American Idol: The Final Curtain

It's hard to believe that tonight is the last American Idol show! And it's even harder to believe that this is my first as well as my last American Idol blog post!

I started faithfully watching the audition shows with every intention of watching and blogging weekly about the contestants and the competition.  Unfortunately, with a couple of upcoming events happening this year for me (Retirment and my Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage), it has been crazy busy for me to tune in each week.  And it didn't feel right to blog about the show without that 100% commitment to watching each and every performance.  With that said, I knew that I had to write at least one post before the final curtain falls.  

This week we watched as producers, judges and past contestants talked about their Idol experiences. They talked about how American Idol has had such a big impact on their lives, on the music industry and on the lives of so many of its fans.  The show produced so many successful alums to include Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, Scotty McCreery and Carrie Underwood.  

I am so thankful to American Idol and to everyone involved with the show for giving us so many great memories, amazing music and most importantly for showing us that Dreams can and do come true!

I have been watching the show this week, including last night's performances between two very talented contestants, La'Porsha Renae and Trent Harmon.  And here's my review:

Treant Harmon sang If You Don't Know Me By Now - I thought Treant did a wonderful job.

La'Porsha Renae sang A House Is Not a Home - This was a brilliant performance and my favorite of the night. She was smooth, soulful and she did Luther's song justice and then some.

Treant Harmon sang Chandelier, and this was his best performance of the night.  Keith Urban complemented Treant on his vocal transitions and his falsetto and JLo felt he should be the winner based on this performance.

La'Porsha sang Diamonds by Rihanna - Loved her performance and so did the judges and audience. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the crowd chanted her name. It was an emotional moment.

I remember La'Porsha from the audition shows and loved her in the beginning and love her now.  And in her own words, I think it would be fun to see American Idol end where it first began . . . with a female winner.  A winner who also happens to be the contestant who gave the best performances and earned the right to be crowned this final season's American Idol winner. Even Kelly Clarkson (who before last night has never voted for a contestant) said that she intends to vote for La'Porsha to win.  I agree and so this is how I voted.

I'm not sure who will win tonight but I think we are all winners for having had American Idol in our lives for so long.  Thank you!  And to my fellow American Idol fans, AnnieNC, FoxVegas, Menehune, SandraC, Marta and so many more of my fellow bloggers who took the time to read my posts, for also sharing your reviews and for commenting on my blog about the competition and wonderful talent that we were so lucky to enjoy.  And now I'll sign off so I can sit back and enjoy tonight's show.

And that's my final American Idol Recap.  Keep on Rocking AI . . . 

American Idol Season 15: Top 7 Perform & A Favorite Is Eliminated

Sorry to have missed last week's show and vote.  To quickly recap, last week, Quaasim and Rayvon landed in the bottom two and with the new Tweeter save vote, Rayvon stayed and Quaasim was eliminated. America thankfully got that save right.

As a point of interest, it has been revealed on some Idol websites that only the top 5 (rather than the top 10) contestants will be invited to go on the American Idol Summer Tour.  I'm wondering if this big change has something to do with their low TV ratings.    

First Performance: 

Jax - Piece of My Heart (Great and super cool performance)
Clark Beckham - Superstition (Loved the scatting at the beginning but overall this wasn't one of his best vocals)
Nick Fradiani - American Girl (He did a great job)
Tyanna Jones - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (She just continues to deliver)
Quentin Alexander - Are You Gonna Go My Way (A Strong Performance, but he continues to have "pitch" problems.)

After Quinten's performance there was a very uncomfortable exchange between Quentin and Harry after Quentin expressed his disappointment of seeing his good friend, Joey, in the bottom two.  Joey and Quentin have become very close and he said that was "whack" to see Joey and Rayvon in the bottom.  Harry took that comment wrong and the misundertanding between the two played out in a very ugly way on live TV. Ouch!  I like Harry but I personally think that Harry overreacted to what was obviously a disappointed and emotional Quinten.  I'm glad that Quentin stood up for himself, but I agree with JLo, that there's a time and place for "emotions" and in the middle of a competition earning popular votes is not the best time to let the emotions get the best of you.  It'll be interesting how America will vote. I didn't vote for Quinten but I based it on performance and not his emotional outburst.  I think what happened tonight will either propel him or not. If it earns him more votes that's not fair to the other contestants because votes should be based on performance.    

It's revealed that Joey Cook and Rayvon Owen are in the bottom two and will have a sing off to earn the save votes from the fans.  By the narrowest of margins, Joey was sadly eliminated which was disappointing to me, because she has been one of my favorites all season.  

Sing Off Performance: 

Rayvon Owen - Always on My Mind (He really earned the top spot on the sing off with this performance. It was a great song choice and performance)

Joey Cook - Somebody to Love (All I have to say is I love her creativity, but for a sing off, a similar performance and song choice like It's a Mad World would've been I think better). 

Joey Cook - My Funny Valentine (It wasn't her best performance, but it was better than Rayvon)

Rayvon Owen - Long Train Runnin (It was okay, but there is just something too ordinary about this performance)

Second Performance: '
Tyanna Jones - Proud Mary (Best performance of the night! I loved her energy. )
Jax - Beat It (I loved her rocker, edgier take on this Michael J. classic)
Clark Beckham - Moon River (It wasn't his best, but he's so good that it should be enough to hopefully keep him safe)
Quentin Alexander - The Sounds of Silence  (Strong performance. He is clearly emotional and apologizes to the judges for the earlier exchange and tells them that he meant no disrespect).
Nick Fradiani - Only the Good Die Young (Pretty good, but not a stand out performance)

It's getting harder to vote since the remaining contestants are all so talented in their own unique ways, but there can only be one Idol and so here's how I voted.  Good luck to all the Idols. 

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

American Idol Season 15: Kelly Clarkson's Song Book

Tonight, guest mentor Kelly Clarkson returned to the Idol stage to help the Idols in performing songs from her song book.  I enjoyed seeing Kelly back on the Idol stage performing.  IMHO being the first will always be the most special Idol title to hold.

Here's how I rated tonight's performances (best to least liked):

Clark Beckham - The Trouble With Love Is (Best performance of the night. He keeps getting stronger each week. Love the bluesy touch.)
Jax - Beautiful Disaster (Second best performance of the night.)
Joey Cook - Miss Independent (I liked her jazzy interpretation.)
Rayvon Owen - Since U Been Gone (This is his best performance this season.)
Quentin Alexander - Dark Side (Another good performance.)
Nick Frandiani - Catch My Breath (I'm not sure it was his best performance, but I still liked it)
Tyanna Jones - Mr. Know It All (She is so talented, but I did feel a little disconnect from the emotions of the lyrics. I hope she makes it through.)
Qaasim Middleton - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) (This is a better performance than last week.) 
Daniel Seavey - Breakaway (He's very talented and has made some great improvements during this season but still the weakest vocal in this group.)

The bottom two from last week's performance was Rayvon Owen and Daniel Seavey, but the fans were able to tweet who they want to save this week. Based on the tweeted votes, Rayvon was thankfully saved. He had a weak performance last week but I think it was right to save him over Daniel.

And here's how I voted this week:

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

American Idol Season 15: It's 80's Night

Tonight it's 80's night on Idol. With guest mentor Boy George (loved seeing him) it was a flashback to big hair and tight pants. Guests included Night Rider (David Hasselhoff) and Salt-N-Pepa who gave us an amazing performance of "Push It".

Here's how I rated their performances tonight:

Clark Beckham - Every  Breath You Take by The Police (He just gets better each week)
Jax - You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi (As always a very good performance)
Tyanna Jones - I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston (Her best performance of the season)
Joey Cook - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper (Wasn't her best performance, but still very strong)
Quentin Alexander - In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins (He gave us another Quentin like performance. I enjoyed it.)
Nick Frandiani - Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson (He's one of my favorites. He did a great job)
Rayvon Owen - Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fear (He did better than last week)
Qaasim Middleton - Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer (He definitely did a bit better than Daniel)
Daniel Seavey - You Make My Dreams by Hall and Oats (Nice guy, but he is the weakest vocalist in the group)

Eliminated:
Adanna Duru & Maddie Walker (I thought Adanna should have been able to move on)

And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 15: Top 11 Perform And An Idol Saved

This week's Idol Theme was "movie night" and the contestants performed songs from a movie.  Today's extra guest mentor is Nile Rogers (Remember the group Chic) and I thought he was really good.  The new format continues, as they reveal (via a green lit chair), each Idol making it through they are immediately thrust into their next performance.  I'm not sure I like this format, but it does make the show move faster which I do like.  

Prior to each performance, a quick clip shows each contestant making up a movie which was actually kind of cute.  Then a mentor session and their performance. It was a cool surprise to see Kenny Loggins perform Footloose, which even got Harry to stand up and dance.   

The big news for the night is Qaasim avoiding elimination by earning the judge's one and only save for the season.  I hope they don't regret it in the future. Qaasim performed much better to get the save, but he had a horrible performance last week and I thought the voters had it right.  I don't think he is the weakest in this group but he also isn't the best vocal either.  So I guess, we'll see how things go. I'm hoping America gets next week's vote right again. In my opinion and based on their performances, next to go should be Daniel or Maddie.   

And here's how I rated this week's performances (best to least liked):

Joey Cook - Mad World, Donnie Darko (Joey is easily becoming my favorite of the season)
Clark Beckham - Sunday Morning, Cheaper By The Dozen 2 (His best performance by far)
Adanna Duru - I Love You I Do, Dream Girls (Adanna continues to bring it, great job)
Jax - I Want To Grow Old With You, The Wedding Singer (I enjoyed seeing this quirky side of Jax)
Quentin Alexander - You're The One That I Want, Grease (I loved his interpretation)
Nick Fradiani - Danger Zone, Top Gun (Good, but a better song choice (Heaven In Your Eyes) would've been better)
Tyanna Jones - The Circle of Life, The Lion King (love her but I think a better song choice may have been better)
Rayvon Owen - Stayin' Alive, Saturday Night Fever (He did better this week than last)
Qaasim Middleton - Come Together, Across the Universe (Much better than last week, but I think the save shouldn't have been used)
Maddie Walker - Let's Hear It For The Boy, Footloose (Yikes, probably one of her worst performance)
Daniel Seavey- Lost Stars, Begin Again (I like Daniel, but this was very hard to listen to. Not good at all)

And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 15: Top 11 Perform-A Few Hits & A Couple of Misses

Tonight, the top 12 contestants perform for our votes. I'm a bit behind because they changed the format and I didn't realize that they were going to eliminate four contestants yesterday so I'm missing an elimination post. Oops!   

I really enjoyed the performances tonight and I like the tips that this year's mentor, Scott Borchetta, gave to the Idol hopefuls.  I have my favorites in Jax, Joey, Quintin and Tyanna and they all did very well.  I was disappointed in the performances of Qaasim and Rayvon who were two of my earlier favorites.  

I thought one of my other favorites, Adanna Duru, gave the best performance of the night.  I loved it so much I even tweeted about it and was tweeted back by get this, American Idol!  

And just as cool, Adanna favored my tweet! 

So here's a list of the Idol performances and where I would rank them (best to least liked):  

Adanna Duru - Runaway Baby
Joey Cook - Fancy
Tyanna Jones - Tightrope
Jax - Blank Space
Nick Fradiani - Wak Me Up
Quentin Alexander - Rolling in the Deep
Clark Backham - Takin it to the Streets
Maddie Walker - She's Country
Rayvon Owen - Burn
Daniel Seavey - Happy
Qaasim Middleton - Jet

Eliminated:

Sarina-Joi Crowe (Sad to see her go. I think that she is so talented and I wish her much post Idol success)

And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 15: Top 12 Guys & Girls Perform for our Votes

This week the top 12 guys and top 12 girls performed for our votes.   With such a diverse and talented group I was looking forward to watching this week's performances. From the top 24, only 16 will move on.  I really hope my favorites make it through, but since Idol can be a bit of a popularity contest in the earlier rounds a couple of them may be in jeopardy.

  
There were a few standout performances from Quintin, Qaasim, Nick, Jax, Sarina=Joi, Joey and Tyanna. 

Here's how I rated the guys from my most favorite to my least favorite:

Quintin Alexander - I Put A Spell On You
Nick Fradiani - Thinking Out Loud
Qaasim Middleton - Uptown Funk
Savion Wright - Hey Soul Sister
Rayvon Owen - Jealous
Mark Andrew - The Weight
Daniel Seavey - I'm Yours
Clark Beckham - When A Man Loves A Woman
Michael Simeon - How Am I supposed To Live Without You
Riley Bria - Homeboy
Adam Ezegalian - I Wanna Rock
Trevor Douglas - Best I Ever Had

And here's how I rated the girls:

Jax - Bank Ban (My Baby Shot Me Down)
Sarina-Joi Crowe - Mamma Knows Best
Joey Cook - Somebody Like You
Tyanna Jones - Lips Are Movin
Adanna Duru - Rather Be
Katherine Winston - Safe and Sound
Lovey James - Love Runs Out
Alexis Gomez - Gunpowder and Lead
Maddie Walker - Love Gets Me Everytime
Shannon Berthiaume - Who Knew
Loren Lott - Note to God
Shi Scott - Umbrella

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

American Idol Season 15: TOP 24 (AGAIN)

Here's the American Idol Season 15 Top 24 Contestants (again).  Last week I posted that the top 24 contestants were selected, but it was the top 48.  This week was the tru top 24 and next week the contestants will peform for our votes.  And here they are: 

Top 12 Girls:  Adanna Duru, Alexis Gomez, Jackie "Jax" Cole, Joey Cook, Katherine Winston, Loren Lott, Lovey James, Maddie Walker, Sarina-Joi Crowe, Shi Scott, Shannon Berthiaume, Tyanna Jones.

Top 12 Guys:  Adam Ezegelian, Clark Beckham, Daniel Seavey, Mark Andrew, Michael Simeon, Nick Fradiani, Jr., Qaasim Middleton, Quentin Alexander, Rayvon Owen, Riley Bria, Savion Wright, Trevor Douglas.

Looks like my favorites which I posted last week made it through a second time to the top 24. :)

After seeing more performances from other contestants who made it through, I also like Shannon Berthiaume, Adanna Duru and Sarina-Joi Crowe.  For the guys, I also like Nick Fradiani Jr and Qaasim Middleton. 

I love this group of Top 24 contestants and I'm looking forward to the competition. From the looks of it, there should be some pretty interesting, creative and very entertaining performances. 

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

American Idol Season 15: Top 48

It's that time of the year again.  Season 15 of American Idol has arrived and after a few weeks of auditions and two rounds in Hollywood, (including the notorious Group night) we are down to the top 48 contestants.  

The show has toned down those crazy auditions and excessive group night drama episodes during the Hollywood rounds and it is like a breath of fresh air. One change made was bringing in Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Records (he discovered Taylor Swift), to replace Randy Jackson to mentor the Idols.  Interesting.

I was thrilled to also see Keith, JLO and Harry back as Judges. They have such great chemistry together and they are so entertaining to watch. Here's one of their more entertaining impromptu performances with idol contestant Ellen Peterson.  

There were so many talented hopefuls this season, but only the top 48 (from the original 200 who made it to Hollywood) gets to move on and here they are:    

Top 12 Girls:  Adanna Duru, Alexis Gomez, Ellen Petersen, Emily Brooke, Erica Washington, Erika Davis, Hannah Mrozak, Hunter Larsen, Jackie "Jax" Cole, Jaq Mackenzie, Angelika "Jelly" Joseph, Joey "Accordion Girl" Cook, Katherine Winston, Kalynne Schoelen, Loren Lott, Lovey James, Maddie Walker, Monica Laire Pidoy Mendoza, Naja Lewis, Gina Venier, Rachel Hallack, Shannon Mae Berthiaume, Sarina-Joi Crowe, Shi Scott and Tyanna Jones. 

Top 12 Guys:  Adam Ezegelian, Casey Thrasher, Clark Beckham, Cody Fry, Daniel Seavey, Hector Montenegro, Anderson "Hollywood" Footman, Jessie Nunn, Josh Sanders, Mark Andrew Pudas, Michael Simeon, Nick Fradiani Jr., Qaasim Middleton, Quentin Alexander, Rayvon Owen, Reno Anoa'i, Ricky Hendricks, Riley Bria, Savion Wright, Tion Phipps and Trevor Douglas. 

Next week's final cut will be brutal so I hope my favorites make it: 

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

American Idol Season 13: Final Two Showdown - Jena Irene vs Caleb Johnson

It's finale time and we were treated to a wonderful and lively Jena Irene vs Caleb Johnson showdown. Who's going to take this Season's title of American Idol? Will the rocker go through this competition without once landing in the bottom.  Or will a young piano playing songstress who can rock it out with the best of them swoop in and take the title.

Well, with no further a due, here's how I rated tonight's performances:

Producer's Choice:
Caleb Johnson sings Dream On by Aerosmith
Jena Irene sings Dog Days Are Over by Florence & the Machine

Idol's Choice:
Jena Irene sings I Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis (I'm so downloading this song itunes)
Caleb sings Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney

Proposed Coronation Song:
Jena Irene sings We Are One
Caleb sings As Long As You Love Me

I really like both Jena & Caleb and I know that they'll go on to have very successful music careers, but based on the overall performances tonight, here's how I voted:  

Regardless of the low ratings this season I was so happy that the show went back to focusing on the contestants rather than the judges.  Bringing back Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez and adding new Judge Harry Connick Jr. to the original 3 Judge panel was a great decision.  And let's not forget the amazing talent the show discovered this season like Alex Preston, Majesty Rose, Sam Woolf, C.J. Harris, Jessica Meuse, Malaya Watson, Dexter Roberts and MK Nobilette. I hope that they all go on to have very successful music careers.

There are a few things I hope the AI producers will leave out next season. First, those overdone selfies.  Gotta go! Second, the half time Facebook results which I'm sure affected (in a negative and unfair way) the overall voting results.  I totally believe that Majesty Rose left way too early due to those Facebook half-time voting results.  Can someone please remind the AI producers that there's a good reason why on election night the media are not allowed to show any voting results until all the precincts in America have closed for the night.  If some fans see that their favorites are already losing, they just may decide not to cast their votes. Okay, I'll admit that voting for AI is not on the same level as voting for our next President, but to an AI fan it can mean the difference between their favorite moving on or being eliminated. Kind of a big deal to us. :)

I want to thank fellow AI fan AnnieNC (Blog: Churches in Venice) for her comments on my AI weekly Recaps and for sharing her own recaps with me. I hope that AI's ratings and fan base can bounce back next year, because it's such a great vehicle for giving the many talented artists like Jena & Caleb a shot in the music industry.  I know that there are other shows like The Voice that is giving AI stiff competition.  I'll even admit to watching The Voice a few times. :)  However, like Ryan Seacrest always says each season . . . there can only be one American Idol!  

And that's my final Recap for this Season!  Keep on Rocking AI .  .  .

American Idol Season 13: Top Three Idols Perform To Compete In The Finale

Tonight the top three performed three songs each for a chance to make it to the finale show and compete for the title of American Idol.

Here's how I rated all three performances:

Randy's Song Choice for the Idols:
Alex Preston sings Pompeii by Bastille (I thought him playing the drums was a very cool touch)
Jena Irene sings Titanium by David Guetta
Caleb Johnson sings Never Tear Us Apart by Inxs

Judge's Song Choice for the Idols:
Alex sings Stay by Rihanna (That was beautiful)
Jena sings Heart Attack by Demi Lovato
Caleb sings Demons by Imagine Dragons (Poor Caleb was having voice problems and you could really hear it in this performance. Talk about bad timing for him).

Hometown Picks Choice for the Idols:
Jena sings Creep by Radiohead
Alex sings Story of My Life by One Direction
Caleb sings Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin

Based upon tonight's performances I would have to say that Alex & Jena had the top two performances. Alex was brilliant singing Stay by Rihanna and Jena knocked it out of the park with Creep by Radiohead.  I feel bad that Caleb had voice problems tonight but based on tonight's performances it's clear to me that Alex and Jena deserve to move on. I think they would be a great Finale duo. Two amazing artists going head to head. 

And tonight is the 500th show anniversary, so a group of people to include some of the eliminated Idols like Malaya, Majesty, MK, Jessica, CJ, Dexter, Sam and Ben came out with a huge cake.  I'm sure they're in town already rehearsing for the finale show next week.  Well, another season of American Idol is coming to an end. It wasn't the best season, but it was a lot better than last year.  Now if we can only get them to stop with those overdone selfies. :)

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

American Idol Season 13: Dedication and Love's Break-Ups and Make-Ups

Tonight, the Idols compete to be in the Top Three  and return home to receive that very special Hometown show star treatment.

Apparently, there was a bit of controversy that came up this week. First, the anonymous votes from last week's show were revealed. Second, there was a YouTube Video with a controversial interview involving Caleb.  To be fair, I think the Idols should be judged by the merits of their performances because that's what the show is about. I have no issues with who voted for what last week, but I have a feeling that the Caleb video was very disappointing for his fans.  

I thought the first two performances were just okay with no real stand outs. Thankfully, the Idols saved their best for last because the third performances from all four contestants were pretty awesome.  And here's how I rated all three performaces tonight:

Here's how I rated their Break-Up Performances:
Jena Irene sings Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar
Alex Preston sings Too Close by Alex Clare
Jessica Meuse sings Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Caleb Johnson sings You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi

Here's how I rated Idol's Dedication Performances:
Jessica Meuse sings So What by Pink
Jena Irene sings Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Caleb Johnson sings Travelin' Band by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Alex Preston sings I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

Here's how I rated their Make-Up Performances:
Jena Irene sings Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley (By far the best performance of the season. That was Awesome!)
Jessica Meuse sings You and I by Lady Gaga (Her best performance of the season. I'm really pulling for Jessica because she has taken all the criticism in a positive way and she always seems to genuinely enjoy every moment of the experience).
Alex Preston sings Yellow by Coldplay
Caleb Johnson sings Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney

I based my votes on how I rated the third performances of the night and based upon that, it was the girls who really pulled it off tonight.  Here's how I voted: 

And thanks my Recap!  Keep on Rocking AI . . . .

American Idol Season 13: Idols Perform America's Request

Tonight, the Idols performed two songs that were recommended for them to sing by their fans. I think that any one of these remaining Idol contestants are talented enough to win this year's American Idol title.  

It was cool to see Jason Mraz as this week's guest mentor to help prepare the Idols for their performances.  He gave some very good advice to the contestants.  Overall, it was a very entertaining show and here's how I rated the performances:

Here's how I rated the First Performances:
Jessica Meuse sings Human by Christina Perri
Jena Irene Ascuitto sings My Body by Young and the Giant
Alex Preston sings Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood
Caleb Johnson sings I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
Sam Woolf sings Sing by Ed Sheeran

And here's how I rated the SecondPerformances:
Alex Preston sings Say Something by A Great Big World (IMHO, this was the best performance of the season)
Caleb Johnson sings Still of the Night by Whitesnake
Jessica Meuse sings Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray
Jena Irene sings Valerie by Amy Winehouse
Sam Woolf sings How to Save a Life by Fray

Group Performances:
Caleb & Jessica sing Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones
Jena, Alex & Sam sing Best Day of My Life by American Authors

I know that I said that I would only vote for one Idol, but it literally was a tie for me this week.  I liked Jessica's first performance the best and I liked Alex's second performance the best. So here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 13: Top 6 Are Little Bit Country And A Little Bit Rock & Roll

Tonight the Idols sang a little bit of Country and a little bit of Rock & Roll. :)  The contestants performed one song each from two very different genres of music making it a very entertaining show to watch.

With the finale shows scheduled for May 20 & 21, 2014, it's getting right down to the wire.  I really like all of the remaining 6 contestants and it will be so hard to see one of them eliminated each week until the finale show. But as they always say each year, there can only be one American Idol. 

And here's how I rated the two performances: 

Rock performances:
Jena Irene sings Barracuda by Heart
Sam Woolf sings It's Time by Imagine Dragons
Jessica Meuse sings Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane
Caleb Johnson sings Sting Me by the Black Crowes
Alex Preston sings Animal by Neon Trees
C.J. Harris sings American Woman by the Guess Who/Lenny Kravitz

Country performances:
Alex Preston sings Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson
Jena Irene sings So Small by Carrie Underwood
Caleb Johnson sings Undo It by Carrie Underwood
Jessica Meuse sings Jolene by Dolly Parton
Sam Woolf sings You're Still the One by Shania Twain
C.J. Harris sings Whatever It Is by Zac Brown Band

And based upon their combined performances, here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 13: Competitor's Choice

Tonight each Idol recommended a song from the 80's that they thought their fellow contestants should perform.   Each contestant selected one of the songs that were chosen by their competitors to peform.

I really enjoyed learning five interesting facts about the Idols like CJ being a neat freak and having to clean up after Dexter, Caleb having a fear of spiders (I can relate), Dexter's fear of flying and Sam being terrible at sports.   

And here's how I rated tonight's performances: 
Jena Irene sings Creep by Radiohead (chosen by Caleb)
C.J. Harris sings Gravity by John Mayer (chosen by Caleb)
Alex Preston sings The A Team by Ed Sheeran (chosen by Dexter)
Caleb Johnson sings Family Tree by Kings of Leon (chosen by Alex)
Sam Woolf sings Sail Away by David Gray (Chosen by Jessica Meuse)
Jessica Meuse sings Gunpowder And Lead by Miranda Lambert (chosen by Sam)
Dexter Roberts sings Muckalee Creek Water by Luke Bryan (chosen by CJ Harris)

And here's how I rated the Duet performances:
Jena Irene & Caleb Johnson sings Gimmie Shelter by The Rolling Stones
Sam Woolf & Alex Preston sings Let Her Go by Passenger
Dexter Roberts, Jessica Meuse & C.J. Harris sings Compass by Lady Antebellum

I really enjoyed all the performances and it will be sad to see any one of these contestants be eliminated.  Best of luck to all of them. I think that they'll all go on to have successful music careers post Idol.

Although I enjoyed all the performances, I've decided to start throwing all my votes for the best performance of the night rather than splitting my votes.  And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 13: Songs from 80's

The one good thing about the judges using the save last week is we got to see Sam Woolf perform again this week and second, we don't have to watch the Idols sing to save their lives for the rest of the season.

Tonight, the Idols perform songs from the 80's and I really enjoyed seeing the Idols be mentored by David Cook to help prepare them for their performances.  

Here are my top three performances of the night:
Alex Preston sings Every Breath You Take by The Police (I totally disagree with JLO.  I loved that he put his own Alex Preston creative spin on this 80's classic. I liked it so much that I downloaded his song on iTunes)
Sam Woolf sings Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper (loved the acoustic delivery)
C.J. Harris sings Free Fallin by Tom Petty

Here's how I rated the rest of the performances (from best to least liked):
Dexter Roberts sings Keep Your Hands To Yourself by Georgia Satellites
Jessica Meuse sings Call Me by Blondie
Jena Irene Ascuitto sings I Love Rock N' Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Malaya Watson sings Through the Fire by Chaka Khan

Caleb Johnson sings Faithfully by Journey 

Sadly, I think the three remaining girls may end up in the bottom three.

And here's how I rated the Duet Performances (from best to least liked):
Alex Preston & Sam Woolf team sing The Girl Is Mine by Michael Jackson
Dexter Roberts & Jessica Meuse sing Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (If Jessica was this good and animated in her solo performance, she would be in my top three).
Caleb Johnson & Jena Irene Ascuitto sing It's Only Love by Tina Turner  Bryan Adams
Malaya Watson & C.J. Harris sing I Knew You Were Waiting by Aretha Franklin & George Michael

And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 13: Where it All Began-Their Audition Songs

Tonight the Idols performed songs from their original audition. In addition to their individual performances, each Idol was paired off with another contestant to perform a duet.

But based on tonight's performances all the idols have definitely stepped it up. It's great to see how much they have all improved over the weeks with each performance.   I still really miss Majesty though.    

Here's my top 4 performances of the night: I usually pick my top 3 but my third pick was a tie between Jessica & Malaya. 

- Caleb Johnson sings Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin. I haven't been a really big fan of Caleb, but he won me over with his performance tonight. I heard something very soulful and raw in his performance tonight which I had not heard before and I loved it.  

- Alex Preston sing his original song, Fairy Tale. He is so talented. I loved his performance tonight. 

- Jessica Meuse sings her original song, Blue Eyed Lie. I would totally buy her song on iTunes.

- Malaya Watson sings Ain't No Way by Aretha Franklin. I thought this was one of her strongest performances in the competition and I loved it.

Here's how I rated the rest of the pack: 
CJ Harris sings Soul Shine by the Allman Brothers
Jena Irene sings Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Sam Woolf sings Lego House by Ed Sheeran
Dexter Roberts sings One Mississippi by Brett Eldredge

Here's how I rated the Duet Performances:
Jessica Meuse & Caleb Johnson sing Stop Dragging My Heart Around by Stevie Nicks & Tom Perry
Jena Irene & Alex Preston sing Just Give Me a Reason by Pink & Nate
Dexter Roberts & CJ Harris sings Allright by Darius Rucker
Malaya Watson & Sam Woolf sing Lucky by Jason Mraz

And here's how I voted:

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

American Idol Season 13: Singing With The Band

This week the Idols pick a rock and roll song to sing with the Idol Band.

And here's how the night went:

Alex Preston - Don't Speak by No Doubt
Majesty York - Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine
Dexter Roberts - Boondocks by Little Big Town
Malaya Watson - The Long And Winding Road by The Beatles
Sam Woolf - Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's
Jessica Meuse - Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
Caleb Johnson - Dazed And Confused by Jake Holmes
Jena Irene - Bring Me To Life by Evanescence & Paul McCoy
CJ Harris - If It Hadn't Been For Love by The SteelDrivers

I have to say that all the Idols did really well tonight and it's very difficult to have to pick my top three. 

Considering what songs they chose to perform, their creativity, uniqueness and delivery, here are my top performances of the night:  Alex Preston (loved his jazzy rendition), Majesty York (I'm so glad to see her back on track and feeling confident after being in the bottom three. There's something really authentic and positive about Majesty's performances that I really love.) and Jessica Meuse (I thought this was her best performance in the competition and besides I'm a big Fleetwood Mac fan and she sounds so much like Stevie Nicks). 

I'm not sure who will get eliminated, because they were all pretty good.  But if I had to pick a bottom three, I would have to say Dexter Roberts, CJ Harris and Malaya Watson. 

And here's how I voted: 

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

American Idol Season 13: Top 10 Sing Billboard Charts Top 10 Songs

Tonight the contestants take on the top 10 songs from the Billboard Charts and there is very little room for mistakes. The judges still have their one save to use, but so far America has voted very well.

And here's how the night went:

M.K. Nobilette - Perfect by Pink
Dexter Roberts - Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
Jena Irene Asciutto - Clarity by Zedd/Foxes
Alex Preston - Story of My Life by One Direction
Malaya Watson - When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars
Caleb Johnson - The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga
C.J. Harris - Invisible by Hunter Hayes
Jessica Meuse - Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People
Majesty Rose York - Wake Me Up by Avici
Sam Woolf - We Are Young by Fun/Janelle Monáe

I think Dexter and Caleb have been singing well and consistently throughout the competition and I couldn't quite figure out why I just wasn't liking them as much as the other contestants.  It wasn't until I watched Alex Preston perform tonight that I finally figured out why. Singing well and consistently just doesn't scream American Idol winner to me. Alex is unique, creative, talented and has his own signature sound. He is not just a singer and performer, he is an artist.  I feel the same way about Jena and Majesty. I think M.K., Malaya and Jessica are also talented but on a level just below them. 

My top performances of the night:  Alex Preston, Jena and Majesty (I'm not sure why Keith Urban didn't like her arrangement, dude!). 

I think C.J. Harris and M.K. might be in danger of being in the bottom three this week. Based on tonight's performance I think C.J. had the weakest performance of the night. 

Now that most of my favorites are in the top 10, I'll be voting only for my top three pics of the night.  And here's how I voted: 

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

American Idol Season 13: Idols Goes to the Movies

This week the Idols performed songs from the movies. The show also featured funny clips where all the Idols pretended to be each other during an Idol audition. I have to say that the best clips involved the Idols pretending to be Jessica and Caleb. :)

Here's the song list for the night:

Sam Woolf - Come Together (Beatles) from Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band
Jessica Meuse - Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkle) from The Graduate
CJ Harris - Can't You See (Marshal Tucker Band) from Blow
Dexter Roberts - Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd) from Sweet Home Alabama
Ben Briley - Bennie and the Jets (Elton John) from 27 Dresses
Majesty Rose York - Let It Go (Idina Menzel) from Frozen
Caleb Johnson - Skyfall (Adele) from Skyfall
MK Nobilette - To Make You Feel My Love (Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood) from Hope Floats
Alex Preston - Falling Slowly (The Swell) from Once
Jena Irene Ascuitto - Decode (Paramore) from Twilight
Malaya Watson - I Am Changing (Jennifer Hudson) from Dreamgirls

Tonight, it's clear that the Idols have really stepped up their game in this competition.  They made better song choices and their performances were very entertaining.   

My pic for the best performance of the night goes to Jena Irene. Her performance was really strong and I'm so happy for her especially after being in the bottom three last week.

I'm afraid that MK could be in the bottom three again this week.  But I think that Ben should be the one to go as he had the weakest performance of the night. 

Surviving this week's elimination is important, because the remaining contestants get to go on the Idol's Summer Tour which will hopefully help their careers.

Here's how I voted:

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