Jacob makes a great and emotional performance with 'Dance With My Father', while Scott fails to impress judges despite his effort to do swings while singing.
- Apr 21, 2011
AceShowbiz - Seven remaining contestants on "American Idol" were showcasing songs from the 21st century this Wednesday. But before that, the eliminated contestants including latest outcast Paul McDonald returned to the stage to perform "So What" by Pink.
Scotty McCreery started out the competition that night, performing LeAnn Rimes' "Swingin". Being told by Jimmy Iovine to move or carry a guitar so that people won't get bored, Scott chose to do swings. Steven Tyler said it "good" and he "liked it", but wanted more "boot scootin." Similarly, Jennifer Lopez was "expecting more from Scotty," while Randy Jackson thought "that was so safe."
James Durbin rocked with Muse's "Uprising", wearing fingerless gloves and a tight shirt. His performance was entertaining, but he was a little bit screechy during the last chorus. J.Lo said, "That is going to be theatrically the best performance of the night...That was really amazing," and Steven agreed, "That was crazy good, man." Randy, meanwhile, suggested that James follows this direction when he makes a record post "Idol".
Haley Reinhart picked "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele which suits her voice well. Both Steven and Randy said, "It was a great performance," with the latter adding "I think that you chose a perfect direction for you." J.Lo commented, "You brought a little bit of Haley to it in certain moments."
Jacob Lusk did "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross. He struggled not to cry during the performance while he was remembering his father who died when he was 12 years old. Steven and J.Lo loved it as the "On the Floor" songstress called it "a beautiful performance". Randy was less impressed, saying "Vocally, it was good, but it didn't make me jump up and down."
Casey Abrams came out next with "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5. Putting a hard rock spin on the tune, he won the hearts of the judges. "I loved it...It was really great," said J.Lo who got a kiss from Casey at the end of his performance. Randy added, "I enjoyed it...Continue to take chances," while Steven's comment was censored a lot as he sang praises for Casey.
Stefano Langone did "Closer" by Ne-Yo. Steven was amused, particularly by his dance. Randy said, "You turned me around...You took your time singing the verses," and J.Lo gushed, "I thought it was very, very good."
Lauren Alaina was the last performer on April 20, going country with "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans. J.Lo praised Lauren's voice which has a lot of color and character, but challenged her to sing "those big notes--you can do that!" Randy affirmed J.Lo's statement, saying "You can sing anything...You must believe," and Steven suggested her to do some Faith Hill, Shania Twain or Alison Krauss.
"American Idol" will return Thursday, April 21 with a live result show. Former "Idol" winner David Cook is booked to perform his new song "The Last Goodbye".
Scotty McCreery:
Haley Reinhart:
Jacob Lusk:
Casey Abrams:
Lauren Alaina:
