Earlier this week, my friend Tiffany (@TVProducerLady) and I discussed the show so far on the latest episode of Blerd Radio.

Tonight, the contestants are going to be singing songs performed by their idols. Stevie Nicks is mentoring them with Jimmy Iovine.

Colton Dixon is singing Everything from Lifehouse. Stevie told him to never cut his hair. She likes the muskrat look? It’s a worship song and he put on the kind of performance that works. There wasn’t many highs or lows, but the song was positive and it was a good look for him. Steven says he has star quality. Jenny Lo says she was moved. Randall says Colton has believability.

Skylar Laine‘s idol is Miranda Lambert and she’s singing Gunpowder & Lead. I’m not all that familiar with the Lambert not named Adam, but Skylar’s performance was fun, spirited, and lively, which is her lane (pun intended). Jenny Lo says it was the perfect song for her. Steven says it was over-the-top. Randall says she’s a powerhouse singer.

Colton, Elise, and Phillip are performing Fleetwood Mac tunes. As if this show wasn’t already long enough. Couldn’t we cut it down to one hour and thirty minutes this week Idol?

Heejun Han is performing A Song For You, the Donny Hathaway version. We’ve heard this song a few different times on this show and while Heejun’s version isn’t bad, it just seems way forced. Before I get to the judges comments, take a look at Elliott Yamin’s version of this performance:


And now, compare it to Heejun’s:

Heejun Han, Top 9 Compete ~ American Idol 2012 by HumanSlinky

While Heejun was fine, it’s not really close to as good as Elliott’s. Steven says he did it and turned it around. Jenny Lo says when he connects, he moves people. Randall says welcome back to Heejun.

Hollie Cavanagh is singing Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood. If Stevie Nicks can bring a little soul out of Hollie, it will be the best thing for her. It took a not-so-good Carrie Underwood song to bring a little life out of Hollie. The song is hit or miss, but I think it’s her best performance so far. Randall says she did a pretty good job and he was impressed. Jenny Lo says it was one of her best performances. Steven says he wishes she sang a different song, but it was just okay.

Deandre Brackensick is singing an Eric Benet song called Sometimes I Cry. Deandre is an interesting competitor. The thing that stands out about him is his falsetto, but it’s also the thing that can get tiring to hear. This song was performed nearly entirely in falsetto. It has to be terribly hard to sing in that register, but what was seen as special to me before, now just seems over and done with. I like it when singers can get up there for big parts of the song, but not the entire song. Steven says it was 100% passion. Jenny Lo begged for America to pick up their phones and vote for Deandre. Randall says Deandre is back in the house.

Jessica Sanchez’s idol is Beyonce. Bummer, I thought she was going to say Lea Salonga. Just kidding. She’s singing Sweet Dreams. I was hoping she wouldn’t use Beyonce’s slangy phrasing, but she’s using it. Being that she did the best Whitney copycat, it’s not surprising that she can do the best Beyonce copycat as well. Wait, Melanie Amaro can do a great Beyonce copycat too. They should Beyonce sing off! Jenny Lo says it was a beautiful rendition. Steven says she’s a star and he liked that she held back a bit. Randall says she told a beautiful story.

Deandre, Heejun, and Joshua are doing a medley of MJ hits. I’ve been wondering how well Deandre can sing MJ. Even though Joshua’s voice is fuller, Deandre’s lighter voice fits MJ much better. Joshua busted out the moonwalk though.

Phillip Phillips is singing Jonny Lang’s Still Rainin’. I’m not sure what it is about Phillip, but he has it. I can’t explain it. But he has it. Jenny Lo says it was amazing. Steven says he owns every song that he sings. Randall says he loves his artistry and individuality.

Joshua Ledet is singing the Mariah Carey version of Without You. It’s so hard to listen to this song without hearing Mariah’s voice. But Joshua is so damn good. He didn’t blow my mind with his version, but he definitely sat in A- range. Randall says it was flawless. Steven says he poured his heart out. Jenny Lo says he’s a phenom.

Hollie, Jessica, and Skylar are doing a Madonna medley. Let’s hope Nicki Minaj doesn’t show up. At least they performed one of my favorite Madonna songs in Borderline.

Elise Testone is performing Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love. Now that I’ve turned a new leaf on Elise, I see her as someone who’s actually lived a little. You can hear it in her voice. She’s not a youngster like Jessica who was just blessed with this fantastic voice and like Randall said, just an innate ability to perform. Might I say that on this night of pretty damn good performances, Elise was my favorite one. She rocked the hell out of this song. Steven says he didn’t know if she could pull it off, but she did. Jenny Lo says it was real rock star hot stuff. Randall says she did an amazing job.

The top and bottom three are tough because there was no single poor performance to pick on and all were generally above average. But here I go.

Top 3
1. Elise
2. Joshua
3. Phillip

Bottom 3
1. Heejun
2. Deandre
3. Skylar

Seacrest out!