IDOL WATCH: The Top 13 Perform!
By: Kelsey Denette Mar. 07, 2012
Tonight on AMERICAN IDOL, it was the show's 400th episode and the the top 6 girls tackled the songs of Whitney Houston while the top 7 guys took on the songs of Stevie Wonder. It's been a long road getting here, and with a helping hand from guest coach Mary J. Blige twelve will continue on. Find out how it went now!
Kicking things off is Joshua Ledet performs "I Wish" - though the graphics are a bit cheesy (the best you can come up with are floating keyboards, American Idol?), he delivers a heartfelt if not technically perfect performance. Jennifer tells him that she "felt the music through what you were doing."
Elise Testone chooses "The Greatest Love of All," but the coaches encourage her to perform "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Neither song is especially suited to her voice - in fact, I don't think any song in the Whitney catalogue would be right for Elise - but she goes with the latter and brings a middling performance to the table. "It wasn't your greatest performance," Randy (who's wearing a suit that inexplicably has a fur collar) says.
Next to hit the stage is Jermaine Jones with "Knocks Me Off My Feet." It's a good choice,
showcasing his tone better than most of the songs that he's chosen in the past. He doesn't quite manage to stay on the notes as the song continues, but that doesn't matter a bit to Steven, who says "That song fit you like an Armani suit, and I can't wait to hear what you've got in store for us!"
Erika Van Pelt takes on "I Believe in You and Me." Mary J. Blige says that if Erika "tries to sing it like Whitney Houston, she's going to crash and burn." The prediction doesn't necessarily turn out to be true - Erika doesn't stray that far from the original, but doesn't crash and burn either. "That's just the tip of the iceberg," Jennifer says.
Colton Dixon is up next, performing "Lately." It's not his style of music at all (and enunciation is definitely not Colton's strong point) but he hits most of his notes quite well. "You slayed it in the end," Randy tells him.
Shannon Magrane picks "I Have Nothing," and the coaches remind her to focus on the whole song, not just the big notes. She seems more suited for the night's theme, and delivers a performance that seems to be going well until she misses a big note in the middle - and never really recovers. "I think your nerves got the best of you," Steven says. "You kind of crashed and burned on the turnaround."
Up next, with "Master Blaster," is Deandre Brackensick. It's a more upbeat pick than the last few, and he seems to enjoy himself while delivering a solid performance that the judges applaud. "Here's the deal," Randy says, "You came out tonight and you were in perfect rhythm. That's how good it was."
Skylar Laine's song is "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" (co-written by Frank Wildhorn). It's a fairly karaoke version of the song, and though there's nothing inherently wrong with it - though Jennifer notes that it sounds a little nasal - but it's forgettable.
"I was not expecting Heejun to sound the way he did," Mary J. says of Heejun Han's tone on "All in Love is Fair." He sings the song well, staying on the notes and showcasing that surprising tone rather well. "I love your voice, man, there's something really special about it," Steven tells him. "Keep it up."
Hollie Cavanagh struggles a little with "All the Man I Need" during rehearsal, but pulls it together in time for her performance. She conquers her nerves and toward the end of the song doesn't lose power, like a few have done before her tonight, and Randy is ecstatic: "You nailed it!"
Jeremy Rosado takes on "Ribbon in the Sky," and while once again he sings the song with passion to spare, it's a little rough around The Edges. "I love to hear your interpretation of songs," Jennifer says, while Randy adds that "It just wasn't your best for me."
Jessica Sanchez chooses to take on the monumental task of what many consider Whitney's biggest song: "I Will Always Love You." She's just sixteen, but delivers a performance that's by far the best vocal of the night. The judges give her standing ovation, with Steven even predicting that Jessica "made 40 million people cry."
Closing out the night is Phil Phillips with "Superstition." In a night that should have been filled with the singers bringing forth unique arrangements, his is the first to truly differ from the original in a guitar-heavy arrangement and it serves him well.
Lines are open for voting for two hours, so don't forget to get in your votes and tune in tomorrow to find out who's headed home!
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