{"id":53,"date":"2011-03-09T19:30:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-09T19:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/the_prophet_of_pop\/2011\/03\/american-idol-top-13-action.html"},"modified":"2011-05-10T09:49:05","modified_gmt":"2011-05-10T13:49:05","slug":"american-idol-top-13-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/the_prophet_of_pop\/2011\/03\/american-idol-top-13-action.html","title":{"rendered":"American Idol Top 13 Action!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

They say that 13 is an unlucky number. \u00a0Did I feel unlucky having to watch these 13 contestants perform? \u00a0Let’s find out!<\/p>\n

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Lauren Alaina<\/strong> – Performing the Shania Twain hit “Any Man of Mine,” Lauren got the night started off in a dull and pitchy way. \u00a0She has a strong voice but really seemed to be forcing a lot of the notes, and unfortunately there aren’t that many notes in the song to begin with. \u00a0I think she has a bright future in country music, but to stay in the competition she is really going to have to stretch herself across genres and pick songs with more range.<\/p>\n

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Casey Abrams<\/strong> – Before singing Casey talked about hearing his song, Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends,” on the Wonder Years. \u00a0I wonder how many people watching this show even know what that is? \u00a0Casey was on again tonight, nailing everything and making the audience feel what he was feeling. \u00a0What sets him apart is that he is an artist, not just a singer. \u00a0Can’t wait to hear him again next week!<\/p>\n

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Ashthon Jones<\/strong> – Ashthon really wanted to pull off some Diana Ross for all of us, and I have to respect that. \u00a0Unfortunately, she had the same pitch problems as Lauren, but at least this was a tougher song. \u00a0The judges praised her for “growing as a singer” by being able to correct her pitch and hit the notes – but shouldn’t someone in American Idol top 13 already know how to do that? \u00a0She just didn’t do it for me.<\/p>\n

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Paul McDonald<\/strong> – As shocked as I was to hear that Rod Stewart isn’t Paul’s idol, Ryan Adams is pretty cool too. \u00a0After all he is married to Mandy Moore<\/a>. \u00a0I like the song, I like Paul, but I didn’t think this was a great match. \u00a0Paul is consistently good, but something just seemed off with this performance. \u00a0Even so, I think he’ll be back next week as he is fun to watch and really seems to have the ladies charmed.<\/p>\n

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Pia Toscano<\/strong> – Pia chose Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” originally sung by 80s star Eric Carmen. \u00a0While the song choice was a bit typical Idol just like her song last week, she was the first female tonight to really perform as if they belonged on this television show. \u00a0She nailed all the notes in a very difficult song, I just keeping hoping she’ll stretch herself a bit out of the pageant girl mold. \u00a0Maybe next week?<\/p>\n

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James Durbin<\/strong> – Of all the artists out there, I was shocked to learn that Paul McCartney is his idol. \u00a0“Maybe I’m Amazed” was a great choice for him, and as always James did the song justice and then some. \u00a0Between last week with Judas Priest and this week he has shown the greatest range of any contestant thus far. \u00a0He also held off on the screaming high notes tonight and it really made the performance.<\/p>\n

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Haley Reinhart<\/strong> – Leann Rimes’ “Blue” was certainly an interesting song choice, and like James she is able to shift between genres with ease. \u00a0She sang it well, but the song itself wasn’t particularly memorable and since she is capable, it really would have been nice to hear her take it somewhere new.<\/p>\n

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Jacob Lusk<\/strong> – I’m always psyched to hear what Jacob is going to do, and I was even more excited when I found out he would be singing R. Kelly. \u00a0I just knew he would disappoint me and sing “I Believe I Can Fly” but at least he gave a shout out to Space Jam! \u00a0However, I really think he could have brought it with “Bump n’ Grind.” \u00a0As for the performance, what is there to say? \u00a0Jacob takes every song he does and absolutely obliterates it, leaving only the remnants of the original in his wake. \u00a0He may not take this competition, but he has the most vocal ability hands down. \u00a0Every time he sings I forget that I am watching American Idol. \u00a0The gospel choir was an awesome touch too.<\/p>\n

Thia Megia<\/strong> – Thia chose Michael Jackson’s version of “Smile.” \u00a0With an intimate arrangement, the 16 year old really gave the song depth. \u00a0It is amazing how week after week she seems like one of the most mature female performers. \u00a0This performance overall wasn’t as strong as she normally pulls off, but I think it was good enough to get her into next week.<\/div>\n
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Stefano Langone<\/strong> – Stevie Wonder has such a great distinct voice, and I gotta hand it to him, Stefano really did this one justice. \u00a0Stefano has struggled recently, but this was a solid performance with a really interesting arrangement of a classic. \u00a0Welcome back to the competition young man!<\/p>\n

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Karen Rodriguez<\/strong> – Karen ‘s idol was Selena. \u00a0While this wasn’t the worst female performance of the night, it wasn’t particularly strong either. \u00a0In the intro they teased the version being a little more rock, or even Beyonce, but I didn’t hear that. \u00a0She did seem to struggle with pitch, but overall it was the dull arrangement that really took away from what was doing. \u00a0Kudos though to Jennifer Lopez for not mentioning that she played Selena in a movie, too many years of Kara and Paula Abdul got me used to self-plugging from the judges I guess.<\/p>\n

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Scotty Mcreery<\/strong> – Whenever Scotty is on television I always feel like I am watching the MAD magazine mascot sing country music. \u00a0It is just very strange, but maybe it’s just me. \u00a0Scotty went with Garth Brooks’ “The River.” \u00a0I love me some Garth Brooks, and he did it well. \u00a0He’s got good charisma and even better low range, but it is still hard for me to imagine him hanging with guys like James, Casey, and Jacob deep into this competition. \u00a0As I’ve said before, he has a great future ahead of him in country music.<\/p>\n

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Naimi Adedapo<\/strong> – I learned something tonight – Rihanna is actually someone’s musical Idol. \u00a0Who knew? \u00a0Vocally, this performance was just okay, “Umbrella” isn’t exactly a vocal masterpiece. \u00a0However, the rest of her performance with the dancing, graphics, and an altered reggae arrangement was one of the most interesting of the whole night. \u00a0The aesthetics of the performance set a new bar for this season, as she is the only one to really put on a true show and also the only female to really set herself apart.<\/p>\n

\n

Tonight a lot of the contestants came into their own, especially Stefano and Karen. \u00a0While they have yet to reach the heights of guys like Casey and Jacob, they showed that they could compete with them. \u00a0I think Lauren, Karen, and Ashthon need to be the most concerned about tomorrow night, but barring a major surprise all the guys are safe and probably will be for a couple of weeks. \u00a0All in all, after the opening performances things really took off tonight, the diversity of the contestants is going to keep things interesting all season long.<\/p>\n

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They say that 13 is an unlucky number. \u00a0Did I feel unlucky having to watch these 13 contestants perform? \u00a0Let’s find out! 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