Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The final three on American Idol take the stage tonight, trying to prove they deserve a spot in the Season 13 finals.

Will fans go for the classic rock bombast of Caleb Johnson?

Will they prefer the youthful pop-rock style of Jena Irene?

Or will they opt for the singer-songwriter of the bunch, Alex Preston?

The Top 3 on American Idol, Alex Preston, Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson. (FOX Photo)

With no clear front-runner in terms of fan support (check out social media numbers here), a lot might come down to tonight’s three performances.

One will be a repeat from earlier this season: Caleb is singing “Dazed and Confused;” Jena is performing “Creep,” Alex is reprising “Story of My Life.”

On top of those repeat performances, each contestant will be asked to perform one song picked by the judges and one selected by mentor Randy Jackson.

Meanwhile, if you missed the hometown visit photo galleries, head here for Caleb, here for Alex and here for Jena.

Hey, nice lead-in to Idol’s 500th episode. But I’ve got them beat by 3,500, since this is my 4,000th blog on singing shows.

Anyway, that intro brought back some fond memories.

Oh, boy, here comes the doctor, sorta like back in the Season 10 finals when Lauren Alaina was struggling with her vocal cords prior to the Scotty McCreery showdown. He says Caleb will be singing like a runner with a badly sprained ankle. OK, then. Well, at least he didn’t show up on stage in operating garb like Lauren’s doc.

OK, then we follow up that touching opening with some “Selfie” crap. Oh, well, better than watching manure being dumped on Blake Shelton’s truck.

Round One — Randy’s Picks

Caleb Johnson: The guy with the bruised vocal cords gets to go first, singing “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS. Idol sure is going to play up the drama of Caleb’s vocal struggles. And having peeked at the song spoiler list, Caleb is going to be yanked out of the classic rock he prefers to sing with more current tunes tonight. This is a pretty demanding song to have to take on when you’re not at 100 percent, but Caleb delivered his customary vocal firepower, even if he did hit a couple of blips and seemed a little more controlled on stage. Keith calls it a great job and compliments Caleb on the blues-soul tone in his voice. Jennifer says Caleb is better on his worst night than many people are on their best. Grade: B

Alex Preston: Randy has him singing “Pompeii” by Bastille, once again trying to give Alex a current tune to perform. Alex seemed to have trouble with either pacing or nerves in that opening. And that was a little rough. Alex changed mics so he can bang on a drum, but the second mic didn’t pick up his vocal right away. That will kill the momentum of a performance. The end result, a so-so performance from Alex, which might not be good enough to vault him into the finals, since he’s the least flamboyant of the Idol Top 3. Jennifer liked the fact that he played the drums and greeted the crowd mid-performance. Harry liked the fact that Randy picked a young, hip song. Harry says the performance was a little too piecemeal. Keith says he saw some “great stuff” in that performance. Far from my favorite from Alex. Grade: B–

Jena Irene: The teen from New Hampshire will sing “Titanium” by David Guetta. Jena says she was considering singing this last week. Does she have her mic turned on? Or is there a problem with Idol’s sound system tonight? These first few lines were way too soft. She finds her stride when the volume of the song picks up. And she’s dancing around the stage, turning in a high-energy performance. Plus she delivers a killer glory note at the end. Her best? Not by a long shot. But pretty good. Harry likes the fact that she killed all the “important” notes and seemed so comfortable on stage. Keith likes the fact that Jena isn’t only a great singer, she has fun on stage. He calls it a “really good job.” Jennifer thinks the performance was a little stiff and didn’t think Jena was as loose as she normally is. Grade: B

Round Two — Judges’ Picks

Caleb Johnson: The judges have selected “Demons” by Imagine Dragons for the guy from North Carolina. OK, Caleb struggled with the first couple of lines, found his stride, then seemed to be straining on the chorus. This is a shame, because I would have loved to have seen what he could have done with this song at full strength. That was clearly not Caleb at full vocal strength. There were a couple of vocal highlights, but a couple of other times it was obvious he couldn’t do what he wanted to vocally. Keith says he “killed that song” and liked the “Steve Perry vibe” in his voice. Jennifer liked the fact that she thinks Caleb read her mind and sang the emotion of the song. Harry quizzes Caleb on what type of album he’d make. “Soulful” with all originals, answers Caleb. The judges were being kind. Caleb’s vocal limitations showed on that song. Grade: C+

Alex Preston: Now here’s a really interesting song choice for Alex — “Stay” by Rihanna. Now, this is good Alex, switching up a popular song in a way that’s thoroughly enjoyable. OK, the middle of that got a little bit sleepy. Apparently Alex wasn’t listening to Harry’s lesson in dynamics last week. The song started out great, but never gained much momentum. Still, it was probably the best vocal we’ve heard so far tonight. Jennifer calls it “beautiful” and says Alex made her forget all about Rihanna. Alex assures Harry his concerts would be fun. Keith liked the fact that Alex “owned the song” and really liked the arrangement. He says he “loved it.” I didn’t love it, but it was certainly solid. Grade: B+

Jena Irene: This is a young, fun song that Jena should excel at — “Heart Attack” by Demi Lovato. That was a precious reaction when Jena revealed her song to her family. One young relative’s response: “Do you know how to sing it?” OK, which part of that do I grade? The opening that again seemed to get off to a slow start? Or that high energy, kick-butt girl rocker ending, filled with vocal gymnastics? Harry suggest she needs to deliver the same high energy from note one. Excellent point. Keith calls it excellent. Jennifer says Jena seemed more loose and totally in control during the performance and that she did a great job with it. I just watched it again and really, really liked the ending. Grade: B+

Round Three — Fans’ Pick

Caleb Johnson: The fans decided Caleb should sing “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zepplin. Caleb must have been storing up his vocal strength because that was a pretty stellar a cappella opening for someone with a bruised vocal cord. And his voice is soaring on this one. Well, I don’t think Caleb gave a damn about preserving his voice on that one. He delivered big note after big note and finished by slamming the mic stand repeatedly against the Idol stage. It might well have been in triumph, because he just punched a ticket for the final. That was a statement by the Idol rocker. One heck of a performance. Keith calls it “absolutely insane” and calls it a moment of “miraculous healing.” Jennifer calls it a “true Idol moment, bananas, that was ridiculous.” Harry calls Idol a show of opportunities, and says Caleb seized his. Grade: A

Alex Preston: The “most popular thing to be going on in New Hampshire” gets a fan pick of “Story of My Life” by One Direction. Alex is going to do a very good job with this, but I don’t know how you top what just happened on the Idol stage. And Alex’s voice seemed to strain in a couple of spots on that, but I’m sure it was a crowd-pleasing performance. Listen to the fans scream. Jennifer says fans have a “tough choice,” calling it very well done. Harry calls it a “classic Alex performance, very strong.” Keith didn’t appreciate it as much as Alex’s version of “Stay,” but says he has a very high average tonight based on all three performances. Grade: B+

Jena Irene: And the kids at Jena’s high school decided she should sing “Creep” by Radiohead. And Jena is behind her piano, which is her magical place. And she’s going to show off the best voice in this competition right now. Suggestion to Jena: Sit behind that piano on all three songs next week if you make the finals. That was another brilliant vocal from the gal who has provided the most magical moments on Idol all season long. That was just spot-on vocally. Wow, did her voice soar. Harry calls it “even better” than the last time she sang it. He calls it “terrific.” Keith says the only thing he disagreed with is that Jena “belongs here.” Keith says she’s grown by leaps and bounds. Jennifer calls it “brilliant” and says she thinks Jena is “going to be so hard to beat.” That should propel her into the finals. Grade: A