The Top 9, meanwhile, took on songs from the 1980s with Nick Fradiani and Clark Beckham among those who nailed it on Wednesday night.
- Mar 26, 2015
AceShowbiz - After last week's twist in which the judges used the save for Qaasim Middleton, two would meet the chopping block on "American Idol" season 14. All remaining 11 finalists prepared for their performances of iconic songs from the 1980s, but only the Top 9 who eventually performed on Wednesday night, March 25.
First to take the stage and announced safe was Daniel Seavey. He sang "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall and Oats. It was a bad performance with some voice cracks, but the judges were pretty nice. Keith Urban liked the song, Jennifer Lopez thought it was better than last week, and Harry Connick Jr. advised him to have fun.
Next, Quentin Alexander sealed his place in the Top 9. Singing "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, he sounded good after the low standard set by Daniel. "That was crazy, the mood of it, the drama of it," J.Lo gushed. Harry praised him for how deeply Quentin digged into the lyrics, but suggested him to go with a faster tempo after some slow songs in a row.
Joey Cook was also safe. She picked Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and tried to make the performance fun by bouncing around stage, but Harry thought she was distracted and tried too hard to make the song fun. Keith felt like there were moments of inconsistency, while J.Lo said Joey couldn't find her groove and didn't fit the song.
Tyanna Jones was next to perform, covering "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston. Keith said there were moments when she overthought the performance, while J.Lo wanted her not to worry about being perfect all the time. Harry though it was strong, but told her to keep fighting.
Next up was Jax, who sang "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi while playing a piano. She started it slow and kicked out her piano stoll halfway through the performance, before slowing it down at the end again. J.Lo said the beginning and end were strong, but Jax got lost in the middle. Harry praised her originality, while Keith advised her to make changes if there were some things "off" in the rehearsal.
Nick Fradiani followed next, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". This week's mentor Boy George worried that Nick wasn't confident enough to perform the song, but Nick eventually nailed it. Harry said it was the perfect song choice and his vocal was fantastic. J.Lo also praised it, "You got caught up in the lyrics in the song and started feeling the music and it became exactly what it was supposed to be and that is where you need to be every time."
Clark Beckham performed "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. Keith called it beautiful, J.Lo said she "got gooseys" listening to Clark's performance, while Harry said Clark delivered a performance that was different from the rest of the contestants, but it still worked.
Qaasim Middleton was safe after being in jeopardy last week. He sang Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love". J.Lo liked it, Harry said Qaasim proved that he could be restrained, and Keith wanted something more ulnerable next week.
The last spot in the Top 9 belonged to Rayvon Owen. He went with Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". He ignored Boy George's advise to add some grit to the dark song and chose to stay true to himself. Harry liked the interpretation of the song, Keith said it "was a very strong performance," but he needed to ease into it more. J.Lo, meanwhile, reminded him, "You to have an open mind when you in the mentor room and hearing form those great singers and musicians."
This means Adanna Duru and Maddie Walker were sent home in double elimination this week.
