American Idol - Season 21 - Top 12 Recap

Just a day or so late

Here’s my recap of the Top 12 singing songs by members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the end of the night, two went home leaving us with 10. 

Tyson Venegas - For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder

This is the perfect song for Tyson. I’m so glad he’s going uptempo this week. He’s been doing a lot of ballads so this is the perfect time to for him to break out of his shell. Even doing a few MJ moves there. Nice! 

Luke said he did a great job, adding it was comfortable, and liked how he was trying to connect with the audience. Lionel loved his presentation and said he was on fire. Katy loved the footwork, and called it authentic. 

Warren Peay - House of the Rising Sun by The Animals 

I expected Warren to rock out to Skynyrd or someone similar this week.  I think what I like about Warren is that he doesn’t take risks. He did Adele during the Hawaii round and now breaking out this song. This is a great performance and probably the best I’ve seen of him. 

Lionel said his voice resonated perfectly with the song, however said he could’ve sang higher in the beginning. Katy loves the grit in his voice, and likes that he stays true to himself. Luke called it an overall great performance but agreed with Lionel about the low key.

Haven Madison - Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi 

This is probably one of the most popular karaoke songs of all time, so it will be interesting how she flips it. Well she doesn’t flip it much. I figured she’d do her own spin on it, but besides the slow intro, nothing really changed. It’s a fantastic vocal, don’t get me wrong, I was just expecting a bold change to the song. 

Katy calls Haven the next big pop star. Luke calls her a massive star. Lionel loves her confidence. 

Lucy Love - All Night Long by Lionel Richie 

Lucy had to get the wild card to move on last week which was kind of a shock. She’s gonna have to kill it this week if she wants to advance. I will say I did not expect her to pick this song. I’m not digging the song choice. I wouldn’t have I felt she was shouting a little too much and lacked control. Plus there were so many better song she could’ve chosen from.

Luke said he was glad they saved her, and said the performance defined her artistry. Katy called it a natural performance. Lionel said it was crazy good.

Oliver Steele - Georgia on my Mind by Ray Charles 

Oliver really wasn’t on my radar until recently. He’s been delivering some great performances. It’s sort of a more upbeat arrangement of the original. Kind is a soulful reggae feel to it. Smart move for him 

Lionel said he did a fabulous job and loved his interpretation. Katy said she wanted to see more in the performance. Luke calls him timeless. 

Colin Stough - Midnight Rider by Allman Brothers Band

Predictable song choice for Colin. After his big breakout moment with Dancing on my Own next week, he’s gonna really have to beat that. The vocal is great, and the song fits Colin, but like I said, way too predictable. 

Katy said he’s still in the growth stage, and she wanted him to attack it more, but says he sounded great. Luke says he has all the tools but wants to see more. Lionel wants him to get nasty.

Marybeth Byrde - Dancing Queen by ABBA

OK I cannot stand ABBA. They’re so corny, and their songs are cheesy and overplayed. I don’t get the hype at all. Ok I’m really liking the arrangement of the song, but her vocal is lacking something. I don’t know. It could be that the vocal isn’t matching up to the arrangement. 

Luke likes that she made it “her.” Lionel echoed what Luke said. They need to be more original with the comments. Katy said she landed the song like a real queen. Come on judges! Be honest! 

Now this week’s mentor Adam Lambert is performing, “I can’t Stand the Rain,” from his album, “High Drama.” He kills it anytime he performs. Wow. 

Wè Ani - Something’s Got  A Hold on Me by Etta James

Wè is one of my favorites, and this is probably her best performance so far. She took a risk, and it paid off. Perfect performance from her. 

Lionel called it a breakout performance. Katy said she just turned this thing into a competition. 

Nutsa - The Show Must Go On by Queen 

Don’t get me wrong, Nutsa has a great voice. However, she’s way too old fashioned, oversings, has so many over the top mannerisms. Not to mention she comes across as a Real Housewives reject. Ok the beginning actually sounds real pretty, but when she hits the chorus, she goes into her typical shtick. I won’t lie, I think they wasted a wild card spot on her. 

Katy said like that she took Adam’s advice about control. Luke said she fights and gives it her all. Lionel calls her a star. 

I just came see why the judges like her so much. She’s so old fashioned. 

Megan Danielle - Angel from Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt 

I really like Megan. She’s got a great voice. It’s nice to see her out of this worship music bubble she’s been in. This is a great song choice for Megan. This is the kind of music she needs to be  doing. She’s one to watch in this competition. 

Luke gets emotional, and says she’s the reason American idol works. Lionel calls it a stellar performance. Katy says she got her wings. 

Zachariah Smith - Don’t Bring Me Down by Electric Light Orchestra 

Zachariah is probably the most entertaining idol finalist in a while. He’s got a great voice and gives it his all on stage. Kind of dated, but still. This is another great performance by him. He is a born entertainer, and I wouldn’t be disappointed at all if he won. 

Lionel calls him an entertainer and that he can sing the phonebook(ugh). Katy calls him unique and says there’s no one else like him. Luke compares his performance to a treadmill stair climbing session.

Iam Tongi - Bring it on Home to Me by Sam Cooke 

Iam is the best male finalist. He’s got a great, velvety voice, and has nailed everyone single performance he’s done so far. He’s the one to beat. He ditched the guitar this week, and game is a pure, amazing performance. Oh wow the audience is chanting his name. 

Katy calls him, “The One.” Luke says that people love him. Lionel said the crowd is saying it all for them. Wow the judges are speechless. 

And now it’s time for results…..

Dim the lights…

Moving into the Top 10 is… 

Warren Peay, Wè Ani, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle, Zachariah Smith, Haven Madison, Colin Stough, Oliver Steele, Tyson Venegas, and Marybeth Byrde. 

This means we say goodbye to Lucy Love and Nutsa

I hated to see Lucy go, especially considering she was one of my winners picks at the beginning, but unfortunately she’s had some lackluster performances the last few weeks, and for some reason the audience didn’t resonate her. I with Marybeth would’ve gone because I feel she was weaker than Lucy.

Nutsa on the other hand, her time was up a while ago. Yes she can sing, but she fails to connect with the audience and over sang each song she did. I knew she was gonna go tonight.

Maybe they should really consider dropping the wild card saves next season. In the 21 year history of the show, a judges wild card pick has never won the show. The only time a judges wild card pick made it close was Jena Irene when she finished as runner up in season 13. The wild card I feel is giving the finalists false hope when they probably won’t last but a week or two longer.