There was a lot to say about the top 4’s second chance to win America’s votes, and there were plenty of disagreements. Harry Connick Jr. returned to Idol as a mentor this week, and didn’t hold back in his criticisms of the contestants or the judges.
After last week’s “surprise” result of no one being sent home, last week’s votes will be combined with this week’s to determine which contestant will be eliminated. You may recall that Angie and Kree had the most votes last week, and Candice and Amber were in the bottom two, so it was up to them to win over America this week.
This week’s theme was “Now and Then” with the contestants taking on songs from 2013 in the first round, followed by old standards in the second round. They also closed the show with a group performance of U.K. X Factor winners Little Mix’s song “Wings,” which featured so many unnecessary backup dancers that it was difficult to determine who was actually singing.
Songs from 2013
Angie Miller
Angie was the first to meet with Harry, and they joked around a lot during her rehearsal of Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” Angie broke the song down, making it into her own simple version, and it sounded almost Latin. The judges admired her vocals, but felt it was a terrible song to choose if she was looking to completely change the arrangement. They also felt that she was playing to the camera and to the audience too much, and her performance did not seem as genuine as it usually does when she’s at the piano.
Amber Holcomb
Amber sang Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason” for Harry in rehearsals, but unfortunately forgot most of her words. Though she was embarrassed, Harry loved her connection to the music as she snapped and hummed her way through the parts she couldn’t remember. If she could bring that same energy to her performance, America would love her. However, though she sounded great, Amber didn’t move from one spot on the stage for her entire performance. She was so caught up with trying to remember the words, she didn’t truly connect to the song. The judges encouraged her to have more fun.
Candice Glover
Candice chose Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” and while there was much discussion of her singing a man’s song without changing the pronouns, her performance transcended all of that. She so perfectly portrayed the emotion and sentiment of the song, that anyone would have to be crazy to so much as notice the pronouns. After all the judges gave her a standing ovation, Keith even said, “When you sing like that, you can sing ‘If I Was Your Giraffe’!” Candice’s first single, perhaps?
Kree Harrison
Kree took on Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again,” which Harry absolutely loved in rehearsals, and told her he “wouldn’t change a frickin’ note.” Her challenge after last week’s critiques was to show some emotion in her performances, and boy did she ever deliver with this one. She kept the vocals simple, but really connected with the audience and the song, at times looking almost teary. The judges weren’t particularly enthusiastic, but did note the improvement from last week.
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