Shane Avery
Senior Staff Writer
Another week, another round of Idol!!
Following last weeks elimination of Malaya, there are now only 2 girls remaining (Jessica & Jena) and 4 boys (Alex, Dexter, Caleb, and the newly saved Sam). So who would rise to the occasion (or fail miserably) this week?
The theme this week is “Competitor’s Choice”, which meant that each Idol hopeful would be selecting songs for the OTHER contestants. They would each go to Randy Jackson with their picks for each other, and ultimately the Idol hopeful themselves would be the one to choose from that list.
Here we go!!
1. Caleb Johnson – “Family Tree” by Kings of Leon
Caleb decided to go with Alex’s pick, and I have to say it definitely paid off. The song fit Caleb’s groove perfectly and it was a stellar start to the show. The judges were all smiles and the crowd seemed to love it. I also have to throw in how hilarious band leader Ricky Minor was during the song, just dancing away. Amazing kick off!!!
2. Jessica Meuse – “Gunpowder & Lead” by Miranda Lambert
Going with Sam Woolf’s pick, Jessica took on Mrs. Blake Shelton, but was it the right choice?
I’ll say that the song choice worked for me, but there was something very awkward about the way she was moving around on the stage. She was giving attitude with her vocals and facial expressions, but I just felt the presence lacked. Jennifer was first to point out that her vocals were slightly off, while Harry and Keith echoed that sentiment.
Ryan then gave the audience a pretty big treat, when Demi Lovato came out onto the stage to discuss her recent tour. She then took a seat with Randy and the other hopefuls.
Time for our first duet tonight as well, with Alex Preston and Sam Woolf taking on “Let It Go” by Passenger. This was absolute MONEY. They sounded great together, and it was the perfect song for them. I loved this!!!
3. CJ Harris – “Gravity” by John Mayer
Okay, I’m on another page then the judges.
Make that another book.
They praised CJ’s vocals, but said that the presence lacked, which I completely disagreed with. I felt his vocals were very sharp, but the delivery/emotion was definitely there as usual. I guess I was hearing something different then the judges.
What did you guys think???
4. Dexter Roberts – “Muckalee Creek Water” by Luke Bryan
This absolutely WORKED!! I have to agree with Jennifer the most, because she mentioned that the song felt a tad more darker then what we’re used to hearing from Dexter. She did want him to bring it a bit more, but felt it was still a great performance. I actually believed this was one of Dexter’s best performances on the show.
Time for another duet, and this time it was Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson belting out the Rolling Stones classic “Gimme Shelter”. I don’t even know how to find words for this. It was absolutely BONKERS!!! Their vocals together were crazy, and it was a moment that will live on Idol for YEARS. Even Demi Lovato chimed in and mentioned how amazing it was.
SO. DAMN. GOOD
5. Alex Preston – “A Team” by Ed Sheeran
I am going to admit that Alex sounded great, but I was not a fan of the sped up arrangement. The audience went crazy for it though, and Harry called it his favorite performance of the night.
I seem to be disagreeing with the judges a lot tonight. Guess I’m not cut out for judging???
6. Sam Woolf – “Sail Away” by David Gray
Sam made another improvement tonight in his fight to connect with the audience, but I did agree with Harry & Keith that he needed a more familiar track. I do also agree with Jennifer though that we could really see it in his face that he was connecting more. I didn’t dislike the performance, but I didn’t love it either. I do think Sam could be in a bit of trouble this week.
Second last performance of the night came in the form of a trio:
Jessica, CJ and Dexter performed “Compass” by Lady Antebellum, and I was always told that if you can’t find anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Next.
7. Jena Irene – “Creep” by Radiohead
PERFORMANCE. OF. THE. NIGHT.
Not to mention a standing ovation by Jennifer and Keith!!!
If there is ANYONE in the competition that has grown the most, Jena would have that in spades. She’s a threat to the competition and EVERYBODY should be aware of it.
Obviously you can tell I love something when I constantly use caps.
Just amazing.
That does it for Idol everyone. If I had to pick a bottom 2? I would probably go with CJ and Jessica.
Who would you guys pick as the bottom 2?
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