American Idol Recap: Top 7 Revealed! Who Made Magic on Disney Night?
The dream that these seven singers wished did come true. Sunday’s American Idol marked the ever-popular Disney Night, sending four contestants packing in the process.
Prior to Sunday’s episode, TVLine readers predicted that Jovin Webb, Grace Leer, Louis Knight and Sophia James would be eliminated this week. Were they right? Let’s take a look at the seven singers moving forward and find out:
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ARTHUR GUNN (“Kiss the Girl”)
Gunn’s ability to make every song sound like it was written by Creedence Clearwater Revival is truly insane, and he did it again with this iconic Little Mermaid song. From a design standpoint, I also appreciated the undersea look he gave to his dwelling. Grade: A-
JUST SAM (“A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes”)
First of all, perfect song choice. If any contestant is living the Cinderella story this season, it’s Sam. Draped in a dress worthy of any Disney Princess, Sam put a soulful spin on this anthem for dreamers everywhere. And I love how proud she was of doing her own make-up, just like “Auntie Katy,” not that she needed it to be beautiful. I love this girl. Grade: A-
Click here to watch!
JONNY WEST (“Almost There”)
I have to admit, when I heard that West was tackling a song from The Princess and the Frog, I did one of those little head tilts that dogs do when they’re desperately trying to understand what you’re saying to them. My surprise continued when West began to sing, delivering the unexpectedly beautiful love child of “Almost There” and “New York State of Mind.” Lionel Richie put it best when he called West a “casual assassin,” because he absolutely killed that performance without breaking a sweat. Grade: A
Click here to watch!
LOUIS KNIGHT (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”)
Knight stayed true to Elton John’s Lion King ballad, delivering it with all the earnestness of two lions going to town on each other in the middle of an open field. It was smooth, it was sexy, it was… sorry, I got distracted by that stunning backyard. And I’m glad Katy Perry said that Niall Horan should start watching his back, finally validating the One Direction comparisons I’ve been drawing all season. Grade: A-
JULIA GARGANO (“Beauty and the Beast”)
Mrs. Potts is probably rolling over in her grave at the mere thought of a funked-up version of the title track from Beauty and the Beast, but I have to say, I didn’t totally hate Gargano’s soulful rendition. It didn’t have the same heart that comes with the traditional presentation, especially since — as Luke Bryan pointed out — it all felt “a little low,” but there’s no denying the power in her voice. Grade: B+
Click here to watch!
FRANCISCO MARTIN (“You’ll Be In My Heart”)
This was a great song choice for an emotional performer like Martin, who infused the Phil Collins-penned Tarzan song into a more youthful, current-sounding ballad. It’s been great to see how much Martin’s confidence has grown over the season; I just hope he finds his way out of that jungle before the finale. Grade: A-
Click here to watch!
DILLON JAMES (“Our Town”)
Of course James managed to find the one James Taylor song in the Disney songbook. I’m not a big fan of Cars — the movie, I have no qualms with the actual vehicles — but I found this performance to be quite touching. Grade: A-
That means Jovin Webb, Sophia James, Grace Leer and Makayla Phillips have reached the end of their respective Idol journeys.
After taking 15 whole seconds to mourn their departures (remember when contestants used to get full-blown montages when they were eliminated?), Ryan Seacrest moved on to the second half of the show: performances dedicated to the mothers of the Top 7. Here are my quick thoughts on those…
* Arthur Gunn has such a strong sense of who he is as a performer, and I’m not sure he even knows it. Watching him speak so candidly about his mother revealed another lovable layer to him as a person, and his performance of Bon Iver’s “Hey, Ma” was just the best. (Click here to watch!)
* Just Sam‘s grandmother — who adopted Sam when she was just six years old, after her mother went to prison — has been her pillar of support throughout the entire competition. It was so gratifying watching Sam get to share her endless gratitude through Christina Aguilera’s “I Turn To You.” (Click here to watch!)
* Only Jonny West could be so chill about changing the lyrics to “Amazing Grace” like it’s no big deal. But that’s just who he is. (Click here to watch!)
* Louis Knight performing his mom’s all-time favorite song (Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend”) to her while she weeps with joy on her front porch was basically Mother’s Day porn. And I loved every second of it. (Click here to watch!)
* Julia Gargano‘s performance of Adele’s “Sweetest Devotion” was so good, it made me wish I was her mom. It was easily my favorite of the Mother’s Day dedications. Regardless of who ends up winning the season, I feel comfortable saying that Gargano has the best voice of the bunch.
* Francisco Martin‘s powerful-yet-adorable (duh) rendition of Leon Bridges’ “River” was “soulful and beautiful and real and heartfelt.” Yes, I just directly co-opted Perry’s critique as my own, but it’s been a long weekend. (Click here to watch!)
* Of all the letters the contestants wrote for their moms, Dillon James‘ hit me the hardest. “You have always been a true mother to me, but I have not always been a true son to you” read like lyrics from the saddest song ever written. Is it any wonder Perry sobbed through his entire performance of Amos Lee’s “Hang On”? (Click here to watch!)
Did your favorite singers make it to American Idol‘s Top 7? Vote in our poll below to predict how the remaining contestants will fare, then drop a comment with your thoughts on tonight’s results.
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