Tonight the remaining 11 Idols are set to sing songs made famous by a little known pop star called Reginald Dwight...oh, you probably know him better as Elton John! Elton has been one of the great musical artists for several decades and tonight the Idols have his catalogue from which to select songs to sing for your votes. And as you cast your votes for your favorites, remember that since the judges used their one and only save to keep Casey in the contest last week, two of the 11 Idols will be sent packing during tomorrow night's elimination show.
So with the pressure at an all-time high, the Idols steadied and readied themselves to put their best foot...or voice forward!
Scotty led off tonight and selected Elton's "Country Comfort" because it had the word "country" in it...isn't that like picking a horse because you like the color purple? Whatever his reason, Scotty strapped on his guitar and hit the Idol stage to give his interpretation of the one and only country song in Elton's catalogue. At one point in the song, Scotty gave a shout out to his grandma who happened to be in the audience enjoying the live performance. Scotty sounded good, but I'm not sure it was his best. Steven kicked off the judging and told him that "nothing you do that a pair of high-heeled boots can't fix"...what?! J-Lo and Randy were all about Scotty complimenting him on staying true to himself.
Hoping that singing "I'm Still Standing" with a Reggae feel will help garner her enough votes to stay in the contest another week, Naima made her way to the stage dressed in a white haltered jumpsuit with Jamaican color highlights. J-Lo started the judging and pointed out that singing the song as a Reggae song may not have worked; Randy went so far as to call it "corny"...and while he was giving her more critique, J-Lo chimed in and defended Naima which made absolutely no sense. I didn't care for the song regardless of what the judges thought...what do you think about that!
Paul selected "Rocket Man" for his performance. Before hitting the stage, Paul said that his band played the song once and it was a disaster; hope he does better tonight. After offering his customary "how y'all doing" greeting, Paul, dressed in a Conway Twitty white jacket with rose applique and strumming his guitar lent his unique sound to one of Elton's best known and loved songs. Keeping in mind that Paul is only the third Idol performer of the night, I thought he was the best so far. Randy pulled out the "pitchy" comment, but wondered if maybe Paul isn't holding something back. Steven asked Paul if he watered his suit because "it looks like there are a few more flowers"...then said he liked the performance, calling it "my cup of tea".
Known for the power ballad--and begged by the judges to go up tempo just once, Pia went back to her comfort zone and selected "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Before hitting the stage Pia promised to sing a song that will get everyone moving next week if America votes her into the next round. And with that, the stage door opened revealing a fashionable Pia dressed in a sparkly mini dress and what appeared to be 6" heels. OK, Pia just knocked Paul off the "my favorite of the night" performance. She killed it...and "it" was a BALLAD! Take that Randy! Steven said he knows when he loves a song because it "makes me cry inside" and apparently he's weeping. J-Lo loved the singing, but is pushing Pia to work on her performance. Randy said she "slayed" it...just like she does every time out, but implored her to switch it up once in a while.
Fresh from a visit to the B3, Stefano went with Elton's "Tiny Dancer" in an effort to keep from being one of the two Idol booted from the competition tomorrow. I haven't been a fan of Stefano's so far this season, but in the early part of his performance, I'm liking his interpretation. He's even keeping his eyes open...oops! spoke too soon; he grabbed the mic from the stand, walked around the stage, and started closing his eyes David Archuletta-style. But he's finishing strong with a walk to the judge's table where he extended his hand to J-Lo and sang the final lyrics "tiny dancer in my hand"...causing Randy to laugh and Steven to stare straight ahead. As expected, J-Lo slobbered all over her boy-toy and while Randy was sharing his thoughts, Steven looked like he was sleeping with the television on.
Georgia peach, Lauren, was up next and she picked "Candle in the Wind" as her vote getter. Joined on stage with a red grand piano, Lauren gave the song a country feel which worked nicely. When the song was over and the crowd finished cheering, Randy complimented Elton on one of the greatest songs written and Lauren on her best performance to date. Steven reminded everyone that he has been a fan "since the first time she laid eyes on him".
So what would Rocker James do with his Elton John song? We start with his song choice which was "Saturday Night's Alight" and then we move to the choreography; which for James means he is going to start in the song standing in the audience behind the Idol stairs. As he made his way down the stairs, he continued on to the judges table, the audience, and the to the guitar player on stage with him before settling on center stage just lone enough to catch his breath before moving to the red grand piano where he set it on fire and then worshipped it from his knees while still belting out his song. I thought his voice cracked a few times, but overall it was very entertaining and he grabbed everyone watching. The judges loved it and complimented him on enjoying himself.
With the image of James dancing around the stage still fresh in our minds, we turned our attention to Thia who chose "Daniel"--a very moving song with a lot of emotion packed into it. With the fog machine working nicely and dressed like an angel, Thia sang the song as a tribute to her brother who she called her best friend. It was a nice performance and the judges seemed to like it as well. J-Lo called it beautiful and Steven said she sang a great Elton John song well.
Coming off of his near elimination, Casey chose "Your Song" to try to win back the voters. To prepare for his performance, Casey visited the barbershop where he got a trim and a haircut. Looking a bit more refined, but still sounding like Casey was seated on a stool next to the grand piano and sang from his heart. It was a very un-Casey like performance; meaning he wasn't as animated as we have grown accustomed to seeing/hearing, but it was still a very strong performance and one that proves the judges made a good choice in saving him last week. But will the voters like it? We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Until the, let's hear from the judges. Randy first complimented himself and the other judges for a good save and then said tonight's performance was tender. Steven called him a "true artist".
Jacob was next and chose "Sorry Is the Hardest Word" one of Elton's big hits, but a song that Jacob said he first heard performed by Mary J. Blige...and lo and behold who should wonder into his prep session with the song producers? If you guess Mary, well, you'd be correct. The one thing the producers cautioned Jacob against is getting too emotional with the song...that's like asking a tiger to not eat their young! You can ask, but it's gonna happen! And when Jacob ended his song with a gigantic note, he was emotionally spent with tears on the edge of his eyes. The judges loved the performance; Randy asked him to go for that one spot in the song to give it the "Jacob Spot".
Hailey rounded out the show with "Bennie and the Jets". Listening to Hailey work with Jimmy and the other producers, she was already adding her signature growl to the song with portends for a great performance. And right on key we move to the stage where we found Hailey laid out on top of the grand piano which is getting quite the workout tonight. Oh no, just as she is hitting the chorus, she's off the piano and incorporating some ill-timed dance moves that are not show-closing worthy; thank goodness her smokey voice is helping take my mind off of her awkward moves. J-Lo seemed to really enjoy it...including the moves! I guess I'll have to give it to the former Fly Girl who knows a little more about dancing that I do in spite of my love of most Dance shows. Randy called it the performance of the night and Steven said Hailey sang "sexy"!
For the second week in a row we have 11 performances from which to chose our favorites and cast votes accordingly. Who are you going to vote for? I can tell you who wouldn't get my vote if I voted: Naima, Lauren, and Scotty. If those are the B3 come tomorrow night, I'm going with Naima as one of the Idols who is going home and she will be joined by Lauren.
Tune in tomorrow to watch as two Idols find out that their Idol journey is over. Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to...
Charlie
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