The finalists will be performing three songs apiece:
-The Winner's Single
-Best Performance of the Season as chosen by the Idol finalists
-Simon Fuller's Choice
Follow along as I'll be frequently updating the post with my recap and analysis! Just hit refresh. Also, add your thoughts in the comments or by tapping out how you feel about the episode with the BuzzDial:
Let's get this show on the road!
Credit: FOX
RECAP
-Ryan introduces us, and the huge crowd makes this feel like the Idol of old. Nostalgia, man. Nostalgia.
-After Ryan brings out the judges, he brings out our Top 2 finalists, Caleb Johnson and Jena Irene, both of whom seem slightly overwhelmed by all of this. I wish The Voice finale would rent out a huge place on of this years just to create this kind of slack-jawed awe.
-We then throw to possibly THE MOST ADORABLE FACE-OFF VIDEO EVER: Jena asks Caleb to prom, and we get a skit in which they get all decked out in their finest threads, and go to "prom" only to learn they'll have to be facing each other in the finale, at which point their attitudes towards one another change, and they get to shoving each other as we recap their respective journeys this season. See, that's the kind of scripted stuff I love. Not that weird, unnatural dinner conversation.
JENA IRENE OPENS THE SHOW!
-Apparently, Jena won the coin toss and elected to go first, which hurts her chances for the win somewhat. Of course, it's not as if no one has won after going first on the finale. It's happened more than once, in fact, with the most applicable scenario being the first time, when Ruben Studdard defeated Clay Aiken in the Season 2 finale. And if Jena wins, it'll parallel Ruben's situation, as she went from appearing in the Bottom 3 earlier in the season to defeating someone who'd never hit the Bottom 3 at any point in the competition. An extreme rarity.
-Round 1 is Simon Fuller's Choice, and he picked "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine for Jena. I love her, but I didn't love this performance. I think her nerves and enthusiasm might have compromised her vocals a bit. But honestly, that nervous energy added something to the performance. She has shown this vulnerability over the past several weeks that has made her much more relatable than she was earlier in the season, when she seemed a bit guarded. While this vocal wasn't perfect, I still enjoyed it as a performance.
-Keith notes that the vocal was a bit all over the place, but basically gives her a pass due to the circumstances, which really should be the last thing he does in this situation, but I've long since given up the notion of judges on singing shows giving honest critiques anymore. J-Lo and Harry both loved it, of course, with Harry, in particular, saying he hopes she puts that song on her album, calling it a great choice by Simon Fuller. All in all, I thought this was an okay opening to the show. Not bad, but not great. However, I have faith in Jena's ability to recover with her next two songs.
WATCH: Jena Irene, "Dog Days Are Over"
CALEB JOHNSON IS UP NEXT!
-Simon Fuller chose "Dream On" by Aersomith, because I get the peculiar sensation that Aerosmith is the extent of Fuller's reach on rock music knowledge.
-Caleb shows no signs of the vocal chord damage that plagued him last week, although he does fall out of pitch at several points. However, given the nature of the song, I'm not sure it really hurt the performance, given that these pitchy moments were basically during parts in the song he could have shouted through anyway. For the most part, it was a really strong performance. I mean, I hate the song, but I sure as hell didn't hate how Caleb did it, even though he didn't do anything all that unexpected with it. Sometimes, the expected is a good thing.
-J-Lo was ecstatic about the performance and tells him to thank Simon Fuller later for that song choice. Harry, meanwhile, tells him that while it was a great performance, he needs to maintain the same focus he's had throughout the competition. Keith keeps things positive, and really, these judging critiques have sort of all just started blending together for me. I blame it on general singing show fatigue.
-Back from break, Caleb and Jena answer fan questions. They answer a question about what their pre-performance rituals are, and they reveal that they make fun of each other. Jena does a killer impression of Caleb singing "I like biscuits and gravy!" while Caleb does a cute impression of Jena telling the crowd to get their glowsticks up (from her performance of "Clarity"). Where have these two been all this time? Man, they're just charming as hell with their friendship.
WATCH: Caleb Johnson, "Dream On"
JENA IRENE KICKS OFF ROUND TWO!
-Round Two is contestant's choice, so naturally, Jena picks "Can't Help Falling In Love". And, to the surprise of probably no one, it's a positively stunning vocal. I think I actually loved this more than I did the first time, as Jena just pours her entire soul into the performance -- and it shows. She seriously is picking up steam now.
-The notion of a contestant picking up steam does prompt me to wonder: has anyone snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with their finale performances? By the time we get to final two, it seems America's mind is already made up, and the winner is basically a foregone conclusion, with vote totals normally showing, after the fact, that it wasn't even close (in all situations except, of course, Ruben vs. Clay). But could that all change now? Or is it too late for the inevitable second place finisher to change his/her fortunes?
-Harry says he can hear the influence of other performers she's studied, but notes that what separates her from other contestants is her ability to separate those various influences and create something unique. "It was absolutely beautiful, Jena". Keith talks about how she only did this two weeks ago, yet her performance was so good she "inspired someone else to do it." Diddid Keith just fire shots at Christina Grimmie? Dude, Keith. Come on, you're supposed to be cooler than that, man. Besides, if Keith had actually watched last night's performance show, he'd have known Christina had wanted to sing that song at the finale since she first audition. Anyhow, now I'm getting annoyed for no damn reason. Back to the show, Keith praises Jena for a stellar performance. As does J-Lo, who sees Jena as a fierce competitor. No disagreement from me, there.
WATCH: Jena Irene, "Can't Help Falling In Love"
-Back from break with a promo for audition nominations (nominate a friend! A family member! An inanimate carbon rod!), before Ryan declares that the winner's album will be released August 12th. Because promising an early album release date worked out so well for the last winner.
CALEB JOHNSON IS UP NEXT!
-Caleb's reprisal choice is "Maybe I'm Amazed," which is a damn solid choice, although I kind of wish he'd gone with "Skyfall" just to do something that hasn't been done so recently.
-That said, it's a damn fine vocal, for the most part. However, I think Jena easily wins this round due to Caleb's voice falling apart in several places. For a minute, I feared his vocal chord damage had lasting, lingering effects, as he sounded hoarse in crucial moments of the song. I also didn't feel as strong an emotional attachment as the first time. Granted, it's not like it was bad, by any means. But it was just not up to Caleb's usual standard.
-Keith loves that Paul McCartney wrote that song for his late wife Linda, because there was such an emotional attachment there. However, he feels Caleb lost some of the heart of the song, and tells him to just be careful not to get lost in the gymnastics of a vocal. J-Lo agrees with this sentiment, although she goes out of her way to note that she thought Caleb sounded terrific. Harry, meanwhile, echoes a mixture of both J-Lo and Keith's thoughts about having delivered a solid performance yet with less emotional connection. Yet he notes that both Caleb and Jena are vocal heavyweights. He then takes over for Ryan and asks his fellow judges who they thought won each round so far. All three judges give round one to Caleb, while Keith says round two was a tie (which is just silly), and J-Lo and Harry give it to Jena.
WATCH: Caleb Johnson, "Maybe I'm Amazed"
JENA IRENE KICKS OFF ROUND THREE!
-Ryan introduces Jena by noting that she's the first female Wildcard contestant to make it this far. However, Clay Aiken is still the first Wildcard to make it here (a fact I completely overlooked last week, because I apparently forget things like that, for whatever reason). But hey, she can still be the first Wildcard pick to win. Who knows?
-Round Three is the coronation single, and Jena performs her track, "We Are One". It sounds like a radio-ready single, and totally the kind of thing that could be a hit. And she sings it really well (and I found the "Thank you, America!" shoutout in the middle really endearing). I mean, it's not a great song or anything, but it's exactly the type of song that could get Jena radio traction. It's not really great as a coronation song though, but then, I felt the same way about "Beautiful Day," and Lee DeWyze still won, so I feel it's a mistake to go predicting winners on the strength of coronation singles. After all, we're only three years removed from "I Love You This Big".
-The judges speed through their critiques because time is wasting away, but they basically loved her performance, with Harry saying it sounded every bit as good here as it did in the studio. And on we go!
WATCH: Jena Irene, "We Are One"
CALEB JOHNSON CLOSES THE SHOW!
-Caleb performs his winner's single "As Long As You Love Me," and even sings for America to make some noise while Ryan is still in the middle of his pre-performance introduction, in which Ryan notes that Caleb auditioned twice before (I knew about the one time, but forgot about the other). If Caleb wins, he'll be only the second winner after Candice Glover to win the show following multiple auditions.
-Well, Caleb's vocal problems are back. But he's just such a damn strong, consummate performer that it really just doesn't matter to me anymore, at this point. This was a solid way to close out the show. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this sounds like something that could be on the radio right now. I mean, I still see Caleb as more of a rock band frontman than a solo act, but this was as good a case as any for why he could be a one-man band.
-The judges all loved it, with Harry noting that Caleb is going to sleep really well tonight. He keeps with the boxing analogies, and the crowd basically is drowning him out with cheers. I love a huge crowd like this.
WATCH: Caleb Johnson, "As Long As You Love Me"
-And that's a wrap! Ryan goes through the list of performers for tomorrow night's finale, and reveals that the judges will be performing with Randy, because this is apparently something someone thought would be a good idea. We then close out the show with Caleb and Jena singing Kelly Clarkson's "Runaway," this season's farewell song, while accompanied by the rest of the Top 10. Neither Caleb nor Jena sound particularly great here, and I wonder if it will hurt either of them. I would hope the public would forgive them for having been saddled with a song that clearly fits neither performer.
Anyway, what do you think of the performance show? Sound off in the comments, and add your predictions on who will win American Idol XII! Then join us tomorrow night for the live blog and recap, as we crown the American Idol for 2014!
The post American Idol Top 2 Finale Performance Recap: Caleb vs. Jena - 05/20/2014 appeared first on Rickey - Entertainment News, Videos, Recaps, Results, Spoilers.
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