IdolPhenomena

Tonight the Top 11 Finalists took the stage with some Motown Classics. I have to say it was by far the best show yet. Everyone has progressed so much and they all picked a song befitting of their vocal talents. I was very happy with the song choices for tonight’s performances. There were so many outstanding performances the show just seemed progressively better as it continued.

Casey Abrams opened up the show with Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It through the Grapevine. This was a great choice for Casey. It allowed enough room to be controlled and edgy all at the same time. It wasn’t my favorite Casey performance but it was definitely one of his better ones. I’m just not a big fan of his growl/yelling style but he puts on a great overall performance. Like Steven Tyler said I believe that Casey is the perfect entertainer and if he doesn’t win Idol he truly has a bright future as an entertainer following the Idol Summer Tour. For your not so outstanding performance tonight Casey you get a 2.5/3- Stars from me. I just want you to come down on that stage a little and not scream/growl so much.

Following Casey was Thia Megia performing Heatwave by Martha & The Vandellas. I think it was great for Thia to go outside of her comfort zone and perform something that wasn’t a ballad. It was nice to see her working the stage and seeing her having fun doing what she likes to do. She did forget the words a little in the middle but you wouldn’t have noticed if you were just enjoying her performance. However, she does admit to the backstage cam that she did mess up a little. Maybe being honest will save you from elimination this week. Compared to the rest of the finalists I would say Thia’s performance was just average tonight so that earns you a 2/3- Stars for Heatwave.

After Thia, Jacob Lusk took the stage with Your All I Need by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. Tonight Jimmy Iovine said something that I can’t help but agree with about Jacob and that is that he needs to hold back some. It was nice that he didn’t over sing and go into his vocal gymnastics right away tonight. However, I can’t help but compare his performance to Kelly Clarkson’s in Season 1 and his just was Blah. I feel like I was the only one that heard him mess up a little in the beginning he was always above or below the actual notes. Yet for all the emotion you bring to your performances you get 2.75/3- Stars tonight. This was definitely one of Jacob’s better performances since God Bless the Child.

Lauren Alaina made a comeback last week with I’m The Only One by Melissa Etheridge and tonight she continues to push forward as she performs You Keep Me Hanging On by Diana Ross &The Supremes. This Motown song has been a grave digger for many of the Idol Finalists who have sung it in the past. Vanessa Olivarez first sang it on Season 2 during Motown Week earning her elimination. Leah Labelle then sang it in Season 3 during the Top 12 Soul Theme and was eliminated. It wasn’t until Season 6 when Blake Lewis made the song more current did it not lead to elimination. What could this mean for Lauren Alaina. Will she for some unseen reason be in this week’s Bottom 3 and force the Judge’s to use their ever coveted Judge’s Save. We will find out tomorrow. Overall I would have to agree with Randy and how he feels that Lauren is now ready to compete in this competition. So Lauren’s above average performance earns her 2.25/3- Stars.

Stefano Langone would be third guy to take the stage tonight singing Hello by Lionel Richie. Stefano gave a phenomenal vocal performance this evening however; he lacked that emotional connection with the audience. Yet in my mind those flawless vocals earn him a 2.5/3- Stars this week. This was definitely the best we’ve seen from him thus far. Haley Reinhart would follow Stefano with Smokey Robinson’s You Really Got A Hold On Me. I still don’t see the value in Haley’s vocal talents. I will acknowledge that she is a good singer but the growl and all the over singing she doesn’t really do anything for me. She tends to shy away from the melody when she invokes that raspy growl of hers that so many people love. However, what I do like about her is how all of her performances show off her personality. Thankfully Randy and I were on the same page in regards to the performance. I can’t help but agree with when he expressed the she started out a little rough tonight. That growl just came out of nowhere-LOL. So for not impressing me and growling at me in my living room Haley gets 1.75/3- Stars.

Up next is the Scotty McCreery performing Stevie Wonder’s For Once in My Life. I do like how the arrangement was both a little bit country and a little bit Motown. It truly helped Scotty make the performance his own tonight. Now because people have been mentioning it on twitter I can’t help but see the Mad Magazine cover guy on stage every time Scotty performs. – LOL. For not being my favorite Scotty performance I give it a 2.25/3- Stars. It was good but not great and far from omg let me stand up and clap. We’re up to the last four performances of the night and waiting to take the Idol stage is Pia Toscano. She kept the Stevie Wonder theme moving forward with her choice of All in Love Is Fair. Pia as always delivers and amazing ballad but now I have a desire to hear and see her perform something more upbeat. I want to to see her have fun on that stage I can’t help but see the Pia robot up there performing doing everything right except working the stage. Like Randy said, “We can’t live on ballads alone.” However, for Pia’s outstanding performance I give her 3/3- Stars.
I have been waiting all night to hear Smokey Robinson’s Tracks of my Tears and when I heard that Paul McDonald would be singing it I was pleasantly surprised. I truly enjoyed his performance tonight. It was nice to see him onstage guitar in hand. That just meant there was no crazy dancing. Paul’s next lesson will be to tame the hair on his head. I couldn’t help but giggle when Randy said, “When you dang tender at the end, Oh My God.” I also agree with Jennifer Lopez’s comment stating that Paul is by far the most seasoned performer. So for your good performance I reward thee with 2.25/3- Stars tonight. Following Paul tonight was Naima Adedapo with Dancing in the Streets by Martha & The Vandellas. I do have to say that Naima’s performance was definitely her best tonight she really brought it tonight. I just can’t stop thinking that it is too late for. I see elimination in her near future. Tonight she really made the performance her own by incorporating the African dance. Good job 1.75/3- Stars for you. I still can’t believe that Jennifer got goose bumps from it, it was not that amazing.

Closing tonight’s show is none other than James Durbin with his version of Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City. This was truly a great way to end the show. James truly gave a knock out performance. For his amazing stage presence, working the stage and engaging the audience I give him 3/3- Stars. Great job tonight James. I can’t wait to see how he progresses through the rest of the competition. Each week he proves more and more that he is a contender in earning the title of American Idol. So with all the 11 Finalists having had a chance to perform I foresee this week’s bottom three being Haley Reinhart, Naima Adedapo, and Thia Megia. However, you never know when you might find someone like Lauren Alaina in the Bottom 3. The public never fails at surprising me when it comes to voting on Idol.