Last night's mentor, Alicia Keys, performed next, singing a combination of her hits, Un-Thinkable and Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2. Un-Thinkable was a great song and Keys sang it brilliantly, although I did notice what seemed to be a bit of hoarseness in her tone. Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2 was good, though I was always half hoping Jay-Z would come out and join her for the song. Keys' fantastic piano skills really brought her performance together and just proved she is the consummate musician.
"Idol" alum Carrie Underwood performed her new single, Change, which was quite appropriate for tonight's charity themed show. Underwood has gotten better and better over the years, and she completely owned the stage with her performance. The song was a great choice and Underwood's vocals were the best I've ever heard from her. Her passionate performance really stood out in tonight's impressive group.
Annie Lennox, stranded in London due to recent ash cloud currently plaguing much of Europe, gave an emotional performance of a new song called Universal Child. Though Lennox was unable to be at the Civic Auditorium to perform, the song was actually done quite well, combining her performance with a montage of the children and families "Idol Gives Back" is hoping to benefit. Lennox's soulful voice fit the song perfectly and I was impressed how well she did given the circumstances.
Mary J. Blige was joined by an all-star band for her rendition of Stairway to Heaven. The group featured Orianthi and Steve Vai on guitar, Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums, and "Idol's" own Randy Jackson on bass. For those who don't know, Jackson got his start in the business as a bass player, so it was a treat to see him perform. Mary J. Blige sounded fantastic and the band was very polished. Orianthi tore it up on guitar (I had no idea she could play like that!) and Barker was fantastic as always. It was a really great performance from an eclectic group.
Elton John rounded out the night with a performance of "Your Song," performed with his skilled piano stylings. John sounded spot on and I loved the bright red piano he used for the performance. The song was also a nice way to close, showing a montage of the different stories from "Idol Gives Back" that we had seen throughout the night.
Overall, it was an impressive and moving results show. Each of the performances brought something different to the stage and it was great to see the commitment these celebrities have to charities throughout the world. "Idol Gives Back" was an exciting night, though it was sad to see Tim Urban head home. Next week, "Idol" features Shania Twain coaching the "Idol" contestants as they sing from her songbook. The top six will perform on April 27th, followed by a results show airing April 28th, beginning at 9:00pm EST.
"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.
The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.
Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray, Hair), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages), and Ace Young (Hair).
"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.
