We’re down to the Final 7 performers for American Idol Season 6. Tonight the theme is going to be Country music and quite fittingly the musical coach is Country leader Martina McBride. Last week we saw Haley Scarnato go home, no big surprise there. So let’s see who will likely join Phil Stacey down there again since he’s becoming the resident “bottom-three’er”. The show opened with a note from the show that they’re keeping in mind the family and friends of all those affected by the terrible events in Blacksburg, VA this week.

Phil Stacey: “Where the Blacktop Ends”
Martina McBride encourages Phil to put more soul into the rest of his performance in the same way he ends his song. Let’s see if tonight we keep him alive another week as he’s been in the red for several weeks now.
Randy: “Aight, Yo. Dude. Dude. You could have a career in country music. That was really good.”
Paula: “You sound good from the beginning to the end.”
Simon: “It’s only taken ten weeks Phil. I agree with what the guys said. I thought the style of music suits you… We actually saw some personality.”
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Jordin Sparks: “Broken Wing”
This is a Martina McBride song, so Jordin was able to get great input on performing this to her best. Jordin is really having a great performance tonight.
Randy: “One of the most difficult songs to sing… Guess what… I liked the way you started it… Dude, that was the bomb.”
Paula: “I love you too. I think you did a fantastic job… You did tell a story… Great job.”
Simon: “First time since we have met that I actually believe, based on that performance, you could win American Idol.”
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Sanjaya Malakar: “Something to Talk About”
Martina thought he was projecting better this week. Sanjaya just wants to do Bonnie Raitt justice. Hey, why no cowboy hat?! He’s got the ‘do rag going on, but no cowboy hat on County music night. For someone who absorbs the themes so well I’m surprised he didn’t do this. Geez, this is a terrible performance. He’s barely even singing, more like just talking the lines through. He’s taking the song’s name too literally here.
Randy: “Check it out man. That was really just like karaoke. It just wasn’t good at all.”
Paula: “You thrive on it [adversity]… You’re a loveable guy.”
Simon: “Utterly horrendous… It was as bad as anything we’ve seen at the beginning of American Idol.” Ryan cuts off Simon and Simon gets pissed. “It was funny for awhile… but we’re supposed to find an American Idol.”
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LaKisha Jones: “Jesus, Take the Wheel”
Martina thinks she chose wisely because of how LaKisha feels connected to the song. “I believed her when she sang it to me.” I’m kinda surprised by LaKisha tonight as I don’t think this is a very good performance for her. It just doesn’t sound her usual singing. She’s getting closer to screaming it instead of using her great voice to carry it out.
Randy: “Check it out… LaKisha… I mean… Check it out, Check it out… It had some pitch problems in the beginning… I think you could have done more with it… Wasn’t my favorite.”
Paula: “I’m going to have to agree with Randy… I believe this is the first time…that you may have heard it differently… like you were shouting.”
Simon: “It’s like eating a hamburger for breakfast. It didn’t go together… The song couldn’t hold it… Felt like you were shouting at us… You blew us away 8 or 9 weeks ago, but now you’ve got to choose the right kind of song for you.”
LaKisha doesn’t look happy. I think she knows that it wasn’t very good.
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Chris Richardson: “Mayberry”
Martina questioned the song choice, but thought it was perfect after hearing him sing it. Considering the Rascal Flatt singer’s high voice this should be a good fit for Chris.
Randy: “Check it out dawg… You know what… Dawg… Couple of pitch things… It just didn’t quite hit me… I felt lost during the song… No emotion.”
Paula: “The joy and love you have on stage didn’t come through.”
Simon: “I think sometimes this audience and me are hearing different things… Very nasally, tinny vocal… Completely and utterly insignificant.”
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Melinda Doolittle: “Trouble is a Woman”
Martina thinks it was a perfect song choice for her. Great performance, of course.
Randy: “Another solid performance from our resident pro.”
Paula: “Once again a girl that knows how to pick the right song and sing her heart out.”
Simon: “I’m about the compliment you… It was fantastic… It was a great choice of song… I saw a little bit of Tina Turner.”
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Blake Lewis: “When the Stars Go Blue”
Martina was pleased with his practice performance. My resident country expert says Blake is changing the song too much, which you shouldn’t do with a Tim McGraw song. I’d have to agree because Tim McGraw is married to Faith Hill, so he obviously knows what he’s doing. Blake Lewis on the other hand is not married to Faith Hill.
Randy: “I love your sense of style… your vest… You know who you are.”
Paula: “You’ve got the whole package… Different quirky things… Picked the right song.”
Simon: “Uhh… Wasn’t a jumping out of my chair performance… It was okay… It was okay.”
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Come back tomorrow when I’ll share my vote-off predictions and follow that with a Results Show recap.

Check out the rest of our American Idol coverage.

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