Hollie Cavanagh sings "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele - Extremely risky as NO ONE should ever sing this song unless you are Adele. But I honestly feel like she really nailed it. The voice was strong and powerful and her delivery was sassy and heartfelt. You go girl!
Then - "Son of A Preacher Man" - Sounded great but was missing the dynamic contrast. However, she gave the BEST last note of the night... 2 weeks in a row ;)
Colton Dixon sings "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga - Awesome arrangement! I love the half time chorus and the bridge sounded pretty sexy! Colton is consistent and has great style.
Then - Earth, Wind & Fire sings "September" - Love this arrangement yet again! Colton may not have the best voice but can arguably create the best arrangements of songs week after week! Not sure if he will be save because the other singers really brought it this year!
Elise Testone sings "No One" by Alicia Keys - I loved the melodic choices during the intro of the song. However, it needed to be a little bit sweeter than what she delivered. Overall, not the best song choice for what she could potentially do.
Then - "Lets Get it On" by Marvin Gaye - Very cool sexy, jazzy interpretation. It is clear that she is very musically sophisticated, so why does she lack the fan base that others so naturally have? She is a true professional but fear that she is going home next.
Phillips Phillips sings "You Got it Bad" by Usher - Really nice arrangement and interpretation of this classic Usher song. Still needed to show more range and dynamics, but loved the style.
Then "Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett - Same performance again. This dude is talented but I've heard him sing literally the same song every week. Maybe he is too much of an individual and just can't help being "himself." Hmmm... luckily it picked up during the end of the song, but is it enough? Not sure if it is....
Jessica Sanchez "Fallin" by Alicia Keys - Safe song choice but she delivered it very well. Effortless, flawless and amazing. Girl has talent, style and charisma when she sings. She is ready to go.
Then "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding - NICE! This girly has so much control, power and style. She truly made this song her own - best performance of the night!
Skylar Laine sings "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga - LOVED the country interpretation. Excellent reharm, growl and stylization! She is an awesome performer!
Then "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye - Not sure if it there was too much melodic freedom, but I loved her ability to take this classic R&B tune and transform it into a modern country arrangement. Consistent, solid and "brilliant" as Randy said. ;)
Joshua Ledet sings "I Believe" by Joshua Ledet - I loved that he showcased his lower register and gave us a little bit less of his signature shriek. We know you can blow and I'm glad that you showed us just a little bit of restraint!
Then "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke - Amazing, but I was honestly a little bit bored. Too much screaming for my taste. I am not sure how big of a disconnect there was between the live performance and the national broadcast because I am questioning the judges' standing ovation...
Overall, the talent is extremely impressive this year. I can honestly say that every single one of these performers deserve record deals that will propel them into successful careers in the music industry. Joshua is the next gospel star, Colton needs to front a rock band, Phillip is straight up ready to take over the indie/acoustic rock scene, Jessica is going to rule Top 40, Hollie could make it big on Broadway, Skylar is going to be the next country music sensation and Elise is gonna tear it up as a jazz/blues singer/songwriter. I've never been so passionate about the group that we have this year....its going to be difficult to say goodbye to someone tomorrow!
But honestly, I'm thinking our girl Elise will be going home. Thankfully, she will do well because she actually has experience and education and is just probably not gonna win this competition...
What do you think?!
