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Learn more- "American Idol" - Top 7 Performance Show - April 20, 2011
Theme: Songs of the 21st Century
Group Sing: Naima, Thia, Pia, Ashthon, Karen, and Paul return to sing Pink's "So What." A glimpse of a future tour number?
Contestant: Scotty McCreery, Jimmy is worried that voters will get complacent.
Song: "Swingin'," Leann Rimes (But really a John Anderson song from the '80s.)
Performance: It's a more uptempo, playful number for him this week. The band threatens to drown him out near the beginning but the mix improves. He does the first verse in a more tenor place and goes to baritone for the second verse. Even though they mocked his cock-eyed microphone style in the clip, he clings to it and the goofy eyebrow-raising. But, he's Scotty, so he kills it vocally
Steven: Loves him and his voice but wishes he would boot-scoot around a little more.
JLo: She loves the storytelling quality to his singing but she says it's time to pull out the big guns, she was expecting more.
Randy: Tells him he needs to bring it hard, he thought it was too safe and almost boring. With this many songs to choose from he could've picked a better one.
Contestant:James Durbin. Jimmy wants him to stay true to himself but move him forward. He thinks the song has substance.
Song: "Uprising," Muse
Performance: James gets led to the stage but a drum corps in full regalia. There's something vaguely Meatloaf-y about the melodrama here. He sounds mostly fine and throws in one of his patented screams on the choruses.
JLo: Says she's going to go out on a limb that that is going to be the best theatrical performance of the night.
Randy: Loves Muse and that song and thinks he was unbelievable.
Steven: Calls his look "Mad Max meets storm troopers on Melrose." Calls it crazy good. Loves that he's beautifully out of his mind.
Contestant:Haley Reinhart. Jimmy asks Haley what the song is about. She says rejection. He tells her to bring that.
Song: "Rolling in the Deep," Adele
Performance: This is a great song for her, it lets her use her full range and power. This is her best performance, simple, direct, well-sung. And also, great dress. Randy: Thinks she chose a perfect direction for herself and it was a great performance.
Steven: He thought it started a little slow but she brought it up.
JLo: Thinks it takes guts to sing such a popular song right now and she thought she brought herself to it in moments and thought it was good.
Contestant: Jacob Lusk. In stool chat he tells Ryan singing a Luther song is scary. (It also happens to be the late great soul singer's birthday). He tells Jimmy he's singing the song because his father passed away when he was 12 years old. He cries during his rehearsal. He dedicates the song to those who have lost their fathers.
Song: "Dance With My Father," Luther Vandross
Performance: He gets emotional right away on the piano ballad. It's clear he's trying to control himself. He pulls out his in-ear monitor abruptly. This seems to help somehow. He's showing restraint, simply singing the song. The song builds and he throws in one big note and brings it back down.
Steven: Says it was a beautiful thing and that his daddy was up there listening.
JLo: Says it's hard to learn the control of sharing the emotion of the song, she says emotionally it was a beautiful performance but that the vocal maybe wasn't perfect because of it.
Randy: He agrees that it was emotionally beautiful but vocally it didn't make him jump up and down. He wants him to go through the roof and not hold back anymore. He tells him he needs the church kid back.
Contestant: Casey Abrams. Jimmy's on board with Casey's choice this week. He's really proud of him too.
Song: "Harder to Breathe," Maroon 5
Performance: He starts out like Jimmy suggested, voice and guitar, low-key. The band and his own guitar kick in on the chorus. It's a tricky song lyrically and he's doing a nice job. It doesn't have a ton of range but it's funky and fun. He takes a walk during the second half to slap hands. He scats over the instrumental break. He gets a little growly and screamy at the end but again, funky and fun. He kisses JLo at the end.
JLo: Says Casey's not playing fair and has soft lips. She loved it.
Randy: Loves that it was surprising as always and he really enjoyed it and hopes he continues to take chances.
Steven: Says he's already a cult hero to people who he pissed off because -- gets bleeped out, there is an F word in there but I'm not sure what he said besides that, it looked like "so effing good." He loves him.
Contestant: Stefano Langone. Jimmy tells him not to whine or beg, but to be sexy.
Song: "Closer," Ne-Yo
Performance: He's got the eyebrows rocking. He's also got some early pitch problems. He unveils a few simple dance moves. He does one big eyes closed note. It's a weird song vocally, not bad but herky jerky. He tries to smolder and the audience in the room is buying it.
Randy: He thought it was going to be bad karaoke but he liked it and that he smoothed it out and took his time singing the verses.
Steven: He says he was all up in it, and thought it was a good job.
JLo: Thought it was good and that he had his swag going on. She thought he owned it.
Contestant:Lauren Alaina. Jimmy wants to give her confidence and he brings in Miley Cyrus' producers and he watches her pull back as he expected. He wants her to get over her confidence hurdle.
Song: "Born to Fly," Sara Evans
Performance: It's a cutesy uptempo country number. She does seem a little more sassy this week. And her vocal is spot on. Good choice for her.
Steven: Loved it. Wants her to sing Alison Krauss/Faith Hill/Shania Twain for him next time.
JLo: Agrees she has a lot of character and color in her voice. She tells her to reach out for those big notes that she said she was afraid in the package. She tries to build her confidence also.
Randy: Agrees with JLo and tells her to go for it also.
Bottom Three Prediction: I actually thought everyone was pretty good tonight so I'm going with people who have been in the bottom three before Haley, Stefano, and Jacob
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