American Idol 10: Top 3

This episode confirms it: I DO NOT WANT AN ALL COUNTRY FINALE!

Quite frankly, this was just a decent night for everyone. I don't think any of them really blew it out of the park on all of their songs. But, as usual, the judges called a round for all of them and continued to pile on the praise in heaping scoopfuls. So, whatever.

I just have to say though that Haley Reinhart won the night for me. No, it's not her strongest week, but you know what thought just occurred to me? Haley could have sang all 9 of those songs and done a good job. There isn’t another person in that room, besides Haley, that could have sung ALL her 3 songs! It's kind of unfair because Haley's songs were by far the most difficult to sing. So maybe - just maybe - I'm actually grading them on a curve. But again, I digress.

I just have to point out a couple of things: Beyonce was a decent mentor, I'm warming up to Jimmy Iovine, and can Randy Jackson retire his "In It To Win It" catchphrase? It's repetitive and annoying - but mostly annoying.

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

 BY ROUNDS

ROUND 1: Contestant's Song Choice

03. Lauren Alaina

Wild One
I couldn't hear Lauren over those earrings! HAHA. Kidding aside, I didn't think this was the best song choice for her. I mean, the cadence of the song was way too fast for her that she was unable to keep up with the song. The arrangement didn't allow her to shine AT ALL, the music was incredibly loud and the whole performance just lacked a certain amount of oomph. This actually reminded me of her Any Man Of Mine performance. Remember that? No? Exactly my point. Nothing memorable. 6.5/10

02. Scotty McCreery

Amazed
Sure, his song choice was, yet again, awfully predictable, but I kind of liked this performance. It was not so twangy and he went for those big notes. No, there was still not much range after that and it felt like he was pushing WAY too much, but I honestly thought that it was the best I have heard of him in a while. Too bad, the band and the background singers drowned him out a bit a couple of times. Not mind blowing but good - if a bit safe. 7/10

01. Haley Reinhart

What Is And What Should Never Be
Wow. This was the energy level that Scotty and Lauren forgot backstage. True, her vocals were definitely off on a few instances, but I honestly thought that the dynamics she showed on the verses were stunning. The effort she put into tuning the song to compliment her voice was very well done. Also, the way she riffed during the last part of the song blew me away. Oh, and she tripped!! I admit, I sort of laughed when I suddenly couldn't see her on the screen, but she recovered excellently. And although this wasn't entirely my favorite Haley performance EVER, I thought it was pretty solid and her dad playing the guitar on that stage with her was a very nice touch. 8.5/10

ROUND 2: Jimmy Iovine's Song Choice

03. Scotty McCreery

Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?
Guitar! Well, he's going to win now.. HAHA. This performance was actually pretty solid and, yes, that's just about it for me. I mean, the song choice slightly gave Scotty a bit more variety, but it was too sleepy for my taste. He also had this squeeky thing he did with his voice that somewhat grated on me. I don't know. Not a fan of this. 6.5/10

02. Haley Reinhart

Rhiannon
The fog, the wind machine, the ethereal lighting.. Haley got the James Durbin treatment this week. Haha. But, who's idea was it to plug the giant ventilators? Seriously? I thought she started out amazingly, but when the tempo picked up, I didn't enjoy it that much. The shrill backup singer ruined the performance, the arrangement was odd and I thought the sound mix was off. I could barely hear her over the background singers. 7/10

01. Lauren Alaina

If I Die Young
Thank you, Jimmy Iovine! This was such a beautiful song choice for her. I didn't think it was particularly the most challenging song for her to sing, but this was perhaps one of my favorite performances from her. I thought she sounded beautiful in the beginning and the end was actually quite good. She did mess up with the song and kind of lost her way in the middle as her timing was off a couple of times, but  I still enjoyed it. 7.5/10

ROUND 3: Judges' Song Choice

03. Scotty McCreery

She Believes In Me
Scotty was.. well.. Scotty! To be honest, this Kenny Rogers song was just not right for someone of Scotty’s age and persona. It's almost borederline creepy! Vocally, he was sounding pretty off in some parts of it, but I did like that he stretched his vocal range for once. The chorus was soaring and so was his voice, the problem was, I still wasn't impressed. It was the classic sleepy Scotty. Sorry. 7/10

02. Haley Reinhart

You Oughta Know
I admit, she muffed the tough fast part during the verses, but she KILLED the chorus! I honestly thought that it was the best - or at least the most impressive - thing any contestant did all night. If only her vocals weren't as uneven as it actually was, this would've been an easy home run for her. Sigh. 7.5/10

01. Lauren Alaina

I Hope You Dance
I really wanted to hear Scotty sing Nuts of Wonder again, but they gave it to her instead! Boo! Lauren, I thought, was good! But was that enough? I'm not so sure. Yes, it fits right in her element, but she lost her pacing a bit on the song when the arrangement went faster than normal. To me, that took away every bit of emotion to her performance. Her vocals were mighty fine, but she badly needed a breakout performance to set herself apart from the other two. Sadly, that didn't happen. 7.5/10

 BY PERFORMANCE

1. What Is And What Should Never Be

Haley Reinhart

2. I Hope You Dance

Lauren Alaina

3. You Oughta Know

Haley Reinhart

4. If I Die Young

Lauren Alaina

5. Rhiannon

Haley Reinhart

6. She Believes In Me

Scotty McCreery

7. Amazed

Scotty McCreery

8. Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?

Scotty McCreery

9. Wild One

Lauren Alaina

 BY IDOL

1. Haley Reinhart

Not her strongest week, but all three of her songs had a very high level of difficulty compared to the other two. I mean, ask Scotty or even Lauren to sing her songs and they would crash and burn. Haley had more guts - and more success - than anyone and she has had the most remarkable season with the last four or five weeks being breathtaking, including her bold pick tonight. She has absolutely earned her spot in the Finale. Enough said.

2. Lauren Alaina

She had two solid performances, and biffed her personal song choice. In general, yes, they were good, but I don't think they were memorable enough. Sigh. If only she had waited for another year..

3. Scotty McCreery

To some extent, his performances got progressively stronger as the night went on. However, Scotty, to me, has just flat-lined at this point. He just NEVER delivered any Idol moment of historic proportions. He is typically safe, and tonight was no exception.