American Idol Season 13 - Top 8 Perform

Welcome back everyone!  We're down to the top 8 and we got treated to music we've already heard!  In fact, we were treated to the songs that got everyone on the show in the first place.  So, clearly, these are some of the songs that they know the best and were going to do fairly well with them.  But, I get the idea.  Let's see how far they've come in the competition.  Basically, everyone did decent.  But some people really stood out as always.  I'm seeing this as a 3 way race right now, maybe with a 4th looking in.  Of course we were "treated" to those mediocre duets (well 3 out of 4 mediocre duets) to get us to 2 hours.  But, we'll get there.  Let's recap and see where things go!

Recap

Competition Performances

1. Jessica Meuse: "Blue Eyed Lie" by Jessica Meuse - Jessica just gets better every week.  And you could tell she loved singing her original on the Idol stage.  And it was a very good original. I kind of agreed with Keith's assessment of body language.  Though, at the same time, she was emoting very well throughout the song.  How could she not be?  It was HER song.  She knew what the lyrics represented.  They were personal.  I keep wondering back to that Group Round Mom and how she feels about Jessica gaining popularity every week.  Does she think her daughter would've been doing this well instead?  Ahh good times.  
2. C.J. Harris: "Soulshine" by the Allman Bros. Band - Well, we loved CJ's audition and this was CJ doing what he does best again.  Though, while improved, there are still those problems with pitch.  It was fine 5 contestants/weeks ago.  But, now that we're getting into the nitty gritty, raw emotion may not cut it as much.  I'd be really surprised if he wasn't in the bottom 3. 
3. Sam Woolf: "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran - Ahh Sam and his minions of lady lovers.  When he did this song in his audition and saw him as a contender, just purely based on his really great tone and vocal potential.  He sounded great once again.  But, the connection/shyness is a problem at this point.  Not sure what else I can say about Sam.  He was finally in the bottom 3 last week.  His time is limited. 
4. Malaya Watson: "Ain't No Way" by Aretha Franklin - I tend to agree with her assessment that she should've waited a couple more years.  I think if she did she really would be a threat to win.  She has a great voice and she had some "WOA, REALLY?" notes that she hit in this performance.  But, she's young and I feel like there's more growth needed there.  One look at her duet with Sam would show anyone that! 
5. Dexter Roberts: "One Mississippi" by Brett Eldredge - Dexter surprised me this week.  Sure, he had to do this song but that ended up working out for him.  Get out of the anthem/crowd pleaser song selection game and really show your skills.  I actually really enjoyed this performance.  If he makes smarter song choices, he might be able to stretch his run a little longer.  But he's not destined to win this thing.  No way. 
6. Jena Irene: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele - Jena keeps on ROLLING.  You know, with my 2 year old son being an avid Adele lover, I still never realized Adele was dropping an "S" bomb in the middle of her song!  Not until I heard Jena change it to "stuff".  Ahh well, it's not like anyone can understand Adele's lyrics all the time anyway.  But her voice is incredible!   And, well, Jena has converted me into a fan over the weeks.  She had to get out of her "goth rock" phase this week, but continued to surprise by totally changing up the arrangement from Adele's and making it work really well.  Great stuff!  Another contender. 
7. Caleb Johnson: "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin - I'll keep saying it.  I don't know how Caleb doesn't end up in the finale.  Winning is a different story, but he's too good not to be there.  Yeah, I agree with Harry's assessment that he should try to go "small" for a week.  He'll be safe regardless and might end up being a big plus for him.  May as well do it before the SAVE becomes ineligible. They'd definitely use it on him.  
8. Alex Preston: "Fairytale" by Alex Preston - This again was the performance that made me think Alex could be a mainstay in this competition.  At this point, I think he's on the outside looking in at the 3 top contenders.  But, this performance keeps him in the running.  Very cool song, another one about heartbreak, like Jessica's.  And very good performance to close the show! 

Duets

1. Jena and Alex: "Just Give me a Reason" by Pink & Nate Ruess - This started off with a lot of potential ands sounded great, but then it never reached the next level as the song begged for it.  They just sat on their stoop and sang the lyrics straight with some pretty melodies.  It was SAFE. 
2. Jessica and Caleb: "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" by Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty - Best duet of the night.  As it was happening I said, "This is probably our Top 2 this year".  Of course, when I said that I had forgotten about Jena.  We'll see! 
3. Malaya and Sam: "Lucky" by Colbie Callat & Jason Mraz - Embarrassing. 
4. CJ and Dexter: "Alright" by Darius Rucker - Just as bad. 

Elimination Pick

Okay, well this could be an interesting week.  No one had an awful performance, unless you look at the duets.  Technically, they are not in contention but voters will consider them.  Here we go:

The Untouchables: Jessica, Caleb, Jena, Alex

Probably safe this week due to being better than usual: Dexter

The rest: CJ, Sam, Malaya

Bottom 3: CJ, Sam, Malaya Wildcard: Dexter

Elimination Pick: CJ Harris - I like the dude, but it feels like time. 

That's all I have this week.  I think if any of the 4 "untouchables" get eliminated they will use the save.  The rest, I'm guessing they'll let them go.  Though, they do have a higher opinion of Malaya than I do so who knows?  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!