comments:
Dude, seriously?? You honestly think/thought Caleb was going to go home? There was so little chance of that happening, it's not even funny.
Caleb is by far the best singer on the show this season. Just because you don't like him for whatever reason, you think he's bad?
In all reality, it should be Alex or Jena going home. Despite the overblown hype, Jena is not that good. And Alex is ok at best (he honestly reminds me of Adam Sandler for some reason).
That being said, Caleb won the night (no matter what the idiot judges say about Jena). And, to me, Jessica, while not the best, was 2nd place all the way.
Jena deserves to be in the top 3 about as much as Haley Reinhart did (in other words, she doesn't).
^^ HAHA. I was expecting/hoping for a shocker hence the prediction the way Chris Daughtry, Allison Iraheta and James Durbin got eliminated on Top 4 night.
That said, I seriously didn't think Caleb won the night.
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