Friday, February 19, 2016

American Idol, Ep. 15.14: Top 24, Group 2 Results

Tonight - duets and 5 cuts! We find out which 7 will join last week's 7 in the Top 14. Let's see if those semi-shocking spoilers were correct!

Again, just like last week, click on the song titles for a blast to the past and revisit the alums doing their thang with the the song. And then, check back (probably tomorrow) for videos of the performances (in case you're reading this recap having not watched the episode...or you just want to see them again!). --NOW UPDATED WITH VIDEOS!

Tonight's Alums:
  • Constantine Maroulis (Season 4 - 6th Place)
  • Chris Daughtry (Season 5 - 4th Place)
  • Kellie Pickler (Season 5 - 6th Place)
  • Jordin Sparks (Season 6 - Winner)
  • David Cook (Season 7 - Winner)
  • Haley Reinhart (Season 10 - 3rd Place)
Amelia Eisenhauer & Kellie Pickler - "Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans
This could be a decent match-up, although we haven't seen Amelia really do a straight-up country song. They are harmonizing really well. This is a time where Amelia's violin actually suited the song. She was trying to sing louder than we normally hear her and it was causing her voice to sound really strained in some spots. I actually enjoyed this performance a lot (for a country song). I mean, how can you not love Kellie Pickler. I love her...she just cracks me up. I think her fun personality brought out a little bit more of a fun side of Amelia.



Kory Wheeler & Haley Reinhart - "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John

You just knew we would see this song by one of Haley's two duets. It's the song she's probably the most known for during her time on Idol...I still am not sure why. I didn't think it was anything that spectacular. And how fitting - I didn't remember that he auditioned with this song! It was just meant to be. She starts the song so slow...it's kind of painful. She's doing more singing than he is. I don't necessarily think their voices sound that good together. She really seemed to overpower him on the parts that they sang together. It was basically the Haley show and he was just singing backup. It was just "meh".



Lee Jean & Chris Daughtry - "Home" by Daughtry
How totes adorbs was Lee Jean! He was so nervous and he gave Chris the cutest hug! Chris is going to be a great mentor for Lee. Chris really knows how to bring out the best in singers, as we've seen him do before as a mentor ont the show. The chorus is right at the top of Lee's range. I wasn't sure he was going to hit the notes, but he pulled it off. I knew I was going to love this performance. It's so great to see Chris back again. Lee was really starting to let loose at the end, which was pretty cool to see. I loved their harmony at the end! Loved it!



CJ Johnson & David Cook - "The World I Know" by Collective Soul
You know I absolutely adore David Cook, and I can't wait to see him with CJ on this song. David, just like Chris, is an amazing mentor. I just love watching him give advice because it is so right on. Oh how I just love David's voice...still one of the best. When they finally harmonized, it was golden! David gave me goosebumps when he hit those high notes. I like CJ, but man, he just doesn't hold a candle to what David does. I did like what CJ did with his parts, as it wasn't the exact melody that we know - it was a little bit higher.



Manny Torres & Jordin Sparks - "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
What an incredibly perfect song choice and what a perfect pairing. I think this could be one of the best duets we've seen on either night. I love how she really pushed him to dig deep into the emotion - good for her! His voice sounds incredible! There's the Manny we all fell in love with! He pulls off Chris Brown very well, and dare I say better than the original?! His emotion was so pure and believable. Their voices sounded SOOOOOO GOOD! The only thing a little awkward was that with her heels she was so much taller than him and he was kind of standing on his toes :) Other than that, you won't hear a much better performance than that. Woooooo! And can we just say what a beautiful and mature woman Jordin has grown up to be? She was so young when she won, and she has just blossomed.



Jenn Blosil & Constantine Maroulis - "My Funny Valentine" by Frank Sinatra
It's so great to see Constantine again! I've missed him! As much as I love Constantine, I am not really looking forward to theis performance for 2 reasons. (1) He's singing with one of my least favorite singers, who happens to have an annoying voice and I don't think their voices will blend well at all. (2) They are singing one of the songs I hate most in this world - didn't like it when he did it on the show; I've never, ever been able to tolerate this song - it's just so awful! And I'm dreading to hear how Jenn's voice is going to sound on this already awful song. Well, it's starting out WAY too slow...so let's just drag out an awful song and keep the pain going, thanks. Her voice cracked more than usual and sounded a little off more than usual. I still love Constantine's voice, but did I mention I HATE THIS SONG?! My ears are bleeding from all the abuse. Was this performance 20 minutes long? Because it sure felt like it. Keith sit down...just sit down...that did not warrant a standing ovation. OK, I should try to find something positive to say: they vibed well together on stage. And I love that Harry said it turned into a shouting match. But Keith's comments were so off-base. One last comment...what in the world is she wearing? It looks like a bath robe.



Tristan McIntosh & Kellie Pickler - "Best Days of Your Life" by Kellie Pickler
I didn't care for Tristan's lower part of the harmony right at the start of the song. That just sounded awkward. Tristan sounded out of breath for the whole song. It was an OK performance, but I don't think it was one of Tristan's best. She seemed really unsure of herself. I agree with Harry that she seemed to rush it. Keith pointed out how shaky she was doing the lower part right at the beginning of the song.



Olivia Rox & David Cook - "Light On" by David Cook
Great song! This is one of my favorites of his. I really hope she can pull this off. She's let me down a little bit in her last performances. So far so good, Olivia! Here come the goosebumps. The long held-out note was great by both of them together. I still find myself just wishing it was just him singing, though. It must be really weird singing one of your own songs and turning it into a duet. I think she did as well as she could with it.



Adam Lasher & Haley Reinhart - "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley
I just love his little dimples :) They actually make a cute couple. I really wish they would have done a different version of this song. I like this song when it's done a little faster and not so slow and drawn out. I will say that her voice sounded great on her opening verse. I don't think we've ever seen anything like this from Adam before. This just showed just how good his voice really is. We're so used to his guitar accompanying him and maybe taking away from his vocals. But this was so stripped down that we got to really hear how beautiful his voice is. This actually turned out to be a very beautiful performance - I'm impressed! I don't disagree with Keith that Adam was just a little stiff - he definitely could have been a little more loosy-goosy up there, but it was still really good.



Dalton Rapattoni & Chris Daughtry - "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder
With so many awesome performances Chris had on Idol and songs he's released - why this song? This bums me out a lot because I don't really like this song...at all. There were so many possibilities and this would have probably been my last choice. I'm sure with these 2, I'm going to still really like it :) I mean, how cute is Dalton? Daughtry's CD was the first one Dalton ever owned?! What?! Man, I feel ancient hearing that. These 2 can really put on a show can't they?! Talk about high energy! Can these 2 pair up every week? And to top it off, they present Chris with this huge plaque with all his albums and number sold, since Daughtry just released a Greatest Hits album. Just for kicks, here's my list of songs I would have loved to see these 2 do - in order:
  1. "Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash (Idol performance)
  2. "All These Lives" by Daughtry
  3. "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" by (Idol performance)
  4. "Waiting for Superman" by Daughtry
  5. "Crawling Back to You" by Daughtry
  6. "You Don't Belong" by Daughtry
  7. "No Surprise" by Daughtry
  8. "It's Not Over" by Daughtry
  9. "Over You" by Daughtry
  10. "Wanted (Dead or Alive)" by Bon Jovi (Idol performance)
I'll stop with 10 songs, but you get the idea. Oh well, I still loved the performance, and I ♥ Dalton.




Trent Harmon & Jordin Sparks - "To Love Somebody" by The Bee Gees
Again, so many songs to choose from in Jordin's Idol performances and her own song catalog and they pick this one?! And again, he forces it so much and his face gets so red! This song doesn't even call for that level of intensity. I wasn't sure how they would sound together, but I'm pleasantly surprised. They sound great together. I just really wish Trent could tone down the intensity. He constantly looks like he wants to murder someone and I'm truly afraid he's going to pop a vein on his head.



Shelbie Zora & Constantine Maroulis - "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
Now this...this is going to be something. We ALL remember Constantine slaying this when he was on the show. If you don't watch any of the other previous performances of the Idol alums, you HAVE to watch this one, and relive just how great it was. I'm sorry Shelbie, but all I can watch is Constantine. She is holding her own, but there is something about Constantine and the way he just owns this song. Let's be honest, he sang most of the song and she was just kind of his back-up. As little as she sang, I was still a little surprised at the overly negative feedback from the judges, but I totally get what they were saying about losing her point of view and not sure why they chose that one for her.



Results:

Moving On:
1. Dalton Rapattoni - WOOHOO!!! Let's win this thing, Dalton!
2. Jenn Blosil - the Joey Cook of this season...when will the pain end?
3. Lee Jean - yes!
4. Manny Torres - yes!
5. Olivia Rox - could go either way on her at this point, I'm still longing for the girl we saw in the audition
6. Trent Harmon - I've decided he can't lose the faces and too much intensity; he's just a little too awkward to watch
7. Tristan McIntosh - on the fence as to whether she can show a more consistent maturity and find herself

Going Home:
1. Adam Lasher - boo :( I knew his time was probably coming sooner or later, just wish he could have gotten to the public votes to see how America feels about him
2. Amelia Eisenhauer - glad to see her go; I never saw what the judges did
3. C.J. Johnson - I thought he might be a dark horse; I think his song choice last night did him in
4. Kory Wheeler - never lived up to his potential
5. Shelbie Zora - can't believe they didn't keep any country girls, or country singers at all, for that matter; can't say I'm sad to see her go - I didn't care for her attitude

Final Note: One of the best things of the night was when J. Lo said Dalton made it through and Chris Daughtry flew off the couch and ran around the room like a crazy person! So cute! Can you feel the love?! ♥♥♥


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