BWW Recaps: IDOL's Top-12 Show Signs of Life

Well, after last week's mini-disaster of a top-13 week, there was not much that American Idol could have thrown out on stage tonight that wouldn't have been an improvement.

The home-visit episode, where the final three contestants receive ticker tape parades in their respective hometowns, has been the most emotional in each of IDOL's first 12 seasons. So apparently, new producer, Per Blankens, decided to add some of that emotion to the early stages of this season. While both the vocals and performances were stark improvements over last week, I'm not sure that this episode is going to harken back to the Golden Days of AMERICAN IDOL's world-wide dominance.

I will say that I continue to be impressed with the surprising song choices of this year's contestants. Gone are the days of "Feelin' Good" and "If I Ain't Got You" in heavy rotation. Whether this is due to a contestant pool with more diverse influences or producers willing to fork over more money for song rights, I think it has added quite a bit to the show.

Also, this year's stable of judges continues to show that it is actually possible to give specific musical and performance critiques on American Idol without belittling the contestants. After Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban's previous seasons, I wouldn't have thought that they were capable of this, but coupled with Harry Connick Jr. this trio has become the most intelligent and productive judging panel on TV.

Now onto the performances:

Jena Irene
Hometown: Farmington HIlls, MI
"Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall
Three-Word Review: Fun but forgettable.

I have to admit that I missed the first few measures of Jena's performance because I was trying to figure out why she was dressed as a Pearl Jam groupie from 1993 while singing a KT Tunstall song from 2005? When I was finally able to get focused, I was treated to a fun, energetic performance that unfortunately at times went sharp and lacked any real, memorable moments. That being said, it should be an exciting enough performance to keep her safe for another week. Jena has given us a number of very eclectic performances thus far. I'm not sure if that is because she has diverse musicaal interests, or because she doesn't quite know what type of artist she wants to be, but for her truly to succeed, I think that she needs to find what she does best sooner rather than later.

Alex Preston
Hometown: Mont Vernon, NH
"I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw
Three-Word Review: Alright for me.

Was it just me, or did Alex bear an uncanny resemblance to Buster Poindexter in his blue suit with rolled up legs and his Flock of Seagulls' hair? I didn't dislike the funky arrangement of the song like JLo and Harry did, but I do agree with Keith, that this performance didn't seem as authentic for Alex as we have gotten used to. He is crazy talented, and one of my favorites of the season so far, but, to quote the barnacle on AMERICAN IDOL's boat, Randy Jackson, "this performance was just alright for me."

On another note, how cool is it that after 12 seasons, a judge is actually talking basic music theory on IDOL? Between Harry and Alex's love of ending on the nine, and his critique of the crowd clapping on the one and three instead of the proper two and four, I feel like we are all slightly better musicians for listening to Harry!

Jessica Meuse
Hometown: Slapout, AL
"White Flag" by Dido
Three-Word Review: Probably in trouble.

Continuing with last week's theme, I have a feeling that this song might have been a half-step too high, causing Jessica to be a little bit sharp and strained in places. Also, for a song that she has included in her set for years, she sure seemed bored throughout the first 3/4s of it. She finished with a surge in emotion, but the final notes seemed to lay right in her break, robbing them of any power or conviction. Coupled with her hostile persona from Hollywood Week, this performance just might land her in danger this week.

Dexter Roberts
Hometown: Fayette, AL
"Lucky Man" by Montgomery Gentry
Three-Word Review: Purdy good y'all

Other than a few low notes that seemed just a tad below his register, this song showed just how nice Dexter's tone really is. My biggest complaint from him was that he needs to make sure to actually mix in some consonants when he sings, so those viewers from north of the Mason-Dixon Line can actually understand him. Nice bounce back for him after last week.

Emily Piriz
Hometown: Orlando, FL
"Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez
Three-Word Review: Where's the singing?

I thought it was a little unfair that they showed Emily a video from her Marine boyfriend before she performed. She was clearly emotional, but it didn't seem to shake her at all, as she was completely into her performance. However, primarily a dance song (by IDOL's own JLo), "Let's Get Loud" didn't give Emily a chance to actually do much singing. I loved her energy and stage-presence, but it's hard to really critique her vocals when most of her song consisted of three notes repeated over and over.

Caleb Johnson
Hometown: Asheville, NC
"Working Man" by Rush
Three-Word Review: Bang your head!

Full disclosure: It is hard for me not to root for a theatre-kid who loves classic rock. But, in my opinion, Caleb is the most ready for prime-time performer on the show this year. Is he going to win? I don't know, but other than not interacting with the audience or cameras very much, I saw nothing to complain about from him tonight. His performance almost made me want to bang my head along with him. Also, I can't be the only one who wants him to cover a Meatloaf song at some point, can I?

MK Nobilette
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
"Drops of Jupiter" by Train
Three-Word Review: Why so uncomfortable?

For starters, that was my favorite MK vocal of the season so far, but man, she just looks so disinterested when she sings, and it really puts a damper on everything she does. If she can't get excited about what she is singing, I don't know that the voters will. I also feel like Keith and Harry's post-song comments are directly related. Keith told MK that her performance was hindered by keeping the guitar in front of her, and Harry essentially said that she looked awkward, and challenged her to do the things that made her uncomfortable. I think that even though she only played for the first half of the song, MK kept the guitar in front of her as sort of a security blanket; a final line of defense between her and the audience. Unless she can breakdown the wall she has erected between her and the fans, she might not be long for the show.

C.J. Harris
Hometown: Jasper, AL
"Waiting On The World To Change" by John Mayer
Three-Word Review: Oh, poor C.J.

I really felt for C.J. throughout the whole performance. He knew that he wasn't hitting the right notes, and he tried and tried to get it back, but it just never happened. While he did perform the song well, the moments when he tried to make the melody his own a bit, really illuminated his poor "intonation," making them stick out like a sore thumb. He could be in trouble this week after another shaky performance.

Sam Woolf
Hometown: Bradenton, FL
"Just One" by Blind Pilot
Three-Word Review: Just not ready.

Sam is the perfect argument for sticking with more seasoned contestants on talent competition shows. He is undoubtedly a talented young man whom the young girls (IDOL's main voting contingent) love. However, at 17 years old, he just isn't ready for a stage this large. The size of the moment that he has found himself in routinely seems to swallow him up. I think he will be safe for another month or so, but when the show starts to find the contestants that can both sing and perform, I am afraid this talented kid might see his run end earlier than it should.

Malaya Watson
Hometown: Southfield, MI
"Take Me To The King" by Tamala Mann
Three-Word Review: So much better.

Remember what I said about 17-year-old Sam being too young for the moment? Now that I am talking about 16-year-old Malaya, forget I said all of that. This was by no means a perfect vocal, she was kind of screeching out the "F# above High-C" that Keith pointed out, but she performed that song with passion, confidence, and control. After being in the Bottom-Three last week, I think that should be enough to keep her from those uncomfortable stools this week. If she is able to continue to take the judges' advice each week and implement it into her performances, she just might turn out to be a dark-horse in this competition.

Ben Briley
Hometown: Gallatin, TN
"Turning Home" by David Nail
Three-Word Review: Dude can sing.

After last week's hyper-active Johnny Cash song, this ballad allowed Ben to show a lot more of his talent. While I understand what Harry and Keith said about his lack of performance, in all of his packages and interviews, Ben is such a fun, likeable guy. While I agree that that personality didn't completely come through in this song, he did sound really good, and that is more than I can say for a lot of the other finalists tonight, and I wasn't sure I could for Ben after last week.

Majesty Rose
Hometown: Goldsboro, NC
"Fix You" by Coldplay
Three-Word Review: Waited for that?

The final performance (forever known as the Lambert Position) on American Idol (and THE VOICE) is generally reserved for the contestant that the producers think will keep viewers from flipping to reruns of KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS. Last week, Caleb rewarded the patient viewers with a great closing number, however, this week, Majesty delivered a very unMajesty-like performance. The first ¾ of her song were mellow and unremarkable, so she tried to ramp it up towards the end, but the sudden jolt in energy came off as shrieky. Not her best performance, but not nearly enough to erase the memories of all of her previous fantastic outings.

Should Be In the Bottom-Three
Jessica Meuse
MK Nobilette
C.J. Harris

Should Be Eliminated
C.J. Harris

Best of the Night
Caleb Johnson

Let me know what you thought about the show tonight in the comments below and on Twitter @BWWMatt. And remember to check back tomorrow to see my recap of this week's elimination show.

Photo Credit: Michael Becker | FOX