Wednesday, March 9, 2011

American Idol: Top 13 perform . . .


Tonight the top 13 Idols performs a song by one of their own personal Idols.  Although the show was actually pre-taped, America will get to vote for their favorite Idol performances live.   

New this season is the addition of record producer, Jimmy Lovine to work and mentor the Idols in preparation for each of their performances. I think it's great that the Idols get to work with such talented and successful record producers but at the same time I kind of miss the idea of having guest mentors like Adam Lambert who did such a great job with the Idols last year.  And btw, many thanks to fellow AI fan and blogging friend AnnieNC for letting me know that Adam will be performing in tomorrow night's results show.  I am definitely tuning in to watch his performance. 

First up, Lauren Alaina sings Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain and I thought she picked the right song and role model. I'm a big fan of Shania. I thought she did a really good job, but do agree a bit with the judges about wanting Lauren to kick it up a notch.  It's more a matter of making something good even better.  

Casey Abrams sings With A Little Help From My Friends by his Idol Joe Cocker.  All I can say is I "felt" it Casey!

Ashthon Jones who the judges compared to Diana Ross sings When You Tell Me That You Love Me by none other than Diana Ross.  Ashthon has been one of my favorites throughout the competition, but unlike the positive reviews she received from the judges, I thought she was pretty pitchy throughout the song.  Sorry.

Paul McDonald sings Come Pick Me Up by Ryan Adams who I have not heard of before. I just really love Paul's voice and style and I agree with the judges in that he really brings something very new and unique to the Idol stage.  I thought it was very funny when Ryan was trying to learn the "Paul McDonald" dance.  Very unique! :)

Pia Toscano sings All By Myself by Celine Dion and nails it.  I think that she really has that "it" factor. 

James Durbin, the loan rocker in the top 13 surprisingly picks a Paul McCartney song, Maybe I’m Amazed.  With this performance I saw another side to James and I loved it. My favorite performance from him so far.

Haley Reinhart sings Blue by LeAnn Rimes which is another surprise selection for me.  I thought she did a great job on the vocals but I kind of agree with Randy in that the song choice felt a little sleepy. 

Jacob Lusk sings I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly and did what we have come to expect from him.  He did great.  

Thia Megia sings Smile by her Idol Michael Jackson.  I agree with Randy and Steven about liking the start more than the middle part of her performance.  But yet on the other hand  I have to agree with JLO in that it was nice to see her do something a little different too.  Hopefully she did enough to stay in the competition.

Stefano Langone sings Lately by Stevie Wonder. I agree with Randy that it can be very difficult to sing a Stevie Wonder song if you're not Stevie Wonder.  I liked it but didn't love it.

Karen Rodriguez picks I Could Fall In Love by Selena which doesn't really surprise me.  It is a perfect choice for her.  I think it could've been better, but I still really liked it.  I have a feeling that Steven wants her back next week. We'll see if the Idol fans take the hint. :) I think they will.

Scotty McCreery sings The River by Garth Brooks and I love that he's keeping true to himself.  Country is definitely where he belongs and where he should stay.  I loved his performance.

Naima Adedapo sings Umbrella by Rihanna.  I am so happy that Naima is in the competition.  She does need to be careful about her control, but I still really loved her Naima reggae spin on Rihanna's song. A very entertaining and wonderful performance. 

And here's how I ranked tonight's performances:

Casey Abrams
Scotty McCreery
Pia Toscana
Paul McDonald
Jacob Lusk
James Durbin
Naima Adedapo
Stefano Langone
Karen Rodriguez
Thia Megia
Haely Reinhart
Ashthon Jones

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recap!

    What an interesting night. Some very strong performances and none of them were that bad, so I have no idea who will go home. I hope it's not Paul - I love to watch his goofy dancing. It's a really strong group!

    Right now, I think I like Jacob the best - he's so passionate when he sings. Scotty did fine but I think we'll see better from him. Agree with you that it was James' best performance (good song choice too).

    I still like the guys better than the girls. It is starting to look like Pia is the strongest contestant of the girls.


    Can't wait to hear Adam L tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Annie, I can't wait to see Adam's performance too. Thanks so much for the tip. I think this is really a strong season too and it'll be hard to see contestants eliminated as the show goes on because I do like them all. I think the top 6 are the strongest and most consistent but I think it's still anyone's game. Should be very interesting tonight....Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the performances.

    Enjoy tonight's show.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HI AI Fans! It was a greatly entertaining show last night - love the judges' comments as well. The talent is diverse. I agree that no did really poorly and it was great to watch their ease of performance knowing the stress they must be under. I thought it was great to see the 'behind' the song/recording workings as well. Felt badly but I just didn't hear the greatness of Paul - and I want to love him - because of his quirkiness and the unusual pitch of his voice. I do agree that the male performances won out over the females. Loved James and Jacob (and all the rest of the guys in line): my decision still out on Naima and Ashton. I have to say, Pia, has it all but I'm holding my breath that she is not too one-dimensional!

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi M, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on last night's performances. Diverse is a great word to describe this seasons contestants. I also enjoy the behind the scenes recording clips as well. You shouldn't feel badly about not liking Paul.:). I agree with you and Annie that the guys are stronger. I was kind of hoping there would be a female winner this year but I guess it shouldn't matter as long as they are talented . :). I am really looking forward to the results.

    Enjoy the show tonight my fellow Ai fans !

    ReplyDelete

It's me Trekcapri (aka Kathy). Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment.