Burnell Taylor, Angie Miller and Kree Harrison reinvent Beatles on 'American Idol'
The Top 9 "American Idol" finalists clockwise from left: Paul Jolley, Angie Miller, Amber Holcomb, Lazaro Arbos, Devin Velez, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Janelle Arthur and Burnell Taylor. (March 14, 2013) Credit: Fox
Burnell Taylor, Angie Miller and Kree Harrison topped "American Idol" on a solid night of Beatles songs, where none of the nine finalists made me -- or the judges -- stand up and shout.
The usual suspects sung the best, reinforcing the gap that's opening up with the rest of the field -- three guys, once again, brought up the bottom.
Below's how I ranked everyone, put your thoughts in the comments, below.
1) Burnell Taylor's "Let It Be" was fabulous -- his unique, pure tone rolled out and prompted Nicki Minaj to say, "you caressed it, you treated it like it was a newborn baby." The judges didn't stand for him, surprisingly, but it was one of my favorite performances all year.
2) Angie Miller used her voice to express a variety of emotions on "Yesterday," giving a beautiful yet not cheesy performance. Minaj calls it "unbelievably amazing," and then told her she could do anything with her voice, including soundtracks for Disney films.
3) Kree Harrison's "With a Little Help from My Friends" was right in her wheelhouse. She brought an urgency to the song and as Minaj said, put her "Kreeness" on it with her signature tone.
4) Candice Glover had lots of fun attitude and strong vocals on "Come Together," to the point that Keith Urban said he wanted to see more of the "rock chick" side of her.
5) Amber Holcomb had an odd pick with the little-known "She's Leaving Home." As Randy Jackson said, "it started a little slow and unsure" and for me puts her in danger of going home because she doesn't have the fan support -- despite her strong vocals.
6) Lazaro Arbos was "nervous" on "My Life," as Minaj noted; and as a result he turned in what Jackson called his "worst performance" of the year. He needs to get his mojo back.
7) Janelle Arthur's "I Will" wasn't memorable for me but the judges liked it, with Urban telling her she knows who she is, "you're pure, you're true."
8) Devin Velez's "Long and Winding Road" was too smooth for me, he almost seemed like a lounge singer.
9) Paul Jolley was cheesy as always on "Eleanor Rigby," complete with white fog on stage. Minaj said simply, "I did not like your performance," called it "safe, bland and forgettable."
