Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Each member of the American Idol Top 4 performs three times tonight.

The singers will take the stage for a dedication to their idols, an original song and a duet with Finneas.

Song by song grades will be posted once the show starts.

See also …
Ranking the Top 4
Apple Music chart results for the winner’s singles
Caleb Kennedy leaves American Idol

Meanwhile, here’s what the remaining Idol contestants will sing.

Idol dedications

Casey Bishop, “wish you were gay” by Billie Eilish — Turns out Casey is a huge fan of Billie Eilish and Finneas, which is why she chose this song. This is an interesting arrangement, with the energy level turned up a notch for Casey’s big voice. She did a nice job with that. She looked very comfortable on the stage. And she enuciated very well. Sometimes, Casey tends to slur her words. The judges are lavishing her with praise. Grade: B

Chayce Beckham, “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band — So much for Chayce not playing guitar, as he indicated in the intro clip. But Finneas called his voice “earnest,” and that’s a good description. He sounded great at the start of this performance. Unfortunately, as Finneas feared, the band started stepping on his feet, nearly drowning out his vocals a couple of times. It doesn’t really matter. If you haven’t heard Chayce’s original yet, you’re in for a real treat later tonight. Grade: B

Grace Kinstler, “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson — Grace says she relates to this song because Kelly wasn’t the vision of the ideal Idol either when she won Season 1. Honestly, not thrilled with the song choice. It gives Grace a chance to show off her huge voice. But lots of songs — including other Kelly songs — could have accomplished that. As great as Grace has sounded in recent weeks, that got both a bit sharp and a bit shouty in spots. Grade: C+

Willie Spence, “Glory” by John Legend and Common — Willie says John Legend is his idol, even though he happens to be on another show. That’s okay. Willie says he likes Idol better. Before he even reaches the chorus, I can tell this is going to be my favorite Willie Spence performance. He sounds fabulous on this. As soon as I saw the song choice, I figured it was an Idol moment in the making. And that’s what Willie’s creating here. With the help of a background choir. Very, very good. That might have secured Willie’s spot in the finale. The Idol judges are on their feet. Grade: A

Winners Singles

Gotta say, I was massively disappointed with the format here. Instead of letting the semifinalists sing their full originals and deliver their full impact, they melded it with a cover we’ve heard before. In the case of Chayce, it diluted the impact of that magnificent original.

That was simply a poor, poor, pathetic decision on the part of Idol producers.

Casey Bishop, “Love Me, Leave Me” — Casey’s single is my second favorite of the four. That said, that vocal wasn’t quite up to Idol champion standards. Do yourself a favor and check out the full studio version. For her reprise cover, Casey returned her audition song, Motley Crue’s “Live Wire.” She displayed lots of energy, but she needed more power behind that ending. Grade: C+

Chayce Beckham, “23” — This is simply an amazing song. And he gets bonus points because he wrote it. Folks recognize it too. Before the show, it was #11 on Apple Music’s overall singles chart and #1 on the country chart. None of the other semifinalists were in the Top 200 on the overall singles chart. I could listen to this song over and over. Grade: A+

Grace Kinstler, “Love Someone” — Yep, I’m not a fan of these shortened originals. In that case, Grace sounded wonderful, but didn’t have time to build the song the way the vocal needed to build. Instead, she was at 10 on the dynamics dial in no-time flat. Her reprise song is Demi Lovato’s “Father.” That came off as a little overbaked. Grade: B+

Willie Spence, “Never Be Alone” — Hey, Willie’s single is probably my least favorite. But he sounded great on that shortened version. I think tonight is the best he’s sounded on the show. I didn’t care as much for “I Was Here.” But for folks who like take-me-to-church performances, it was powerful. Grade: A–

The duets

Casey Bishop and Chayce Beckham with Finneas, “Break My Heart Again” — This song wasn’t a very good showcase for Chayce’s signature sound. It was a much better showcase for Casey’s vocal talent and did a good job of reminding us how sweet that voice can sound. She’s seldom sounded better. And Clark’s rasp became more effective as the song went on. Grade: B

Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence with Finneas, “What They Say About Us” — The first duet aired showcased brilliant vocals from Grace and Willie. Grace bounced back nicely from what, for her, was a shaky idol dedication vocal. Willie sounded solid for the second time tonight. Grade: A–

And the results …
Chayce Beckham advances
Willie Spence advances
Grace Kinstler advances

That means the elimination of Casey Bishop.

I must admit, I’m a bit surprised — pleasantly surprised — by that outcome. I thought for sure Grace was heading home tonight.

I think the three most talented singers advanced.

For Casey, the future’s still bright. She’s a 16-year-old with enormous potential and I won’t be surprised if she winds up with a record deal.