Season 6 favorite Melinda Doolittle has been one of the experts in HitFix’s Fantasy American Idol game and throughout the competition, she’s been providing analysis on this season’s contenders. We can’t thank her enough.
It”s finale week! Someone is about to be crowned the tenth American Idol!
In the past, we have had amazing breakout performances in the Top 2 performance night. Some of my favorites include – Adam Lambert”s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Fantasia”s “Summertime,” Katharine McPhee”s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” Clay Aiken”s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and the list continues. So…I was expecting a lot from tonight.
Well, we didn”t get a huge moment from either contestant, but they were both solid all the way through. I think we have a really even match up and I”m very curious to see who takes home the crown.
Here are my thoughts on tonight”s performances…
Scotty McCreery “Gone”
This was one of my favorite songs to hear him sing this season, so I was really glad he picked it to sing again. He did a great job with it, just like I knew he would. It really wasn”t much different than the first time, but I guess he”s thinking…if it ain”t broke, don”t fix it. He filled the big stage at the Nokia well and I know that”s not easy to do. At the risk of sounding like Randy…I did kinda feel like I was at a Scotty concert. :-)
Lauren Alaina “Flat on the Floor”
I know that she was having vocal problems today and I hate that for her. That had to be one of the most stressful things she”s ever dealt with and I”m sure it played with her mind. However, I think it actually ended up helping her tonight. She came out with a fire she hasn”t really had before. She had to push to get those notes out and her energy was great. She still had the “deer in the headlights” look, but I”m sure she was pretty nervous about her voice. All in all, I think she sang this song really well.
Scotty McCreery “Check Yes or No”
George Strait chose a great song for Scotty. One of the things that I really admire about Scotty is his consistency. He always delivers a solid performance. Yes, there were definite pitch issues, but he brought it back and ended strong. I would imagine this would be one of the most nerve-racking nights in his 17 years, but he was cool as a cucumber. I don”t know how he does it.
Lauren Alaina “Maybe it was Memphis”
Carrie Underwood gave Lauren the perfect song for her voice! The cool thing is that the grit in Lauren”s voice made it even better. She looked comfortable on the stage and really owned the song. Lauren is always good with her pitch and this was no exception. Kudos to Carrie for picking a song that showcased Lauren”s voice perfectly.
Scotty McCreery “I Love You This Big”
So this was not my favorite of the night, but it didn”t have much to do with his singing. I just wasn”t into the song as a finale song. I see how it will probably do well on radio, but we were watching a performance and it really didn”t give Scotty a chance to shine. He didn”t seem like he was totally into it either. However, his pitch was better. I don”t know that this song hurt him, but I”m not thinking it helped him.
Lauren Alaina “Like My Mother Does”
I liked this song better than Scotty”s, but not by much. I know that this is a song that Kristy Lee Cook recorded on her debut CD and it”s cool. I think of it more as a song within a body of work instead of a single though. Maybe I”m wrong. Lauren”s voice was really starting to tire on this song, but she pushed through it. I think she distracted herself quite a bit when she walked off the stage to go to her Mom, but I understand wanting to hug your Mommy while you sing a song like this. :-)
*SHOCKER ALERT!*
I actually agree with the judges. LOL! I think that overall, Lauren won the night. However, I don”t think we can ever count Scotty out of the race. As far as the entire season goes, I think Scotty wins that for me.
What do you guys think? Who”s the next American Idol?
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