If you, like me, thought that tonight there would be no more judges' save, and we would actually see the lowest vote-getter go home, well...we'd all be wrong. Apparently the judges will again be saving someone. Rumor has it that we will see the Top 6 all perform 1 song. Then we will find out who the bottom 2 and who is going home. Then the remaining 5 will perform their second song. And Ryan confirms this at the top of the show. The bottom 2 will actually be revealed and they will perform for the judges' save. He does say that this will be the last judges' save...but they seem to be making things up as they go along this season, so we'll see if this is true.
So, let's get to it! Who else is incredibly excited to watch Adam Lambert perform his new song tonight?! Can't wait! And here he is right at the top of the show performing one of his best songs from Idol and one of my absolute favorites!!!!! "Mad World" - it just doesn't get much better than that! I ♥ Adam Lambert! The only thing that's changed since Season 8 is that he's even better than he was back then. But why did they have to cut it so short! I wanted so much more! Click here to watch his epic performance back then. His new song is amazing...can't wait to download it. He is the epitome of a great performer. This is what Dalton needs to strive to match if he has any chance of winning this season. And can I just say how hot Adam is looking right now?! Seriously wish he was batting for our team, if you know what I mean.
Not only are we treated to Adam Lambert, but also Jussie Smollet and Yazz from Empire performing a new song from the show. Love Empire and this song is amazing! Can't wait for it to come back from hiatus!
Just a note here...I'm grouping both performances of each singer together for easier comparison...this doesn't reflect the order they were performed. One last note before my recap: apparently I'm feeling very nostalgic tonight with Adam's return, because I immediately was reminded of previous Idol performances, so you will find links to those original videos inside my recaps of this season's contestants.
Trent – “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
I'm interested to see how he sounds doing this song. I love this song but I'm not crazy how he is pronouncing some of the words...it just sounds so awkward. The high parts on the chorus really suit his voice. His breakdown in the middle was really good. Overall, this will most definitely boost his popularity. I don't think there is any stopping Trent right now. Aside from some weird word over-pronunciation, I really liked this performance! Figures, the judges actually didn't dig this performance. I seem to be opposite on Trent when it comes to my opinion vs. the judges this season. When I don't care for it, they love it, when I love it, they don't think it's his best.
My Grade: A
Trent – “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (and later Shinedown)
Very, very interesting song choice. This is kind of a rock song. We haven't really seen him tap into that side of things, so this will be interesting to see if he sticks to the original or tries to change it up. Right away, I'm loving this! It's a great song, and it wouldn't have been one that I would have thought would be good for him, but wow! It's actually kind of perfect. He sounds ridiculously amazing...except when he does that weird thing where he scrunches up his face and wiggles his jaw and does that weird thing with his voice. I can't put into words what he's actually doing...but it's the only thing I don't care for. This was really one of his best performances. Wow. I was trying to remember who else had sung this on Idol. It was Season 9 winner, Lee DeWyze. Does this match or surpass his version? Not sure. Both are really good, but I think I prefer Lee's...he has a gritter tone to his voice that really suits the song. Watch Lee's performance here. J. Lo actually got emotional talking about his performance and how sad it is to see Idol go. And then he started to cry...oh my...here come the waterworks. So emotional right now!
My Grade: A
Dalton – “Numb” by Linkin Park
I think this could be a good song for him to show off his rock side. I hope he goes full rock and really sells it. Ooh, very, very different version! He really needed to "Daltonize" this and he totally did! LOVED it!!!! I thought he would be great doing a gritty rock version, but I love this even more! Wooohooo!! That was amazing!
My Grade: A-
Dalton – “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel
I seriously can't wait to hear Dalton perform this. This could be epic...I hope he doesn't let me down. The last Idol to sing this was Jessica Meuse in Season 13. I loved her performance - watch it here. I love the way his performance is building. His emotion is great. I like the way he was up on a platform and jumped down on the beat. He had a lot of power and that intense stare just gets me every time. Very, very nice! I don't know that everyone else will like it as much as I did, though. Fingers crossed! And pair that with his video package talking about his struggle with bi-polar disorder and having a meltdown when he was younger...and then he learned guitar and found music. Powerful stuff. PLEASE people, vote for Dalton!
My Grade: A
La’Porsha – “Ready for Love” by India Arie
Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I knew as soon as I saw this was going to be an Idia Arie song, I knew I wouldn't be a fan. The vocals were good, but I could not get into this song at all. So, my score will reflect the song more than her vocals. However, I don't think her vocals were as good as they normally are, even though they were pretty good.
My Grade: C
La’Porsha – “No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige
We finally got to hear some personal details of La'Porsha's past. Yet another sad story tonight, but hers is definitely having a happy ending and she has a bright future. This is a great song for her, and again, very fitting with what we know about her. Wow, she really let it all out in that performance. It's not surprising that she really broke down at the end. That was pure passion.
My Grade: A
MacKenzie – “Wild World” by Cat Stevens
It's nice to see MacKenzie moving around and starting out in the crowd was a nice touch. Definitely wouldn't be a song I would think of for him. He seems to be having a lot of fun with the song and it is nice to hear him do something a little more up-tempo. I'm afraid his pitch suffered quite a bit though with him being more active and with a jazzier song. It was still a fun performance, though.
My Grade: B+
MacKenzie – “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
Oh boy. This is really risky doing a song absolutely transformed forever by David Cook in Season 7 (click here to relive the awesomeness). I REALLY hope MacKenzie can bring something brand new to the song and not just sing it like the original, or sing it like David did it. It better be special or it's going to fall flat and be forgettable. So far I'm liking his rearrangement and changes to the melody. His stripped down, more acoustic version really works. This is turning out to be pretty great. I don't know if it can eclipse David Cook's version as the most memorable Idol version, but I really respect what he did with it. His vocals were really on-point on this one. Way to go, MacKenzie! Much better than the first one. We also learned in his video package that he was very ill at one point and almost died. Another really emotional story, similar to Dalton's that we didn't know about.
My Grade: A
Bottom 2: Tristan and Sonika
Sonika – “Let It Go” by Demi Lovato
I'm so torn! I really want Sonika to stay because her voice is amazing and she has been so consistent - MUCH more than Tristan has been. But...I did pick her as the most likely to go home tonight...so if I want to catch up in my bracket, she needs to go home. So, this really is a perfect song for her and I think she did right to pick this over "Clarity" by Zedd to sing for her life. Her voice sounds amazing. She looks amazing. Her last big note was incredible. Clearly the better singer...what will the judges do? The judges seem to like it pretty well...it's looking like she might be getting the save again. Darn it...I should have gone with Tristan. I decided on Sonika because Tristan had never been in the bottom before.
My Grade: A
Sonika – “Clarity” by Zedd
I don't know about this one. I'm not loving it. I'm not sure why. Does she sound a little bit off? Can't be, right? She's never off. It was OK, but not great. I think if she sang this one first, she might not have been saved again.
My Grade: B
Tristan – “Independence Day” by Martina McBride
This choice is pretty predictable based on her last few week's performances. She chose this one to perform "for her life" over "It's My Life", and that was absolutely the smart choice. She's back home behind the piano which is where she excels. Her voice seems to keep cutting out. She should have raised the key because it's too low for her. The chorus is much better. She's doing a fine job with the song, but let's be honest...it's definitely no Carrie Underwood. That was one of Carrie's best performances on Idol (click here to watch her performance again). This song was meant to be a powerful anthem, and I'm not sure this slowed down version works that well. I think she is by far the lesser singer then Sonika...but Sonika was saved last week and Tristan has never been in the bottom. So...will they take another chance on Tristan or will they give Sonika one more chance to connect with voters?
My Grade: B
The Results
The judges save: Sonika
Oh man! As much as I'm glad the judges made the right decision...that just royally screwed my chances in the bracket, as my the competitor already in the lead by a pretty wide margin chose Tristan, while I chose Sonika. Her lead has just grown tremendously. This has not been my season at all! I don't think I've ever been this off!
Going home: Tristan
Finally. That's all I have to say. l've thought she should have been in the bottom just about every week. The one week I finally give her the benefit of the doubt, she's finally in the bottom and the judges decide to send her home. I'm 99% sure that if the judges didn't have a save, Sonika would have gone home. Sonika hasn't registered with voters the way Tristan has.
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