Michael Becker/FOXThe top four finalists were revealed on Wednesday’s two-hour edition of American Idol, an installment that included 16-year-old Tyanna Jones, the competition’s youngest contestant, being sent home.
The four contestants who advanced as a result of America’s votes are: Clark Beckham, Jax, Nick Fradiani and Rayvon Owen.
Host Ryan Seacrest announced that next week, the four remaining hopefuls will fly home for their “Hometown Hero Homecoming.”
Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. were back behind the judges' table, and Idol mentor Scott Borchetta was also on hand.
Wednesday’s themes were “Songs from the Judges’ Hometowns” and “Gravy Songs,” which featured the contestants selecting songs that best captured their souls.
For the first round, Borchetta brought in his creative team at Big Machine Records to advise the artists. The second round featured Martina McBride coaching the girls and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts coaching the guys.
Here's a rundown of Wednesday's performances:
Clark Beckham met with Borchetta’s creative team, who worked on punching up his image. Beckham then tackled Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” a nod to Jennifer’s hometown of New York City. Keith thought Clark was at the top of his game when he was playing the piano. Jennifer thought Clark needed to work on his performance when he’s not playing the guitar or the piano. Harry liked the performance, but noted the Tennessee native needed to work on his “groove.”
After Borchetta’s team urged Jax to continue developing her unique voice, she played a song from Jennifer’s home state: Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.” J-Lo praised Jax for coming off as a serious artist, but questioned the song choice. Harry praised the singer for plowing through the song like a pro, despite being a little hoarse. Keith agreed Jax was talented enough to power through her vocal problems and still give a good performance.
Borchetta’s advice to Nick Fradiani when figuring out his career goals was to “start at crazy and work backwards." Nick continued the New York theme with Matchbox 20’s “Bright Lights.” Harry called it Nick's most comfortable performance so far. Keith praised Nick’s “killer instinct.” Jennifer declared the contestant was “peaking” and the performance took the audience on a ride.
The final contestant to move on, based on America’s vote, was Rayvon Owen. Before the 27-year-old Richmond, Virginia, native tackled Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” representing Keith’s adopted city of Nashville, Borchetta’s team stressed how important it was for Rayvon to be vulnerable. Keith thought the song could’ve used less dramatics and more heart. J-Lo said Rayvon needed to make more of a connection with the song. Harry, however, thought it was a strong performance and said Rayvon “sang the pants off of it.”
With no more “Fan Saves” remaining, Tyanna Jones, was sent home. She performed one final song, “Run the World,” by Beyoncé.
Clark Beckham returned with the night’s first “Gravy Song,” Josh Turner’s “Your Man.” Beforehand, Jay DeMarcus noted there was no doubt Clark could sing, but he wanted to see “the soul of the man delivering the song.” Jennifer said Clark sang well, but she didn’t think it was the right song for him. Harry agreed, calling the song choice “tepid.” Keith added that at this stage of the competition, Clark needed to look for “killer” songs.
Next up was Jax with Christina Perri’s “Human.” Earlier, Martina McBride praised the Idol hopeful’s honesty. Harry noted some pitch issues with the performance, but said her soul “trumped everything.” Keith said Jax “killed it.” Jennifer complimented the singer’s beautiful tone. During a trip to Big Machine’s Nashville studios, Jax met former Idol judge Steven Tyler, who offered to pair up with her for the finale.
Rayvon Owen then performed Justin Bieber's “Believe,” which he dedicated to his mother. DeMarcus noted that when Rayvon let go, he “got goose bumps.” Keith said Rayvon sang “phenomenally.” J-Lo called the performance “beautiful.” Harry noted that there were 15 people credited with writing the song and every one of them would be proud of the performance.
Nick Fradiani closed out the evening with the Rascal Flatts tune “What Hurts the Most.” DeMarcus suggested Nick ditch his guitar and just sing with a microphone. Jennifer called Nick “the star of the night.” Harry said he could picture hearing the song on Nick’s CD.
The evening also included performances by Harry, who paid tribute to his hometown of New Orleans with “City Beneath the Sea” and McBride, who sang “Over the Rainbow” in honor of her hometown of Sharon, Kansas.
American Idol airs next Wednesday on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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