Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol’s Top 3 of Leah Marlene, Noah Thompson and HunterGirl. (ABC Photo)

The American Idol Top 3 squared off Sunday night in the competition to become the 20th American Idol.

Song by song grades will be posted later. Here’s what the Top 3 sang and what the judges said about those performances.

Bruce Springsteen round

Leah Marlene, “Cover Me” by Bruce Springsteen — Lionel said her stage presence is “all the way there.” Katy said that was “such a groove” and called Leah the entire package. My take: Gotta say, I was a little surprised by the song choice. This isn’t one of Springsteen’s best-known songs. But Leah opened the show up-tempo, which was nice, and delivered another solid vocal. It just wasn’t a game-changer on a night when she entered the show as the underdog. Grade: B

HunterGirl, “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen — Katy calls HunterGirl a super nova. Luke Bryan says he recently visited her hometown of Winchester, Tenn., and was amazed by the support she has there. Lionel says she “owns” the stage. My take: HunterGirl picked a better known Springsteen song and one that allowed her to show off her comfort working a stage. The vocal> It was just so-so. And what was up with the la-da-da-da on the next to last line? Grade: B–

Noah Thompson, “I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen — Luke says he’s so proud of the humility Noah has shown and called him the king of aw shucks. Lionel loved Noah’s attitude. Katy says Noah swooped in and grabbed every heart in America with his song choice. My take: Of the Springsteen performances, this was my favorite. A nice earnest performance from Noah, just what fans would expect, even if it lacked some of the sultriness of the original. Grade: B+

Originals round

Leah Marlene, “Flowers” — Leah said she wrote this song after learning she’d made the Top 24 on Idol. And she teared up at the end of the performance. Lionel gave Leah credit for her songwriter chops. Katy calls Leah “a brilliant messenger” thanks to songs like that. Luke called it a “tremendous song.” My take: On a night when two of the Top 2 are country singers, Leah’s sorta-country opening on this was the finest vocal we heard all night. And I loved her emotional connection to the song. Shame it had to be cut to under 2 minutes. Grade: B+

Noah Thompson, “One Day Tonight” — Noah’s oringla was co-written by Brett Sheroky, Jered Griffin and Trannie Anderson. And it was the most successful on iTunes among the originals released by the Top 5, reaching number four on the iTunes Top 200. Katy urged Noah to not stop dreaming because there’s a plan for his life. Luke says he loves the way Noah has blossomed on American Idol. Lionel says he’s on the path to something fabulous. My take: Sorry, Noah fans, but this was a weak vocal. Mumbled lyrics on a song that’s an original aren’t a good idea. Noah just didn’t seem very comfortable during this performance. Grade: C+

HunterGirl, “Red Bird” — HunterGirl co-wrote her songs with Matt McKinney and Austin Goodloe. It also made it into the Top 10 on iTunes, the other Idol single to do so. Luke called it a beautiful song and congratulated HunterGirl on a great job. Lionel said her heart is in the right place and applauded her commitment to veterans. Katy called her a beautiful human being. My take: HunterGirl has impressed me the most when she’s performing her own songs. She sounded great on this. Combine that with her stage presence, and I bet she’s a blast to watch live one she can do a full set of HunterGirl songs. Grade: B

And moving on the Top 2 is …

Noah Thompson AND
HunterGirl

That means Leah Marlene finishes third on Season 20.

Noah Thompson and Melissa Etheridge, “I’m the Only One” — I won’t grade the duets, but putting Noah on stage with a singer determined to deliver vocals that gritty might not have been a good idea, Idol.

HunterGirl and Luke Bryan, “I Told You So” — Of the two duets featuring finalists, this one worked much better.

Final Round

Noah Thompson, “Stay” by Rihanna — Katy called it her favorite Noah cover and said this performance showed how far he’s come vocally since Hollywood Week. Luke echoed those sentiments. And the crowd certainly went crazy for Noah. My take: This was by far, Noah’s strongest vocal of the night. The opening was sensational, and I really liked the way to dropped a bit on the ending. The crowd reaction is what told me Noah had the Idol title in hand. Grade: A–

HunterGirl, “Riot” by Rascal Flatts — Katy graduates HunterGirl to HunterWoman and says she has her wings. She called her growth phenomenal. Lionel said her star is “shining so bright.” My take: I was a little surprised that this was HunterGirl’s choice for an encore performance. She sounded fine, especially during the a cappella part. But I would have preferred she repeat “Heartbreak Down,” a great original, to again showcase her song-writing ability. Grade: B

Leah Marlene, HunterGirl and Noah Thompson