This week the contestants had to choose from musicians from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
Gwen Stefani was brought in to style the contestants with her L.A.M.B collection. Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas was there to coach the contestants.
Jacob Lusk - “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Dressed head to toe in white, he looked nice but I didn’t care for his version of this great song. No one will ever sing it as well as Michael. Jacob added some hip thrust and swinging hips. I really don’t care for this guy. Steven said that it was beautiful and well done. Jennifer said it was perfect on every emotional level. Randy was happy that he chose a song that morally fit with him better than what was chosen for him, which was “Let’s Get it On.”
Haley Reinhart – “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin. From the beginning, the judges could hear some Janis Joplin in her voice so she finally gave it to them. She has a great growl to her voice but sometime it seems she overdoes it a little. She did a great job tonight but I wish she had left some of that growl out so that we could hear her voice. She worked the crowd well and was all over the stage, easy to tell that she was having with the fun but there was no real emotion in her. Jennifer said that she showed everyone that she is a real contender. Randy thought that they Haley that they had original seen and fell in love with was bad. Steven couldn’t find anything wrong with it, she nailed it.
Casey Abrams – “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. This was an excellent song for him to chose. His voice is well suited for Creedence Clearwater. His vocals were accompanied by him playing a stand-up bass. Randy felt that it he made CCR proud and that he made playing the bass cool. He was very excited that he put it in a pop a song, it was revolutionary. Steven called him a true musician, he bring something different every time he comes on. Jennifer said that she would pay to be front row every time he plays.
Lauren Alaina – “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. She combined R&B with country when she pulled this one out. She did a great job, very controlled. She also sounded sexy, with just the right amount of growl and rough notes mixed with soft tones. Steven said that she’s grown up and he loves her voice. Jennifer called her amazing. Randy said that she picked one of the most difficult songs but she did a good job. Big props to her for that!
James Durbin - “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George Harrison of the Beatles. This is quite a change from his usual hard rock. He wanted to take a risk, and I loved him for it! It was great to hear that he can sing ballads as well as scream out some rock. He still managed to bring his high notes into the song and held it for a good amount of time. He appeared to begin to cry at the end of the song, maybe to prove that the feeling was there. Jennifer said that it was special to watch and it was a great choice for him. Randy loved seeing the true emotional side of James. He loved that he could feel him connect with the notes and taking chances like that are good for artists. Steven said it was great to see that not only did his guitar gently weep but he did, too. James was asked what he was thinking about while he sang this song and he replied, his family.
Scotty McCreery – “That’s Alright Mama” by Elvis. He made it into a country, slightly rock song. He did a lot of pointing during his performance as he walked all over the stage and strangely held the microphone sideways to his mouth. He did some weird eyes looks and even weirder hips shaking. After sing song, some girls ran onto the stage and hugged him like crazed fans. Randy said that he’s not a one trick pony. Scotty’s in-it-to-win-it. Steven felt that he brought the music back into play again. Jennifer called him fun and asked if had been watching rap videos because she could feel a little of that flavor in there.
Pia Toscano – “River Deep, Mountain High” by Tina Turner. Amazing! She’s gorgeous and tonight she showed that she is more than just a ballad singer. Her voice is so powerful and she connects well to the audience. There’s absolutely nothing bad to say about her performance. All you can say is WOW! Steven called her a murderer because she killed it. Jennifer said it was amazing and she is really, really special up there. Spectacular. Randy felt that she showed what he already knew, that she could deliver on an up tempo note. Christian Slater’s daughter gave her two thumbs up, they were both in the audience tonight.
Stefano Langone – “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge. He may be a good looking guy but I think that he is going to get eating up in this competition because he is just not up there with the rest of them. Don’t get me wrong, he can sing, just not as well as the others. He did connect with his audience with his eye contact tonight which is an improvement for him. Jennifer said that she knew that he had it in him, it was beautiful. She felt that it had something else, another layer, like he was singing to someone or about someone. It was magical. Randy felt that it felt a little jerky, he liked it but he wasn’t jumping up and down. Steven disagreed with Randy (as did Jennifer). He felt that he had a lot of passion and that he nailed it.
Paul McDonald – “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Sounded good. Wasn’t too crazy about it. He’s a strange character and it gets tiring watching all that foot stomping. Jennifer was feeling it, though. She, as well as the rest of the audience, was clapping along. Randy had 3 words for him…”I love it!” Steven called him a perfect imperfect boy. He loved it and felt that he rocked the house. Jennifer thought it was a perfect way to end the show. Wow, his teeth are so white.
by Jenn |
