Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, what did Joey Cook think of the exchange between Quentin Alexander and Harry Connick Jr. on Wednesday’s episode of American Idol?

“We talked during the commercial break,” said Joey, who was eliminated from Idol at the episode’s conclusion. “I pretty much told him what he did was beautiful in my opinion.”

For anyone who missed it, Ryan Seacrest announced Quentin as the last safe contestant on Wednesday’s show, leaving Joey and Rayvon Owen in the bottom two.

After Quentin performed, Ryan asked how he was feeling.

“This sucks,” Quentin said, indicating the bottom two. “We have two of the best vocalists. My best friend is over there. This whole thing is wack. But I’m going to shut up right now.”

Quentin left the stage, but got a tongue lashing from Harry Connick Jr. for disrespecting the Idol process.

That prompted Quentin to return, stand by Harry and explain that he didn’t mean the show was wack, but that he was disappointed to see his best friend — Joey — on the verge of elimination.

As she watched it all unfold, Joey said “I was trying to telepathically send him my good energy and tell him everything will be fine.”

The 23-year-old from Woodbridge, Va., said she and Quentin met during Hollywood Week and have been close throughout the competition.

How close are they? Heck, Quentin is even supposed to preside over her marriage to fiance Evan Higgins later this year.

“We kept each other’s faith throughout this (American Idol) and kept each other grounded,” Joey said. “I think we have similar motives in this in terms of being unwavering in who we are — doing what it takes in the competition, but staying true to ourselves through the process.

“He’s a very emotional person,” she said of Quentin. “He’s very all-cards-on-the-table. He doesn’t hide his emotions. I think what happened last night was a perfect example of that.”

Speaking of perfect examples, Joey left Idol with a perfect example of her talent. She sometimes plays accordion. She sometimes plays ukulele. Last night, she chose the latter for a blue-grassy version of the Jefferson Airplane rock classic “Somebody to Love.”

It was one of her signature performances, even if it wasn’t enough to win the instant save over Rayvon Owen.

Joey says she’s grown tremendously as a musician thanks to Idol and has learned what she’s capable of during her time on the show.

“This show has done more than I ever could have asked for,” she said. “They’ve exposed me to millions of people. I used to sing on sidewalks. I learned more about music in the last two months than I have in my entire life thanks to this program. The sky is the limit at this point.”

As for her musical plans — they include recording her album “big-girl style.”

Joey has an album on bandcamp called “Hey, I Love You (Songs and Stuff on the Ukulele by Joey Cook).”

She says it was recorded in one day, in one take, using an iPhone app.

“So it’s not really quality. I’m very proud of it. It’s my heart and soul. I always just needed the resources to do it professionally.”

Recording studio, here comes Joey Cook.