American Idol 14 Top 8 Recap and Results – VIDEOS

After the judges settle in, we get a video package that highlight this week’s mentors, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo.  Hey. Where’s the segment on when he was an asshat to Jordin Sparks?

Scott is splitting up the Top 8 between the two mentors, which are meant to represent the pop AND country side of things. The mentors are delivering the results envelope tonight, so NO FUN SURPRISES unfortunately. Ryan thanks Jason for keeping his shirt on. Yuck. Jason claims he had an AMAZING time working with the Top 8. The FGL dudes had fun too.  Before Ryan popped open the envelope, there was plugging of projects all around.

Jax – Pokerface by Lady Gaga  –  Jax met with Scott & Florida Georgia Line. The dudes seemed a little confused by her, but they did give her advice about how to deliver the song.Wow. She completely changed the melody! It’s like Joey handed her one of her own arrangements It’s a little bit vintage style. The original melody doesn’t come through until the chorus. There are like MANDOLINS and acoustic percussion. But it’s not country at all. I thought that was kind of cool. The vocal is strong. But it’s so different from the original, will fans be put off? Keith thought the arrangement was interesting.  But Jennifer didn’t like it at all. She couldn’t relate to the song. She warns her the competition is hers to lose. Harry thinks she has magic in her voice. He felt she didn’t inhabit the song emotionally. The kids got stuck in an elevator last week with producer Patrick Lynn. That must have been fun.- 1-866-436-5707 – Text 7 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

https://youtu.be/vVt8sIbav90

Nick Fradiani – Teenage Dream by Katy Perry – The FGL guys suggest he sing in the mirror.  He swears he feels comfortable on stage, although folks tell him he doesn’t look it.  He switches the beat to half time at the suggestion of FGL. Harry thinks “Teenage Dream” is a weird choice–apparently clueless about the wildly successful male flips of the song out.  Nick’s rendition is VERY energetic and driving. I kind of like this, except for the bit of twang he’s thrown in and the pitchy spots. But all in all, a VERY smart song choice for Nick. A well done flip by a HAC singing show contestant is called WINNING. Jennifer loves it. It’s an example of changing the song in the best way, she says. Harry liked the energy. But for Nick, he likes songs with intense, gritty lyrics. He also notes the pitch issues.  He’s totally annoyed by Jlo who keeps talking over him. Keith agrees with Jlo. KILLER song. The specific lyrics don’t matter, it’s the SPIRIT of the song It played to all of his strengths. “It sounded like you.” I agree with Keith. Great song choice. What is Harry even talking about?  Everyone wants Harry to sing “Teenage Dream”  He takes the stage and actually tries. He serenades Keith, chasing him around the desk. This is now getting weird. “I don’t think that was your best performance,” quips Nick. ZING!  – 1-866-436-5706 – Text 6 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Jason Derulo is up to sing one of his tragically auto-tuned songs. YAWN.  He’ll be a judge on SYTYCD. I’m SOOO looking forward to that. NOPE.

Quentin Alexander – Latch by Disclosure ft Sam Smith –  Jason is his mentor. He feels Quentin isn’t showing off his vocal chops. Make sure there are strong notes in the song. Jason and Scott are pulling out some notes Quentin didn’t think he had. Jlo is hoping he’ll do the uptempo version.  Yes he does. This is very dancy. He sings the chorus in falsetto. This is very sexy. I wonder if Quentin has ever had vocal lessons? I think he’d really benefit. He’s still a little wobbly in spots. The phrasing and artistry is SO there. He just needs to work on the technicals. Harry loves his outfit. He thinks he’s a good rhythmic singer. Still some pitch issues, but a good song choice.  Keith thought it was a great performance. Jlo sensed he was up in his head a little, but she still loved it. When asks how he puts together his performances, Quentin admits that he’s a visualist first. – 1-866-436-5711 – Text 11 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Next, it’s Florida Georgia Line singing about trucks or girls. Or trucks and girls. Or beer maybe. I don’t know.

Joey Cook – Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus – Oh. She says she’s NOT going to change up the arrangement. Jason Derulo calls her out on the “crab hands.” Ha. He’s going to steal her moves. Thankfully, this sounds nothing like Miley Cyrus. For one thing, she doesn’t belt the chorus at all. Joey is not a belter, but the song seemed odd without it. She might have been better off changing the arrangement? But she did bring an intensity to the song that kept it interesting, even if I was expecting more. I love her gothic princess dress. Keith says she looks “relieved.” He felt like she held back on the chorus. Yes! I agree. Jlo liked the versus. Not the choruses so much. But she loves the quality of her voice. It was an OK vocal. The chorus needed more grit. Soemthing should have happened in the second chorus–like a modulation maybe. It was a challenging week for Joey, because she knows she’s not Top 40- Download from iTunes

Clark Beckham – Make it Rain by Ed Sheeran – Jason compares singing to preaching in church. Clark can relate to that. Scott thinks Jason’s advice was some of the best of all the mentors.   Keith hopes Clark can connect with the emotion tonight. Clark plays some sweet blues licks on the electric guitar. This isn’t a huge departure from what he’s been doing so far. But does Clark have to change even one thing in his march to the crown? I don’t think so. Things kick into high gear at the end, as Clark wails the last verse. The audience LOVES it.  He’s SO THE WINNER. He’s found his stride, and all he has to do now is ride the wave. Jlo calls the performance amazing, effortless. He needs to work on the style and the image. Oh silly girl. Idol voters don’t give a sh*t about what he wears.  She thinks he needs to “cool” it up. LOL. Ask P2 about his grey T shirts. It’s all about charisma, which Clark could improve–not what he wears or if he pops a collar. Clark connects to what he’s singing. He could do a better job of communicating to the television audience. He’s going to win regardless. Harry felt that he rushed the guitar licks. DON’T RUSH IT. It would change everything he says. Keith thought he killed it at the end.  –  Download from iTunes

Iggy Azalea & Jennifer Hudson (WELCOME HOME!) are next with the adorable and fun “Trouble.” No cops and robbers tonight. Except for the band and singers are wearing prison stripes! No Idol chat with Jhud? Damn.

Tyanna Jones – Stay by Rihanna – She’s going to think about her late grandmother as she sings. Jason and Scott work with her on how to make her performance stand out. This is a GORGEOUS vocal. Her tone is SHINING tonight. That lovely vibrato is right on point. She’s got a handle on her pitch, for the most part, until she allows emotion to overcome her in the end. It interferes with her performance a little. But her feelings are right on the surface, and when they spill over, it’s moving.  After, she is literally balling. Harry was extremely touched. He loves her slow vibrato. She sang it like a hit song, says Keith. Jlo felt like she dug deep. Everything came together in the right way, she says. Aw. Ryan wipes away her tears with a tissue. – 1-866-436-5705 – Text 5 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Rayvon Owen and Qaasim Middleton are in the bottom 2 and will sing for the twitter save.

Rayvon Owen – Set Fire to the Rain by Adele – FGL attended Belmont University, as did Rayvon. Interesting. They suggest he sing from the groove, rather than the melody. That’s good advice for Rayvon. They also suggest some falsetto, but simplify it. ALSO good advice. Scott notes it’s the technical singer vs the performer. I’m not loving this song for Rayvon. His vibrato is messy, his vocal manic. He hits a huge note at the end, which pulls the performance together, somewhat. But mostly, this is a hot mess. Keith liked the big American Idol note at the end. Jlo thinks it might not have been the best song for him, but she loves the way he sings. Harry wants to know what his “gravy” is. He strives to inspire people and all glory to God. It’s a spiritual connection. Eh. Now, I just don’t care if Rayvon stays or goes. – 1-866-436-5702 – Text 2 to 21523 – Download from iTunes

Qaasim Middleton – Hey Ya by Outkast – FGL loves his style. Qaasim is getting ready to throw his left hook. Scott is still waiting for him to kill us with his vocal. That might happen, but not in the way he wants. Qaasim knows he’s got to pull out every performing trick in the book in order to survive. I knew if he tried to actually SING it would kill him. Last week was a disaster. He’s got to PERFORM for his life if he’s going to survive. Forget the singing. Jlo loved the performance. Harry thinks Idol is lucky to have him. He loves his groove. He thought the vocal was strong, the performance entertaining. Keith thought he killed it. He’s a great performer. Jlo thinks he has a great voice. UHM NO. He’s a fun performer. His vocals are secondary.  – Download from iTunes

Here are the hash tags:

#SaveQaasim
#SaveRayvon

GO VOTE – To be honest, neither performance really wowed me. Both have been saved multiple times. I really don’t care who survives.

Rayvon Owen lives to sing another week. Qaasim Middleton is eliminated.