April 25, 2013 - 10:38am
'American Idol' Season 12 RECAP: Top 4 prove they're in it to win it
BY GIBSON JOHNS
- FOX
It’s getting down to the wire on “Idol,” you guys. Last night, the all-female Top 4 each performed two songs — one of the choosing and one one-hit wonder — and showed how unpredictable the end to this twelfth season is going to be.
Amber Holcomb kicked off the night with “Power Of Love.” Rockin’ an afro and looking like a million bucks, Amber started off the classic diva ballad a capella flawlessly and made the sleepy song her own. She’s oozing confidence right now and it makes her performances that much better.
Continuing her streak of unexpected song choices, Candice Glover was up next with Drake’s “Find Your Love.” If anyone else had given this performance, it would’ve been considered a home run. But because it was Candice — who, let’s be real, has far and away the best voice left in the competition — it was held to higher standards. Something was off and I think Nicki nailed it when she questioned Candice’s decision to change up the melody. That being said, I’m glad that Mariah urged Candice to continue to take risks because, for the most part, they’ve been paying off.
I actually loved that Kree picked up the tempo this week with “It Hurts So Bad.” The song showed-off her bluesy side and she was able to connect with the audience. Mariah admitted that she had never heard the song before, but she said she did her research and listened to the song before coming to the show. I love that — it shows that Mariah is in fact invested in “Idol” despite rumors claiming that isn’t so.
Singing the same song she sang in her audition, Angie Miller sang Jessie J’s “Who You Are” and she slayed it. It was an emotional performance and she left it all out on stage. She opened up and felt the shit out of the song. Angie my have had a lull for a few weeks, but she is undoubtedly back. Addressing why she didn’t join the other judges in a standing ovation, Mariah said, “I’m standing up in spirit dahling — my train is caught under my chair.” Of course it is.
In between rounds, the Top 4 treated us to two duets. The first of which came from Amber and Kree with “Rumor Has It.” For a song which such a thumping bass, the two girls brought absolutely zero energy to it. It was all just kind of awkward: they barely interacted and failed to let loose in any way, shape or form. Not great.
Angie and Candice’s version of Rihanna’s “Stay,” on the other hand, was exceptional. The two played off of each other and had a back and forth going by the end of it. They surprisingly sounded flawless together and blew the other duet out of the water.
Kicking off the one-hit wonder round, Amber Holcomb sang “Macarthur Park.” I did not care for this performance — though I’m glad she went uptempo, it seemed as though Amber was trying to keep up with the song the entire time which resulted in her vocals sounding a bit forced. By the end, she was hitting some crazy notes, but in no way did the performance garner a standing ovation by three out of the four judges. They’re right in that Amber is developing an “inner glow” of confidence, but the pimping of Amber this week was way too obvious for my liking.
As Randy said, Candice let the first verse of “Emotion” marinate before letting herself go off on a fantastic combination of high notes. The arrangement did feel a bit lounge-y, but this round was way better from Candice. And as Mariah called attention to, Candice had a terrible cold this week, which makes her efforts that much more commendable.
Kree’s second performance, “Whiter Shade of Pale,” was, again, much better than her performances from the previous couple of weeks. That being said, Nicki is right in that there is something inside of Kree that is slightly dimming. It’s almost like because the rest of the girls are, for the most part, improving each week, she feels like she already peaked a few weeks ago.
Angie closed out the night with a killer performance of “Cry Me A River” (no, not by JT). This was something entirely different from Angie, but I can’t really put my finger on what exactly was so different about it. She hit some notes she has yet to hit in this competition, which Mariah called “talent galore, dahling.” Basically. Oh, and Nicki told her she was “snatchin’ WIGS, lil’ lady.”
Best Nicki quote of the night: “The fact that you up there lookin’ like a big sexy glass of MILK right now.”
Best performance: Angie and Candice’s “Stay”
Who should go: Kree
Who will go: Nobody. I sense a non-elimination.
