American Idol 11 Top 7 – What The Critics Say

The American Idol 11 Top 7 performed songs from “This Decade.”  Read my Recap. Now, read what the rest of the blogosphere had to say about the performances.

‘American Idol’ recap: Songs From Three Years You Were Alive – This week, the top 7 American Idol finalists could sing any tune from 2010, 2011, or 2012 — a stunning musical era which contained, as Randy Jackson put it, “current, for the most part relevant songs.” Inspiring as usual, Dawg! So instead of dutifully pretending to know who Billy Joel was, the contestants got a chance to belt out whatever they’d been screaming out of their cars mere months before they’d suddenly woken up in la-la-land in a maaaaaaansion and realized they’d become the few, the proud, the private dancers of Jimmy Iovine. – Entertainment Weekly

American Idol Top 7 Cover Songs From This Decade: Who Were Your Favorites? – Somewhere in a dark, tiny room in the basement of American Idol HQ, Nigel Lythgoe is dusting off a clear plastic box containing a bright red button marked with two words that have the power to divide the Idoloonie Nation: “Judges’ Save.” Now look, I’ve got no inside information that Randy, J.Lo, and Steven will use Season 11 Top 7 Week — focusing on songs from 2010-2012 — to save an ousted contestant (in the tradition of Matt Giraud, “Big Mike” Lynche, and Casey Abrams), but a review of the facts makes it a pretty solid bet. – Read more at TVLine

‘American Idol’ Recap: Jessica Sanchez Catches ‘Biggest Fish’ of the Night – Jimmy Iovine stirred the pot early on, telling Colton Dixon that he is “just behind Phillip Phillips.” Dixon fired back in his video interview that he didn’t like being compared to anyone, especially Phillips. Those were fighting words, but Phillips reserved his ire for his duets partner, Elise Testone, moaning on camera that she picked the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye because she’d sing better on it. For the record, she did, and though they played it off later as if they were besties and it was all a joke, Phillips continues to seem moodier every week. – Hollywood Reporter

‘American Idol’ Top 7 Recap: Modern Love – “American Idol” has often gotten flak for dusting off oldies songbooks filled with tunes that its very young contestants can’t connect with–and that younger viewers, sadly, do not know. Apparently producer Nigel Lythgoe finally got that memo, so this week the top seven contestants actually sang relevant songs from THIS decade–as in, nothing that dated farther back than 2010. Whether or not this week’s guest mentor, Akon, is still that relevant to music nowadays was up for debate (seriously, does Jimmy Iovine only have three celebrity phone numbers in his rolodex?)…but the top seven’s performances did feel cool and current, and anyone who was still experiencing painful flashbacks to this season’s horrendously hokey ’50s Night was probably thrilled with this week’s theme. I know I was. – Yahoo.com

‘American Idol’ recap: The top 7 perform songs from this decade – As the judges noted at some point, this week’s theme allowed us to see not only how the contestants might fit into today’s music marketplace -– to put it crassly -– but also how far they’ve come and how much they’ve grown and developed in the “Idol” competition. Most of them have reached a comfort level onstage, learned to calibrate and control their performances, and relaxed into their personas in a way that makes them, if anything, better able to accept and integrate input from mentor Jimmy Iovine and his parade of luminary helpers. – Los Angeles Times

‘American Idol,’ Season 11, ‘Finalists Compete’: TV Recap – As the final seven took the stage on this week’s “American Idol,” it was clear: nerves are building, and emotions are running high. And apparently, if Steve McQueen and Johnny Cash had a baby, it would look like Phillip Phillips. Before we got down to the tunes for the night, the Idols got a tune-up on their off-stage fashion by Tommy Hilfiger, who urged them all to work on their personal style and create their look, even when they’re not performing. – Wall Street Journal

‘American Idol’ 2012: Final 7 Idolettes sing songs from now – “American Idol” sets sail for uncharted waters tonight: The Idolettes will sing songs from the last few years. Enter the judges: Steven Tyler, wearing a shower curtain. Jennifer Lopez in a gorgeous black dress made of horizontal slabs of fabric, bringing back happy memories of last week’s brisket. Randy Jackson is in a coat which, for older viewers, will bring back happy memories of Captain Kangaroo. – Washington Post

7 Finalists Compete – Skylar kicks things off with Kellie Pickler’s “Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You,” busting out her guitar. The song gives her the power that “Wind Beneath My Wings” did, but she’s back in the country comfort zone that works so well for her. Her performance even outshines the ridiculous flaming trash cans that are onstage with her. As Randy says, “You could have a hit with a song like that.” I’m picking Skylar to win the season. (I love Elise, but I think she’s too much of a long shot.) She’s consistent, she’s comfortable, and it’s easy to imagine her finding her niche rather quickly as a recording artist. – AV Club

‘American Idol’ Recap: Live for Today – Despite the clunky title, this week’s theme, Music from 2010 to Today, seems promising . . . until most of the top seven pick obscure songs and mediocre hits. What could have been a fun night of chart-topping show-stoppers is somewhat of a snooze-fest. The most recognizable tracks are “Perfect,” “Runaway Baby” and “You and I.” (Bonus points if you can name all three recording artists without relying on Google.) – Rolling Stone

‘American Idol’ Recap: The Top 7 Perform Songs From The Past 3 Years – After a hit-and-miss foray into the ’80s last week, on April 11 “American Idol” returned to what the contestants do best: contemporary songs that may actually bear some resemblance to the kind of music they’ll (hypothetically) be releasing next year — with a current artist (Akon) serving as a well-qualified mentor. And thankfully, now that DeAndre and Heejun have exited stage right, the real vocalists can finally get down to competing. The narrowing of the talent pool didn’t preclude a couple of sub-par performances, of course, but it’s nice that we’ve finally reached a point where the good generally outweighs the bad on performance night. – Huffington Post

Recap: ‘American Idol’ Top 7 Performances – Current Songs – Back to LA, sports fans! Remind me to tell you all about the medical emergency that caused my 5:50 a.m. flight from Boston to be redirected through Denver. But not tonight. Tonight, we celebrate this season’s Top 7 and mourn a world without DeAndre Brackensick. In his absence, who will sing with a squeaky falsetto? Who will make the teenage girls squeal? Who will toss his hair with reckless abandon? – HitFix

About mj santilli 34833 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!