Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Can Randy Jackson get the American Idol singers and the house band in sync?

I wouldn’t bet the house on it, but we’ll certainly get the answer over the next two hours.

Tonight’s theme is “I’m With the Band,” meaning Alex Preston and Sam Woolf and Jess Meuse won’t have the liberty to go acoustic all on their own.

But there are other questions I’ll be anxious to get answers to tonight.

Such as whether Majesty Rose, C.J. Harris and Caleb Johnson can bounce back this week.

The answer is probably more critical for Majesty than the guys. Both of them avoided the bottom three last week; Majesty did not.

In fact, she’s landed in the bottom three two straight weeks, making her the singer most likely in need of a save Thursday night unless she delivers a knockout performance tonight.

After a Fall Out Boy advertisement and a group number with very mixed results — Jess sounded great; Malaya and Majesty should have been left backstage — we’ll get down to the performances that count.

Alex Preston

1. Alex Preston: He’s coming off his best week, but he’s also being asked to sing first, which can be risky. He’s decided to tackle No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.” For a singer-songwriter type like Alex, this leading the band thing could be challenging. Liked the fruit stand story from Alex. And, hey, one of those snapshots showed him with a band. He’s starting out singing a cappella while tapping on his guitar. Alex fans have nothing to complain about from that performance. I have a feeling Idol intended something a little more energetic from this theme week. For me, the best part of that was the little twist at the ending. Keith says he’s looking for more edge from Alex. Jennifer calls it a “soft version” of the song, saying Alex “sucked the energy” out of the number. Harry says Alex needs to start moving around more on the stage. Grade: C+

Majesty Rose

2. Majesty Rose: Yikes. She’s picked to perform second, which might be even more risky than going first. And she’s decided to sing “Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine, which might prove challenging. Well, Majesty followed Jennifer’s advice. She didn’t look petrified this week. She poured a lot of attitude into the chorus. Problem is, it wasn’t very special vocally. And there was a section where the pitch strayed pretty badly. Harry says he liked the performance and it’s the closest he’s seen Majesty get to being a performer. Keith likes the fact that the song choice showed off her range. Jennifer gave the performance a 10, but says the vocal was a little all over the place. Grade: C

Dexter Roberts

3. Dexter Roberts: The county singer landed in the bottom three for the first time last week. During his background piece, Dexter says he used to sing while driving a tractor, dreaming of performing on an air-conditioned stage. Well, he’s getting the chance now. Dexter has decided to sing Little Big Town’s “Boondocks.” Another decent performance from Dexter. Perhaps one of his best. Not sure about that low-key ending. Most Idol contestants end with a flourish. He ended with a fizzle. Harry is still pushing Dexter to bring his “own stamp” to the country anthems he insists on singing. OK, we have a gummy bear tangent at the judges’ panel. Keith thinks Dexter’s performance would have been a hit on country radio if Little Big Town didn’t get there first. Jennifer wants him to mix it up, too, and says she thinks he did “a great job.” Grade: C+

Malaya Watson

4. Malaya Watson: Malaya was improved two weeks ago. She’s coming off her most controlled performance. Now they’re putting her in front of a band. Hopefully, she’s a little more calmed down than she was during that opening medley. Well, her song choice should help. She’s singing “The Long and Winding Road” by The Beatles. Well, Malaya stayed under control. That won’t go down as one of my favorite versions of the song, but Malaya nailed a couple of really big notes, probably delivering the best vocal we’ve heard so far tonight. Add that to her personality — she decided to share the story of a night her pants split onstage during her pre-performance package — and Malaya is going to hang around for at least another week. Harry gives Malaya the award for most consistently improving. Keith and Jennifer compliment her vocals. This young lady really does have an engaging personality. Grade: B–

Sam Woolf

5. Sam Woolf: He isn’t the leader-of-the-band type either, saying he typically performed by himself back home. He calls Idol his first job. He’s decided to sing “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White Ts. Ah, look at the staging they’ve given Sam. And he turns in a solid performance of the song. He really didn’t change it up much except for one little wrinkle near the opening. The first run-through of the chorus sounded a little strained. Jennifer says the song was a wise pick for him, but suggested he still needed to connect a little bit more. Harry liked the fact that he presented a stripped-down version of the song, but also called it a “one dimensional” reading of the song. Keith suggests he needs to loosen up with his voice and on the stage. Grade: B

Jess Meuse

6. Jess Meuse: Back in Slapout, Jess is a one-girl band. A one-girl band who likes to hunt because, when the world ends, you’re going to want the redneck on your team. Jess is singing “Rhiannon.” Come on, Jess. Save us from a night of mediocrity. I don’t recall this classic being performed on Idol before. Love the fact that Jess’ voice is both strong and distinctive. But, come on, Jess, you need to bring attitude. Stevie goes a bit crazy when she sings this song. Solid vocal, but not quite as animated as I had hoped. Harry calls it his favorite performance. Keith says she needs to learn to be as comfortable on stage without a guitar as she is when she has her guitar. Jennifer says she thinks Jess’ confidence is growing. But she says Jess needs to work harder to draw listeners in. Grade: B

Curtis (C.J.) Harris

7. C.J. Harris: Interesting song choice from C.J. tonight. He’s singing the Steeldrivers’ “If It Hadn’t Been for Love.” My guess is his version will be much closer to the original than to Adele’s cover of the same song. I’d never heard this song before, so I made sure to listen to it this afternoon when the spoiler list came out. And the original is very good. I thought C.J. might be able to slay this song. Unfortunately, he’s not quite pulling it off. Vocally, it was a little all over the place, though he certainly hit the sweet spot on the ending. Keith liked the song choice, but he says C.J. needs to feel the song. Jennifer likes the song choice too and says she never gets tired of hearing the sound of his voice. But she says he has to be more consistent vocally. Harry is hammering on the pitch issue again, because C.J. just isn’t on the mark vocally all the time. Grade: C–

Caleb Johnson

8. Caleb Johnson: Still waiting for a performance tonight that I can get really excited about. Perhaps Caleb will deliver. Perhaps he’s studied his Idol history, because big voices teamed with Led Zepplin have produced magic in the past. He’ll perform “Dazed and Confused.” OK, well, this theme is right in Caleb’s wheelhouse. And he sure looks at home in this setting doesn’t he. My only complaint is that he could have picked a Zepplin song minus so many instrumental interludes. But, vocally, Caleb was right on. And performance wise … well, that was the night’s best. Jennifer says he pulled off sexy with that performance. Harry says he doesn’t know how Caleb could have sung the song any better. Keith said Caleb looked and sounded like the frontman of a band. Grade: A–

Jena Irene Asciutto

9. Jena Irene: The gal I just moved into the number one spot in my rankings gets to close the show. She’s going to sing “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence. She’s another contestant who will have no problem rocking. Wow, another high energy performance. Harry says Caleb was going to be tough to follow, but Jena accomplished the mission. Jennifer said she wanted her performance to be a little more messy. But she loved Jena’s vocals. Keith said he loves that Jena delivers every time she shows up on stage. Dang, just watched Jena’s performance again. What a way to close a show. She was spot on from the word go. Great, great vocal with some huge glory notes. Thanks, Jena, for justifying where I placed you in the rankings. Grade: A