‘American Idol’ Recap: My Awesome 80s Prom

It’s 80s night for the top 8! No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal joined Jimmy Iovine in the rehearsal room. Maybe they should have had musicians who were popular in the 80s? Just an idea.

DeAndre Bracksensick; “I Like It” by DeBarge

DeAndre was in falsetto and flipping hair glory. He does his shtick which people apparently like, though the song seems boring and his young age is apparent.

Judges Say: Of course, Jennifer loved it.

We Say: Get off the stage.

Elise Testone; “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner

She sort of kicked herself in the butt last week after doing such a great job on a legendary Led Zepplin song. While she doesn’t sound terrible, it’s not a perfect performance on pitch, and in trying to make it her own, she slows down parts but sort of makes it drag. When she belts the chorus it comes off strained, which takes away from the beauty of the song.

Judges Say: Steven doesn’t know if it’s the right song for her, then says something about “if it’s an 80s song, it’s an 80s song.” Right, ‘cause that makes perfect sense.

We Say: She’s too inconsistent. Shame.

Phillip Phillips; “That’s All” by Genesis

He looks a little dirty tonight with the scruff, but hey, we’re not complaining. Sometimes dirty is good, amiright? He sounds great growling his way through the song and even showed America he’s a family man by bringing his brother-in-law on stage to play with him.

Judges Say: Loved him, naturally.

We Say: He’s a keeper.

Joshua; “If You Don’t Know Me” by Simply Red

Another emotional performance by Joshua, but there is no denying his voice is amazing.

Judges Say: While they tend to knock him for always turning songs into a gospel choir, they loved him once again.

We Say: Yeah, he’s good, but his time is going to run out soon.

Jessica Sanchez; “How Will I Know?” by Whitney Houston

She’s done Whitney before so we knew she could handle it. It was also nice for her to perform an upbeat tune despite her claiming an alter-ego “like [her] idol Beyoncé.” Gwen made a good point and said Jessica moves like she is a lounge singer as opposed to an original. Act 16, girl!

Judges Say: Jennifer is also amazed that so much power comes out a tiny person.

We Say: It was one of the more enjoyable performances of the night.

Hollie Cavanagh; “Flashdance… What a Feeling” by Irene Cara

There were some pitch problems, but it was nice to see her move around for once. It seemed like a good song for her range, yet Hollie is pretty much the opposite of emotions when it comes to singing, so it was awkward that she was singing about feelings. She has a nice voice yet everything comes off very technical and boring with her.

Judges Say: Randy says she needs to “stop thinking” and Jennifer agreed, telling Hollie to “learn to let go.”

We Say: She seems to be the frontrunner to go home next. No complaints here.

Colten Dixen; “Time After Time” by Cindy Lauper

The beginning seemed shakier than usual for Colten but by the end, we were really feeling it. He did credit the rock rendition to a band named Quiet Drive which no one has heard of, but the sort of punkish croon worked well for him.

Judges Say: You know it’s good when no one mentions the skunk on his head.

We Say: This just may have been our favorite of the evening.

Skylar; “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler

It was great to hear her not sing a country song for once. Of course, she still had her signature twang, but it really showcased a tender yet powerful performance for Skylar. Her pitch and tone were perfect, and nothing was overdone on the stage.

Judges Say: All agreed it was a great song for her and happy she showed America her range.

We Say: Brava!

In addition to individual performances, we got to see four boy-girl duets, because the producers apparently need the show to stay on for two hours. The judges critiqued them, but since they were supposed to be fun, no pressure performances, we’ll just let them be.

This article was originally published on AllMediaNy.com</em>