Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol’s Top 5 of Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Maddie Poppe, Cade Foehner, Gabby Barrett and Michael J. Woodard. (ABC Photo)

Two more singers go home this evening on American Idol as fans select the three singers who will compete for the Season 16 crown.

That in itself is historic on Idol.

ABC hasn’t changed a whole lot from the FOX version of the show. But it certainly shortened the finals, which began just a month ago. And this will mark the first time for a three-singer finale.

Tonight, the Top 5 take on songs by Carrie Underwood and songs that convey some sort of Mother’s Day message for them.

I’ll be live blogging throughout with song by song grades, and I’ll be back with photo blogs after the show.

Meanwhile, here’s the rundown of what we’ll hear.

We start off the evening with a group number. The Top 5 are singing Carrie’s “See You Again.” And after the first verse, they’re joined on stage by the Idol Season 3 champs. Watch for photos of the performance after the show.

Katy Perry makes it sound like the judges are going to be tougher tonight.

Michael J. Woodard, “Flat on the Floor” by Carrie Underwood — This strikes me as one of the night’s oddest song choices. But Michael says he’s a big fan of country music. Carrie tells Michael this song is all about the sass. Michael starts off behind the judges and is working the crowd. He winds up turning in a pretty good performance, certainly better than I expected. I even understood the lyrics. I would note that he skipped many of lines on the chorus — the part where Carrie’s voice soars. Grade: B

Gabby Barrett, “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood — She calls meeting Carrie the Holy Grail. You’ll recall that Gabby showed up at her Idol audition with a whole list of Carrie songs she was ready to perform. Gabby strikes me as a cross between Carrie and Miranda Lambert, which is a pretty good place to be. Once again, she’s showing how ready she is for this competition. That was another flawless performance from Gabby. It just doesn’t get better than that on a singing show. Grade: A

Cade Foehner, “Undo It” by Carrie Underwood — Cade chooses a Carrie rocker, and he needs to rock out this week after a couple of missteps last week, which I thought was his weakest yet. This song certainly fits his style and attitude, even if he is flipping a female’s song. His stage presence is great. The vocal left something to be desired. Grade: B

Caleb Lee Hutchinson, “So Small” by Carrie Underwood — While, Caleb seemed as nervous on that opening as he did when he was meeting Carrie. The Carrie Underwood theme week should be a snap for Caleb, but I’m not sure this was the best Carrie song for him to choose. It’s more about emotion that vocal prowess, and I’m not feeling a ton of emotion from Caleb here. Nice ending though. Katy is encouraging him to flap his wings a little harder and “work that crowd.” Grade: C+

Maddie Poppe, “I Told You So” by Carrie Underwood — Maddie said she was a huge Carrie fan growing up. Carrie compliments her on having a hypnotic voice. Maddie slips into country mode with surprising ease. And she’s conveying much more emotion that Caleb did during his performance of a Carrie ballad. Like that little lilt in her voice on the final line too. Very nice vocal. Grade: A–

After round one, my votes for the finals would go to Gabby, Maddie and Cade — in that order.

Now, Carrie sings “Cry Pretty.” Interesting that Ryan called her the most successful former Idol at the show’s open. Bet Kelly Clarkson would get the same nod if she was appearing on American Idol instead of coaching The Voice.

Gabby Barrett, “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston — Gabby’s covered this song on YouTube. I just wish she wouldn’t be singing so many songs that have been done to death on singing shows. These songs are so short, there didn’t seem to be much build in that performance. But if there was ever any doubt that Gabby is the best singer left on the show, I think she just squelched it. Grade: A–

Cade Foehner, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd — Really nice song choice by Cade (or someone on the production side). He can use his rasp to full effect and it works nicely here. It also allows him to show off the power in his voice. That was probably Cade’s best performance among his last four. Nice statement by Cade on why he belongs in the final. Cade’s getting great feedback form the judges too. Grade: B+

Michael J. Woodard, “Still I Rise” by Yolanda Adams — The mumbling has written to Michael’s vocal. He’s got the judges on their feet, but I really didn’t care for it. The vocal was pretty good. But there was no emotion to the performance. Or sense of stage presence. Grade: C+

Caleb Lee Hutchinson, “Stars in Alabama” by Jamey Johnson — Wow, this song is really a nice match for Caleb’s voice. This is going to be very good, but I wonder if it’s coming too late to boost Caleb into the finals. That first performance was underwhelming. Yep, that was solid from start to finish. Probably his best performance other than “When Doves Cry.” Grade: B+

Maddie Poppe, “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys — Not really liking the way Idol paced tonight’s show. They could have had Carrie perform last to allow more time for voters to respond if Maddie delivers a superb performance. As it is, she’ll sing and we’ll cut almost right to results. And Maddie turns in a solid performance, holding her emotions until the end. That wasn’t as good as her first performance, but I still think she’s one of the best singers among the Top 5. Grade: B

My assessment: Gabby must advance. Michael is the weakest of the Top 5. That leaves two spots for Cade, Caleb and Maddie. Based on an entire season of performances, I’d give them to Cade and Maddie.

Advancing to the finals on American Idol are …

* Caleb Lee Hutchinson: Okay, that’s a bit of a surprise
* Gabby Barrett: That was well-deserved. Next week, she should win.
* Maddie Poppe: Wow, viewers surprised me.

That means Cade and Michael go home.