Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Well,  I could go on and on complaining about how bloated that two-hour American Idol performance show felt.

I could complain about that extended in-show commercial for Rock of Ages that didn’t get interesting until Ryan appeared on the verge of proposing to Julianne Hough.

And I could point out that Idol could have given us three solo performance from each remaining singer had it trimmed down the filler and done away with those tepid duets.

But it was a night of special performances when the Top 4 took the stage solo, so let’s accentuate the positive.

Right now, I’m pretty positive about this:  Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet belong in the American Idol finals.

Ah, but let’s not jump ahead.  This week’s mission is cutting the field to three.

The recap …

Best of the Night:   Talk about raw emotion and a killer vocal.  Talk about a fabulous way to end a song.  Just after the judges finished heaping over-the-top praise on Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez took that stage and sang “And I’m Telling You” and turned in a performance that truly was one of the best — if not the best — on American Idol this season.  Now that was worthy of praise, Idol judges.  Jessica also won round one for me with a very fine version of “Steal Away.”  Bottom line:  She’d better be in the top 3.

Runner-up:   I wasn’t quite as thrilled with Joshua Ledet’s rendition of “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” as the Idol judges were.  A few too many flourishes for my taste.  Fact is, I liked Juliet Simms’ version on The Voice better two weeks ago.  Fewer flourishes, more raw emotion.  But there’s little doubt the Joshua can deliver an incredible vocal.  And he should be going home over the weekend … not because of elimination, but because he’s earned one of those triumphant homecomings granted to Idol’s Top 3.

Worst of the night:   Take four vocalists who sound as different as Joshua, Jessica, Hollie Cavanagh and Phillip Phillips, and picking a group number isn’t going to be an easy task.  Folks, “Waiting” by Foreigner was not the right choice.  That was one of the worst performances by any group, duet or individual singer all season.  Each of the final 4 took a turn sounding bad.  And I blame the song choice, not them.  It was a waste of their talent and our time.  And Wednesday’s duets weren’t much better.

Please keep her:   The chances are slim to none, but I wish Hollie Cavanagh would survive tomorrow night to qualify for one of those Idol trips home.  I find myself rooting for the gal from McKinley, Texas, partly because I recall that audition from last season when she broke down in tears, then mustered the courage to try again.  She’s shown the same sort of courage making it to the Top 4 despite repeatedly landing in the bottom two or bottom three.  And I fear her take on Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” will do her in.  It was her weakest vocal in three weeks.  And, clearly, the weakest solo performance Wednesday night.

Baffled by the judges:  I wrote this in the live blog.  Wednesday’s judges’ script must have read as follows: You will like Phillip Phillips’ performance of “Volcano.”  Well, I didn’t get the script and I was far short of thrilled with the performance.  I mean, it was OK.  It was better than anything Phillip offered up last week.  But that’s not saying much.  “Volcano” offered no chance for a moment like Joshua and Jessica would score when they followed Phillip to the stage. And it’s exactly the sort of obscure song choice Jennifer Lopez criticized Phillip for making just a couple of weeks ago.

 Line of the night from the judges:   Steven Tyler to Phillip Phillips:  “You’re living proof the road to success is always under construction.”  Can someone translate? Please?  I don’t think I speak Steven.

What should happen Thursday night:  Hollie Cavanagh and Phillip Phillips will land in the bottom two, and Phillip Phillips will go home.  Sorry, he’s the weakest singer of the top four — something clearly demonstrated during the duet and group number — and he still hasn’t been special in a month.  He’s supposed to be an artist who flips songs.  I haven’t seen him do that successfully in a month either.

What will happen Thursday night:  Hollie Cavanagh and Phillip Phillip will land in the bottom two.  And Hollie Cavanagh will finally go home, one spot shy of a triumphant trip home.

And I could live with that, because I realize Phillip is quite popular.

But any outcome that sends Jessica Sanchez or Joshua Ledet packing would just be unacceptable.

And I already watched unacceptable once this week on The Voice finale.

Jermaine Paul, by the way, would be the third-best singer at best on American Idol.

If you missed the live song-by-song blog, head here.

Tomorrow, check back for a photo gallery from tonight’s show and predictions from around the web on who goes home.

Now, the grades:

Jessica Sanchez:   “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” — A
Joshua Ledet: “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” — A-
Jessica Sanchez: “Steal Away” — A-
Joshua Ledet: “You Raise Me Up” — B+
Hollie Cavanagh: “Faithfully” — B
Phillip Phillips: “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” — B-
Phillip Phillips: “Volcano” — C
Hollie & Jessica: “Eternal Flame” — C
Hollie Cavanagh: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” — C-
Joshua & Phillip: “This Love” — C-
The Top 4: “Waiting” — F