American Idol- Top 7 performance recap

Here is the recap fot the American Idol top 7 Performance:

1. Scotty McCreery (LeAnne Rimes’ 2010 cover of John Anderson’s 1982 song “Swingin’ “) – He cheated here because he picked a song that was not a hit in 2010 and it sounded dated to boot. This was not a good song choice and really gave off the impression he’s on cruise control.

2. James Durbin (Muse’s “Uprising”) – James, in comparison, manages to take songs and really rip into them with manic intensity. This song is all about manic intensity so he was able to dig deep and score. And the marching band drummers somehow worked.

3. Haley Reinhart (Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”) – This song requires desperation and angst. Haley, at best, can “play act” desperation and angst but come across as fake. For someone with such a good voice, she always feels like she’s in a late-night jazz club and that simply does not work here.

4. Jacob Lusk (Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father”) – The original version was achingly sad, low key and sweetly tender. Jacob adds more pathos and vibrato than I prefer but overall, it worked.

5. Casey Abrams (Maroon 5 “Harder to Breathe”) – He starts with a fairly basic version but transforms it into a jazzier Casey-style jam at the end. Of all Maroon 5 hit songs , this was best suited for Casey.

6. Stefano Langone (”Closer” Ne-Yo) – I am clearly in the minority, but I thought Stefano, after a few rather limp weeks, broke out and showed confidence and stage presence that I enjoyed. Great song pick, too.

7. Lauren Alaina (”Born to Fly” Sara Evans) – This was not a showcase vocal song, a bust-the-gut showstopper. It’s pleasant and enjoyable. And Lauren played it fairly straight. It felt very safe. I don’t think she’s “cruising” like Scotty but her lack of confidence in her own vocals and her youth showed through.

Notable judges’ quotes (there weren’t a lot this week)

“I love the storytelling quality of your singing. It’s time to pull out the big guns. Something Jimmy is saying you can push beyond your comfort zone. We were expecting more.” - J. Lo to Scotty

“You stay out of my closet now! You don’t now how expensive it is to look this cheap!” – Tyler to James

“Emotionally, it was a great performance. Just vocally, it was good but it didn’t make me jump up and down. I need the return of the old Jacob. I need you to go through the roof. Don’t hold back anymore. I feel like someone is putting the restraints on the race horse” – Randy to Jacob

“Casey’s got soft lips! I loved it! The performance was great… You brought all your Casey-isms. Took a pop song and took it all the way rock.” – J. Lo to Casey

“Speaking for the girls… you had the swag going on.” J. Lo to Stefano

“You can sing anything. You think you can’t sing those big notes. You can do it! You must believe!” – Randy to Lauren

source: blogs.ajc