Top 6 Perform

Welcome back. We are down to the Final 6. This week's theme is Carole King. It's definitely a dramatic change from songs from the 21st century last week to Carole King songs this week, but that's how American Idol rolls. I think Jacob, Haley and Casey need to step it up this week given that Scotty, Lauren and James have yet to even be in the Bottom 3. The contestants not only had Jimmy Iovine as a mentor but Babyface as well. He is very well respected singer and producer in the music industry so the contestants should have a lot of help this week.

The contestants are not only singing as individuals but singing as duets. The show did this last year and it seemed to work out, we shall see if it is as successful this year, so let's get to it:

How Were The Contestants?:

Jacob(Oh No Not My Baby): It took Jacob a really long time to figure out how to sing this song with the mentors, he seemed to have a lot of difficulty figuring out the best way to showcase his voice. The song really didn't do much for me this week. I think he tried, he riffed, he was pretty much in key, but it didn't really get me going too much. Not sure I liked Much better than last week, but I don't know if it is enough to get him out of the Bottom 3 or going home. Grade=B-
Steven: Thinks it was beautiful and glad he shook his tail feather.
Jennifer: Didn't think it was perfect but glad he brought out a good performance, thinks he killed it vocally.
Randy: Thinks there was few shaky spots, but thought it was energetic and glad that he really sung tonight.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: Not really. They seemed to really enjoy his vocal, I am glad they didn't go crazy nuts for it, but they still enjoyed it a lot more than me.

Lauren(Where You Lead): After being told by the judges to push herself this week, Babyface tells Lauren to hit the high notes like everyone knows she can. Miley Cyrus also shows up to surprise Lauren. Given that Jimmy Iovine pretty much said that Lauren sang Miley's song "The Climb" better than Miley did, it must've been a tad awkward for him, he tells Miley that some of her fans have been getting on him, and it's pretty deserved she feels. The song starts off a little slow for Lauren, but she picks it up once the song moves up in tempo. She definitely seems more confident and doesn't seem afraid of the stage, she even pulls a boy from the audience to sit on the stage with her. I know it's all staged and manufactured, but it's still nice for her to do something different. She sang really beautifully tonight. Grade=B+
Jennifer: Is so proud of Lauren for pushing herself and getting through her barriers.
Randy: Thinks she came out with a little bit of swagger, doesn't know if he loved the song choice, but loves that she came back with a vengeance and made it more than the song itself.
Steven: Thinks she shined when she pushed herself, wants her to keep doing what she is doing.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: They do. They saw that she really pushed herself and did a lot with the song.

Haley and Casey (I Feel The Earth Move): The first duet of the night. Their little taped package plays off the fact that there is a rumor that they are dating each other. They sound really nice together, they play off each other very nicely and interact onstage together in a very fun and playful way. Their voices also did a lot with the song. Grade=B+
Steven: Thought it was really good and there wasn't anything about it he didn't like.
Does Steven Agree With Me?: He does. Loved the way they moved on stage and loves the chemistry they have together.

Scotty(You Got A Friend): Jimmy's goal this week is to try to do a few things differently with Scotty's voice and performance this week. Loved the beginning of the song, how soft and tender it was. Scotty's voice was very controlled and on the money tonight. Could the performance be deemed a little boring? Sure. But he did a lot of good with the song and made some interesting choices with the song to make it different. I've heard this song sung in many ways, but this was different and pretty enjoyable. One of my favorite Scotty performances thus far. Grade=B+
Randy: Thinks the beginning was flawless but when he hit the high notes he sometimes falls off the notes. Thinks Scotty is in it to win it.
Steven: Liked that he went up for the high notes that he is sometimes afraid of. Doesn't think he sang any better.
Jennifer: Thinks he is getting better at pushing himself to get to the higher notes, and loves how he told the story beautifully.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: Yup. He definitely sang really beautifully tonight and deserves the accolades he got, but still can push himself even further.

James(Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow): Singing a Carol King song is as opposite as James can get from last week's marching band led performance. Jimmy is very excited by James' rehearsals. Loved the acapella beginning of the song. It was very cool and original. James was able to keep the basic tone of the song but add his rock flair into it. There were a couple of pitchy spots once the band started in, but the performance as a whole was really cool and different. I give him a lot of credit Grade=A-
Steven: Loved the beginning, didn't initially like it when he added the rock element, but it grew on him as it went along.
Jennifer: Thought from the beginning it was magical, thinks he is the star of the night. Doesn't think he has blown one week, and has been consistent week in week out.
Randy: Didn't think he was just a great rock singer, but a great singer. Thinks it was not only one of the best performances of the night, but over the past few months and thinks James could win the whole show. Then James and Randy hugged.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: Yep. It was definitely the performance of the night thus far. I don't know if he will win the whole thing like Randy believes, but I do think that he has been very consistent like J.Lo said.

Lauren and Scotty(Up On The Roof): They have a more brother/sister dynamic rather than the boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic that Casey and Haley had. Both of their vocals were pretty decent. The performance was a little boring, they didn't do too much with the song other than make it sound country. Grade=B
Jennifer: Thinks Lauren sang her brains off and thinks Scotty sounded good too.
Does Jennifer Agree With Me?: Kinda. She thinks it was really really good, I think it was good.

Casey(Hi De Ho):  Jimmy feels that this is a very tough song to sing and takes a lot of personality to pull it off. One thing Casey does have is personality. I think I prefer Jazzy Casey, over Angry Rocker Casey like last week. He still had some angry moments, but he attained a better balance of Jazz mixed in with it. So it was a much calmer performance. Grade=B
Randy: Loves that he keeps the show different. Is it excited every time he is out there.
Steven: Thinks he really found his niche. Thinks it was beautiful.
Jennifer: Thinks he is really in his element. Wants him to loosen up and bring out more with his body.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: Pretty much. They really enjoyed his performance and I kind of liked it. It didn't blow me away, but it was pretty good.

Haley(Beautiful): After a minor technical glitch before she began, Haley starts off with a lot of energy. She sings the slower spots very tenderly, and brings a lot of passion and energy to the faster parts. She had a ton of control over her voice tonight, and really told a story with her song.
Steven: Thinks he saw God in her voice, she nailed it.
Jennifer: Thinks it was beautiful and thinks she has one of the best voices in this competition.
Randy: Didn't love the beginning but thinks the end was great.
Do The Judges Agree With Me?: Yep. I think she nailed it and she could be a contender if she just keeps growing.

Jacob and James(I'm Into Something Good): Pairing up the very very different voices of James and Jacob is a bit unfair to both. But given that Casey and Haley and Scotty and Lauren match up perfectly, they have to deal with it. Both James and Jacob's voices  sounded pretty decent together despite the very different voices that they have. Good effort. But the Casey and Haley duet was the best of the night. Grade=B-
Steven: Doesn't think it was the most award winning performance.
Does Steven Agree With Me?: Yep. It definitely wasn't so great, but wasn't all bad.

How Was The Show/Judges?:

*I love that a lot of these contestants took the original song and flipped it and made it into their own. This year there hasn't been a lot of originality, a lot of the contestants have just been singing the original version as it was originally performed and not doing anything with it. Finally tonight these contestants started to mix it up and show that not only could they sing, but they can be artists. They aren't all the way there yet, but it was a good first step.

*I think its a little unfair to Haley to not get the last spot of the night. She was the last individual performance and deserved the best spot of the night, the last spot, but it went to the duet of James and Jacob. The last performance leaves the best impression with the voting audience, and it's unfair that she didn't get it. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't think 1 performer has been voted off after being in the last spot of the night. So it's pretty important in my opinion. Also, the show was running a bit behind so the judges had to rush through some of Haley's comments. Haley has been in the Bottom 3 the most out of everyone and needs all the judges support she can get, if she wasn't going to be the last performance of the night then I wish she went somewhere in the middle when the judges had more time to give her nice compliments.

Bottom 3/Who's Going Home Predictions?:

Bottom 3= Jacob, Casey and Haley.
Going Home= Jacob. He went first, he has been in Bottom 3 a good amount of times, and I don't think tonight really helped him out. He was easily the weakest performance of the night and was a little forgettable.

Come back here tomorrow night to see what happens next. My favorite from last Crystal Bowersox is performing, the results and probably even more craziness all happens tomorrow. See you then.