The third and final group of 12 contestants performed tonight, and again Billboard hits was the theme.
Von Smith was first, singing Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need to Get By." This kid seems like he tries too hard.
Randy said: It was a "very hot" performance.
Kara said: He's coming into his own.
Paula said: She loved his performance.
Simon said: Von reminds him of Clay Aiken; he sang very well.
Taylor Vaifanua sang Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You," which I just wasn't crazy about.
Kara said: She obviously has a voice but she needs to show more personality.
Paula said: She has a beautiful gift but needs to sing something new.
Simon said: He couldn't remember her from previous rounds and her performance tonight was very generic and bland.
Randy said: She has a good voice but didn't show anything special.
Idol's resident geek Alex Wagner-Trugman sang Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." The kid has a nice voice, but he (if I may paraphrase one great Nathan Fillion) groped/attacked that song like the two of them were on their third date at a county fair.
Paula said: He's certainly a showman.
Simon said: His "ridiculous growling was stupid" and he was like a hamster trying to be a tiger.
Randy said: It was "crazy in a buck wild sort of way."
Kara said: "At least you do you."
Arianna Afsar sang.........zzzz.....what? Yep, another snooze of a performance. She sang ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" but it was horrendously boring.
Simon said: It was "absolutely terrible" and she made a huge mistake.
Randy said: She needed to be herself.
Kara said: In previous rounds, Arianna was very bright and exciting, but this song was too serious and dark.
Paula said: She had a few bright moments but she should have stayed with the melody.
Ju'not Joyner sang his slow version of "Hey There Delilah." I really like it when he sings this song -- it makes this song feel very old and classic.
Randy said: It was a smart choice and he loved it.
Kara said: His version of the song is very smooth.
Paula said: She appreciated how he changed the song.
Simon said: The song choice was a little safe but it was better than he thought it was going to be.
Kristen McNamara sang Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." I've liked her in the past but I wasn't crazy about this.
Kara said: She thought Kristen would sing a rock song.
Paula said: Her vocals were great but it was a safe song choice.
Simon said: Good voice, but "old song choice."
Randy said: They have no idea who she is and it felt karaoke-ish.
Nathaniel Marshall sang Meatloaf's "I Would Do Anything for Love." Weird choice for him, but it was OK.
Simon said: Some people would like it, but he thought it was "verging on excruciating." It was uncomfortable but people will remember him.
Randy said: He asked Nathaniel why he chose that song (Nathaniel says it's a song he and his mom used to dance to), and he said Nathaniel can sing but he doesn't know what type of recording artist he'd be.
Kara said: He needs to be a little more serious, but "you're the guy I want to go to karaoke with."
Paula said: She wished he'd sang his version of "Disturbia" from Hollywood week and he needs to watch his song choice.
Felicia Barton sang "No One" by Alicia Keys. I liked her performance but not bowled over.
Paula said: She hopes Felicia makes it through to the next round.
Simon said: First part of the song was better than second part and it was kind of copying the original.
Randy said: She let herself go and it was great.
Kara said: There were a few problems with her vocals but she finally noticed Felicia for the first time.
Scott MacIntyre sang "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby, which I thought was the perfect song choice for him. He's got a great voice.
Randy said: It wasn't a perfect vocal performance but the great parts were truly great, and he's very passionate.
Kara said: "You move mountains when you step on that stage."
Paula said: He's one of their finest singers.
Simon said: He wasn't crazy about the song choice but Scott is growing on him because Scott's confidence is growing. "In a sea of forgettable people, I'll remember you."
Scott wins bonus points for making Ryan give him another high five!
Kendall Beard sang Martina McBride's "This One's For the Girls." On paper, this should've been amazing: Kendall is a really cool looking girl, she looked great, her song choice was great...but I don't know, it just fell flat for me.
Kara said: She sang the right song but she hit a lot of bad notes.
Paula said: She enjoyed her performance.
Simon said: Good song choice but it was "not my cup of tea."
Randy said: It wasn't her best vocal performance.
Jorge Nunez sang Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." I can't say I was crazy about this, but I think he sang it very well.
Paula said: In Hollywood, they'd asked him to work on his pronunciation, which he did, and she was proud of him for that.
Simon said: They shouldn't have told him to work on his pronunciation because that makes him who he is. He's a very good singer.
Randy said: It's not the pronunciation that matters but his vocals, which were not perfect but "really really good."
Kara said: "You were born to sing."
Lil Rounds finished the night (in a dress I'd kill for) with Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You." Yeah, I get what everybody's saying about her name...but man, she was really great.
Simon said: "Brilliant." She sounded a little too much like the original but she's one of the best singers they've found this year.
Randy said: She was great and she "kept her swagger."
Kara said: She's a powerhouse.
Paula said: She's first class and "I hope we see you for many more Lil Rounds." (I couldn't even make that up if I tried)
What say you, Scene cats? Who did you love? Who did you hate?
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wait wait wait. Hold on. Blitzen Trapper AND Fleet Foxes were at Hi-Tone last year? What? How did I not know this and how did I miss this? Man. My heart hurts now too!!
WOW! It sounds like you had a great weekend! Color me jealous!