‘American Idol’ Season 11 Review: Top Six Take On Queen And More

The top six opened this week’s American Idol in a very special way. Joined by Brian May and Roger Taylor, original members of the legendary rock group Queen, viewers were treated to a Queen medley to open the show that was all about Queen in its first hour. Whether you know the songs that were featured or not, the night brought a great night of music and tough competition when it came down to voting.

16 year old Jessica Sanchez began the night with great vocals but a not so great performance. As judge, Steven Tyler said so well, “Rock isn’t your forte in any way at all…but I still love your voice.” Sanchez did not appear to even try to rock out which is what every Queen song leads people to doing. So there was definitely a disconnect here. Her second performance, “Dance With My Father” was on point vocally but still wildly boring. Yikes. We shouldn’t get to boring after making it this far! If viewers can forgive her for her very weak first performance and yawn worthy second, because of her magnificent vocals, she has a chance. Otherwise… she could find herself in the bottom three. We’ve seen before that she is not exempt from the bottom three and if there was ever a time we could fairly envision her being there… it is this week.

Sanchez should have taken notes from Skylar Laine who never fails to rock out during a performance. She hit the nail on the head with her performance of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” and did a great job the second time around. Based on this week alone, of all of the female contestants, Laine is the one that definitely does not deserve to be in the bottom three. That said, the bottom three has been awfully welcoming to her in the past and someone has to be in the bottom three… so if America falls short and she does find herself there, she definitely should not be going home. The one that should be worrying is Hollie Cavanagh who struggled with “Save Me” even though she did much better with her second number, Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb.” Will her second song, redemption song be enough? If anyone should be eliminated this week, is it Cavanagh? Especially since she’s cleared up the confusion about her accent. That’s all I really needed out of her at this point. For those of you who missed it, she’s from Texas but has lived in England. No Australia connection whatsoever. Moving on…

28 year old Elise Testone was right at home taking on “I Want It All.” Perhaps that is because she is the only contestant who can really appreciate what it means to be performing with Queen. Lopez confirmed some of my thoughts when she said that this was Testone in her element. It’s such a pleasure to see Testone in her element. Boy does she shine. As Jackson also said, this was one of her best performances to date. Her second song viewers may not have known as well but she did a fabulous job and engaged regardless. It’s wildly exciting to see Testone still in the competition and Testone brought it this week so she really has no place in the bottom three. Of course, there have been many weeks where she had no place in the bottom three and was there anyway, so hopefully the voters came out. There’s “Vote for the Worst” but there’s no “Vote for the Under-Appreciated.” Shame, because she is the most underrated vocalists in the competition this season. But with four females and two males in the game, the odds of having a female American Idol this year are in the ladies’ favor. You hear that Laine and Sanchez?

As for the last two remaining guys… the judges had nothing but good things to say about Joshua Ledet. But Steven Tyler was definitely confused when he said after Ledet’s first performance that Ledet sounded like nobody else. Was he kidding? He obviously hasn’t traveled the gospel music route much huh? “Fat Bottomed Girls” from Phil Phillips was great but his second number, a Dave Matthews number was hit or miss. Judge, Jennifer Lopez brought up a great point to him that there’s a time and place when Phillips can be “artsy” but this is not necessarily that time and he needs to do what the voters want to get him to the finale. Well, the viewers have been behind him all this time… we will have to wait and see the results to find out if Lopez underestimated America’s taste. As for my choices for elimination at this point in the game, Ledet and Cavanagh come to mind. But Sanchez and Testone could find themselves in the bottom three since Sanchez did not shine her brightest and Testone has always been the odd one out. It’s a crucial time. This week, Skylar Laine seems to be the only one that should without a doubt be safe. Otherwise, anything goes. So who are you rooting for?

Stay tuned for thhis week’s results show when Katy Perry will perform her newest single, “Part of Me”; the official touring Queen tribute, The Queen Extravaganza, will perform their classic smash hit “Somebody To Love”; and AMERICAN IDOL Season 10 finalist Stefano Langone will perform his new single, “I’m On A Roll.”

Watch American Idol Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

*Photo Credit: Michael Becker / FOX

Ashley

Elise should be out this week, no doubt about it!!! I understand that she has a good voice and has really done a great job on some songs. But I don’t connect to her at all, don’t feel her emotion, and her personality and some of the things she says are just real annoying!! Next to go should be Hollie, for sure! Although I think she has a cute personality and really has a beautiful voice, she is not even close to the performer that the others are, even Elise. But I feel in other aspects, she beats Elise, so I feel she should have another week more than her. So, top four: Phillip, Joshua, Jessica and Skylar!!! Now it gets tough because these four are all so different and all so, so very, very good!!! Joshua has that gospel powerful voice that makes you stop everything you’re doing and just listen and be in awe of how amazing he is! He has made me teary eyed on several occasions! Then there’s Jessica who kind of had an annoying personality at first, and I was kind of upset when they saved her, especially when my dear Colton was eliminated the following week, but then I remembered she’s 16 or 17!! She is still a child, and is supposed to act like that! And then she performed one of my favorite songs “Dance with my Father” and sang it absolutely amazing, and I remembered some of her other incredible vocal performances like “I Will Always Love You.” She really showed her emotion and passion tonight, along with her already known incredible vocal talent. So, just from tonight she makes it tough for me to make her the next to go. Skylar is up next, and she is just a star!! I think she is the best performer of them all when it comes to getting the crowd into it, clapping your hands, dancing along, and just really getting into it! She lights up the stage, and her and Phillip really have shown off their personalities the best I think in a way that people connect and fall in love with them. She knows the right things to says and really has an amazing voice as well as the performance element. Then there’s the lovely Phillip, which I have to admit, that I too, have a little crush on him. What I love so, so much about him that no one else has, is that he is not like anyone else, and dosen’t try to be. He is Phillip Phillips and won’t change for nobody! And gosh darn it, he shouldn’t have to! I loved the Dave Mathews song he did tonight even though it was “artsy” as they put it! That’s who he is, he’s an artist. He puts different spins on certain songs and makes them his own. He is the one I look the most forward to hearing one of his own songs that he has written down the road. You can always tell when he’s up there, that this is what he loves to do, there’s no doubt about it! So, if I have to go by what I think America will do…next Jessica will be gone, next will be Josh, and top 2 will be Phillip and Skylar. And I’m going to leave it at that, because I have no idea who America will vote as the winner out of them. Any way it goes, I think all of those top four are going to be stars! American Idol has done good this year, and really had some great ones in the top!!!
Ashley

Elise should be out this week, no doubt about it!!! I understand that she has a good voice and has really done a great job on some songs. But I don’t connect to her at all, don’t feel her emotion, and her personality and some of the things she says are just real annoying!! Next to go should be Hollie, for sure! Although I think she has a cute personality and really has a beautiful voice, she is not even close to the performer that the others are, even Elise. But I feel in other aspects, she beats Elise, so I feel she should have another week more than her. So, top four: Phillip, Joshua, Jessica and Skylar!!! Now it gets tough because these four are all so different and all so, so very, very good!!! Joshua has that gospel powerful voice that makes you stop everything you’re doing and just listen and be in awe of how amazing he is! He has made me teary eyed on several occasions! Then there’s Jessica who kind of had an annoying personality at first, and I was kind of upset when they saved her, especially when my dear Colton was eliminated the following week, but then I remembered she’s 16 or 17!! She is still a child, and is supposed to act like that! And then she performed one of my favorite songs “Dance with my Father” and sang it absolutely amazing, and I remembered some of her other incredible vocal performances like “I Will Always Love You.” She really showed her emotion and passion tonight, along with her already known incredible vocal talent. So, just from tonight she makes it tough for me to make her the next to go. Skylar is up next, and she is just a star!! I think she is the best performer of them all when it comes to getting the crowd into it, clapping your hands, dancing along, and just really getting into it! She lights up the stage, and her and Phillip really have shown off their personalities the best I think in a way that people connect and fall in love with them. She knows the right things to says and really has an amazing voice as well as the performance element. Then there’s the lovely Phillip, which I have to admit, that I too, have a little crush on him. What I love so, so much about him that no one else has, is that he is not like anyone else, and dosen’t try to be. He is Phillip Phillips and won’t change for nobody! And gosh darn it, he shouldn’t have to! I loved the Dave Mathews song he did tonight even though it was “artsy” as they put it! That’s who he is, he’s an artist. He puts different spins on certain songs and makes them his own. He is the one I look the most forward to hearing one of his own songs that he has written down the road. You can always tell when he’s up there, that this is what he loves to do, there’s no doubt about it! So, if I have to go by what I think America will do…next Jessica will be gone, next will be Josh, and top 2 will be Phillip and Skylar. And I’m going to leave it at that, because I have no idea who America will vote as the winner out of them. Any way it goes, I think all of those top four are going to be stars! American Idol has done good this year, and really had some great ones in the top!!!
Earngold

American voters should really vote for an artists who can really sing good no matter what. It doesn’t mean that because it’s not in their category the line-up of the songs should be eliminated. They should consider also how they are since the beginning and don’t be judged by a song which is not her/his porte. So America add all the points that they have since the beginning and don’t based your judgement in one wrong choice of songs. Thanks you.