American Idol 10 – The Top 3 Perform

The top 3 contestants perform tonight with some help from Beyoncé as their mentor – I think they used the mentors nicely this season and I think that Beyoncé is perfect for the job. The contestants (including James Durbin) made visits to their hometowns. Tonight each finalist will perform three songs. Round One – contestant choice. Round Two – Jimmy Iovine’s choice. Round Three – Judges choice. Before it all gets under way – Ryan points out a program change, the finale will be on Tuesday (March 24th) and the results show will air on March 25th.

It seems that B will only be mentoring the first round…we will also get the debut of her new single.

Round One – Contestant’s Choice

Scotty McCreery – Amazed (Lonestar) - Beyoncé calls Scotty a cutie pie and says that he has a great tone. She stated that she was a little concerned about him going into his higher range for this song – but Scotty convinced her that he was comfortable. This is a big, emotional ballad and I think it is a good choice for him. It shows that he has some range and depth. He has a great command of the song and of the stage. The kid is great, we are witnessing a star in the making. He’s definitely not my cup of tea musically, but he is very talented.

Lauren Alaina – Wild One (Faith Hill) - Beyoncé says that Lauren is great when she is wild and free. She also lets her know that she has to watch her nerves because sometimes they overtake the performance. Beyoncé tells her to trust herself. Never heard this song before but she sounds incredibly out of breathe and a bit on the screechy side. This was really a sub-par performance, especially after Scotty’s performance.

Haley Reinhart - What Is and What Should Never Be (Led Zeppelin) - Beyoncé states that this is a gutsy choice for Haley. She said that she could have easily chosen a “pop” song but this personal choice was great. It appears that Haley’s dad plays guitar on the song as she performs tonight. That is pretty cool. I am not a Zeppelin fan, so I am not at all familiar with this song. It seems like she handled it well except for the spot where she tripped running up the stairs (my biggest daily fear!!). She handled it gracefully.

AMERICAN IDOL: Scotty McCreery performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, May 18, (8:00-10:00- PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Michael Becker / FOX.

Round One goes to Scotty, then Haley and in last place Lauren.

Round Two – Jimmy Iovine’s Choice

This segment opens on Scotty’s audition. I still love that performance. It was a favorite.

Scotty McCreery - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not (Thompson Square) – from my understanding, this is a fairly recent country song. So I guess it will show Jimmy what he can do with more contemporary fair. I like seeing him with his guitar, but I felt that this song was less successful than his first offering. It seemed to me that he strained much more in this one. Hmm…

Lauren Alaina - If I Die Young (The Band Perry) – We come back to Lauren getting make-up applied to her legs – it seems that she ripped her stockings. I actually know this particular song and I really like it…I hope that she does not try too hard. Jimmy is right when he says that this song should fall right into her “sweet spot”. Something is off…I think it is the modulation. This song should be much smoother (legato) but she was too punctuated in this performance – too much staccato (abrupt and disconnected). She needs a Hail Mary of a last song or else she is going home. *Look at Randy using my damn word (modulation)*

Haley Reinhart - Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac) – this is the first song that I am completely familiar with! That is crazy at the nearly 75 minute mark of the show! From the first notes of the song she drew me in. Jimmy made the perfect choice for her. When the wind machine kicked in, I thought about how well this young lady handles staging concepts. I have been off of Haley for awhile now – but she knows how to bring it. This round goes to Haley!

I have to admit that I enjoy Run The World (Girls) better now than when I heard it a month or so ago…good job Beyoncé!

Round Three –  Judge’s Choice

Scotty McCreery - She Believes in Me (Kenny Rogers) – Shockingly, I think the first note was actually too low for him. He makes a quick adjustment and settles nicely into the song. I was hoping for great things from this performance, I was spoiled so I knew he would be singing it. I think that this was his least successful of the night – but I believe he is a lock for the finals. I love that his dad sang the first line of his very famous audition tune – super cute!

Lauren Alaina – I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack) – this song evokes some pretty  negative feelings in me. I had to endure a musical showcase where this song was butchered over and over again, so I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear it. Maybe Lauren can change that for me. Before I hear one note, I wonder why Lauren’s stylist hates her…what the hell is she wearing??  She really needs to be stellar on this performance. She sings well, adds a few weird runs and delivers a nice performance. This was not the knockout that she needed to send her to the finals. I think this is bye-bye for Lauren.

Haley Reinhart - You Oughta Know (Alanis Morisette) – I love Alanis and I think Haley’s growl might complement the song. She starts weakly and spirals down from there until she gets to the first chorus. I think the judges let her down with this choice and the band’s super weak back-up was shameful. Ugh. She still won the night for me, but her choice and Jimmy’s choice were much better than what the judges did for her.

This was a pretty good night – following is my ranking for all of the songs:

1. Scotty McCreery, Amazed
2. Haley Reinhart, What Is and What Should Never Be
   
3. Haley Reinhart, Rhiannon
   
4. Scotty McCreery, She Believes in Me
   
5. Scotty McCreery, Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not
   
6. Lauren Alaina, Wild One
   
7. Lauren Alaina, If I Die Young
   
8. Lauren Alaina, I Hope You Dance
   
9. Haley Reinhart, You Oughta Know
   

I predict Haley and Scotty go to the final. Thoughts?? Who is truly in it to win it?