Idol Chatter & Voice Views

“This is crazy,” Jennifer Lopez declared a week ago, snatching the mike from Jessica Sanchez in a save that seemed less spontaneous that it should have.

Yep, no doubt about it. Those results were crazy: Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet and Elise Testone — the show’s three best singers — in the bottom three.

But here’s the reality. The save was used. The safety net is gone.

The contestant who lands on the bottom this week is gone. Kaput. Relegated to the talk show circuit until the season finale rolls around.

The good news for the contestants is that only one contestant leaves this week, unlike past years where a save one week meant a double elimination the next week.

Check out the calendar. Including tomorrow night and the May 23 finale, there are six elimination shows between now and the end of Season 11.

That means the judges had to use their save last week or this to keep the show on schedule. Which makes me even more suspicious of last week’s “drama.”

Tonight, two songs from each contestant, which I’m expecting will mean a brisker pace than normal on Idol.

We start off with the current songs …

Hollie Cavanagh:   Hmm, can anyone say sacrificial lamb?  She’s going first and singing Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Hollie starts off the song a cappella.  And she’s not doing  badly. She seems more natural on stage tonight.  And the song certainly gives her a chance to show off her big voice.  Well, now, that was Hollie’s best performance in weeks.  Not Adele special, but pretty darn good for the gal from Texas via England.  Steven calls it “perfect,” which is a pretty big overstatement.  Randy notes that she showed emotion for a change.  Not perfect, but nice way to start the night, Hollie.  Grade: B-.

Colton Dixon:  Another week, another case of Colton singing a song recorded by a female.  This week, it’s Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance. ”  Interesting arrangement of the song.  Colton is rocking out with an all-girl band.  Well, I certainly prefer the original of the song, but Colton did pretty darn well, too, especially with the finish of that song.  He was doing a great job of selling the performance.  Grade: B-.

Elise Testone:  Jimmy says Elise has to prove herself every week and has to be great to stay because she doesn’t have a massive fan base.  She’s going to sing Alicia Keys’ “No One.”  I don’t know how she doesn’t have a fan base, the way she sings.  That might have been a little over-the-top, but the vocal was the best we’ve heard tonight.  Ah, and Elise is getting emotional because her pet dog is sick.  Come on, voters, gotta love her for that.  Grade: B+

Phillip Phillips:  He’s going to slow it down and sing Usher’s “U Got It Bad.”  Wise move by Phillip to slow it down.  It’s something he needed to do.  Too many of his performances have seemed like duplicates of one another.  Didn’t like the vocal as much as Elise’s, but he’s getting rave reactions from the fans and the judges.  Jennifer calls it “so sexy.”   Hmm, everyone seems to be changing their Phillip vibe tonight.  Randy’s calling him “a true artist.”  Best reaction Phillip’s gotten in weeks.  Grade: B.

Jessica Sanchez:   Jimmy is trying to get Jessica to open up more when she’s singing.  No way she deserves to be in the bottom three, he says.  And she starts off a cappella, too, on Alicia Keys’ “Fallin”.  Prepare to get the goosies, Jennifer.  Jessica Sanchez is on fire.  My, oh my.  No one has ever won after getting the save.  Jessica might not either.  But, at this point, she’s deserving.  Wow, the notes.  The passion.  And the star look, every single week.  Everyone else has done really well tonight.  But that vocal was in another league.  Grade: A.

Skylar Laine:   Hmm, interesting, Skylar is going to sing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” country style.  Not sure I’m going to like this version of the song. But she’s another performer who’s doing a brilliant job of selling her performance.  Skylar seems to be gaining confidence every week.  I didn’t like Skylar’s version of that song, but I can respect what she did.  Solid vocal, excellent stage presence.  Strong ending.  And she, too, get rave reviews from the judges.  And, again, it’s because they’re deserved.  Grade: B.

Joshua Ledet:   Thanks for not calling Joshua, Mantasia.  Oops, I just did.  Anyway, he’s singing Fantasia’s coronation song, “I Believe.”   And Joshua’s going to take us to church again.  Gotta tell you, the Idols are in a zone tonight.  Everyone’s doing really well.  All three of last week’s bottom three were excellent.  Joshua just continued the string of strong performances.  Steven’s projecting him as a winner … well, I don’t know about that.  Grade: B.

And now, the soul portion of the competition …

Hollie Cavanagh:  The gal from Liverpool is going to sing “Son of a Preacher Man.”  Great song.  Hollie has the voice to pull this off.  Not sure if she has the sass to pull it off.   Or the grit.  And I’m pretty sure that will be my only criticism of the performance.  Because she’s spot on tonight when it comes to the glory notes.  She absolutely nailed that ending.  And Hollie is just plain adorable.  Grade: B-

 Colton Dixon:   The guy who turned on the “sexy” — Jennifer’s words not mine — takes a seat behind his piano for a version of “September.”  This is the sensitive side of Colton, with leaves of September falling all around him.  The audience loved it.  But that was easily the weakest performance of the night.  The vocal just wasn’t special in any way.  Grade: C-

Elise Testone:  She’s taking on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”  Stealing a trick from Colton, singing a song made famous by a member of the opposite sex.  Now there was no lack of sass in that performance.  Steven says that performance touched hearts of men across America.  Randy says she oversang the song a little, and I’d agree with that assessment.  But, wow, the things she can do with that voice of hers.  Grade:  C+

Phillip Phillips:  The old Phillip is back, making strange faces and belting out “Midnight Hour.”  He’s getting a rousing response from the audience. He’s getting rave reviews from the judges.  Steven calls him “brilliantly awkward.”  Wow, I must have missed something.  I heard nothing at all special about that vocal.  I mean, absolutely nothing.  Grade: C.

Jessica Sanchez:  Wow, Jessica ripped into “Try a Little Tenderness.”  Maybe a little over the top. But what else does she have to do to prove she’s the best singer on this show. That ending was simply fierce.  The judges are pushing her to open up more, connect more with the audience, show some sensitivity.  Vocally, she’s proven just about all she needs to prove.  Grade: B.

Skylar Laine:   Now she’s going to do a country turn on “Heard It Through the Grapevine.”   Well, I figured soul would be a huge challenge to her.  But if she can make Gaga country, why not go country on this song.  Skylar goes sharp now and then on her vocals.  But I’ve gotta tell you, this girl is turning into one heck of a performer.  Randy nailed it:  It’s a party every time she steps on stage.  Steven calls her “a wild horse that refuses to be tamed.”  I didn’t like that vocal as well as the first, but the performance … way to go, Skylar.  Grade: B-

Joshua Ledet:  He’s going to sing “A Change is Gonna Come.”  Like the fact that Joshua showed so much restraint early in this performance.  He so often has a tendency to oversing.  This time, he held back until blasting us with those big notes at the end.  Frankly, though, I expected more with the match of that singer and that song.  Solid performance.  Not brilliant.  Not as brilliant as the judges are making it seem.  And Jennifer pleads with voters to keep Joshua on the show.  Hmm, last time she pleaded on behalf of someone, Deandre left the next night.  Grade: B.