The song suggestions for ‘America’s Choice’ week from fans for American Idol 2016 finalist Tristan McIntosh were really all over the place. We’re not surprised since it has been difficult to pin down exactly what kind of artist she is, or what kind she will grow into. So, it seems that this week Tristan’s song picks ended up a mixture of a little bit of country, and a little bit of rock ‘n roll. Neither song choice, however, was really the kind of ‘wow’ moment kind of tune she really needed to reclaim her spot among the favorites to win this season.
We weren’t really sure what to think about the two songs Tristan McIntosh ended up with for the American Idol Top 5 performances. Both are great songs, but they aren’t really the sort of tunes made for iconic performances like you might have seen with former American Idol winners Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. And right now, that’s the kind of performance Tristan really needs if she is going to make it to the season 15 finale.
“Independence Day” by Martina McBride
Since there isn’t a true country artist left in the competition this year, it’s like Tristan McIntosh is sort of trying to be squeezed into that hole. While we just don’t see Tristan as a country star, she does a pretty good job with country songs, so this was a decent song choice for her. Unfortunately the arrangement didn’t really let Tristan shine, and we’re not sure why it was slowed down so much. The American Idol judges were only so-so about the results of the arrangement.
Jennifer Lopez told Tristan she needs to shake things up more. Harry Connick Jr. said Tristan really needs to mature and “grow and live” to really pull off these kinds of performances. Keith Urban felt the song either needed to be simplified more down to the bare bones, or Tristan should have really gone after the big performance. Instead, it just ended up somewhere in kind of a not as great in between.
What did you think about Tristan McIntosh’s performance? Find out if she made it to the next round in our American Idol results wrap-up! And, don’t forget to cast your American Idol vote for who will make it to the Top 4 next week!