America got to decide what the American Idol 2014 Top 5 should sing Wednesday night, and for the most they didn’t do a terrible job. OK, there were a few times when I was like “WHHYYYYYYYY?” but I got over it fast. It was a pretty solid night over all.
As always, I’ll be reviewing each performance and assigning the letter grade I think each deserves.
Alex Preston, “Sweater Weather.” This was a pretty solid song choice for Alex and of course a solid performance by him. His vocals are always right where they want to be, but he’s never put down that guitar once this season, has he? He should try that some time. Performance Grade: A
Caleb Johnson, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” This song? Come on. There are definitely better songs for Caleb than this. I mean Caleb can actually sing anything, so it’s no big deal. His vocals were perfect and it was all really strong. Performance Grade: A
Alex, Jena, Sam, “Best Day of My Life.” Not bad for a trio of singer who really shouldn’t be singing together. It was at least entertaining. I’d give it a B
Jessica Meuse, “Human.” Well this was kind of weird. I didn’t really like this. And that’s a first for me with Jessica. So maybe it will have the opposite effect on America? I mean they haven’t seemed to like her much lately according to her vote placement, so maybe they liked this? I mean it wasn’t bad, just didn’t love her voice on it. It seemed stressed or something. Performance Grade: B
Sam Woolf, “Sing.” Oh America, I don’t understand you. I just must be out of touch. I think it must be time to retire because I don’t understand these song choices. Ha. But that’s OK, because this was actually a pretty solid performance by Sam. It was more upbeat, which he needed, and it was right there in his range. He seemed legit this week, which he hasn’t always seemed. Performance Grade: A
Jena Irene, “My Body.” Now here’s a case of me not know a song and actually really liking it. So much so that I’m going to download it. I think it was a great song choice and a fantastic performance. Jena slayed this performance and she’s moving on. She, at this moment, needs to win American Idol 2014. I’m just going to say it. Performance Grade: A+
Caleb and Jessica, “Beast of Burden.” Perfect song choice. Love it and loved this duet. Caleb was right on point. Jessica was a little weaker, but still sounded great. I’d give this duet an A.
Alex Preston, “Say Something.” Perfect song choice. I mentioned this song for Jessica this week, but I think it was probably a better choice for Alex. Anyway, it was a great performance. It was tender, emotional and just right — everything about it. Performance Grade: A+
Jena Irene, “Valerie.” This was another good song suggestion. The first performance was better, of course, just because of the song and the way she commanded the stage, but this was a nice accompaniment to that first song. Performance Grade: A-
Sam Woolf, “How To Save A Life.” Almost picked The Fray for Sam, but I decided his strong point is not soft-spoken singing, so I changed my mind. And I see that I was right. His voice isn’t tender enough for The Fray. This performance came off kind of harsh. It just wasn’t right for him. Performance Grade: C+
Jessica Meuse, “Summertime Sadness.” This was a better song choice that the earlier one. It was a better match for her vocals, but I was sort of bored. Maybe I’m not liking Jessica as much tonight so I don’t jinx her into going home this week. Performance Grade: B+
Caleb Johnson, “Still of the Night.” Whitesnake. Good choice. Makes perfect sense for him. And he killed it just like he always does. Never misses a beat, this guy. I don’t even know what else to say. Great. Performance Grade: A+