The American Idol 2013 Top 3 — Candice Glover, Kree Harrison and Angie Miller — are set to take the stage fresh off their hometown visits from this past weekend.
Each of the three ladies will be taking on three songs each. One was decided by the judges, one by Jimmy Iovine and one by the show producers. Like every week, I’ll be reviewing each performance and assigning the letter grade I think each deserves. And I’m doing it live, so be sure to share your thoughts and own reviews in our comments section below!
The American Idol 2013 Top 3 Performances Reviews
Round One: Jimmy’s Picks
Kree Harrison, “Perfect.” I loved that she put a country spin on the Pink song. She definitely made it her own. Very smart. And her vocals were right where they need to be. And she seemed to connect to the audience more than before. Grade: A-
Candice Glover, “One.” I think the key the song was in was a little weird. I realize they were going more for the Mary J. Blige, version (at least I think), but something about the arrangement made the home seem off. I thought it was going to be fantastic, but it wasn’t and that disappoints me greatly. The vocals were still great, thought. Grade: A-
Angie Miller, “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.” I imagine Jimmy picked this song so she could be at the piano. But she failed to do that. Not a good idea. But that aside, the performance was mostly solid. The vocals were there but with Angie’s usual problem is that she doesn’t really connect quite like Candice does. Grade: B+
Round Two: Judges’ Picks
Candice Glover, “Next To Me.” I have no idea what this song is, but it was right in Candice’s wheelhouse it seemed. It was kind of a perfect performance. I felt a lot like it was a Candice concert since I didn’t know the song and she range it like her own. Grade: A+
Angie Miller, “Try.” More Pink. Wow. Another disconnected performance. The performance was fun and upbeat, but it feels like Angie signs like it’s a job and not something she does to speak to others or entertain them. It’s kind of robotic almost. Grade: B+
Kree Harrison, “Here Comes Goodbye.” This was a great song choice for her. I wanted a better power moment. She held on to it but it almost defeated her. But overall, not bad. I think she got the best homecoming edit. Grade: B+
Round Three: Producer Picks
Angie Miller, “Maybe.” This is the song she chose to play piano to? I’ve never even heard of the song, but it was probably her best of the night. It seemed the most “Angie.” Grade: A-
Kree Harrison, “Better Dig Two.” A little edgy country. I like it. Again, I don’t know the song, but Kree handled it very well. It felt a lot like her own song. She owned it. Grade: A-
Candice Glover, “Somewhere.” I think this was a weird song choice, but that’s OK, because Candice slayed it like only she could. So much power, so much emotion. If America doesn’t vote for her, there’s something wrong. Sincerely. Grade: A+
I think I’m calling it as Candice wins the night. Who were your favorites from the night?
Kree es mi favorita sinceramente creo que ella debe ser la gran ganadora este año pero presiento que será la odiosa de Angie
wuuuut?
I google-translate it for you what the boy was saying:
“Kree is my favorite. I sincerely believe that she should be the big winner this year, but I feel that [the winner] will be the odious Angie [instead]”.
BTW, I had no idea what odious means until tonite :). It means “obnoxious”. You learn something new every day.
I disagree she seemed so uncomfortable singing that song. I think that might have been her worst performance I heard so far. :/
Whom are you talking to?
It’s in all likelyhood was about Kree.
I agree with both comments. I love kree!
The final 2 should be Kree and Candice. Sad that Jimmy gave her such a song, he has it out for her. The song makes or can break them. Sad really they have hard on her the past few weeks. Kree is my fav too. I am not happy with the show this season at all. And Nicki really lets talk about her shoes and not her voice! This could be it for American Idol I know alot are not happy about the judges and Jimmy this season.
I think Angie has such a huge fan base, she will be in the finale. These three girls are all so talented, they will all do well, just needed the exposure and they got it. Winning does not necessarily mean a huge career.
Kree and Candice please. 🙂 ♥
I hope kree and candice are in the finale. I like Angie’s vocals but IMO she just doesn’t connect with me
Anyone else think Candice just won it all?
As a musician and singer as well, clearly, Candice has the most trained voice of all – hands down. Angie has the weakest voice and seems far too conceited for me.
I’m a musician & singer as well. I love Candice, but I wish they had given her a jazz song this week. That’s where she succeeds the most to me. You say trained. I’m a trained singer, and I can tell you that if any of them have had real training, they are not using it. Take a look at their shoulders when they sing. A dead give away that they are not singing from their diaphragm but from their throat-not proper technique which can be used in any style. However, I will say that Candice seems to have great musicality & great ears. Kree has been singing professionally since she was a little girl which is apparent. Angie, also great musicality & musicianship, and a great songwriter. Her consonance give away that she’s at least has musical theater training which is not the same as proper training, i.e. breath-control, diaphragm singing. Singing lessons are stylistic. Voice lessons from a real vocal ped. teacher teach technique which help singers have careers that last a lifetime with no vocal node issues.
I think she did, her voice is amazing and she is humble.
I liked Jimmy’s song choice for Angie the best and I have her and Candice in a tie for round one, with Kree very close. Gonna be hard to pick a winner.
Nikki is irritating as usual. All the money they pay her and the best advice she can give Kree is “wear flat boots”. Wow…..so helpful.
The suggestion about “flat boots” might not be such a bad idea. That would give Kree more ease to move around the stage. She seems to struggle with the high boots. I think she does want to move around the stage and connect more with the audience. I think the judges did better tonight than most nights this year. It seemed like they were trying to critique in a less harsh way when criticism was necessary. Except for the standing ovation for Candice, I thought they did better. At this point they should know that standing O’s just get the opposite effect of what they want and use only words to express their feelings about performance. At the end they should have given a standing ovation for the night because all the girls did well. The home visits seemed to inspire all of them. Kree’s home visit helped me connect better with her.
Kree is a perfection. Candice is the One. Angie sorry you should go home. 🙂
Considering the fact that Angie seems to be in the top 3 week after week & her Twitter page has more than double the followers of everybody else, I’m getting a little sick of this Crud about not connecting with the audience. If you want someone else fine but this baseless critique is unfair & unfounded.
When a performer is known to be over-emoting and playing with the camera when singing a song, it would mean one or two things:
1. The performer doesn’t connect with the song.
2. The performer doesn’t connect with the audience.
Worse still, it could even be both of the above at the same time. You can take your pick.
Sounds more like you just don’t like Angie, which is your right, but I say again, Angie has over twice the fan base as either Candice or Kree, so SHE CONNECTS WITH SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE. This is phony criticism from people to justify their dislike of a talented Nice Girl & fear that their favorite won’t win. As far as I’m concerned any of the 3 remaining contestants could & deserve, to win
All styles but no substance is not for me, but many musicians in the pop culture are very much like that anyway. To be fair, there will be a market for a singer and song writing style like hers. Most religious/inspirational music fans are quite enthusiastic about their artists, much like country music fans are, but the former has much smaller fan base than the latter.
Angie connects to a lot of people….even across the world, more than people give credit for. I’d vote for her if I were living in the US. I think all of the finalists are very talented but Angie somehow is blessed with a special gift which can touch people’s heart and soul when she sings some of her songs.
Angie….you’re my winner and you have some fans here in Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m looking forward to buy your record and come to your Asia tour.
Totally agree everyone stop hating on Angie. I say Angie Miller all the way!!!
Yeesh. Brandon you’re being pretty harsh this week. Oh, no more standing o’s. Probably because Amber’s gone.
Branden, normally I agree with you but I think Candice’s second song was just ordinary. Kree’s second song was beautiful and much better vocally than Candace as well. Angie is the best singer on the show–not even close. Her second song was GREAT!
Hm…, interesting….Kree got the most rest at the start, perhaps about 35 minutes between her first and second song, but she’ll be at a disadvantage on the third round because she has only about 7 minutes of rest before her last song. Candice is placed at a pimp spot, based on previous round ordering, and she can use that 30 minutes pause before her last performance to gather herself and rest her voice.
Round 2. Disagree slightly with Branden on round 2. I really liked Angie’s song and thought it was a just a bit stronger than Candice this round. Kree was fantastic. Again close, but to my ear, Kree and Angie on top this round.
Home town visits highlight of the show tonight.
Kree and Candice *Clap Clap Clap*
lol
Round 3. Angie started it off with a great song. Very nice!
Kree finished strong as well. Enjoyed her song. I didn’t care for the song they picked for Candice, but I love her voice…beautiful. Think she edged this round out.
I’m a betting man, but I wouldn’t put money on who the final two will be.
Judges: my conclusion is they are blithering idiots. The feedback they provide is just about worthless. The four big bags of silicone that was on display tonight could have done a better job…….
Oh my goodness! CANDICE. RICKELLE. GLOVER. <3
I think Angie is a performer and will be a star no matter what happens. But I see Kree and Candice moving forward tonight!
Kree and Candice for the finale!!!! Imho, Angie fell a little bit short on her performances. But everyone slayed their songs tonight. The best top three ever!
1- Candice
2- Kree
3- Angie
I was thinking for the other two finalists to have a chance to advance is for Candice to stumble during her performance(s).. Well, she didn’t stumble on her first song, and she didn’t on her second either. Infact, she slammed the door shut on her final song.
So, it will be either Kree or Angie who will be going home this week. Judging from performances, Kree should survive this week, and we may have to say good bye to ms. Idol Pageant Angie Miller. The country voters are very dominant and reliable force at Idol’s voting, and because of this Angie is at a disadvantage as well.
I never vote for how they sing each time I pick the best person that is the best for the Idol winner. But this time I like 2 girls .Angie and Kree so I give them both same amount votes.
i agree darlene. angie or kree will be much better as the idol winner. but there are so many people that are all about candice so i imagine it will end up being candice and angie in the finale. i hate to tell all the kree fans but angie has to big a following to get knocked out
I once loved Angie. But everytime the Judges praise her everyweek She changes a bit. And It’s not a compliment. And I don’t know what it is. It’s her personality or Attitude maybe.
Kree and Candice for the Finals!
Sorry Mikko , but from your comments tonight, I doubt very much that you ever liked Angie. Your mind was made up a long time ago about who you liked no matter what song was chosen or how they performed, but so were 90% of people I’ll bet. But you seemed to be on a mission tonight to bad mouth Angie. (but then most of the people here seem to be that way).
Round 1 : Angie
Round 2 : Kree
Round 3 : Candice
Kree is a one trick pony and Candace is too into old-fashioned songs with nothing original. The only contestant with any real talent is Angie both vocally and musically with instrument and song-writing capability. What is wrong with the judges? First it was the Amber/Kree push and now it is the Candace.
Why is it that I could tell what the Judges were going to say before the show even started? This INCLUDES Brandon.
Candice freakin Glover. If she doesn’t make it to the Top 2 and WINS, there is something wrong with America, open ur ears!!!
Nowadays, people are becoming more critical in choosing who to vote for in the show. I guess it has a lot to do with Social media. So, For the first time, I’m taking part in these comments. In my opinion, I think Angie and Candice is going to the Finale. But please don’t get me wrong with Kree because she really is a great singer and she has a unique personality of being warm and welcoming. Her weakness is her song choices for the past weeks. Her song choices weren’t really the best song choices and people lose connection to her and translates her performances as boring. As a singer, I think Candice is the most structured. She really is great in doing runs and sings brilliantly in her upper register. she is by far the smartest of the three in terms of musicality but Sometimes, i agree to what Nicki says regarding Candice’s performances of somehow being old-fashioned. Runs can show how good of a singer you are but sometimes the essence of the song can be lost just as what Henry Connick Jr. always points out last week. For Angie, I think she is the most current of all three that is why there is no doubt that a lot of viewers out there can relate to her especially when she’s in the piano. However, there are people also out there who thinks of Angie as overrated, conceited and a bit weak as a singer compared to Candice. I respect these comments but setting these aside, Angie is going to the finale because she made an excellent first impression in the season. First impressions are really important. A good example can be Haley Reinhart from S10 wherein she did not make a great first impression. Even though her performances were starting to get brilliant, the audience can’t help but to look back at her weak performances in the season. Going back to the three, I thought they did great tonight but in looking who has more potential, who has more tricks up in their sleeves, who has more WOW factor, i think Candice and Angie has what it takes.
*Harry Connick Jr.
You said, ” First impressions are really important. A good example can be Haley Reinhart from S10 wherein she did not make a great first impression. Even though her performances were starting to get brilliant, the audience can’t help but to look back at her weak performances in the season.”
This is a flawed logic formally known as proposional fallacy. In this case it’s called “denying the antecedent”. You believe that if A then B; hence, you concluded if [NOT] A then [NOT] B. Since I find this is not a formal logic forum then I would just say this: The best thing to support your case is to find a contestant having similar favorable first impression as Angie did which later had become AI winner. I would say AI season eleven winner Phillip Phillips is an excellent example to support your opinion.
I’m sorry if my logic is flawed but I’m sure you got my point there. And in my opinion, I don’t think Phillip Phillips is an “excellent” example since he won Idol because of his Artistry that grew as weeks pass by. I consider Jessica and Joshua in that season to be fine examples of excellent first impressions.
So Jimmy Iovine gives round 1 to Angie, marginally gives round 2 to Kree over Angie and yet says Candice won the night with the pimp song “Somewhere.” How can someone lose the first two rounds (apparently 3rd in round 2 according to Jimmy) and win the night based on one performance, which was fed to her on a plate.
Even the so called judges were all praise for Angie for her overall performances until they had to give the requisite SO to Candice at the end. It was so predictable that we said it would happen before she started the song.
8 of the 9 songs were decent but not exactly inspiring ones but that last song was the only one that would enable a power performance and it was given to Candice.
If you listen to classic versions of the song – like Barbra Streisand’s and the one from the musical itself – there are tender moments in it and it is not all power. Candice’s ending was almost shrill and slightly off-key but, of course, she receive the only SO of the night.
I find the negative comments on here about Angie Miller to be unfair to a young, talented artist whose 3 performances tonight – overall – were the best.
This is the 3rd attempt on AI by Candice and Kree has had a recording contract that went nowhere. Irrespective of what happens in this farce of a competition (that is what it has become, unfortunately) I believe Angie & Kree will have the most successful careers post Idol.
Once Kree is free of her 19 Productions shackles, she can get a contract recording country music. Angie, I predict, will be given more of a free range to write a lot of the songs for her debut album and I don’t think she will be a Christian recording artist as she has too much talent to restrict herself to that genre. She is a true singer/songwriter and that augurs well for her future.
The ONLY winner who had major success with 19 Productions was Carrie Underwood. Kelly Clarkson, if you recall, went her own way after her initial album because she didn’t like what they wanted her to record and her 2nd album, which she helped produce went 7x Platinum.
American Idol has reached a point where they have to either clear house or not come back for Season 13. They cannot continue with such low ratings and pay the clowns and Seacrest close to $70 million a season plus all the band, back-up singers and production costs.
An 11 million audience with only a little over 3 million in the all important 18-49 demo is not sustainable, given how much it costs them just for the host and the “judges.”
CANDICE GLOVER PERIOD
Aarrggg,,,shut up
I love the voice of Candice….
After watching Kree’s hometown visit and seeing her miss her parents so much and wanting to make Texas proud,she brought tears to my eyes when she sung Here Comes Goodbye…Candice did well on her last song but Kree’s song was more emotional …I loved it and I hope she is at least in the top two..She deserves it…
Angie is gonna advance to top two, you know why? Angie’s fans are busy voting while you haters are putting her down on here when you all were supposed to be voting instead!
It seems I am agreeing with the jimmy Iovine tonight on every thing he said. The first round went to Angie, the second round went to Cree and just when Candice really needed a fantastic performance make up for the mediocre ones in rounds one and two … She hit round three out of the freaking ball park.
Hahaaa,,, knew Candice was gonna killths “somewhere” song,,,,well done galfriend….. back to youtube
Candice won the night, hands down!!!!! Of course that is just my humble opinion….
Branden, normally I agree with you when it comes to your grades but I must disagree with your assessment of Kree’s first performance. I think she was so flat on Perfect and (I hate to say this) Randy was right in saying that the song never went anywhere. She just didn’t shine and it’s a shame because it could have been so much better if it had been an almost more intimate performance. jmo..
I HATE THIS ! :(( they only got to record ONE song ! I want the FULL VERSION of ALL the songs they sang 😐
Candice voice is amazing.
Well, the 5 teens in our family picked Angie from the start, if that counts for anything. No one here would buy Candice’s cd, as we don’t like the gospel sound she inserts. Realize she has the best actual voice, but her personality is not right for a concert. It counts. Judges have over pimped her, but it worked for Ruben S. in the 2nd season, with some real help from blocked phone lines for Clay Aiken.
Kree is a sweetie, and will sing country, but she is not always superb lately. Think her super sad story might carry her to the finals, where they will make sure she is crushed by Candice.
Angie was great last night, and we enjoyed her performances. She is so talented on many levels that she can make it without the title. Still hope she wins, as she is most current, and has a good chance of making it in the pop/rock world. It will all come down to PROMOTION.
It does not surprise me one bit that a family of 5 teenagers would think pretty, slender, angel faced Angie was the best singer of the night. But, how one can call Candice’s style of singing as being a “gospel sound” is strange to me. And saying the judges “over pimped here is even more strange. As they really did not have much positive to say about Candice until the 3rd round … when she did a performance that was among the best American Idol performances of all time. Is that what you mean by “over pimping”? If so, your definition is a bit strange to me.
Kree’s first song was not good. I like her, but this particular performance was flat almost the entire time. I mean flat as in pitch. I felt her connection with the audience but not the song.
Thanks for the recap Branden! Your thoughts are always a good insight; so different from the judges.