by Gabrielle Abrams

 

Gwen Stefani dressed the American Idol contestants as they rocked out to the Rock n' Roll theme of the night. Will.i.Am of The Black Eyed Peas also helped coach the contestants.

Jacob Lusk - "Man in the Mirror"

Tonight, we got a bit of a different Jacob. He seemed more into the song and was moving around. As usual the singing was spot on, hitting those notes in the amazing range he has. Jacob had a bit more personality that normal and looked as if he was having the time of his life.

 

Haley Reinhart - "Piece of my Heart"

Haley is definitely in her element tonight. She knows how to perform a rock song although it may not have been her best performance vocally. She knows how to entertain a crowd and keep all eyes on her. Randy told her "welcome back".

 

Casey Abrams - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"

The man of many talents brought out the upright bass once again. Casey shows us once again why he is still in this competition. You can't help but smile while Casey performs because he knows how to make you laugh while keeping the song in tune. Randy said he made CCR proud and that Casey is making the upright bass cool.

 

Lauren Alaina - "Natural Woman"

Although Lauren sounded great, the song was just kind of boring. She went after some very fun, upbeat songs and the performance just seemed a little dull until the end. It picked up a bit more at the end when she started hitting higher and longer notes. Lauren seems to be getting more and more mature as the season is progressing.

 

James Durbin - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

James took a risk doing a ballad tonight, but he chose a great song to do it with. And he nailed it. James did a great thing, showing us another side of him. It was vulnerable and you could see him connecting with that song perfectly. There was so much emotion in that song and it came across well. He hit all the notes and did an amazing job tonight. Steven Tyler told him it was a proud moment for him.

 

Scotty McCreery - "That's Alright Mama"

He has gotten so comfortable on that stage and it shows more every week. He is working the audience and the camera while throwing in some dance moves. He is confident in his voice and is now working on the performance itself. It just looks like he is having a blast. He also got attacked by girls from the audience who ran up at the end to hug him. Randy told him he was certainly not a "one trick pony."

 

Pia Toscano - "River Deep, Mountain High"

Finally we get to see the rock side of Pia. She stepped away from her ballads and broke out an amazing, upbeat performance. That girl can certainly hit any note she wants and with such force. This girl is one strong competitor. She proved to America that she can sing more than a slow ballad.

 

Stefano Langone - "When a Man Loves a Woman"

Started off on what sounded like a wrong note. Also, the beginning seemed a bit slow and in the wrong range for Stefano. He gets it back towards the middle, staying nicely in his range. Just overall, the song didn't seem to be the best choice for him tonight. Randy liked it, but he wasn't "jumping up and down." The other two loved his performance.

 

Paul McDonald -"Fulsome Prison Blues"

Paul rocks out this week with his guitar and a great Johnny Cash song. This was a fun performance and Paul was just all over that stage. You can always tell that he is having a fun time and certainly goes a bit crazy with this song. This song was great choice for him. All the judges loved it and said it was the perfect way to end the show.

 

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)