American Idol Season 11: The Top 13 Boys Perform

American Idol Season 11: Top 13 Boys Perform

1) Reed Grimm ("Moves Like Jagger" - Maroon 5)

I personally loved the Shoeless Revolution stuff and the censors failing to cut out Steven Tyler's, "Tonight's going to be a whole new generation watching your ass," remark. However, that was about all I loved about it besides Reed's gutsy arrangement of Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" but it was just too Vegas lounge act for me. The judges' overpraising aside, I don't think Reed should be in danger tonight because he did mix it up probably more so than anyone else, with the possible exception of Colton Dixon, and he is miles ahead of most of his competitors in terms of originality.

2) Adam Brock ("Think" - Aretha Franklin)

I've had a love-hate relationship with Adam since the beginning but he finally found a middle ground for me; indifference. I did dig his pad though and I love the cooking footage but White Chocolate only made me think that he phoned it in, quite frankly and he probably came off as very amusing to one half of the audience and racially insensitive to the other. I do basically like Adam though but I think his personality is probably far too polarizing to see a path to victory on the show. So naturally the judges went overboard with praise. My guess is that Adam is in trouble.

3) DeAndre Brackensick ("Reasons" - Earth, Wind, & Fire)

DeAndre went way overboard with the falsetto runs, choosing to overexpose perhaps his strongest asset vocally instead of pacing himself with some artistic restraint. His body movement too was a little too disconcerning to my liking but I do not think he's really in danger of not being in the Top 10. His appeal to the female demographic, especially younger girls and women, will carry him into the Top 13. His voice apparently "is so perfect for me" according to Jennifer. Apparently she was also praying to her God that he'd come back and low and behold it happened. I do agree with Randy Jackson that he is one of the more commercial contestants.

4) Colton Dixon ("Decide" - Paramore)

Colton kicked ass tonight, pure and simple. It's hard to think of Colton as just making his live national television debut with this performance because he just seemed so poise and calm. He showed true professionalism onstage and his piano-walking theatrics aside, he nailed his notes and genuinely enjoyed his experience. After barely missing out last season, he looks like he gained so much confidence in the interim. I do agree that he is definitely a relevant artist by today's standard.

5) Jeremy Rosado ("

There's a reason why they focused on his personality and "cheerleading" of the other singers on this season. When he finally did start singing, it just felt too plain to me. I'm not quite sure what his demographic is anyway and who would vote for him. He does stay on key well and his tone is always in check but I just don't see him moving on, especially with such a sleepy performance and song choice. So naturally Steven Tyler totally loved the song choice. I also want to kick Jennifer Lopez in the stomach for her "Jer Bear" nickname for Jeremy. She was right about one thing; she did forget she was on a show because she forgot to properly judge him.

6) Aaron Marcellus ("Never Can Say Goodbye" - Jackson 5)

While I wouldn't call it a perfect performance, I thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of this Jackson 5 classic. It's clear as daylight what type of singer and artists Aaron is and when he broke out that crazy falsetto at the end I thought that was just the right swet spot to put him into the Top 13. I thought that note alone was Top 13 material alone.

7) Chase Likens ("Storm Warning" - Hunter Hayes)

I really enjoyed Chase's performance but the problem is that it just didn't standout. Loved the song choice, the arrangement was perfectly fine, but perhaps that was the problem. He had adaquete stage presence, he worked the crowd okay, and he hit most of his note alright but I just think that it needed to have something extra to it. Having said that, I'm not quite sure which way his fate will go. And after reigning champion Scotty McCreery, will viewers be just as generous with their voting for another country crooner? 

8) Creighton Fraker ("True Colors" - Cyndi Lauper)

I haven't been Creighton's biggest fan up to this point but even I have to admit that I do like some things about him. His perforamnces aren't always as eccentric as his personality and I thought he really did a good job keeping it reeled in tonight. I felt he showed great reverence for the song and while I don't think Cyndi Lauper is home crying out of joy over it like Steven Tyler suggested, I do think it was srong enough to get votes from the often quirky-leaning Idol audience. I could do without Jennifer's standard, "America's got its work cut out," line. 

9) Phillip Phillips ("In The Air Tonight" - Phil Collins)

I actually liked it more the second time around on the DVR than I did initially but I thought this was a pretty good job by Phillip in each case. Steven Tyler, in one of his more articulate moments of clarity, gave good feedback about particular notes about which notes he chooses to hang his hat on and how difficult it is for someone like Phillip to hang his hat on. Randy wasn't quite as sure abut the "re-harmonies" of the arrangement of the song. Jennifer added something about just sticking to the melody more. It's just odd how the one time that all of the judges and not just Randy give insightful constrcutive feedback it is for perhaps the biggest frontrunner of the entire competition. That was just bizarre. 

10) Eben Franckewitz ("Set Fire To Rain" - Adele)

I just did not get anything about this performance whatsoever. It wasn't great, his vocals were drowned out by the band, and that certainly isn't a good thing when you're tackling an untouchable power voice like Adele's. When will contestants learn to steer far clear of these songs and artists unless they have already been so strong that it's buzzworthy and can actually go anywhere near those registrar of vocal ability? The second time around sounded even more depleted and desperate. I think they rushed him into the Top 24 this year truth be told. They should have let his voice mature some more for another year or two because his otherwise very impressive talent and vocal tone is probably getting wasted unless his contemporary females vote for him. Again, Steven had some constructive advice when he told Eben to work on his melody a little bit by listening to some blues records. I couldn't agree more. And once again, I felt frustrated by what Steven Tyler really could be on the show.

11) Heejun Han ("Angels" - 

Heejun was hilarious in the video intro. He said his mother can't dance well and then he swore to prove that Asians can do other things well like sing than just school and the SATs. We haven't been hearing that Michael Bolton like rasp in his voice like before. I'm not sure what to make of his performance this week. While I don't think it was necessarily a strong one I do believe that it wasn't terrible either. I do think that the song choice was a good one. It made sense to show a more serious and tender side to him. While the judges might have technically been right about the song choice not showing off his pipes fully, I think it was still a good idea to show that he had another side to his personality.

12) Joshua Ledet ("You Pulled Me Through" - Jennifer Hudson)

I'm not a fan of this Mantasia nonsense. It's also not very smart on his part.to risk offending the diehard Idol fans who remember the aforementioned punned Season 3 Idol winner. I felt Joshua had the best performance of the night. Until the very end of the show there wasn't the level of raspy screaming that has turned me off about him up to this point. I still think it's just one performance and so I feel the jury is still out on him as a live performer but it was a damn good start. I was really impressed. I understand why his detractors did not enjoy it but while I normally do agree with that (and I still don't think the judges should have been encouraging that with him), I felt it was more sufficiently restrained  in this performance. However, after a few good comments by Steven Tyler, out of the blue he told Joshua about how his voice was the voice the world has been waiting for. Jesus Christ. That is all. Jesus Christ.

13) Jermaine Jones ("Dance With My Father" - Luther Vandross)

I didn't care for the theatrics, the manufactured drama, the stunt, and the cheapening of the Top 24 process by this unnecessary stunt. Having said that, Jermaine is so unique to what the show has always been about and it's not like he doesn't bring a very different dynamic to the show. I just don't like the process. I actually liked his performance better the second time around and "The Gentle Giant" has now had a nice moment in the sun. I just worry that instead of Jermaine coming back and perhaps having a much better chance to go deeper into the competition, that he is just being used as a cheap gimmick. My guess is that he's going right back home after this performance.

So...prediction time. Colton, Phillip, and Joshua are locks for the Top 5 boys. My guess is that Reed and Heejun will occupy the final spots and that DeAndre will be a wild card selection with Creighton Fraker in the running for one too.

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