American Idol Top 7 2011

Down to 7 tonight.  The contestants were singing songs from the 21st Century .... interesting theme!

SCOTTY - Scotty really sang a 1983 song by John Anderson but was able to pass it off as a 21st Century song because Leann Rimes sang  it. Was that a clever move or a deceptive way to dodge the theme?  I hope he is not in trouble this week.  I love Scotty and I guess since my favorite, Paul got voted off last week, I'm pulling for Scotty.  But I hate the song he sang - "Swinging" and maybe that's why I didn't like his performance tonight.  I think he is being too safe especially this late in the game.  Not that it wasn’t fun, and I like how he showcased the range of his voice, but it’s time to take it up a notch. The competition is getting heavy, and I think Scotty is getting too comfy in his spot on the couch. I hope he’s not in the bottom 3 tonight.   He needs to take more risks and go out on a limb with his vocals.

JAMES - He sang "Uprising" by Muse.  Not only have I never heard of the song but I also have never heard of the group!  Am I showing my age?  Probably so!  I hated it but according to the judges, I am in the minority!  They LOVED it!!  Underneath all the screaming and crazy heavy metal stuff he does, he has a beautiful voice. We really got a glimpse of that during the first half of the song.  I just wish he'd do another type of song.  I enjoy rock and roll but the heavy metal stuff grates on my ears.  Whereas Scotty only seems to do country, can James only do screaming metal?

HALEY - "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele ....

I have to confess my ignorance again, so I went to Google to find out who ADELE is and why I should know this song. Evidently (for the rest of you who live under my rock) she’s an English singer/songwriter who won two Grammys in 2009. It’s a great fit for her voice, and I have to admit that I actually really enjoyed it.  Haley's growing on me.  She's getting better every week.

JACOB - "Dance with my Father" by Luther Vandross    Jacob has the chops for this song.  He actually brought tears to my eyes with his rendition.  I lost my step-father and my father and I still miss them both so I know how he feels.  There was a glitch at the beginning but he did a good job of recovering.  Luther Vandross passed away in 2005, and this song was on his last album which was released in 2003.  It’s hard to separate the emotion of the song from the performance, but I thought he did a good job although he struggled for composure in parts.

CASEY - "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5  OK - I like Maroon 5 but this was WEIRD .... again!  How many times is he going to get away with singing these weird-o songs??  The faces he makes along with his movements ... I just don't get it!  Well, the audience loved it and of course, the judges or maybe it was just the kiss he gave Jo-Lo at the end.  He definitely gets more than his share of time with the judges each week.  No matter what Casey sings, he ALWAYS makes it his own. 

STEFANO - "Closer" by Ne-Yo   Another song I didn't know.  I’m just going to put on my grannie panties and call it a day. Well, there weren't too many words to that song so it gave him plenty of time to dance around the stage.  Even though I don’t know the song, I actually kind of enjoyed this performance. If nothing else, he showed his vocal range and sang a song with a modern vibe to it.  Not bad.

LAUREN - "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans  I like this song and she did a pretty good job with it - not great but good.  Jimmie told her she needed to quit holding back and give it her all. She is intimidated by the competition and admits as much.  She has SO much potential, but I can’t help but think that she’d have been better off waiting a year or two for her American Idol debut. She’s just so young. 

As usual, the judges didn't give much constructive criticism.  In their opinion, everyone was great!  They beat up on Lauren a bit but it was good constructive criticism and they were trying to pump her up.

It's hard to predict who will be in the bottom 3 this week.  My guess is:  Stefano, Casey and Lauren but it could be Haley just because she always is!   Probably going home:  Stefano just because it's his turn