Week 1: Top 13 - Judges' Reactions

Lauren Alaina:
Steven - wished it were more kick-ass
Jennifer – wants her to kick it into high gear
Randy - doesn't think the song made her shine 
Casey Abrams:
Steven - "a rainbow of talent," never ceases to be amazedJennifer – blown awayRandy - always excited to see him; unbelievable and exciting, fun to watch

Ashton Jones:Steven - thinks she has a lot more to show us, but that she'll have the chance toJennifer – elegant and professional; wants her to sing more "sing-along" songsRandy - thought it was safe, but liked it; thought she grew as a singer


Paul McDonald:

Steven - a little pitchy, but loves the raspJennifer – thinks he's so unique, watched the crowd smile; hopes America gets itRandy - loves who Paul is and that he's different

Pia Toscano:Steven - slammed it Jennifer – topped last week, really beautifulRandy - always warns people not to do Celine, but thinks she hits the notes and has a gift

James Durbin:Steven - did a great job; sang his own reviewJennifer – voice has a great melodic quality, AS WELL as the ability to hit the high notesRandy - one of his favorites; loves his versatility

Haley Reinhart:

Steven - did great, beautifulJennifer – thinks she does diverse things with her voice and unique, specialRandy - a little boring and sleepy; thinks she can do more
Jacob Lusk:Steven - pure passion and pure music; so goodJennifer –  hard to judge because he makes us feel so muchRandy - has a signature sound; lost it in the beginning but he got it back at the end

Thia Megia:
Steven - pitchy in the middle, liked it overallJennifer – liked seeing her move, sings like an angelRandy - loved the intro; a little pitchy, didn't love the end
Stefano Langone:

Steven - built from the beginning to the endJennifer – was dancing; liked his remix and thought it was him, sounded greatRandy - started off rocky; pulled off singing Stevie by the end, was soaring
 
Karen Rodriguez:

Steven - not enough energyJennifer – heard some trouble with the notes but thinks she's one of the strongest girlsRandy - felt like she was fighting the song; not sure what she brought that was new, sleepy

Scotty McCreery:

Steven - did Garth justiceJennifer – thinks he opened up as a performerRandy - loved it, thinks he could put it out as a record now
Naima Adedapo:
Steven - crazy good, but a little pitchy; she brought flavorJennifer – she has fire, doesn't care about the pitchiness; thinks she's doing it like a real artistRandy - needs to practice the dancing + singing, but loved the reggae

Week 1: Top 13

Theme: The songs of your musical idol

Song Selections:
Lauren Alaina – Any Man of Mine
Casey Abrams – With A Little Help From My Friends
Ashton Jones – When You Tell Me That You Love Me
Paul McDonald – Come Pick Me Up
Pia Toscano – All By Myself
James Durbin – Maybe I’m Amazed
Haley Reinhart – Blue (LeAnn Rimes)
Jacob Lusk – I Believe I Can Fly
Thia Megia – Smile
Stefano Langone – Lately
Karen Rodriguez – I Could Fall In Love
Scotty McCreery – The River (Garth Brooks)
Naima Adedapo – Umbrella

Dina's Predictions:
Lauren will rock it out

Casey will be so cute and sweet and then they will tell him to do something out of his comfort zone

  Ashton will be forgettable.....I think

  Paul will just be....Paul. Smile smile smile

  Pia will be great. And then they'll tell her to dial it back and that she doesn't have to diva-it up every time

James will rock and I like rock

  Haley will suck but they'll say nice things

  Jacob will be an entire gospel choir all by himself

  Thia ....ick I want her to go home soon

Stefano will give JLo "goose pimples" like she's been saying every weekKaren will be good but also forgettable 

  Scotty will be good (if he were on CMT)

  Naima will do something interesting with the arrangement

Matan's Predictions:
Lauren Alaina – Good choice (though Shania being her hero is fascinating) – can’t see how anyone can do anything to improve that song (as Mutt Lange’s production is perfection on this)
Casey Abrams – Wow, I hate covers of that song! Should be interesting. Definite wild card … he runs the risk of being very cheesy.
Ashton Jones – Really? They tell her she’s a Diana ross so she does a terrible Diana ross song? I actually liked her monica song (even though monica is distinctively sexy) … the problem last week is that she came across like a porn star touching herself. They like her now so will say she’s great, but at some point will tell her she’s not an artist that knows herself (like they did with Lil Rounds, LaToya London, etc.)
Paul McDonald – Hopefully genius. Ryan Adams’ songs are so adaptable. My concern is he’ll sing this exactly like the original.
Pia Toscano – Oh L-rd. No no no!
James Durbin – Did Judas Priest or another rock band cover this so he can steal another rendition a la Daughtry/Cook :-)
Haley Reinhart – Blue (LeAnn Rimes). LOVE LOVE LOVE this song … I don’t know how good a country singer she is. If she can hit the notes it’s amazing choice IF she can sing it cuz she has a old school smoky soul-country voice … but the notes are sooooo difficult, and the only way to improve it is to purposely add some slight imperfections for the effect of pain (as Tamyra did to A House is not a Home). There’s a fine line between Patsy Cline-esq perfection that LeAnn achieves in this genre and terrible warbling though.

  Jacob Lusk – I want him to go home!
Thia Megia – Lily Allen?
Stefano Langone – Eh. Will be blah. His voice is too high for it.
Karen Rodriguez – So predictable. Will be good. Not memorable.
Scotty McCreery – I don’t like this choice. Great song, but kinda boring. Can’t really improve the original and he needs to show a slightly more contemporary side.
Naima Adedapo – Great song that’s adaptable (Mandy Moore did a great cover). I wonder what she’ll do with it. Can be great, but I she might do something cheesy like last week.

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