by Gabrielle Abrams

 

The Top 13 make their debut tonight on American Idol as they begin their main competition. Tonight they are singing songs from their own idols. The competition is going to be tough; every contender has a great chance of winning. Who will amaze the judges tonight? Let's find out.

 

Lauren Alaina -"Any Man of Mine"

Idol: Shania Twain

She picked a very cute country song that showed her personality perfectly. She made it her own and even ended a cute little Thank you at the end of the performance. The judges all agreed that she needs to kick it up one gear. She doesn't seem to be able to take criticism very well because she began to cry after hearing the judges.

 

Casey Abrams - "With a Little Help From My Friends"

Idol: Joe Cocker

Casey never fails to entertain every time he is on that stage. He is by far the most fun contestant to watch in the competition. He seems to alternate between singing and screaming but when he sings, he is always on the right note and pitch. Randy said that "You make listening to you fun" while Steven told him "You are a rainbow of talent" and "A plethora of passion."

 

Ashthon Jones - "When You Tell Me that You Love Me"

Idol: Diana Ross

Ashthon even looked like her idol tonight in a lovely white dress. Even though her singing was great, the song was a bit slow and boring for tonight's performance. She seemed to pick a safe song for her which is something that shouldn't be done anymore in the competition.

 

Paul McDonand - "Come Pick Me Up"

Idol: Ryan Adams

Paul did not start off strong. He then continued to dance in a strangely offbeat dance of his own. He certainly is unique and has his own way of doing everything. This was not his song and he was quite pitchy throughout it. It was humorous to watch Ryan learn the

"Paul dance".

 

Pia Toscano - "All By Myself"

Idol: Celine Dion

She looked stunning in a gold dress tonight. She was the first singer to get away from her "safe zone" and picked a difficult song. She has a phenomenal voice that even made Jennifer speechless. Randy even told her that she has a natural gift.

 

James Durbin - "Maybe I'm Amazed"

Idol: Paul McCartney

James never fails to impress. He made this song his own and certainly brought rock to it. He included his trademark high notes and hit them perfectly as usual. It's always great to watch his performances because he brings it every time! This was a perfect song choice for him.

 

Haley Reinhart - "Blue"

Idol: LeAnn Rimes

She wore a gorgeous black dress tonight. She included a very strong southern twang to her voice tonight. But she is unique in what she can do with her voice. It sounded great in her country song tonight. But it was a bit slow and boring compared to the other performances tonight. Randy put it as being sleepy.

 

Jacob Lusk - "I Believe I Can Fly"

Idol: R. Kelly

Once again Jacob has any amazing performance. I don't believe there is one song that he can't do. He has such an incredible range, which is so beautifully portrayed in this song. He is joined onstage by what looks like a gospel choir to give him song an even more amazing feel. The judges just showered him in compliments.

 

Thia Megia - "Smile"

Idol: Michael Jackson

Starting off with a new wardrobe, Thia looks like a vision in a beautiful black and white gown. And her singing is nothing less. You can tell she is enjoying singing this song and thoroughly having fun with it. Randy preferred if she stayed with the slow beginning. Judges all agree that Thia is stronger when she sings slower.

 

Stefano Langone - "Lately"

Idol: Stevie Wonder

The song and performance got more and more exciting by the end. He hit notes perfectly and created a dance remix from a classic song. But he still made his voice heard and rocked the song. He was a wild card last week and certainly showed America that he deserves to still be in the competition. Randy said that Stevie Wonder would be proud of that performance.

 

Karen Rodriguez - "I Could Fall In Love"

Idol: Selena

She was a little off on the notes tonight. She didn't look all that comfortable with what she was singing or the notes that she attempted. The song choice was a little boring and forgettable which was a shame because she's normally such a strong singer.

 

Scotty McCreery - "The River"                          

Idol: Garth Brooks

Scotty is the one contestant who knows exactly who he is and he knows his strength. And we all know that his strength is country. Scotty lives and breathes country so the singing comes so naturally to him. He also has a heart-warming smile that just makes everyone want smile with him. And he has that deep voice that you wouldn't guess was his! What a beautiful performance.

 

Naima Adedapo - "Umbrella"

Idol: Rihanna

She showed American Idol a whole new side of her that we haven't seen before. She included some amazing breakdown moves within her performance. She also broke out the amazing rap that she threw into the middle of the song. It was definitely a new flavor. Jennifer told her "You've Got Fire!"

 

Tune in tomorrow to American Idol at 8/7c on FOX to see what contestants make it to the next level.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)