The American Idol top 3 performed for America’s votes last night, and it was an emotion-packed night, with peeks at the contestants’ hometown visits, as well as some showstopping performances.
The contestants each sang three songs this week: mentor Jimmy Iovine’s choice, the judges’ choice, and the producers’ choice. This is the first time this season that the contestants have had no say in what songs they sing, so it was a nerve wracking week for them. Not surprisingly, the judges weren’t huge fans of a lot of the songs that they didn’t pick, but Randy was falling all over himself to praise the songs that he and his fellow judges had chosen.
Jimmy Iovine’s Choice
Kree Harrison
Kree kicked off the night with Jimmy’s song choice of Pink’s “Perfect.” The song’s message really resonated with her, and while she was singing with her niece in mind, she sang it directly to the young girls in the front of the crowd, even grabbing some of their hands as she delivered it to them. The judges weren’t thrilled by the song choice, but they loved Kree’s sweet and genuine delivery.
Candice Glover
Jimmy’s selection for Candice was U2’s “One,” though Candice’s version was closer to Mary J. Blige’s cover of the song. All the judges loved Jimmy’s song choice for her as it was perfect for her voice, and gives her room to grow and show off. Candice is the most emotive performer of the final three; her emotion is the most believable and doesn’t seem forced. Nicki felt like she was at a Candice show, rather than Idol.
Angie Miller
Angie was the last to sing Jimmy’s choice, with Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” She stepped away from the piano for this round, which always stumps the judges as they fawn over her piano performances every time. It was a beautiful song, but Angie’s performance fell kind of flat and didn’t have the same sort of emotional resonance as some of her past performances have had. Keith wished she had held back a little more in her vocal, and emphasized that she doesn’t always have to focus on showing off her range.
Judges’ Choice and Hometown Visits
Candice Glover
To no one’s surprise, Candice was a tearful mess throughout her hometown visit to St. Helena Island, SC. She went home to visit her parents and six siblings, she stopped by her old workplace and drove around on a moped, and she fought off the rain for her parade and concert to gigantic hometown crowds. The judges noticed how much the hometown visit seemed to rejuvenate Candice this week.
The judges selected Emeli Sande’s “Next To You” to show people how Candice’s classic voice can also fit in on modern radio. Candice nailed the performance, from the early confessional-style lyrics to her freestyle riffing at the end. The judges were charmed by her performance as well as the footage from her hometown visit, and Nicki was even brought to tears. She composed herself long enough to say that Candice is inspiring girls around the country by being so confident on stage every week.
Angie Miller
We met Angie’s brother, who is growing a “playoff beard” until Angie’s time on the show is over, whether she wins or not, although he thinks he might extend it until she wins a Grammy. Angie’s hometown visit to Beverly, MA was also emotional as she reflected on the tragedy in nearby Boston, filled in as a weather girl for a local news station, visited her old elementary school, and played in concert with her brother and his band.
Angie performed the judges’ choice of Pink’s “Try,” once again stepping away from her “comfort zone” at the piano (more like the comfort zone the judges have insisted she stick to), but this time it worked out for her, because the judges felt this was the most comfortable she’s been onstage with an uptempo song, away from the piano. Nicki also finally pointed out Angie’s resemblance to Miley Cyrus, which is apparently something Angie’s heard before.
Kree Harrison
Kree’s hometown visit was the most emotional of all because while she can visit her hometown, she doesn’t get to reunite with her parents, who have both passed away. She had plenty of lighthearted moments during her visit, including visits to a crawfish boil and a rodeo, but it was very tough to see Kree and her sister revisit the house she grew up in, that still holds so many memories of her parents. For her hometown concert, she sang Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again,” which she sang last week, but this time dedicated it to her parents.
As if her hometown visit footage wasn’t emotional enough, the judges selected Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye” for her to sing. She looked absolutely beautiful as she delivered an incredibly emotional and genuine performance, thoughts of her hometown visit and undoubtedly her parents fresh in her mind. She brought all of the judges to tears, and they felt it was one of her best performances to date because she finally showed all the emotion that they have been waiting to see from her.
Producers’ Choice
Angie Miller
To kick off the producers’ choice round, Angie sang Emeli Sande’s “Maybe,” and finally returned to the piano. It seemed like a somewhat lackluster performance, but Mariah pointed out that it’s actually quite a difficult and high song to sing. The judges feel she has come full circle and overcome all of the issues that they used to criticize her about (theatricality, emotional connection, etc.), and she has now become a complete performer.
Kree Harrison
The producers chose The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” for Kree’s last performance of the night. It was a little hard to see such a mood shift from her emotional round two performance to this stomping country rocker. Kree sounded great, even showing off a little grit in her voice, but it just didn’t seem like her heart was in it. The judges did not like the song choice, and hoped that America would be able to see that she was outside of her comfort zone.
Candice Glover
You have to know that Candice closing the show would mean a big performance, but hearing Ryan announce that she’d be singing “Somewhere” from West Side Story sealed the deal. She certainly didn’t disappoint, demonstrating perfect control and an outstanding range. The judges and the crowd were on their feet, and Nicki was so excited she had to tuck her boobs back into her dress before she sat down. Her comments: “Four words: See ya next week.”
Tune in tonight on Fox at 8/7c to see who will make it to next week’s finale, as well as some special guest performances from Alicia Keys and season 10 Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina.