The “American Idol XIV” Top 11 sang the National Anthem over the weekend, but two of them “lost the number” to America’s votes. (Photo property of FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s been a while since I last recapped American Idol, so here is a quick fresher-upper:
Quaasim Middleton almost joined Sarina-Joi Crowe in the elimination club, but thanks to the timely efforts of the judges…he was saved!
Now, with the Judges’ save gone…everyone must step up to the plate! Tonight, two contestants were eliminated as the Top Nine traveled back in time where Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Tina Turner and Bruce Springsteen reined supreme…the 1980s!
Which members of the Top 11 earned “One More Night” to sing for America’s votes? Which contestants had to go “Back Where They Started” at home? Read on to find out…
Former America’s Got Talent judge and 80s icon David Hasselhoff not only delivered the results to Ryan Seacrest, but he also delivered a medley of 80s hits that got everyone moving. It was exciting to see Harry (who rarely gets out of his chair) grooving and gave him a standing ovation.
This week, Idol in-house mentor Scott Borchetta brought another 80s icon to help him mentor the contestants and helped them perform a cover of his classic: “Karma Chameleon.”
America…I don’t know how many times that I have to tell you this: Daniel Seavey does not belong on the American Idol stage. The 15-year-old butchered Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” and somewhere I believe the duo are banging their heads against the wall. If I were Daniel, I would prepare for your exit and see if Disney and Nickelodeon need any teens for their shows. F
Is it just me or is Quentin Alexander the funkiest contestant I have ever seen? He gave me chills with his cover of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.” I hope Phil was watching this performance, because I believe he would be proud of this vocal performance. A-
Joey beautifully channeled the Queen of Pop with her outfit! Also, it was so precious to watch Joey meet Boy George as well. Over the past couple weeks; Joey has been on a hot streak! I loved her energy and I liked that she convinced Rickey Minor to add a Reggae vibe to the arrangement. While I disagree with the judges about the vocals, it was a good performance and it was nice that Boy George came out to congratulate her. B
Tyanna Jones had a monster of a song to tackle: the late Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” She has one of the strongest voices in the competition and I am glad that she slayed the dragon with those gorgeous high notes that raised my arm hairs. I hope that this performance gives her a spot in the Top Six. In addition, I hope she would listen to Jennifer’s spot-on advice and not let the voice in her head get to her! A-
Girl power continued as Jax was the third girl in the row to get called to sing for America. She had the hard time containing the inner fan girl when she met with Boy George. Jax was not the first contestant to cover Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name,” that honor belonged to Season Six’s Blake Lewis. Like Blake did with his cover, she brought out her unique smoky vocals and made it her own. A-
There are only a couple of people that successfully performed Michael Jackson on Idol: Adam Lambert, Haley Reinhart, Jessica Sanchez and Season Eight winner Kris Allen, who covered “Man in the Mirror” on Top 36 Week. Nick redeemed himself this week with his cover of the Bad track. His vocals were impeccable and I hope that Nick creates more moments like this in the upcoming weeks. B+
80s week got a surprise visit from hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa! After the duo performed their iconic hit: “Push It,” Clark Beckham hit the stage and tackled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” The last time I heard this song on a singing competition was Josh Kaufman and Usher’s duet on the sixth season of The Voice. However, Clark perfectly captured the haunting lust-like emotion in this song and delivered the vocal performance of the night! A+
Last week, Qaasim received the save and now he had to deliver every single performance. He tackled Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” There were some nice vocal moments and there were some cringe worthy moments! Qaasim needs to focus more on the vocals and less on the choreography. C
The Bottom Three of the night were Maddie Walker, Adanna Duru and Rayvon Owen. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to both Maddie and Adanna as Rayvon was voted through to the next round. During the pre-performance package, Scott and Boy George hoped that Rayvon would break out of the shell tonight. It was hard to watch Rayvon twitching on the stage and I think it almost destroyed his credibility. If you want to see a great performance, watch Tony Vincent’s cover of the Tears for Fears hit. D
Next week, the Top Nine tackle the first “American Idol” winner: Kelly Clarkson’s songbook!
