The pressure is on. American Idol is entering a long stretch where the results and performances will be rolled into one, two-hour show. That means more commercials and more Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban. However, it also means more performances by Season 14's best contestants.
Scott Borchetta worked with the Top 12 for this episode and his main focus was to take all of the acts to their next level. The pitch problems have to stop. The nerves need to be calmed. The song choice has to be explosive.
As an added bonus, Jussie Smollett and Yazz showed up to perform the Empire tune "No Apologies." It was an exciting performance and a tough one to follow (Clark Beckham received that difficult task).
One name won't appear in the recap next week, and that unfortunate award belongs to Sarina-Joi Crowe. She performed "Neon Lights" by Demi Lovato in order to be saved by the judges. It didn't work out.
11. Maddie Walker performed "She's Country" by Jason Aldean. It was the perfect song choice for what she's been selling all season. She has a lot of growing up to do as a vocalist, but she has a definite star quality. Connick wants her to stop imitating other artists, which is good advice for someone working through the country genre. Apparently she wasn't feeling great all day, which made her performance all the more impressive.
10. Nick Fradiani was the last one to make it through. He sang "Wake Me Up" by Aloe Blacc. A lot of emotion and effort went into the performance. "I just want you to crack open for us," Connick said. Agreed.
09. Jax took a risk with "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift. It was a great rendition of the pop hit, but her voice sounded somewhat spent. There were way too many Swift-ish motions too. The judges weren't supportive of the performance, but Borchetta defended Jax, saying that the goal was to do something more mainstream since her performances have been "left of center."
08. Rayvon Owen took on "Burn" by Ellie Goulding. Borchetta said he needs to stop going through the motions, basically. He sounded like he was trying to catch up to the song the entire time. Owen has an amazing voice, and he's established that already. It wasn't a consistent showing, and he ended it like last night's tune with a long high note. Urban said it was a "killer" song choice. J.Lo agreed. Connick didn't dig it as much.
07. Daniel Seavey took on "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. "He knows he has the ability to charm the socks off of you," Borchetta said. Combined with his talent, Seavey's charm is deadly. This performance was one of his better ones. "It's impossible not to root for you," J.Lo said.
06. Qaasim Middleton performed "Jet" by Wings. Leave it to a Paul McCartney song to help Middleton show off his vocals. His energy still seeped through. It was his best vocal performance by far because he played guitar and that kept him planted in front of the microphone. "He makes the show great," Borchetta said, stressing his performing chops. Connick called the singer a "one trick pony," which was not well-received since he's such a fan favorite.
05. Clark Beckham's "Takin' It to the Streets" by The Doobie Brothers was soulful. He's been unbelievably on point with his song choices. If there's one contestant to sing a Doobie Brothers song, it's Beckham. He did really well behind the piano. Borchetta called him a "vocal powerhouse." "It's impressive without being inspiring," Urban said about his voice, which was actual the judge's best comment of the night.
04. Quentin Alexander is always dangerous. He took on "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele and made it his own. It was a safe performance compared to what he did with Lorde's "Royals." "It's always cool, it's always soulful," J.Lo said. It was too surface level for Alexander.
03. Joey Cook surprised everyone with her mainstream pick of "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea. She's been putting on some of the best performances consistently this season. Cook took it to another level with this one. The arrangement and her voice worked so well. "I could see you doing a whole album like that," J.Lo said. She gave some love to Post Modern Jukebox, which inspired the arrangement.
02. Tyanna Jones went all out for her performance of "Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe. Jones draws much of her style from Monáe, so it was cool to see this performance. "It was so complete," J.Lo said. She received the most positive feedback from the judges.
01. Adanna Duru sang "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars. Best performance of the night. Impressive stuff.
