Give this to the Season 13 American Idol finalists: They're better at picking songs than last year's batch. And they're not going to be a bunch of ballad singers.
Working with the theme "This Is Me," each singer had to pick a song that revealed something about themselves as both a performer and a person.
The first night of the final round may have had its share of inconsistent performers and favorites falling from grace, but it showed that this season's singers draw on a wide range of influences.
Idol introduced a variety of new ways to vote Wednesday, including dedicated toll-free numbers that each contestant will keep throughout the season, text voting from any wireless carrier and a ballot that comes up when people search "American Idol" on Google. Plus, now you don't even have to wait for the end of the show to start casting ballots: In-show voting allows you to avoid pesky distractions like actually hearing everybody sing.
Any night where Idol has at least four strong performances should be considered a good night, and, for those who hadn't already stopped watching and started voting, Wednesday's show had at least that many. Here's how I ranked them:
Majesty Rose, Tightrope (Janelle Monae). Majesty Rose is turning into quite the appealing R&B-pop singer. Tightrope's in the same vein, stylistically, as Pharrell Williams' Happy, which she did last week, but this performance is even better, with its bouncy, single-note melody on the verses breaking into a broader chorus. She absolutely nails the performance, vocally and physically. "That was a killer song choice," Urban told her, saying Monae's music is a great place for her to draw from. Lopez loved her style, her individuality: "Singing that song was so perfect for you, everything about it, watching you work the stage, the different ways the rhythm hits your body." Connick wondered what she was thinking right at the end, as the song finished. "I was, like, I can't believe I've done this," Rose says. "That was terrific, Majesty, that really was," he said. Grade: A
Jessica Meuse, The Crow and the Butterfly (Shinedown). The woman from Slapout, Ala., began the Shinedown song by bringing a country quality, a la Sara Evans, to it. But she quickly let her rock side take over, giving one of the night's most dramatic performances. "That was a very bold but cool song choice," Urban said, with a big grin on his face. "There was a dark, haunting quality to it." Lopez was impressed by the sound and power of her voice: "It was my favorite vocal performance of the night so far." Connick was distracted by the butterfly images behind her: "I thought that was strong, man. I heard a different sound in your voice." Grade: A
Emily Piriz, Glitter in the Air (Pink). Piriz took on a big risk with the Pink ballad, but she gave what might have been the most spot-on vocal of the night, and it was certainly the kind of accomplished performance that the best Idol stars of the past have managed. "That's a tough song to take on, but you did it so beautifully," Lopez gushed. Connick liked that she took a leap of faith in singing the song: "You did exactly what you were supposed to do," he said, giving perhaps his most unqualified praise of the night. Urban recommended that she find a balance between the exquisite beauty of the song and the edgy presence that Pink has. Grade: A-
Caleb Johnson, Pressure and Time (Rival Sons). Johnson doesn't have any of the issues the less experienced singers do — he's confident, in tune and comfortable with his choice of material. And his Robert Plant howl is pretty spectacular — especially when the sound guy adds the echo. But he still sounds too stuck in the '70s, and, at best, he would've been just a journeyman rocker during that era. He has yet to find that reason people should like him, not just the style of music he sings. Urban picks up on that. "You just have serious pipes, man," he told Johnson, adding that he needs to figure out a new twist to keep from sounding so retro. Lopez envisioned him in the rock-star life. "It's great to hear some rock 'n' roll on Idol," Connick said. Grade: A-
Ben Briley, Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash). Briley's probably not the hick he seems to want to play on the show. In fact, he may be one of the savviest of the Top 13, first courting Vol Nation, now performing a Johnny Cash song — on what would've been Cash's birthday. Folsom Prison Blues lets Briley stay in his comfort zone — he says he's opened every gig he's ever done with the song. And he sounds both comfortable and distinctive within his performance. He knows the song. He loves what he's doing. You can tell he's performed it onstage before. Urban found the tempo "a little brisk," the speed at which Cash might have sung it while on speed. He also warned Briley not to sacrifice his artistry for kitschy entertainment value. As a dancer, Lopez liked Briley's tempo: "I loved it; I thought it was great." Connick didn't find Briley's performance kitschy; in fact, he considered it the best of the first four and gained some respect for Briley. Grade: B+
Alex Preston, The Beautiful Mess (Jason Mraz). Preston takes a completely different tack from the other contestants, giving a subdued, countrified performance, lit by little more than a single spot. "I like that tune, I think that was a good tune for you," Connick says, and considered it a brave performance. He cautioned him to sing in tune, though he realized Preston may have been using it for effect, and he believed Preston may have turned too far inward with his performance. However, that same quality pulled Urban into Preston's world. Lopez agreed with Keith: "I was very caught up in the mood," she said. Grade: B+
C.J. Harris, Radio (Darius Rucker). Going with Darius Rucker for his first song during the Top 13 might seem like an obvious choice for Harris, but it's also perfectly suited to his voice — showing similar influences to Rucker but a raspier tone. He gets the groove just right — after several weeks of showing his roots, it's nice to see him in a contemporary context. "That was a lot of fun," Lopez told him. "At the end of the day, we're going to feel your energy." Connick heard a cry in his voice that he loves to hear: "I'm spoiled by your voice, and I want to hear that cry in your voice." He thought the song choice was just OK. Urban didn't agree, since Harris mixes soul, country and R&B like Rucker does, and he was glad Harris showed that side of himself. Grade: B+
MK Nobilette, Satisfaction (Allen Stone). Nobilette started strong with the slinky funk of Stone's song (and it's not a ballad, for a change!), but its intricate, jazz-based melody with all its rhythmic shifts proved to be more than a match for her — though she earns points for attempting the most difficult song of the show's first hour. Connick has enjoyed watching her grow every week, but he suggested she needs to find something to do in the breaks between phrases. He liked that she changed up the style of her material. Urban admired the confidence she showed, but thought it was patchy. Lopez didn't know the song, but she loved how Nobilette delivered it. Grade: B
Jena Irene, The Scientist (Coldplay). Jena Irene may be the most frustratingly inconsistent of this bunch, brash one moment, tender the next. She knows the Coldplay song well — it was the first song she learned to play on piano, at age 9. She gets off to a very rough start with the song but eventually finds her way into it. Lopez was worried about her at the beginning but loves the quality of her voice. "You make interesting choices on a pre-existing melody," Connick says. "The choices you make as a singer make the song come across in a different way." Urban adds that, while she started rough, she started to take control of the song as she leaned into it. Grade: B
Malaya Watson, Runaway Baby (Bruno Mars). Watson's looking better with each passing week, but she sounded breathless from the very beginning of this fast-paced song. The song seemed to run away from her, and she spent the whole performance trying to catch it. Lopez loved her energy: "Performance, you're like an A+," she said. However, "it wasn't your best vocal performance — we know that you can blow." She still thinks Watson's a contender. Connick said she sounded a little nervous and out of tune. Urban said she needed to find a way to channel that nervous energy into a performance "where you're on top of the song, not sort of floating around it." Grade: B
Kristen O'Connor, Beautiful Disaster (Kelly Clarkson). Kelly Clarkson sang this song about a guy, but O'Connor said she's singing it about herself. Having heard Connick's suggestion to Dexter Roberts about in-ear monitors, she pulls one of hers out during the first verse to hear the sound of the room as well as the band. She's the first singer of the night to get on top of her song choice, but she doesn't cut much of an image onstage. Connick believes she's a good pop singer and likes that she has thought through the meaning of the song, but he noted that she was out of tune. Urban liked that she was able to show her range, as well as control and dynamics, all in the shortened version of the song. Lopez told her — and the other contestants — that she needs to stop thinking and rely more on what she knows than what she thinks might happen. Grade: B-
Sam Woolf, Unwell (Matchbox 20). For one of the first times this season, Woolf seemed uncomfortable (maybe as nervous as his initial audition, when he sang that sped-up Lego House). And he may have sung "maybe you'll see a different side of me," but he didn't show the audience anything about him they hadn't already seen before. Connick wished Woolf's vocal had sounded as messed-up as the sentiment of the tune. Urban found the tempo a bit slow, but he still found Woolf's way of holding a song "captivating." Lopez called him a "Quiet Storm": "You need to really get loose up there." Grade: B-
Dexter Roberts, Aw Naw (Chris Young). I saw Chris Young perform Aw Naw last week, and Roberts has a ways to go before he can stand toe-to-toe with him. Plus, he used his electric guitar mainly as a prop. That said, Aw Naw's a great song for Roberts to establish the image he wants with the viewers. "What you've got to figure out now is how to make it a Dexter Roberts performance," Urban told him, also noting the excellence of the song selection. Lopez thought the song captured who he was as an artist, but believed he needed to take it to a different level. Connick thought Roberts' use of in-ear monitors may have contributed to the pitch problems in his performance. Grade: C+
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