1) Jena Irene- Suddenly I See

I’m not really OK that Jena is first. It’s never good to be in the first half of the show.   It started off a little low for Jena. I thought she performed it well, and it was nice to see Jena do an uptempo. She hasn’t rocked a real uptempo so far, she’s just sped songs up. She’s a strong performer. For me though, this song is “stay in the competition” not “play to win”. I won’t remember this performance in a few weeks. She’s still going to need a few other people to flop tonight if she’s going to avoid the bottom 3.

Going forward, she needs another moment, like her wild card song. If she keeps performing at this pace, she’s a midpack performer.

GRADE: B-

2) Alex Preston- I Don’t Wanna Be

A little oversung song , but I’m digging Alex’s style tonight. Alex chooses to funkify the song a bit. It’s different from the version you’ve heard, that’s for sure. It’s a cool song, but it’s a step backward from last week. Even though he put his own spin on it, I don’t think it’ll work quite like Alex hoped it would. I think he played to win, for sure, but it just didn’t quite pan out the way he wanted. I agree with Harry that Alex needs to keep exploring creatively, and not be disappointed with this.

Going forward, he needs to keep doing songs in his wheelhouse, and not worry so much about “funkifying” the songs so much.

FINAL GRADE: B-

3) Jess Meuse- White Flag

Jess had a strong week last week, so the anticipation is high. The vocals get a little mumbly, and her pitch is a little sharp throughout, but there’s still something about it that I kinda like. Jess has such a unique tone to her voice. I agree also with Keith that she didn’t seem as connected to the song. I think it was definitely a step back from last week, and even though I should rank her lower, there was something about it that I kinda liked… even though there were obvious pitch issues throughout.

Going forward, go back to the rock roots of last week. Rock out like last week. Jess just isn’t the strongest vocalist in the competition, and in more subdued song choices, the audience has a real chance to hear the shaky vocals.

FINAL GRADE: C+

4) Dexter Roberts- Lucky Man

Dexter just cannot get a good performance spot. It’s a shame because I think this performance is what we’ve wanted from Dexter. There’s a patch that’s too low, but most of it is in his “sweet spot” (oh God, I’m using that phrase again). He’s the first contestant so far tonight that my gut instinct says “he’s safe”. Really good vocal. Probably the best Dexter Roberts performance so far in the competition, including his audition and Hollywood Round stuff. J.Lo tries to help Dexter by name dropping Scotty McCreery.

Going forward, do more of this. Pick songs you connect to, and songs that allow you to be understood (and not mumble the lyrics).

FINAL GRADE: A-

5) Emily Piriz- Let’s Get Loud

I’m not sure this is a great song choice. It’s not the kind of song that shows off your vocals. Emily is already a shaky contestant and she needed a home run. It’s definitely fun to see J Lo singing along with Emily though. it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, even with some pitch issues at the end. J Lo loved it. Duh. I agree that she didn’t quite “drive the train”, but it was still somehow better than last week for her.

Going forward, keep reminding people that she’s a latina, and go for that vote. Choose a song that allows you to actually sing, and emote.

FINAL GRADE: C

6) Caleb Johnson- Working Man

And we’re back to Rock Of Ages Caleb. Last week was so authentic, and this week we’re back to a cover band version. Oddly enough, one of the stronger vocals of the night, even if his stomping around on the stage is distracting, and his performance style is theatric. It’s hard to hate a performance like that, but if you put him against Chris Daughtry or David Cook, Caleb wouldn’t even be a thing right now. He’s just standing out because he’s the only rocker, not because he’s daringly original.

Going forward, “BE ORIGINAL”.

FINAL GRADE: B

7) MK Nobilette- Drops Of Jupiter

She actually chose a band from her hometown, so props for taking the theme literally. She looks so small on the stage when they pull back from her. She’s a small venue singer, for sure. At least for now. I think MK isn’t connected to the song at all. Her solid vocal was trumped by the horrific performance. I thought she might pass out from exhaustion during the song. She didn’t connect to the song. I agree with Harry that she seems like she doesn’t want to be here.

Going forward, pick a song you emotionally connect to. I’d rather see you connect to a song, than hear an amazing vocal at this point. MK needs to prove she can perform and connect to her material.

FINAL GRADE: C

8) CJ Harris- Waiting On The World To Change

His vocal stylings are almost too angry for this song. His pitch is not on point tonight. He also jumbled a few lyrics for anyone who knows the song really well. I think he thought he was showing a ton of personality tonight, but he really didn’t. Harry says he sang sharp, but he still enjoyed it. I didn’t really enjoy it. Keith says he needed to do something different, instead of just doing a cover. I couldn’t get past the pitch issues here as much as I could with Jess’s performance. I used to be a huge CJ fan, and I feel like he’s been letting me down.

Going forward, I think CJ is still getting close to where he is as an artist. It’s slow growth, and even though this isn’t the best performance from CJ, I would still say to keep going forward in this direction. They can’t all be home runs.

FINAL GRADE: C-

James Durbin and Casey Abrams both in the audience.

9) Sam Woolf- Just One

Sam sits down and sings to the swaybots. OK. Here’s some truth. This is a boring song. It’s forgettable. There’s a reason no one performs this on Idol. It isn’t memorable. However, Sam has taken a gigantic leap forward from last week, and made that almost listenable. It’s not a star making performance, but it is a direction changing performance from Sam. I disagree with Harry’s critique, I think Sam should keep doing this style. This is what his fans want him to sing. This just was a boring song, sung really well.

Going forward, more of this, but with more memorable songs.

FINAL GRADE: B+

10) Malaya Watson- Take Me To The King

She needed this performance this week. Emotionally invested in the performance, probably the most emotionally invested I’ve seen tonight. Talk about a 180 from last week. I loved that. It was a fantastic performance, and a definite way to make sure she’s not in the bottom 3 this week. Loved that she played the piano. I loved the dynamics and the range she showcased. This was exactly what she needed to do. Yes, a few notes… were not perfect, but it really didn’t matter.

FINAL GRADE: A-

11) Ben Briley- Turning Home

Ben has no one in the audience this week. LOL. Out of 120 family members. Another great performance. Ben is emerging on this show. There’s soul. There’s country. And his vocals are on par. He connected with the song, and it took the song over the edge. I disagree with Harry. I thought it was great. Especially considering the other performances tonight.

Going forward… more of this. Thanks.

FINAL GRADE: A

12) Majesty Rose- Fix You

What a great song choice for her. Like, holy shit. Fantastic. Buying this on ITunes (if I can, I don’t know if I can). My favorite performance of hers so far. Connected emotionally. I’ll forgive the little pitch issue there. She’s a star. I don’t know why the judges didn’t love that. Bizarre. Did they forget the first half of the show?

FINAL GRADE: A

Bottom 3 Predictions: MK, Emily, and either Jess or Jena.

Going Home: MK