‘American Idol XIII’ top 5 spoilers: Jason Mraz to mentor Alex Preston, others

Remember the connection that Alex Preston and Jason Mraz have? The two have communicated at times during “American Idol XIII,” and maybe this in turn led to Fox actually hiring the guy for a larger position for next week’s performance show as a mentor.

Mraz will try to guide Preston, Sam Woolf, Jena Irene, Caleb Johnson, and Jessica Meuse through making their song selections something truly special. We imagine that he will not get to work with them until after they’ve chosen their songs, but his advice may help from an artistic point of view. We’ve seen Jason perform in concert, and what he is excellent at is establishing connections to the lyrics, working the stage, and turning his concerts into experiences. They are fun, and this cannot be fully discounted. Jason also loves all genres of music, so don’t just assume that he will be disposed to helping out Alex and Sam more than the others because they sing similar styles of music.

The real success of this week is going to be based mostly on what quality songs the producers pick from the suggestions made by America. If they are stuck with duds that have been done every year, this will be no fun. Hopefully this will be an opportunity for some different artists to be featured that haven’t been on the show over the years, or at least songs that you would not necessarily associate with the artist. For example, we’d much rather see Alex be told to spin around a song from an unlikely pop artist than do a song that is firmly in his wheelhouse. He’s been exceptional most of the season, but really needs a moment if he wants to ensure that he is the one to beat.

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Photo: Fox