Thursday, April 17, 2014

American Idol, Ep. 13.28 & 13.29

Top 7: Competitor's Picks
The contestants will be picking songs for each other. Each one picks a song for all of the other singers. From those suggestions, they pick one to sing.

Caleb
Kings of Leon - "Family Tree" (Alex's suggestion)
I'm not loving this song (I've never been a fan of Kings of Leon). He actually sounded a little off-pitch at the beginning (that's a first). He eventually found his groove and rocked it out, like only he can. It was another great performance.
My Score: 8

Jessica
Miranda Lambert - "Gunpowder and Lead" (Sam's suggestion)
Interesting start to the song...not really like the original (or what do I know, it's a country song). I am familiar with the song (because just about every country singer wannabe has sung it on their respective reality show). I really like this song for Jessica. It's a little bit rock, it's a little bit country. It's all of what Jessica does best. She did a great job with the song. I really enjoyed it.
My Score: 9

Sam & Alex
Passenger - "Let Her Go"
I love how collaborative some of the contestants are with each other. First Caleb and Alex, and now Alex and Sam. It really shows how talented this group of idols are this season. They take the music into their own hands instead of just being told what and how to sing. Sorry...went off on a tangent there.

I like the vibe they gave to this song. The original is a lot slower and not nearly as upbeat. The original is kind of a downer. This version works really well, to. I think they both sounded great together. They are both very different, but they also have some similarities. I think that might be the best duet of the season so far.

C.J.
John Mayer - "Gravity" (Caleb's suggestion)
I think this is a pretty good song choice for C.J. I wouldn't really have ever thought of him doing a John Mayer song, but it actually makes a lot of sense. If my ears don't deceive me, I think C.J. might actually be on pitch! This actually just helps to prove that Caleb is an all-around smart singer and musician, for picking this song, and showing us that C.J. can actually sing. That was his best performance by far. Wow!
My Score: 9

Dexter

Luke Bryan - "Muckalee Creek Water" (C.J.'s suggestion)
Not a fan of Luke Bryan at all, but Dexter is owning this song! He had about 3 or 4 weeks of just plain boring performances. Now, 2 weeks in a row, he's really turning things up a notch. I think this was a pretty good choice of song for him. But I gotta say, I love Harry calling him out for singing the song exactly like the original, and not going outside of his comfort zone. I think he's just kind of a robot: he can sing exactly what he's heard before, but he doesn't know creatively or musically, how to change a song to be more original. We're halfway through the competition, and I think I'm absolutely convinced that he just doesn't possess that skillset. If he makes it in the music business, he will most likely only sing remakes and sing songs that were written for him...not anything original that he has written.
My Score: 8

Caleb & Jena
The Rolling Stones - "Gimme Shelter"
I really wish Caleb was singing with someone different this week. I would actually like to see Caleb and Alex do something together. Jena just drags him down. She tries to be a rock chick, but I just don't buy it (I think I'm the only one). She just shouts and forces everything. Her parts of the song just don't sound that great. Caleb, on the other hand, just sounds perfect on everything. I did like their last note thought, that was pretty awesome.

Alex
Ed Sheeran - "A Team" (Dexter's suggestion)
This is a great song, and Alex has a lot of the same voice qualities that Ed Sheeran does. I like that he didn't change the song too much from the original (especially after the debacle he had last week doing that). Alex was definitely back this week, and I really, really enjoyed his performance. In true Alex fashion, he did through in a couple of note changes that made the song interesting. His long note on "fly" was really good.
My Score: 10

Sam
David Gray - "Sail Away" (Jessica's suggestion)
Another David Gray song for Sam, but it's a smart song choice. I think he sounded really great tonight. His voice was really strong, and wow, he just sounded really good! I don't know how to describe exactly what changed, but he has never sounded better. Wow! I love that he's getting more comfortable on stage every week. Harry made a really good point about the song not being that popular and that that could hurt him.
My Score: 10

Jessica, C.J., Dexter
Lady Antebellum - "Compass"
OK, so Jessica sounded great, but C.J. struggled to harmonize yet again. Dexter was OK, and tended to drown out C.J. (which was OK, since C.J. was kind of off any way). It was an OK performance overall, but nothing to get too excited about. The only thing these 3 have in common is that they are all from Alabama. That is not enough to make them compatible on the same song. Jessica is the strongest of the 3, and the other 2 seem to always have trouble harmonizing. Note to the producers: do not pair any of these 3 up in any combination again...it just doesn't work.

Jena
Radiohead - "Creep" (Caleb's suggestion)
I LOVE this song! I'm so happy she picked this song. I think she will either be totally amazing...or she will implode by way over-doing it. Interesting that Caleb was the only person to have his song suggestion picked twice. Another perfect choice by Caleb...smart dude! Also interesting that Jena was the only one to not have her suggestion picked. She was really killing the song, up until the bit "run" at the end of the song. The word "run" is sung twice...the first one was a struggle, but she nailed the second one. Overall, I'm really happy with how she sang the song. She didn't over-do it at all. I think she showed great restraint. My thought is that she also had some help from Caleb on how to sing the song, because I think that's exactly how he would have sung the song. Oh man...now I'm wanting to hear Caleb sing that song!
My Score: 9

My Bottom 3: Dexter, C.J. (I can't pick a 3rd one...I just liked everyone else too much)
Most Likely will be the Bottom 3: C.J., Dexter, Jessica
My Pick to Go Home: Dexter
Most Likely will Go Home: Dexter


The Results:
I took a big risk in our American Idol bracket this week. All 3 of my competitors have chosen Jessica to be the one going home. I put her in my bottom 3 for the first time this week (my competitors have continually put her there and even had her going home a couple of times). Tonight is the first time I think she could be in trouble. I just can't, in good conscience, put her as my going home pick. I just don't think she will make that big of a drop to the bottom. That leaves the most likely picks to go home as Dexter and C.J. Both have been in the bottom before, and C.J. should have been gone weeks ago. Sam is another possibility. He did well last night, but will the effect of his save wear off this week and send him home? I just don't know. I'm just hoping that Jessica doesn't go home. If she does, I'm going to take a pretty big hit on my bracket. Fingers crossed!

Bottom 2: Dexter, Jessica
OK, I'm freaking out! It BETTER not be Jessica going home! Please don't let me be the only one to get that wrong! Jessica is sooooo much more talented than Dexter! It would be such a shame for her to go home before him and C.J., and Sam...especially since she's never been in the bottom....ever.

Going Home: Dexter
Woohoo! I don't want to get to cocky here, but....WHEW! I really dodged a bullet with this one! I can't believe I got it right. I was sweating bullets, as it came down to my pick vs. the pick of the other 3 ladies. Finally, my gut was right, and the risk paid off! I am now in the lead by 2 points! I haven't had the lead at all this season! Now, if I can just pick strategically and keep it close, I really have a shot to win...especially since my Caleb is still in it, and if he wins I get 10 bonus points! Go Caleb!


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