Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb have caught up with Candice Glover vocally. Will this line-up be Season 12’s final three? (Photo property of FOX’s Michael Becker)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Despite the behind the scenes controversy between Mariah Carey and the show’s producers surrounding her firing and the possible return of Jennifer Lopez, American Idol’s leading ladies still performed two songs tonight.
Which contestant(s) gained momentum for the May finale? Who lost steam from this week’s performances? Read on to find out…
The ladies’ first challenge this week was to choose a song that will help them get through to next week. Amber tackled Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love.” She started out a cappella and then continued to deliver a flawless vocal that hit all the right notes. Nicki stated that she was “big sexy glass of milk” and while Randy added that she grew a lot throughout the competition. A+
Candice breathed new life into Drake’s “Find Your Love.” It was another Candice classic but it received mixed feedback from the judges. Randy and Nicki were worried about where Candice was going to be in the marketplace post-Idol, while Keith and Mariah liked the vocal. I hope that these comments do not cause her to be in the bottom this week. A
The season’s Den Mother, Kree Harrison, tackled Susan Tedeschi ‘s “It Hurts So Bad” for the Contestant’s Choice round. While it was one of her better performances, Kree failed to connect with the audience (once again) and received some mixed critiques from the judges. At this stage in the competition, Kree needs to connect with the song and exuberate emotion or else she will not be moving on to the finale. C
Angie was the final lady to finish the first round of the night. She decided to revisit the artist that got her a spot on this season: The Voice UK’s Jessie J. This is the second time that this song was covered on a FOX talent competition in less than a year. While Angie was okay with her vocal, I think fans of both shows would have preferred X Factor USA’s Jillian Jensen’s heartbreaking rendition over Angie’s lukewarm cover. B-
The next segment of the night was the Duet Rounds. Amber and Kree tackled Adele’s “Rumour Has It.” While Amber stole the song, Kree seemed out-of-place in this duet. The producers should have paired Candice with Amber because they would have taken that song to the heavens. (Amber: A-; Kree: C-)
Candice and Angie tackled Rihanna’s current chart-topper: “Stay.” Their voices blended well together and they received a standing ovation from Keith, Randy and Nicki. This was the best duet of the season! (Angie & Candice: A+)
A couple of weeks ago, viewers got to choose a theme for contestants to sing. They chose One-Hit Wonders. Amber chose to paid homage to the Queen of Disco when she tackled “MacArthur Park.” Backed by a mixed of jazz musicians and violinists, Amber delivered an intriguing vocal performance but it seemed like it was forced at times. B
Candice delivered a cover of Bee Gees’ “Emotions” that was a little boring to me and it was not a quality Candice Glover vocal. B- Kree redeemed herself when she tackled “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and received positive reviews from Randy, Nicki and Mariah but disappointed Keith Urban. B+
Angie closed the night with Julie Jordan’s “Cry Me A River.” For the first time in weeks, Angie performed without her piano in a solo performance. This was pure elegance and a nice piece of ear candy that showed off her vocal range and was Angie’s second best performance of the season. A-
Tomorrow night, the show reveals a twist!
