American Idol Top 3 Performances Round 2

Round two. Producer's choice. Here we go...

Jordin Sparks - "She Works Hard for Her Money"
Damn girl, those vocals were spot on! She made it through the lower verses, and then she just killed it on the chorus, especially at the end. I must say the vocals sorta blew me away.

Her stage presence, though, seemed a bit anemic to me. She has a habit, I've noticed, of almost seeming too comfortable on stage, which can work for a ballad, but not so much in a disco number. Still, I loved it.

Blake Lewis - "This Love"
When Blake figures out the right time to merge his vocals with his beatboxing, he makes a bit of magic. Simon is right, he sounded comfortable and credible singing this Maroon 5 tune. Way to redeem yourself, Blake!

And also a bit of redemption on the fashion front -- the top half of his outfit looked like it was what Chris would have been wearing tonight if he were still on the show, and his bottom half was classic Blake grey Grandpa pants. That's the Blake we know and love.

Melinda Doolittle - "Nutbush City Limits"
Nice! I've been waiting for Melinda to sing Tina Turner all season, and even all that anticipation didn't dull the pleasure of hearing Melinda's husky, rich tones going to town on this song. Sure, the song didn't really have much of a melody, but she was channeling Ms.T vocally, and it was fierce.

And how much better is it to see Melinda rock out without an interview clip directly preceding it in which Melinda humbly proclaims "I don' know how to rock." Let the performance speak for itself, my darling Melinda.

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American Idol Top 3 Performanes: Round 3

American Idol Top 3 Performances: Round 1
American Idol Top 3 Performance: Round 2