Everybody and their microphone are saying it: This season of "American Idol" belongs to the ladies. Whereas the women's semifinals on Tuesday were a slew of passion and talent, in which the discussion was about who was the least good, the guy side of the competition leaves no room for doubts as to who will make it to the last stage.
Wednesday night's show was uneventful in surprises and while there were some bright spots, they belonged to the contestants who have been bringing it week in and week out. And at this point of the competition, it is really hard to look at one of the guys and go, "Yeah, that's a winner."
Unsurprisingly, it was Curtis Finch Jr. and Burnell Taylor who stole the show. Finch, with a faithful rendition of R. Kelly's classic "I Believe I Can Fly," earned two thumbs up from judge Nicki Minaj, who told him his positive energy is what's needed right now.
Taylor, on the other hand, reprised his audition song "I'm Here," by Idol legend Jennifer Hudson, and brought it back in a big way, showing how he's matured as a vocalist.
"You are one of a kind," said Minaj. "You were born to do this."
The Latino boys were next in the list of successes of Wednesday night. Devin Velez, who Mariah Carey called a "Latin Ken Doll," brought the multi-ethnic side to the show, transitioning effortlessly between English and Spanish on "It's Possible."
Lazaro Arbos, on the other hand, took a leap of faith with Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," showing off his unique vocal style with a control and comfort that had been missing all season.
The fifth spot of the cleared list will undoubtedly go to Vincent Powel, whose performance of "The End of The Road" by Boyz II Men was uninspired but hit a few flashes of brilliance, including an insane falsetto much praised by the judges.
And then there are the others, who might head home soon. Elijah Liu's version of Rihanna's "Stay" was annoyingly nasal, and as judge Randy Jackson put it, "didn't really go anywhere." Cortez Shaw went to the cheesy side by bringing a weird version of Bruno Mars' "Locked Out Of Heaven" that did not suit his singing style nor his talent.
Nick Bodington and Paul Jolley both performed adequately, if a tad boringly. Boddington's "Iris," behind his signature piano, is called "beautiful" and "solid" by the judges, but did not blow them out of the water. Jolley did a forgettable "Just A Fool."
But the star moment of the night was Charlie Askew's weird version of Genesis' "Mama." From his sloppy look to the screechy vocals, Askew brought one of the most uncomfortable moments in Idol, ever. The judges questioned everything about the performance, from the choice of song to his visible meltdown when criticized. "It just feels disingenuous," judge Keith Urban said.
Who do you think will make it to the 12th "American Idol" final?
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