It’s down to Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, and Joshua Ledet! Who’s the next American Idol?
Top 3 week is quite possibly my favorite week of American Idol, aside from the actual finale. Why? I love me some hometown visits! I love seeing the contestants being celebrated by their town and loved ones, plus their reactions are always so priceless. I appreciate a good lovefest, what can I say?
Tonight the final three contestants – Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, and Joshua Ledet – will be singing three songs each. One song of the judges’ choosing, one song picked by in-house mentor Jimmy Iovine, and an individual selection.
Joshua Ledet – “I’d Rather Go Blind” – Etta James (Randy Jackson’s pick)
– Love this song, but it’s really old fashioned.
– I like hearing Joshua’s lower range – very nice!
– Those “baby, baybeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh’s” were legit. \
Steven Tyler said Joshua had a moment.
JLo: Â “You brought down the house again.”
Randy: “Another amazing performance.”
Kirsten: Pretty fantastic! Showed great vocal range & control.
Jessica Sanchez – “My All” – Mariah Carey (Jennifer Lopez’s pick)
Has anyone done a Mariah Carey song since season seven’s Mariah Carey week?
– I feel like she’s in pain while she’s singing this. Like, she totally doesn’t look comfortable.
– Can’t even front, I’m happy that it’s over, cause she was making me anxious for her.
Randy: “Absolutely beautiful. Absolutely the right song for you.” Okay.
JLo: “You did it so beautifully, you did it in your own way.”
Steven: “When you sing, you make people hang on your every note.”
Kirsten: She seemed uncomfortable throughout the entire performance. Not my favorite performance from her.
Phillip Phillips – “Beggin'” –Â The Four Seasons/Madcon (Steven Tyler’s pick)
I’m having season eight tour flashbacks…I love this song.
– That opening note was pretty fantastic.
– I like to see Phillip actually look like he’s enjoying himself during his performances, and he looks like he’s having fun.
JLo: “You catch a groove in a song that is all yours and you just ride it all the way home.”
Steven: “So beautiful to watch you unfold.” “You could be a new age Springsteen.”
Randy: “We were just at the Phil (Phil, really?) Phillips’ concert, y’all.”
Kirsten: Get it, Phillip! Loved the whole vibe of his performance.
Randy gives Joshua a slight edge in round one. Jennifer gives round one to Phillip. Steven is on the fence.
Time for the contestant’s song choices!
Joshua Ledet – “Imagine” – John Lennon
– The footage of Joshua on the plane to Westlake, LA is so cute!
– “They are really acting like I’m Barack Obama.” LOL!
– I love hometown footage! Gaaaah :’)
– I’m pretty iffy about this song choice, since David Archuleta slayed this back in 2008, but I have high hopes!
– This is a pretty tame performance from Joshua. Way to show restraint.
– Very nice closing note.
Steven: “Another ‘Thank you, God!’ moment from you.”
JLo: “The way you’re willing to dig deep in the words and the meaning makes you very special.”
Randy: “Every time you sing, people feel what you do.”
Kirsten: Loved it! I like that he went with a song that moved him & that he embraced that emotion in his performance.
Jessica Sanchez – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Aerosmith
– Jessica got to ride in a helicopter back to her hometown of Chula Vista, CA.
– Tells her family members she’s going to try and win it for them. :’)
– The crowd during her parade is insane.
– Her song pick tonight is ballsy, I’ll give her that.
– I’m surprised that she didn’t go uptempo for her pick.
Steven loved her rendition.
JLo liked the final note.
Randy: “This girl is bold!”
Kirsten: It was alright. The chord change threw me a bit. And unlike JLo, I didn’t care for the last note. She was straining.
Phillip Phillips – “Disease” – Matchbox Twenty Â
– “I’m so excited. I’m getting butterflies. I don’t know what to expect.” D’awww!
– Wow, Leesburg, GA loves their boy!
– Went back to his family’s pawn shop. P2 Sr. is getting all choked up. :’)
– The crowd for P2 is pretty overwhelming.
– Great song pick! And of course, there’s that saxophone he loves to utilize.
– I like this stripped down version, which I fully expected, but a full electric performance would have been kind of awesome.
JLo: “I didn’t feel like it was the wow performance.”
Steven: “It wasn’t over the top, but it was Phillip Phillips, man.”
Randy: “Subdued moment for you. Wanted a bigger look from you.”
Kirsten: I thought it was a great song pick, a little underwhelming, but I still thought it was a solid performance. Â I would say that he picked the best song for himself out of the three contestants.
Time to see what Jimmy Iovine picked for the contestants!
Joshua Ledet – “No More Drama” – Mary J. Blige
– Hmm, I don’t know if I love this song pick for him.
– There goes the jacket!
– It’s got a little frantic for a moment.
– The closing notes were nice.
Randy: “You’ve laid everything on this stage that there is to lay.” Uh.
JLo: Mentions of spontaneity and craziness. She was excited about the performance.
Steven: “It was beautiful.”
Kirsten: At moments, it felt a little all over the place. I think his passion got the best of him and he lost control of his pitch.
Jessica Sanchez – “I’ll Be There” – Jackson 5
– She needed a moment tonight. This song is kind of a disservice to her.
– Solid vocal, probably her best performance of the night.
Steven: “Perfect song. Perfect voice. You nailed it.”
JLo: “That was a perfect song choice from Jimmy.”
Randy: “I liked it okay, I didn’t love it, for me.”
Kirsten: Randy said it best, “There was never a MOMENT, moment.” And holy crap, someone get Steven and Jennifer a thesaurus.
Phillip Phillips – “We’ve Got Tonight” – Bob Seger
– Phillip is showcasing some nice range.
– This is his most subdued performance of the night, but the subtlety was so on point. He sounded great.
Randy: “Best performance on the show ever!”
JLo: “It was really, really sweet.”
Steven: “You just showed that you’ve got all that passion wrapped up inside of you.”
Kirsten: Easily the performance of the night. P2 needed to have a great night & he did!
Final Two Prediction:Â Phillip Phillips and Joshua Ledet will be headed to the finale!
What did y’all think about tonight’s performances? What is your Final Two prediction?
Wait...WHAT? 