Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Keyla Richardson with Ryan Seacrest after one of her performances last week on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Tonight, American Idol voters pick the finalists for Season 24.

We’re down to a Top 5 of Hannah Harper, Keyla Richardson, Jordan McCullough, Chris Tungseth and Braden Rumfelt.

Two head home at the end of tonight’s show. The other three head home for those renown American Idol homecoming celebrations and concerts.

But first, everyone will sing twice tonight in one last attempt to convince fans they belong in next week’s finale.

And one of those performances will be a duet with a contestant from American Idol Season 5. Check out the duets we’ll hear below.

Original Idol judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will be on hand to mentor the Top 5. And Paula will be the guest judge for tonight’s show.

See also …
Ranking the Top 5
A look at who had last week’s most popular performances on American Idol
Song by song grades for last week’s Taylor Swift round
Song by song grades for last week’s California round

DANCING WITH STARS ROUND

Keyla Richardson, 29, Pensacola, Fla., “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike & Tina Turner: Nice song choice for Keyla. She didn’t seem exactly on point during the opening verse. But she found her groove during the chorus and wound up delivering a fun, rousing performance. Lionel Richie loves the confidence she’s showing. Grade: B+

Chris Tungseth, 27, Fergus Falls, Minn., “Northern Attitude” by Noah Kahan: Look out above, Chris is peeking at the right time. He had a strong week last Monday and sounded great on this song. Guest judge Paula Abdul compliments him on the “beautiful ache” in his voice. That was one of his better performances and he seemed comfortable on stage, which hasn’t always been the case. Grade: B+

Braden Rumfelt, 22, Murphy, N.C., “Loose Control” by Teddy Swims: Braden says he was distraught when he thought he might have to dance this week. And thrilled to find out he didn’t. I’m thrilled by his song choice. Because he sounded soulfully fantastic on that opening. I wasn’t thrilled by the presence of the dancers. Because they seemed to throw Braden off momentarily and added nothing, absolutely nothing, to the performance. Grade: A–

Hannah Harper, 25, Willow Springs, Missouri, “Fever” by Peggy Lee: Randy Jackson didn’t like this song choice for Hannah. It wound up working out okay. Not great. But okay. She sounded fabulous on the verses. I wasn’t fond of the arrangement in the middle. She needed a bit more attitude. But this was by far the bravest song choice so far tonight, and the judges loved the fact that Hannah showed off a different part of her artistry. She can afford to take a risk, because she’s finals bound for sure. Grade: B

Jordan McCullough, 27, Murfreesboro, Tenn., “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis: Jordan is dedicating this to his siblings. He says he wants to make them proud. They sure should be proud of that performance. Because Jordan proved again why he belongs in the Season 24 finals. What a big, what an emotional voice. What a brilliant ending. The was clearly the best performance of round one. Luke calls Jordan one of the best singers we’ve ever had. Grade: A

DUETS

Keyla Richardson and Taylor Hicks, “Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder: Keyla Richardson said she wasn’t familiar with the song and she opened the song as though singing a song she didn’t know. It was her weakest performance in weeks. Taylor salvaged the performance with his showmanship. We heard a hint of Keyla’s magic near the end when she got to ab lib. Grade: C+

Chris Tungseth and Bucky Covington, “Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brook: Chris continues his roll. Telling you, this guy just might make the finals. He sounded great on this song. And Bucky, who also sounded great and has a fabulous sense of humor, let him shine. Bucky said he hoped not to hurt Chris’s chances of making the Top 3. I think he helped, in a big way. The judges loved the confidence Chris showed as he performed alongside Bucky. Really nice performance. Grade: A–

Braden Rumfelt and Paris Bennett, “The Show Must Go On” by Queen: At the opening, I didn’t like this vocal matched Braden’s first of the night. In fact, I wasn’t buying him singing this song. Then Paris Bennett showed up and the song soared to another level. The last 30 seconds or so were really special. But I’m grading the Top 5, not the duets. Carrie Underwood says she wishes these duets had come earlier in the season. Me too, Carrie. Me too. Grade: B

Hannah Harper and Kellie Picker, “A Broken Wing” by Martina McBride: And that’s why Hannah is finals bound on American Idol. Give her a country ballad, and she sounds absolutely wonderful. The judges loved the way the voices of Hannah and Kellie blended. Hannah called the song a big risk because of the song’s range. This round, the risk paid off. Grade: A–