IdolPhenomena

This week the 9 remaining Idol finalists took on songs of Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees. This week was definitely challenging. So let’s see how your favorites faired against the rest of the competition. Up first this week was Jacob Lusk with Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. This has got to be one of my favorite Jacob moments on the Idol stage. First he picked that was more himself than the original choice of Let’s Get it On. In this competition I agree with the Judges that it is important to do YOU and nobody else. I was very impressed at the control in this performance and thank you for not over singing this week. I give you 2.75/3- Stars. Following Jacob was Haley Reinhart with her interpretation of Janis Joplin’s Piece of My Heart. I would like to start off by saying that Haley has incredible presence and energy on stage. However, the screaming that apparently the Judges have loved from the beginning took too much away from the songs original melody. I disagree with Steven Tyler when he said she nailed it. It was far from perfect tonight. For your average performance I give you 2/3- Stars this week. I know you’ve got the whole package in there; you just need to find it.

I was excited to see that Casey Abrams had once again brought out the upright bass. This time with CCR’s Have you Ever Seen the Rain Casey brought his own flavor to a great song. I agree with Randy that he definitely did this song justice. However, I don’t think the upright bass will ever be “cool.” I also don’t think Casey is revolutionary. He’s just being himself and that’s far from revolutionary. I personally like Steven Tyler enjoy that he’s a true musician. So I give you 2.75/3- Stars for a great performance. Next is Lauren Alaina tackling Aretha Franklin’s hit Natural Woman. Tonight Lauren definitely had some big shoes to fill on that stage considering other performances of the song on the Idol stage have been absolutely amazing. Specifically that of Kelly Clarkson but others have sung it in various stages of the competition like Ramiele Malubay at her audition, Crystal Bowersox in Hollywood, Leslie Hunt when she was in the Top 24 and even Melinda Doolittle sang it on the Idols Summer Tour. Some were definitely better than others but tonight Lauren’s was just okay. It was nothing amazing compared to its predecessors however, it was good for a Lauren Alaina performance. She has truly come along way. I liked the ending more than the beginning because I felt like at the end she had more emotion and conviction for some reason. I do agree with Jennifer Lopez that Lauren is amazing so I gave her 2.5/3- Stars this week.
With tonight’s episode almost reaching its midpoint James Durbin takes the Idol stage with a ballad introducing another side of himself to the Idol audience. Having chosen Geroge Harrison’s My Guitar Gently Weeps James delivered an incredibly emotional performance tonight. It was filled with such honesty and sincerity that I could feel whatever emotion he was feeling at that time. It truly came from a beautiful place. This performance definitely proves that James is more than just an entertainer but has the potential to be a versatile artist. For his amazing performance I give him 3/3- Stars because thus far he is the best of the night.

Up next is Scotty McCreery with Elvis’ Alright Mamma. I just have to interject at this point from my strand of thought and say that the way Scotty hold’s the mic is starting to annoy me. Who taught him that? I wonder if it’s because he’s more used to holding a guitar with the mic planted on a stand next to him. It’s just awkward to watch. I understand that you’re a big Elvis fan but it was just alright for me. I give it 2.5/3- Stars. Now it’s time for a performer who is consistently amazing, Pia Toscano. Performing Ike &Tina Turner’s River Deep Mountain High Pia definitely stepped up her game. However her performance definitely evoked more Celine Dion than Tina Turner- Just Sayin. Yet, it was amazing none the less. I give it 3/3- Stars. This makes Pia and James so far my Top performances of the night.
With tonights almost coming to a close Stefano Langone would now take the stage with Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman. Jennifer made a comment tonight about his vocal being filled with so much emotion… I’m still trying to find it. There’s no doubt that Stefano is passionate about he does I just think some of his performances lack a certain depth. Still it was a job well done I give it 2.5/3- Stars.

Closing out the show is Paul McDonald with his version of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. Jimmy Iovine told him to go crazy with this performance and that’s just what he did. Tonight Paul’s performance was definitely one oozing with his personality. I just don’t think it is going to be enough to prevent him from being in this Weeks Bottom 3. This was definitely not Paul’s best but it was still good. I give it 2.5/3- Stars. I’m still waiting for something as amazing as his performance of Blackbird he did with Kendra Chantelle during the Vegas Round.

Now with all the finalists having performed I am foreseeing a Bottom 3 consisting of the following contestants: Paul McDonald, Stefano Langone and possibly Jacob Lusk or Haley Reinhart. Who do you think is in the Bottom 3 this week IdolPhenomena readers??? Be sure to support your favorites by calling or voting at AmericanIdol.com.