Tonight the top 13 finalists had the chance to perform a selection from the catalog of their personal idol:
Lauren Alaina selected a song from the platinum selling superstar Shania Twain, Any Man of Mine. If Lauren gets far in this competition, she will be coasting on her sweet girl-next-door personality. The judges claim she has an amazing voice, but this performance was very low key and bland. She caps it off with a perky smile and wink and hopes that the fans are falling for it.
Casey Abrams selected the song we all grew to know and love as the theme song from The Wonder Years, Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends. He opened the song with a soft voice that we haven't heard from him before but it didn't last long enough. Next thing you know he's just screaming. Unfortunately, it was devoid of the emotional impact that the Wonder Years theme served up every week. There's no reason to listen to Casey's voice sing this when he's not live on stage.
Ashthon Jones selected the Diana Ross ballad When You Tell Me That You Love Me. She once again embodied the true diva essence standing center stage in an elegant silver gown. Her vocals were strong and confident and maybe, even better than the original.
Paul McDonald selected Come Pick Me Up from Ryan Adams. This guy is all smiles and cute moves in skinny jeans, so what he lacks in vocal power he makes up for with interesting presence. This song was a pretty weak choice to win over new fans, but he can definitely coast on the good looks.
Pia Toscano selected All By Myself by Celine Dion that hit #4 in 1997. She looked stunning in a sparkly little gold mini and the huge vocals that resonated from her were even more stunning. Pia is a genuinely talented singer who is sure to impress us more and more each week.
James Durbin selected Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney that hit #10 in 1977. James showed his ability to be more than a heavy metal screamer with his powerful vocal range on this wonderful love song. It was controlled and embodied all the depth necessary to make us feel the lyrics as they were intended to be.
Haley Reinhart selected Blue, the debut song that lead to Leann Rimes winning the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1996. I am surprised to admit that Haley managed to do this great song justice. It allowed her to show some range that we didn't know was there from the deep growl to the country yodel.
Jacob Lusk selected R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly that hit #2 in 1996. I don't believe I can listen to Jacob over-sing another song in this competition. He just gave us more of the same indulgent wailing that completely lacked attention to genuine emotion and melody. If only the backing choir that joined him on stage sang louder so they would have drowned him out it would have been listenable.
Thia Megia selected Smile that Michael Jackson recorded on his 1995 release History. She performed this classic with crystal clear, pure vocals that conveyed a maturity far beyond her years while also being fun, fresh and youthful. Thia mixed things up with an interesting funky arrangement that exemplifies her ability to be the best of the old and the new.
Stefano Langone selected Stevie Wonder's Lately that Jodeci took to #4 in 1993. He has everything that we want to hear on the radio right now. Stefano took this ballad and elevated it into a disco dance floor throw down anthem. His vocals were perfectly strong to convincingly pull off this dynamic transformation.
Karen Rodriguez selected I Could Fall In Love that Selena to to #15 in 1995. It was clear that something wasn't quite right with Karen as she attempted to perform this song from her idol. The vocals weren't quite at the level that we have come to expect from her, so hopefully she will get another chance to prove herself.
Scotty McCreery selected The River by Garth Brooks. Everyone knows that I am a fan of Country Music and I acknowledge that Scotty has a good voice. But the fact is that he is not bringing anything exceptional to the table. He's just a kid with a deep voice getting a chance to sing some of his favorite songs on TV.
Naima Adedapo selected a song that spent 7 weeks at #1 in 2007 for Rihanna, Umbrella. The best was saved for last. Naima has an exhilarating star quality how she showed off her strong vocals with her fantastic stage presence dancing on the stage. She also mixed it up with a reggae dance break showing that she can do it all.
I am so happy to report that there were many VERY good performances tonight from some very talented finalists. The best being Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, James Durbin, Naima Adedapo and Stefano Langone.
My prediction for the bottom three vote getters is Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez and Ashthon Jones. These girls are all pretty good, but it's gonna be hard to stand out in this group. I think Haley will be going home.
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