‘American Idol XIII’ top 6 review: Jessica Meuse vs. judges; Alex Preston, Caleb Johnson rock

“American Idol XIII” decided to play double-duty on Wednesday night, electing to have the contestants perform both country and rock hits to show off different sides of themselves. The premise of this was more than a little cheesy, but we are here with a smile on our face to say that it worked! These were some of the best performances that we’ve seen on the show all season long, even if there were a few bumps in the road here and there.

We’re going to rank this time around round-by-round, but still from worst to first among the contestants. Keep checking back throughout the night for more updates!

Round One, Rock

6. CJ Harris, “American Woman” – We reiterate: Why sing this song? Do you not know what it’s really about? We dig the idea of him singing something that is out of his wheelhouse, and his pitch was actually a little better. The problem is that CJ has made onto the show right now based mostly on his ability to connect.

5. Alex Preston, “Animal” – The weakest performance from Alex in a long time. The song just didn’t suit him, and he was trying too hard to sing his original version of the song and make it this “rock” anthem rather than something that is right for him.

4. Jena Irene, “Barracuda” – This was rocking, but a little bit of a let down versus what we thought she was going to do with the song. It was a little straightforward, and not really enunciated at all. Jena’s had better moments than this.

3. Jessica Meuse, “Somebody to Love” – We’re not going to say that this was the best performance ever from Jessica, but it was a really good vocal. Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, continues to pretend that she is a scourge on the competition. What’s up with the Haley Reinhart treatment? Even though Jessica is not our favorite in the competition, we want to root for her almost to stick it to the judges.

2. Sam Woolf, “It’s Time” – There are still glaring problems when it comes to artistry and having energy, but this was our favorite Sam performance in a while. He sings it really well, and technically, there wasn’t a problem with it. It was only lacking when it comes to having the necessary energy.

1. Caleb Johnson, “Sting Me” – This was the rock round. Did you think that anyone else was going to be #1? Hard to really fathom. Caleb’s a rocker, and he showed everything that he is capable of and then some here. A great song choice, great vocals, and he felt completely current. Even mic issues didn’t phase him.

Round Two, Country

6. CJ Harris, “Whatever It Is” – You could make some ironic jokes about this performance, but it wasn’t bad. It was perfectly nice enough. CJ just is the kind of singer you want to go listen to in a country concert after a dinner at a barbecue restaurant; he’s not a great singing-competition singer.

5. Sam Woolf, “You’re Still the One” – Sam sang this very well, but we finally figured out why we’ve struggled with him so much. It’s like he is completely uncomfortable with the fact that the show has labeled him a “Heartthrob,” and he doesn’t quite know what to do about it. The way he cringes every time that someone mentions the ladies in the audience is proof.

4. Jena Irene, “So Small” – An improvement on Jena’s last performance for sure. It still wasn’t our favorite thing that she has ever done, but if she gets sent home tomorrow night, we’ll allow for riots! Her body of work is too good for us to lose.

3. Jessica Meuse, “Jolene” – We actually are a little on judge Keith Urban’s side here, which is ironic when you consider that the other judges were finally a little nicer to her here. Her vocal was spot-on, but that arrangement. We would’ve preferred something a little more slowed-down and intimate to show the heartbreak in the lyrics.

2. Caleb Johnson, “Undo It” – We don’t love the choice, but given that country is so far out of his element, Caleb did with this almost everything that he possibly could. Also, he still found a tiny sliver of the country spirit in here.

1. Alex Preston, “Always on My Mind” – One of our favorites of the entire season. It was simple, stripped-back, artistic, and lovely. What Alex does so well is bring you into his world, and then allow you to experience that rather than focus on every single note that he sings.

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Photo: Fox