Tonight on Fox’s Season 13 of American Idol, the Top 4 contestants each performed three songs under the theme of “Something Called Love.”
The first round of tonight’s love themed performances was the “Break Up” portion, while the second was the “Idol Dedication” round, and the final segment of the night was the make-up round.
Now let’s get right into our recap of tonight’s performances!
Round 1: “Break Up” Songs
Caleb Johnson “You Give Love A Bad Name” By Bon Jovi
As the resident rocker of the season, Caleb chose the perfect song to showcase his voice. His performance of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name” was quite effortless as he sang the song with so much power and energy.
Keith Urban says, “This was a great way to kick things off. The thing I really love was at the end you took it to your own place and it became a Caleb slayer.”
Jennifer Lopez says, “I always feel like I’m at a rock concert when you perform. You’re ready for primetime.”
Harry Connick Jr. says, “I thought it was fantastic. It was a great way to open the show.” He also tells Caleb to think about different ad libs he can add to tunes.
Jessica Meuse “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
There is no denying Jessica has a great voice, but we don’t think she chose the right song for her first performance tonight. The song didn’t showcase that deep rich texture to her voice. She was a little pitchy in the beginning of her performance and at times it seemed she was struggling to deeply connect to the song. This just wasn’t a performance a top 4 contestant should be giving at this point in the competition.
Jennifer says, “The attitude was right, but I don’t feel like it was the best song for you. It didn’t compliment your vocal ability. It felt a little low in the beginning and some moments you were off.”
Harry says, “I’m glad you have two more songs. I know you can do better than that. I do feel like you are feeling it, but you need to find a way to try to show us how you feel even more.”
Keith agrees with Harry and says that establishing a deeper emotional connection comes from confidence.
Alex Preston performs “Too Close” by Alex Clare
Alex is definitely one of the most unique contestants of this season. We loved his broken down version of Alex Clare’s “Too Close.” Every time he performs his emotionally driven delivery shows how much he feels every single word he sings. Oh and we gotta say we loved the runs he infused at the end of the song.
Harry says, “I think one of the reasons the audience likes you is because you spend so much time reconstructing songs in your own way. You build up songs based on your own style. I love that you do that every week.”
Keith says, “I like that too, but occasionally I miss a bit of weight in your performances.” He recommends that Alex take more command of the phrasing.
Jennifer says, “You’re so unique you always put Alex in your song choices. The only concern is if you are creating big enough moments to win this competition.”
Jena Irene performs “Heartbreaker” by Patt Benatar
Jena gave a great vocal performance of this song. Was it one of her best performances? Not so much, but we still enjoyed it.
Keith says, “There is no question about your vocal ability. The only thing I felt was that there wasn’t a fully committed release within the song.”
Jennifer says, “I felt like it was a controlled performance. It was a very commanding performance and I actually really loved it. You keep coming more and more into your own and gain more and more confidence.”
Harry says, “Vocally it was really amazing. I wish the feeling would drive you to do whatever you wanna do. There was a disconnect between what you were singing about and how you were moving around on stage.”
Round 2: “Idol Dedication” Songs
Caleb performs “Travelin Band” by CCR
Once again Caleb gave a very energetic and fun performance.
Jennifer says, “That was so in your wheelhouse. You killed it again. You’re gonna be tough to beat.”
Harry says that it was fantastic and gives props to the band, while Keith calls the performance “excellent.”
Jessica Meuse performs “So What” by Pink
Once again, this was not the right song choice for Jessica. She needed to possess a lot more attitude and sass for a song like this. She also could have hit the notes with a lot more intensity and strength.
Harry says, “I think you are terrific. You have an incredible voice and you are an amazing talent. Those two songs you sang were not the right songs. You are better than that.”
Keith says he totally agrees and adds, “A song that doesn’t suit you has no reflection on your talent.”
Jen also says, “I am rooting for the third song, this song was not right for you.”
Jena Irene “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga
We loved how Jena changed up the arrangement of the song and really put her own spin to it.
Keith says, he liked how Jena changed the melody of the chorus because it created a potent and powerful moment.
Jennifer says, “You are a force to be reckoned with. You give Caleb a run for his money when it comes to the really big performances. For me, you really brought me in. I don’t know if I liked the change in the melody, but you stayed committed all the way through.”
Harry says it was a really strong performance and it was an interesting choice in the chorus.
Alex Preston “I’m Yours” by Jason Maraz
This was another good song choice that suited Alex’s voice. However, we were hoping he would put more of his own twist to it. Although it was a good vocal performance, Alex didn’t really do anything to create a shining moment.
Jennifer says, “They love you and I love you, but again I worry about you. When it started, I felt like ok there is gonna be something that happens to make the song different and it didn’t, it stayed kinda linear. You gotta take the performance up a level.”
Harry says, “I really wanted to hear something different. You need to stick to your strength of making it Alex.”
Keith says, “The very last 8 bars started to liberate with the phrasing and that’s a great sign, keep that coming out.”
Round 3: “Make-up” Songs
Caleb Johnson performs “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney
This was hands down Caleb’s best performance of the night. His delivery showed his emotional connection to the song and he just gave a stellar vocal performance through out.
Both Keith and Jen gave Caleb a standing ovation.
Harry says, “It was so nice to hear you sing softly. That was absolutely phenomenal.”
Keith says, “That was a killer performance, you nailed it.”
Jennifer says, “Tonight you singing that was probably your best performance since the beginning.”
Jessica Meuse “You and I” by Lady Gaga
YESSS!!!! Finally Jessica delivered on her last performance of the night. She put a really catchy country spin to “You and I” and we loved it! The song revealed both the sweet quality to her voice and her raspy upper register.
Keith says, “That is the perfect song for you. That was so you, I heard you and it was really killer.”
Jen says, “It was perfect for you! It highlighted all the great qualities in your voice.”
Harry says, “She came out swinging. That song was perfectly suited for you and you killed it.”
Jena Irene performs “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis
WOW, this was easily the best performance of the night. Jena’s striped down version of a classic Elvis song was mind blowing. The song showcased the raw beauty in her voice.
Both Jen and Keith gave Jena a standing ovation! Even Jen went up and gave Jena a kiss at the end of her performance!
Jennifer says, “You sat there [playing the piano] and you just reinvented it. It was so beautiful. I was so moved. It was crazy. I am so glad to be here to witness that.”
Harry says, “That took such immense courage to perform that song in that way. It was absolutely incredible.”
Keith says, “You take all these elements and put it in your own way. That was spellbinding. You are so unique.”
Alex Preston performs “Yellow” by Coldplay
This performance was Alex’s best performance of the night. It was simply put an exquisite rendition of the song. We adored all the little intricacies he so seamlessly portrayed in his interpretation of the lyrics. His vocal performance was so soothing, yet so commanding.
Harry says, “You really needed that. People are gonna remember this last performance. I’m so happy in this moment to be a judge cause I don’t have to vote. There were some great performances tonight and that was one of them.”
Keith says, “The thing you got is a particular kind of poetic vulnerability. The song was perfectly suited for you.”
Jennifer says, “That was the perfect song for you. You sang it beautifully. You needed that. I think you are integral to this competition.”
Well, that does it for our recap! Who was your favorite performance of the night?! We want to know! Leave your thoughts below!
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