TV: American Idol Top 8 Performance Recap - First After a Long While

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by:Louie Ross Perez

I have not written in a while and it's a pleasure to be back and write about the performances in American Idol. I've been wanting to be a judge and kick out Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson out of their chairs. I'm not a singer nor a musician but I like watching singing competitions and listening to music as a whole.

The following are my feedback for the performances tonight of the Top 8:

Deandre Brackensick - Deandre started low and starting a promise of natural singing, and I thought that's a great idea because I'm getting sick of the falsettos. But after a few seconds he went back to his old habit then low key then falsetto again. I hope Deandre will stop doing that and concentrate on real singing. I have to to admit that this was a better performance from him than the other weeks and I understand the judges praising his performance but they tend to exaggerate things and I hate it. 2 stars for me

Elise Testone - I love her voice and I think she has the best voice in the competition but tonight when singing "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, I think she was lost in a street she's never been to. Steven said it's was good but the song choice wasn't great and J.Lo who sugarcoats everytime said it was good but not right in some spots. This time, I have to agree with Randy, Elise was pitchy. But she still nailed Adele's One and Only and she was the best last week so please give her a chance.I don't want her to go this week, but I think she'll be in danger. 2.5 stars

Philip Phillips - I think this guy will break hearts of some hopefuls that a girl will win this season. Philips is wearing his staple pale colored shirt and a polo and of course he brought his guitar, what's different now is he's playing with his brother.  He sang "That's All" by Genesis. What can I say, he plays and sings with his heart and you would really feel the music. I'll say that I'm surprised he obeyed his mentor's advise to stop playing the guitar when it comes to the bridge of the song and make some eye contact to the audience and it worked. I felt like he connected more with the audience. Of course the judges loved him, and this was the first good performance of the night. 3.5 stars



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 Joshua Ledet - He's really a great singer. I love how he performs with a whole lotta soul. I love his performance, so much passion and technique. The judges loved him but why am I getting this feeling it will be hard for him to win. Maybe it's how the America voted for the last few seasons. I hope they vote better this time so Joshua can score a spot in the final. Because he deserves it. 4.5 stars

Jessica Sanchez - she has shown that she got the voice, she got the swag, she got the moves. But one think she has to show...originality. No doubt she has performed every song really great technically. It's just that she's not putting her own twist to it. "How Will I Know" was sang by Whitney Houston the same as "I Will Always Love You' and Jessica sang it the way Whitney sang them. Come on, give us something new. But if I will evaluate the performance, singing after Joshua, my rating is 3.5 stars. Watch her performance below from youtube.

Hollie Cavanagh - Poor Hollie. Although she was being praised by the judges because of her big voice, but everytime I watch her I feel like she is so rehearsed. There's no feeling within the song. It's like she's thinking the next note instead of the next word, if you know what I mean. Tonight, it's awkwardess all over the place. She's like a toddler being forced by her mother to perform "Flashdance" in the talent portion of a beauty pageant at her school. 2 stars

Colton Dixon - Mr. Skinny Jeans sang "Time After Time" by Cindy Lauper. Although I didn't really like the version just the way the judges overrated it, but this is what Jessica should do next time. Change the arrangement and make it her own. Eventhough it's a bit whiny, it's still a decent job. Making him look current and saleable. And why am I getting this feeling that Ryan is flirting with Colton? Just saying. 3 stars

Skylar Laine - While I was writing this, my brother is beside me and commenting that Skylar's voice is irrirating. I agree with him sometimes, but I think that's what makes her interesting, her voice.  And performing Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" is kinda refreshing to me. She showed that she's not just a country singer, but she has power vocals too. 3 stars

Also they performed duets tonight. Here are my thoughts:

 Colton and Skylar - not bad. But I think there's no chemistry between the two of them. They should not be paired next time. But the singing is not bad. Good cover of a Kenny Rogers' song.

Hollie and Deandre - just awful. I hope Deandre will go home. I don't want to see his hair moving anymore. I 'm tired of it. Hollie is making some awkward dance moves. It's like you're watching your two friends, singing in a karaoke,  getting rid of some hangover from a Red Horse night out. Just awful.

Elise and Philips - Elise gained herself back in this duet. I hope that voters will reconsider her after this performance. I heard that Philips is having some health problems lately and it's kinda showing in his performances. The duet was great and I think it made the night more special

Joshua and Jessica - J. Lo said it's a dream pair and she was right. The two belted the song out and it was great. The two are undeniable the best singers in the competition and I think they will get pretty far in this season.

That's it for now. My bottom three is Deandre, Hollie and either Elise or Colton. As much I would like Deandre to go home but because J.Lo is building him up so much, I think it's Hollie. Not Elise, please.