“Wake Up Little Susie”
by Aubrey Cleland, Johnny Keyser, Devan Jones and Cortez Shaw
Not sure the guys did themselves any favors with the arrangement of this song. The harmonies sound fine, but as individuals, they don’t get much of a chance to shine. Devan sounds fine on his solo, but was cut. Johnny doesn’t, and was cut. Cortez sounds the best, and stayed. The spotlight shines longest on a teen named Aubrey. She stayed too. Which makes sense, given her vocals. What doesn’t make sense is the fact that we haven’t heard her name or heard her sing on the show to this point. Grade: C+
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love”
by Schyler Dixon, Brielle Von Hugel and Molly Hunt
Wonder if Brielle took charge of this performance, too? Regardless, she’s still the only contestant in the running for a shot in the semis. Truth be told, her voice comes across as the most distinctive of the three in this young, fun performance. But I thought all three young ladies did just fine. Chalk it up to lots of really great female voices in Vegas, I suppose. Molly gets a little shouty at times, but she’s also only 15. We’ll likely see her again. This is the second year Schyler has done well on Idol, only to watch her brother, Colton, do a little better. Grade: B-
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
by Lauren Gray, Wendy Taylor and Mathenee Treco
The opening of this performance was the first time I’d heard the special something the judges have been raving about in Lauren’s voice, a great bluesy tone. Little wonder she advanced. Idol kept big-voiced Wendy under wraps until this performance. While she was slaying the song, Nigel was complaining about nose rings on Twitter. Silly. Anyway, Wendy and her nose ring must survived the final cuts in Vegas; she’s on the top 42 list posted at americanidol.com. Mathanee sounds better than some of the guys who advanced. His biggest mistake might have been taking the stage between two vocal dynamos. Grade: B.
“Where Did Our Love Go” / “You Keep Me Hanging On”
by Courtney Williams, Jessica Phillips and Britnee Kellogg
Jessica didn’t take getting cut very well after this performance. Maybe if she listens back to her first solo on “Where Did Our Love Go,” she’ll understand. It was one of the weakest on group day in Vegas. And it’s a good thing that dress wasn’t any shorter. Courtney sounded pretty good, but pretty good wasn’t good enough on Idol in Vegas. Britnee sounded the best, but even she was the victim of a late cut. Again, the decision is hard to argue with given the caliber of female talent the judges had to chose from. Grade: C.
“Jailhouse Rock”
by Clayton Farhat, Scott Dangerfield, Adam Decker, Curtis Gray
For some reason, Idol forgot to post this video. Oh, well, they showed the whole thing on the show, and it was available on YouTube, so here it is. Everyone but Curtis is still alive on the show. Not sure why. These four guys seemed pretty evenly matched on a rocking performance of the Elvis hit. If anyone stood out in my mind, it was Adam Decker. Clayton, a former college baseball player, certainly seems at home on the stage. This is the first time we’ve seen Scott, who dropped out in Season 10 because of student-teaching obligations. Grade: C+
So, in review, my favorite group performances were “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” by Jessica Sanchez, Deandre Brackensick and Candice Glover; and “Sealed With a Kiss” by Creighton Fraker, Aaron Marcellus, Nick Boddington and Jen Hirsh.
Here’s hoping Idol also posts full-length videos of the final solo performances in Vegas.
Check back Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll be live blogging during both shows as Idol reveals the top 24 for Season 11.
And if you disagree with any of the ratings or have another favorite, don’t hesitate to comment below.
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