It’s Queen night on American Idol! Queen has appeared on Idol quite a bit over the years, and thus there have been a lot of covers done on the show – both good and bad. But I’m a HUGE Queen fan, so I’m all for seeing the catalog done again and again.
What songs would this crop of idols tackle? I was excited to see. My mom jokingly suggested someone sing “Fat Bottomed Girls” to a certain curvaceous judge, and I’m sure she wore that gold lamé outfit just because she knew that was a possibility.
And then guess what??? They opened the show with a medley, beginning with “FatBottomed Girls”! Best. Ever. The medley also included “Another One Bites The Dust”, “We Will Rock You” (loved Skylar’s energy during that one) and “We Are The Champions”.
This week everyone would be singing two songs – one that was their choice, and one selection of any song from Queen.
Queen’s Choices
Jessica Sanchez – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
I was a little worried Jessica wouldn’t have the guts to pull off this song. I knew the beginning would be great – Jessica has beautiful range and control, and her vocals there were haunting. They were probably smart to cut out the middle section, just because of time contraints and it’s the hardest to pull off. And Jessica surprised me by kind of rocking that last third. And her finish was beautiful. Overall, I thought it was a wonderful performance.
Skylar Laine – “The Show Must Go On”
I had to wonder if Skylar even knew any Queen songs before this week. I expected her to choose a more rockin’ tune, but Skylar can rock anything. It got a little scream-y at the end, but overall I thought this was great.
Joshua Ledet – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
I wasn’t really expecting this song choice from Joshua, but I guess it’s not that surprising since his idol Fantasia once covered it on the show – and he did a similar version to hers, which was for a big band themed night. Joshua’s performance had tons of energy, and really showed off his crazy good voice. Another win for Queen Week!
Elise Testone – “I Want It All”
I actually don’t know this song, but I liked the performance. I mean, she had a tambourine! I love tambourines. When I was a kid, I wanted to be Tracy Partridge from The Partridge Family, because she played a tambourine. I am not a girl of lofty ambitions. Anyway, I thought the performance was really strong, and was a great representation of what Elise is good at. The judges were right, she was in her element.
Phillip Phillips – “Fat Bottomed Girls”
Again! Seriously, this was for last year’s Most Beautiful Woman Ailve. (She’s been usurped by Beyonce now. Who has a pretty rockin’ derriere herself.) Phillip’s rendition of this song was kind of angry, and he kind of lost it at one point – I saw him adjust his ear thing, so I think there might have been an issue. But he continued the hot streak of the night – I thought it was a good performance.
Holli Cavanagh – “Save Me”
Oh. This isn’t my favorite Queen song, but it’s actually a good choice for Hollie – I really wasn’t sure how she’d fare with this material. Even though it was a pretty good performance, I have to admit that Hollie is probably my least favorite person left it in the competition right now. She’s good, but kind of dull.
Round One Rankings
- Joshua Ledet
- Jessica Sanchez
- Elise Testone
- Skylar Laine
- Phillip Phillips
- Hollie Cavanagh
Contestants’ Choices
Jessica Sanchez – “Dance With My Father”
Jessica dedicated this song to her dad, who’s in the military and is in Singapore right now. All of America simultaneously went “Awww.” The song was very sweet and beautiful. This girl is just SO. GOOD.
Skylar Laine – “Tattoos On This Town”
I don’t know this song, but I was excited to see Skylar play the guitar during a performance. Unfortunately, I didn’t think this was her best performance. Some of it sounded too low for her, and it was a bit boring. It was fine, and I continue to think that Skylar will have the most successful career from this season. But it wasn’t my favorite.
Joshua Ledet – “Ready For Love”
I looooove this India.Arie song. I think it is gorgeous. And I’m thrilled that Joshua sang it, because we already knew he had this phenomenal voice, but this is sort of the first time he’s shown restraint. And it was stunning. If I were the kind of person who cried, my face would have been wet.
Elise Testone – “Bold as Love”
Elise has figured out what works for her, and she’s sticking with it now. Unfortunately for Elise, I’m not sure classic rock is what typical Idol voters (teen girls) are looking for. Steven Tyler pointed out that she should be picking songs that people know, and I think Elise showed her weakness when she said she thought everyone knew this song. No. They don’t. But I like her! I wish Elise lived in my city, because I feel like she’d play in bars that I like and I’d go see her all the time. But I do wonder if Elise would be able to fit into the current music landscape.
Phillip Phillips – “The Stone”
The thing is, Steven’s advice about choosing songs people know probably should have applied also to Phillip. I thought J.Lo’s advice was more sound. Not a lot of people know this Dave Matthews song. I’m not sure if it was a good idea to do this, since everyone is always saying he’s just like Dave Matthews. I’m not familiar enough with the Dave Matthews Band to opine on this, so feel free to jump in in the comments on whether you think this was a good choice or not. All I know is, it wasn’t my jam.
*But I loved how everyone mocked Phillip for looking like he’s in pain when he sings.
Hollie Cavanagh – “The Climb”
I think this song was a great choice for Hollie since, as a Miley Cyrus tune, it would help make her seem less weirdly old for her age. Plus, it’s a pretty powerful ballad and I knew she’d sing it well. I think she did really well – Hollie’s made a great comeback on this show, and because of this I have no idea who will go home on Thursday night.
Round Two Rankings
- Joshua Ledet
- Jessica Sanchez
- Hollie Cavanagh
- Elise Testone
- Skylar Laine
- Phillip Phillips
Um, did anyone else think it was weird when Randy said “I hope none of you go home”? If Steven Tyler had said that, I would’ve thought “Well, you know. I’m not even sure Steven knows this is televised, or where he is, or what’s going on.” But Randy? By now he should know how this show works.
You guys, I really have no idea who should or will go home, though. I really like all six of these guys. Honestly, at this point I could maybe lose Phillip, but I know he won’t be going. And I could lose Hollie too, but that would be sad since she’s done so well over the past two weeks. And I could lose Elise, but I do like her. I’m going to predict that Elise Testone goes home tonight, but I don’t feel very confident in any prediction. What do you guys think?
