'American Idol' 2014 (Season 13) Review: Top 6 Performs; Jena Irene vs Alex Preston vs Caleb Johnson [Watch Videos]
"American Idol" 2014 (Season 13) Top 6 performs Wednesday, Apr. 23, on FOX. Wildcard contestant Jena Irene is among the frontrunners, alongside never-been-in-the-bottom Alex Watson and Caleb Johnson. There are only two girls left standing, and one of them was in the bottom two a week ago.
American Idol 2014 judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick, Jr and Keith Urban are getting tougher. JLo keeps saying she wants spectacular performance. Harry always finds something "constructive" to say, while Keith has much less getting-carried-away moments compared to AI Season 12.
The three AI judges, however, are very impressed with 17-year-old Jena Irene Asciutto and how she has blossomed in the competition. Jena was not even in the Top 10 after the first public voting of the season. American Idol 2014 would have been a much less interesting show had Jena not made it as a Top 13 wildcard.
Jena got Keith's and JLo's standing ovation for lending her artistry to "Creep" by Radiohead. Harry said he is not the kind of Idol judge who would give any contestant a standing ovation. But he called Jena's number the best of the night. Jena was the last one to perform on American Idol Top 7 show.
Alex Watson and Caleb Johnson remain unscathed by voting results on American Idol 2014. Alex is drawing more Idol voters with his consistent solid performances. His songs are charting well on iTunes. His smart song choices all season could land him a spot in the AI XIII Final Two.
Caleb Johnson, the lone rock star in the batch, seems to have charmed many Idol voters as well. JLo calling him "sexy" once may have made him an even more interesting Idol player. American Idol Season 7 champ David Cook also felt a strong connection to the rock singer with a big voice. Between Caleb and Jena, it seems Caleb has the better chance at the Final Two in a month's time.
Despite loving the stage, Jena tends to lose her audience by holding back. It seems she is too self-conscious and too cautious over looking bad on TV. Keith Urban a week ago has called on the Idol Season 13 contestants to really let loose and get lost in the music.
Talking to 17-year-old Sam Woolf, however, Urban notes it is not fair to demand from the contestants a stage presence honed by a lifetime of experience. Still, many Idol viewers are not pleased to see a bunch of kids who cannot be such a powerful fireball of energy like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood during their numbers.
Jena's "Creep" was a show-stopper. Harry said Jena's Top 7 number did some "major damage" to the other contestants. Alex Preston's style is different, as in less edgy, but compelling nonetheless. Caleb Johnson is a rock star with a big voice and an interesting vibe about him. These three could be the Final Three in American Idol 2014.
WATCH: Jena Irene Covers 'Creep' by Radiohead [American Idol on YouTube]
WATCH: Alex Preston Sings "A Team" by Ed Sheeran on American Idol 2014 Top 7
American Idol 2014 (Season 13) airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on FOX. Dexter Roberts left the competition after being in the bottom two with Jessica Meuse a week ago.
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