“American Idol’s” Top 13 performed on Wednesday night, with the men tackling the catalog of Stevie Wonder, while the ladies jumped into Whitney Houston’s song archives.
Some – like Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips – left the judges gushing, but others missed the mark.
On Thursday, in a switch up to the “Idol” template, the lowest scoring guy and gal will face the judges, with Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson choosing who goes home this one time.
But, before that happens, here’s a recap of Wednesday’s live performances from the “Idol” contenders, who were mentored this week by Jimmy Iovine and Mary J. Blige.
Joshua Ledet, “I Wish”
Steven: “She (J.Lo) wants to punch you in the arm because you just keep getting better and better… You brought it home, you listened to Mary J. and you nailed it. Beautiful. Nice goin’.”
**
Elise Testone, “I’m Your Baby Tonight”
Randy: “What it felt like is you were boxing with the song… You don’t have to prove with every note that you have that big old voice… It just wasn’t your best for me…. That one wasn’t good.”
**
Jermaine Jones, “Knocks Me Off My Feet”
Steven: “That song, just now, fits you like an Armani suit. It was perfect. The voice fit the song beautifully and I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got in store for us.”
**
Erika Van Pelt, “I Believe In You And Me”
Jennifer: “I had goosies before you even started singing. And you held them the whole entire time.”
**
Colton Dixon, “Lately”
Randy: “Dude, you slayed it in the end. The note at the end with the falsetto? I was like, ‘Where did that come from?’”
**
Shannon Magrane, “I Have Nothing”
Steven: “I think your nerves got the best of you, baby. It’s a huge song… You kind of crashed and burned on the turnaround.”
**
Deandre Brackensick, “Master Blaster”
Jennifer: “You have rhythm, you have soul, that’s what you have up there, you just know how to perform.”
**
Skylar Laine, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”
Jennifer: “For me, there were parts that got a little bit nasal-y and it wasn’t all perfect… but, you kept it together… and you gave us our biggest moment of the night — that was amazing. You had the audience on its feet.”
**
Heejun Han, “All In Love Is Fair”
Randy: “It wasn’t perfect, but it was really good.”
**
Hollie Cavanagh, “He Fills Me Up”
Jennifer: “You’re the… we might have a sing off between two girls in the final.”
**
Jeremy Rosado, “Ribbon in the Sky”
Randy: “For me, man, it wasn’t your best performance… It’s the kind of song that you just have to put more swag in it in order to really make it believable. So, I didn’t quite believe it tonight.”
**
Jessica Sanchez, “I Will Always Love You”
Steven: “You may be the one. You just made 40 million people cry.”
Jennifer Hudson (via Twitter): “Yes Jessica! That’s it!!”
**
Phillip Phillips, “Superstition”
Randy: “Dude, you drive your own car, in your own lane, and I love it.”
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