American Idol: Top Eight Ladies Perform [Recap & Video]

On American Idol tonight, the top eight ladies performed, and four of the 12 women who began the night’s episode were eliminated by the end of the hour-long show. Last night, it was the guys’ turn to shine in the spotlight, but tonight, it is the ladies who showcased their tremendous vocal abilities in Detroit, Michigan. Which of the eight ladies will get to move on to next week on American Idol? Read on, to find out!

American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, began the episode by saying that Tyanna Jones was the first of the eight who will be singing tonight. She sang the classic song, Rockin’ Robin, and NAILED it! Her performance was a great way to start of the episode. The American Idol audience clapped along as she sang, and Jennifer was snapping her fingers and dancing in her chair.

Keith said “Perfect song choice! You sang really good.”

Jennifer said “You remind me of those legendary performers. It was awesome, awesome.”

Harry said “The biggest question in my mind is what can’t you sing?”

Ryan said that “The voting was now open.” Then, American Idol went to the first commercial break of the evening.

When American Idol came back on, it was time for Ryan Seacrest to announce the second performer of the show who made it into the elite group of the Top Eight Ladies. Loren Lott was the name which Ryan announced, and Loren sang Michael Jackson’s hit, I Wanna Be Where You Are. The audience clapped along as Loren sang, bringing back memories of Motown.

Jennifer laughed and said “Loren, you really made me smile right now! You really have something, a natural talent.”

On American Idol, Harry said “There’s been a high, high bar set by everybody. Based on what I saw, you may have set the bar even higher.”

Keith said “The Motown music is really good for you ladies.”

Tyanna said “Oh, my God! This is the best moment ever!”

“The next person who is going through on American Idol, based on your votes, is…Maddie Walker!” Ryan said.

Maddie sang I’ll Be There by the Jackson 5. She did a magical job with this song, which showcased her vocal talents and really had the American Idol audience pumped up.

Harry said “If there was any doubts if you deserve to be here, I think they have all been erased. Think about dynamic range.”

Keith told her on American Idol “There’s some runs in that song that you shouldn’t do, and you didn’t, because you’re you.’

Jennifer added “You did a really good job, even with the nerves, I think.” Then, American Idol headed to the second commercial break of the night.

When American Idol returned, host Ryan Seacrest showed scenes of the legendary Aretha Franklin talking with the entire room of the top 24 competitors, the top 12 guys and ladies. They got the chance to ask Aretha a couple of questions, then she wished them “good luck.”

Ryan said “Up next to sing on America’s stage will be Joey Cook.” Joey Cook is one of the most unique and best singers on American Idol this season. She sang without her accordion or ukulele, and proved she could still knock a song out of the park with her rendition of Shop Around. She KILLED this iconic hit.

Keith said “Are you freaking out that you’re up there right now? You make the songs your own. I look forward to what you’ll be singing next week.”

Jennifer said “That’s what being an artist is all about, baring your soul for the audience.”

Harry said he wondered if the American Idol audience will “tire of the hyper-stylization” that Joey brings to her performances.

Joey told the voters of America “Stay you, stay weird, stay positive.” Ryan said that there will be more performances from the Top Eight coming up. Then, American Idol went to another commercial break.

After the break, when American Idol came back on, it was Sarina-Joi Crowe’s turn to sing. Her song choice was You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me. She sang a slow, soulful version of the classic, and belted out parts of it, to the cheers of the American Idol audience. She was AMAZING!

Jennifer said “Sarina, momma, you sing, you really, really sing. I really believe in you. You’re probably the best singer here.”

Harry said on American Idol “You have a world-class smile. The whole thing was consistently flat.”

Keith said “When the people started cheering, you stayed consistent and didn’t lose it.” Then, Ryan Seacrest said we would learn the names of the final three ladies who made it into the final eight on American Idol after another commercial break.

With the anticipation building up, after the break on American Idol, host Ryan Seacrest said “Let’s see who takes one step closer. That is…Adanna Duru!” Adanna sang the Lionel Richie hit, Hello. The song was a mellow but a powerful song, and it fitted Adanna’s voice extremely well. She gave a terrific, emotionally-charge rendition of the song, and had the audience cheering as she sang the words “I love you!” She OWNED the song with her performance.

Harry said “Here’s what I give you an A+ for — singing those lyrics. As beautiful as it was, it was out of tune. You have to sing in tune.”

On American Idol, Jennifer told her “You are so capable of taking us there emotionally. The song choices will be really important for you. You can do it — you can do anything.”

Ryan told her “That was AMAZING!” Then, he said “Next to take that stage will be — Jax!”

Jax sang the Marvin Gaye standard Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. She WAILED on this cool song, getting the audience to clap along right from the beginning. She made the song her own, singing an awesome version of it. It was a highlight of the episode.

Keith said on American Idol “You know what I love about you? You have such strong artistry — the grit in your voice.”

Jennifer said “For me, that song didn’t work in that way. Make sure it’s taking us somewhere.”

Harry said “Incredible voice, unbelievable charisma. That arrangement was dull, however. You have to kill it, you have to.”

Ryan said that there was only one spot left. After another commercial break, on American Idol, he will announce who the final person who made it into the Top Eight Ladies group was, and she will be the last performer of the night.

As American Idol came back from the commercial break, the remaining ladies were all on pins and needles wondering who the final person named would be that had made it into the group of the Top Eight Ladies. Host Ryan Seacrest said “We have one more girl to take the stage based on your votes.” The name he announced was Alexis Gomez.

Alexis sang the sang Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch. She did a great job with the song and the audience were all clapping along as she sang. She has a sweet, melodic quality about her voice, and did a wonderful job with the song.

Jennifer said “That was really out of key, and it bothered me.”

Harry said on American Idol “There’s a lot of things I didn’t like about that performance. You have to settle down, because you’re really good.”

Keith said “That wasn’t a good song choice for you.” Yikes — those comments do not bode well for Alexis. The studio audience seemed to love her performance, but the judges, on the other hand, were not very impressed.

The Top Eight Ladies on American Idol were revealed tonight, and they took the stage to sing and to try to gain the votes of viewers across America so that they can continue on past next week, when the Top 16 finalists will be narrowed down to the final 12 performers. Be sure to tune in next week to learn who the Top 12 finalists will be, then please read the recap of the show here!

Written By Douglas Cobb

Sources:
American Idol.net
American Idol.com