Season 11's American Idol Top 6 Perform

This week our favorite Top 6 American Idol singers performed songs from Queen as well as songs that meant a lot to them. The competition is getting stiffer week after week and this is what I thought about tonight's performances:

Round 1:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Top notes were all flat and agree with J.Lo that she needed to rock out more. When she sang the big parts she sounded great.. just needs to work on consistency!

Skylar Laine sings "The Show Must Go On" - I love her! She needed to show off her high notes and she truly nailed it! She has such great range, perfect pitch and excellent emotion!

Joshua Ledet sings "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Great vocals! I love the attitude, the timing, the melodic choices and the style! Flawless and very classy!

Elise Testone sings "I Want It All" - Shakey introduction...but after she warmed up she really opened up. Some of her notes were just incredible. I agree with the judges that she was truly in her element with this song choice!

Phillip Phillips sings "Fat Bottomed Girls" - The popping vein on his forehead is really distracting.. Anyway, this was a great song choice for him but I'm honestly bored with this dude. I enjoy the character behind his voice but feel like we have seen and heard everything.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "Save Me" - I didn't really believe her performance. Her voice is absolutely beautiful but she lacked the confidence and emotion that you need to be a great performer. She was good but maybe not good enough.


Round 2:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross - So beautiful, so believable and so well done! This was a safe and easy song choice for her because it was right in her element. It was very tender and not over the top. Jessica saved herself from her last performance. =)

Skylar Laine sings "Tattoos On This Town" by Jason Aldean - I love when she plays the guitar! It was also a safe song choice, but it was great to hear her sing a country song because she just sings it well. I also loved that she showcased her range some more.

Joshua Ledet sings "Ready To Love" by india.aire - Beautiful song choice and wonderful, emotional delivery! I wish he wouldn't scream in every song but he gave us an awesome ending! That run at the end was phenomenal but do the judges have to give him a standing ovation EVERY time?!

Elise Testone sings "Bold As Love" by Jimmy Hendrix - Awesome job! I love her runs! She is so musically sophisticated, gave us great style, an awesome scat and just truly, in J.Lo's words, "slayed" that song. And I don't agree with Randy AT ALL! She did great!

Phillip Phillips sings "#41" by Dave Matthews Band - Very obscure and kinda kitschy. I loved the instrumentation and felt like he sounded great. However, if you close your eyes it sounds too much like Dave Matthews.. He might not be safe this week.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus - Her first standing ovation from the judges! This song fits her like a glove! Those top notes were perfect and she did a great job holding back and pushing forward when it was needed. Nice job!


Tonight's performances were awesome, but I truly missed watching the coaching sessions with Jimmy Iovine. Its fascinating to watch their transformations in the studio and I love hearing what Jimmy has to say about each performer. I also didn't like that the songs and performers were not introduced before each performance. What was up with that!? It left me wondering what the songs were called and I actually had to google some of the more obscure choices! All in all, the performances were really solid and its anyone's game at this point.

My predictions:
Top 3 - Jessica, Skylar and Joshua
Bottom 3 - Hollie, Elise and Phillip

Elise should be safe and we might say goodbye to Hollie or Phillip.. What do you all think!?

Season 11: American Idol Top 12 Finalists Compete

Here is a recap and vocal review of Season 11's American Idol Top 12. Tonight we had the chance to watch our singers perform songs from the year they were born. Some of them were born in the 90s which makes me feel old. This is what I thought:

1- Phllip Phillips - Boring. I know he is sick and all, but I was bored! Sorry!

2- Jessica Sanchez - Terrible song choice, too much vibrato and completely lacked accuracy of syncopated rhythms. She'll stay because she's so good.

3- HeeJun Han - The poor dude has awful diction and the worst microphone technique ever! His personality is cute, but not enough to be an Idol!

4- Elise Testone - Finally, you showed us a soft and vulnerable side. Perfect song choice that showcased wonderful tones and phrasing, but got too loud too soon. Hold back, girl- there's tons of beauty in your voice when you keep it soft and build up slowly.

5- Deandre Brackensick - I felt like I was in the 70's when he started. His phrasing, his facial expressions and even his outfit made the performance so cheesy! He has a great voice but it was cheesy CHEESY!

6- Shannon Magrane - Yes!! You did it, girl! You relaxed, emotionally connected and gave us a great performance! The voice was in control and the dynamic contrast was very effective into building up the song! Wonderful job for proving yourself this week!

7- Colton Dixon - Great voice but also boring! He is going to need to step out of his comfort zone in order to stand out!

8- Erika Van Pelt - Great vocal mix and technique, effective key change and interesting ending! She reminds me of Kelly and could surprisingly win this thing!

9- Skylar Laine - She is such a firecracker - has killer stage presence and style! I can't believe how much potential she has for her age!

10 - Joshua Ledet - I did not like the song choice, but it showcased impeccable range and control. Not sure that it deserved the standing ovation, but strong enough to continue.

11- Hollie Cavanagh - The notes just soared above her so effortlessly. Loved the song choice and the key fit her voice perfectly. She almost didn't get that last note but did a great job closing the show!

Tonight we also witnessed this season's first controversy. I was creeped out by the way the producers decided to address the disqualification of Jermaine Jones. Additionally, I was upset that we were not presented with a Jeremy Rosado comeback performance in its place! What a waste of a spot as I was never a big fan of this "gentle giant."

Looking forward to tomorrow's elimination round. I predict HeeJun and Deandre are in trouble. We shall wait and see... =)