The “American Idol XIV” Top Eight share laughs with chief “Idol” mentor Scott Borchetta and guest advisers Jason DeRulo & Florida Georgia Line. (Photo property of FOX, 19 Entertainment & FremantleMedia North America)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s been a while since I took a trip into the Idol Dome!
But, here is some good news: DANIEL SEAVEY is FINALLY GONE! The bad news, I missed the chance to see Kelly Clarkson mentor the contestants.
With Daniel gone, the competition can really begin!
Tonight, the Top Seven for Season 14 will be revealed! Who passed through with flying colors? Which contestants fought for the Idol Twitter Fan Save? Read on to find out…
Scott divided the Top Eight into two groups: one group worked with Florida Georgia Line and another worked with the future So You Think You Can Dance judge. Before anyone could take the stage, all three artists entered the stage and presented the results to Ryan.
Jax was the first contestant that was saved by America’s votes. She had the privilege of working with Florida Georgia Line and tackled Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” The best cover of “Poker Face” that I heard was Glee’s Lea Michele and Idina Menzel’s heart-breaking cover during the FOX dramedy’s first season. I actually liked that Jax 86ed the piano for this performance. Her vocals were extremely captivating and I would definitely download the performance. B+
The next person joining Jax was Nick Fradiani. The Beach Avenue front man is this season’s elder statesman and decided to do something different this week by adding a country lick to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Thanks to Florida Georgia Line’s advice during the mentoring session, Nick finally got out of his comfort zone and delivered one of his best vocal performances on Idol. A- (Meanwhile, Harry tried to be cool by singing “Teenage Dream,” but it did not work out the way the audience wanted!)
Jason DeRulo took the stage to debut “Want to Want Me.” He did a nice and flashy performance that got had everyone dancing. As Jason and his countless female dancers left the stage, it was Quentin Alexander’s time to shine! While Jason admired Quentin’s vocals, he wanted the frontrunner to focus on his rearrangement process. I am glad that Quentin decided to go with the up-tempo version of the Sam Smith and Disclosure song! “Latch” probably helped him reach the Top Four! A
After Florida Georgia Line debuted their latest single, “Sippin’ on Fire,” it was time to get back to the competition! While the audience shouted Clark to be saved, Idol Powers-That-Be chose Joey to perform next. This is a very tough song to sing because numerous Reality TV artists such as Voice alums Matthew Schuler and Christina Grimmie and Idol semi-finalist Jess Meuse and Jennifer Nettles on last year’s finale slayed that song. Every week, Joey continues to impress viewers with her unique vocals, but at the same time…I would have re-watched any of the three performances I mentioned earlier. B
The next person to receive good news was Clark Beckham! He picked a very intriguing Ed Sheeran song to perform: “Make It Rain.” I am glad that Jason gave Clark the advise about being a preacher not a singer during his performance. This was the Clark I have waited to see…his vocals were on point and took everyone to church! A+
While the remaining three contestants were figuring out their fates, Iggy Azalea teamed up with Season Three alum and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson on their collaboration: “Trouble.” I loved seeing Jennifer Hudson shake the Idol stage with her bombastic vocals and Iggy Azalea always delivers a superb performance.
Tyanna Jones chose “Stay” for her Billboard performance. While Jason admired her maturity, Scott and the So You Think You Can Dance judge wanted her to stand out when she tackled the Rihanna and Mikky Ekko collaboration. As Jennifer stated in the pre-performance package, Tyanna lost her way over the past couple of weeks. However, Tyanna bounced back into the contender zone with her lovely vocals and she could give Amber Carrington a run for her money with her cover. B+
This meant that Rayvon Owen and Qaasim Middleton had to duel for the Idol Twitter save. It is a shame that Rayvon has to perform for the save again! What the heck is wrong with you, America? It was a beautiful cover from top-to-bottom and was 1,000-times better than Josh Kaufman’s show-winning cover on The Voice! A
In all honesty, Qaasim is a great entertainer! But, his vocals are not on par with Rayvon, Nick or Clark! His take on “Hey Ya!” was abysmal and I do not see his appeal or what Idol viewers see in him that makes Qaasim so great. F
After five minutes of voting, the Idol Instant Twitter Save recipient was Rayvon Owen!!!!! This meant that Qaasim was eliminated from the competition.
As for my “Voice” peeps who watched Idol with me, here is the Season Eight Top 12:
Team Adam: Joshua Davis, DeAnna Johnson & Brian Johnson
Team Blake: Corey Kent White, Meghan Linsey & Hannah Kirby
Team Christina: India Carney, Kimberly Nichole & Rob Taylor
Team Pharrell: Sawyer Fredericks, Mia Z & Koryn Hawthorne
