Jessica Meuse – Jolene – American Idol 13 Top 6 – VIDEO

AMERICAN IDOL XIII: Jessica  Meuse performs on AMERICAN IDOL XIII airing Wednesday, April 23 (8:00-10:00 PM ET / PT) on FOX.  CR: Michael Becker / FOX. Copyright 2014 / FOX Broadcasting.

Last week, the judges were tough on American Idol 13 Top 6 finalist, Jessica Meuse.  She was determined to come back and blow everybody away this week.  On twitter, after the show last week, she warned, “Two words. Next week.”

Jessica kept her promise. She came roaring back with two strong performances. Her first, “Somebody to Love” by the Jefferson Airplane, channeled Grace Slick’s desperate edge.

But the singer really came into her own with her country tune.  Her dark cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” closed the show on a powerful note.   Jess held nothing back. The pain and fear of a woman afraid she’ll lose her man was palpable. Though it had a heavy rock edge, she kept the country spirit at the center of her interpretation. She even broke out a little yodel at one point! Some cool tempo changes she made really packed an emotional punch.

Judge, Keith Urban, wasn’t crazy about the way Jessica changed up Dolly’s country classic–he HATED the dark arrangement. Harry Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez, on the other hand,  were full of compliments.  Harry felt she delivered the song in a strong and convincing way, while Jennifer praised Jessica for taking the notes the judges have given her to improve her performance.

More White Stripes than Dolly, I LOVED her brooding take on “Jolene”.  

What do you think?

About mj santilli 34832 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!