AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE--AMERICAN IDOL REVIEW

And Then There Were Five—American Idol Review

Noticeable Weak Link Cut, Solid Group Remaining

Let’s face it: CJ Harris was lucky to make it this far. While there’s no question the 23-year-old Jasper, AL native is the kind of guy American Idol wants on its show week to week—an uber-friendly, gentle, soulful father and devoted boyfriend who just loves to sing—he’s been outclassed in this competition for a while. Pure talent-wise, CJ could’ve been voted off the show weeks ago. He entered the Top 13 a front-runner, and one of the most familiar faces on the show (his status as a judges’ Wild Card pick to join the Top 13 notwithstanding), but a lack in his overall skill set was quickly revealed. While CJ did some decent covers of Darius Rucker and John Mayer, and acquitted his natural rasp and soulful qualities well a few other times, most of this season was spent watching CJ visibly strain to sing his heart out, while not actually technically singing very well. One of this season’s most common features was judge Harry Connick Jr. telling CJ he needed to spend his downtime listening to other artists sing on pitch and practice intonation, often on the heels of painfully out-of-tune performances (like last night’s rendition of The Zac Brown Band’s “Whatever It Is”). Still, CJ’s passion and likeability were and are impossible to deny, and no one will watch him go with a less than fond opinion.

*His fellow contestants (and the judges and audience and producers and everybody else) were clearly sorry to see him go. Jessica Meuse and Jena Irene visibly cried as CJ sang his final solo and gave host Ryan Seacrest some last words, then CJ was pulled into a big group hug with the remaining contestants. Then his teary-eyed mother and aunt were summoned from their seats in the audience to hug him onstage while judges Harry, Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban gave him a final standing O and then moved forward to likewise give him a warm send-off.

**Again, no one can fault CJ as far as tenacity, integrity or likeability go, but it’s something of a crime that this contestant, who was rarely memorable even five minutes after he’d performed, outlasted big-voiced teen Malaya Watson (eliminated two weeks ago at #8) and even sublime country boy Dexter Roberts (eliminated last week at #7).

Again, CJ was lucky to make it this far, but his exit leaves us with a Top Five that could’ve been telegraphed ahead of time, but not without doubts. Oh, Caleb Johnson’s been Idol’s go-to guy for real entertainment since Hollywood Week, Alex Preston, along with Caleb, has never been in the Bottom Three, and Jena Irene might be this year’s real find, a little girl with a big, powerful, different-sounding voice. They’re joined by Jessica Meuse, who was in the Bottom Two alongside the eliminated contestant for the second week in a row, and Sam Woolf, who, of course, was saved by the judges after being bound for departure three weeks ago.

I haven’t done my power rankings in a while, so here they are, with some bonus extra thoughts since it’s The Top Five!

1. Caleb Johnson

While there have been times this season when Caleb’s noisy, howling rock renditions have seemed a little same-old, same-old, they’re usually followed up the next week by epics that you can’t miss. His Top 15 Guys performance of “Stay With Me” remains the tune that has most stuck in my head, of all the performances this season. He’s big and loud, but he’s got a great pure voice, sings with absolutely undeniable passion and energy, and yet he can still slow things down and impress (his covers of Adele’s “Skyfall” and Journey’s “Faithfully” were among his best). And, of course, this week, he might as well have only performed once (the Top Six all sang two solos this week). His cover of the Black Crowes’ “Sting Me” blew away the judges, and That Moment where he accidentally dropped his mic mid-song, dove for it, and recovered it in time to sing in tune has already become legendary. Caleb hasn’t been in the Bottom Three (or Two) at any point this season, and seems like close to a lock for the finale.

2. Jena Irene

Caleb’s partner in crime (and prom-date-to-be) is another one of this season’s most recognizable contestants, with her big, dark hair and big, throaty voice. Her duel performances last night—Heart’s “Barracuda” and Carrie Underwood’s “So Small”—won her the usual acclaim from the judges, who rave about how she’s only 17 and about how her journey (from Wild Card pick to front-runner) has been amazing to watch. It’s been pretty great. Her offbeat voice remains kinda divisive, but she’s another one who never, ever appears to be phoning it in or taking anything for granted, and she’s successfully covered The Rolling Stones, Adele and Paramore, among many others. Had I done Power Rankings two weeks ago, Jena would’ve been #1. Is a Best Buddies “Jeleb” Finale a Future Cert?

3. Alex Preston

While Alex’s rendition of the popular Neon Trees’ song “Animal” was entertaining last night, it was one of his most technically Off performances of the season. His songs aren’t usually loud and blaring and cringe-worthy. He brought it back with a beautifully-simplistic rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind”. While Alex started this season as the “weird”, “different”, “quirky”, “offbeat” contestant with the quasi-Seagulls hair, pointed nose, mumbled speaking and awkward I-Just-Farted grin, he’s quickly become one of the can’t-miss acts, as he’s brought a loving, acoustic sound, and undeniable burning passion, to everything from No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” and One Direction’s “The Story of My Life” to The Police’s “I’ll Be Watching You”. He’s been so reliably good that, after his less-than-stellar rendition of “Animal” last night, no less than “Harsh” Harry Connick Jr. admitted Alex essentially gets a pass. Then he nailed it with his second performance. Like Caleb, Alex has been safe all season, and he’s the one most likely to spoil a Jeleb Finale.

4. Sam Woolf

Well, look what the judges’ save hath wrought! At different times this season, Sam has seemed either brilliant or dead in the water. He entered the Top 13 as one of the favorites after impressing the judges in the final Hollywood Round by singing an original song he wrote about his mom, and beautifully singing his way through David Gray’s “Babylon” in Rush Week, but a lack of passion and real energy have plagued this 17-year-old ever since. His Week 8 “ouster” was his third week in a row in the Bottom Three, despite the consistent shrieks of teenage girls at the very mention of his existence. Sam’s got a great, great voice, so great that Harry has actually encouraged him from time to time to “mess up” his voice in order to make his songs a little more lively. And, sometimes, even singing inches away from swooning teen girls who would marry him on the spot if he asked, Sam has seemed wooden and lost. That said, another David Gray cover last week and an Imagine Dragons/Shania Twain combo this week showed that he’s growing. By God, you can actually Feel Something when this guy sings now, actually picture him doing his own concert! I think Sam’s Adoring Girl fan base could carry him as far as the Top Three, but he shouldn’t win this year…but this is the tip of the iceberg for this 17-year-old with a “buttah” (thanks, Keith, for a new word) voice.

5. Jessica Meuse

In the Bottom Two alongside CJ Thursday night, when asked if she would have done anything differently in retrospect, Jessica answered: “No. I’m always true to myself. That’s what matters.”  Which wasn’t a surprising thing for her to say at all, even when she was knocking on the door of elimination. A self-made artist with a long history performing in bars in her native Alabama, Jessica clearly has hints of stubbornness and significant pride, as always looks quietly furious when anyone, even the judges, dare to say she was less than perfect. One senses that she always believes, as she said, as long as she did what she wanted to do and believed in, she’s happy. In a word, she’s never QUITE escaped the Drama Queen label she earned in Hollywood Week. However, it speaks volumes that her single best performance this year was a rendition of her own song, one she performed in her audition, called “Blue-Eyed Lie”. She’s got a great, raspy voice and has typically acquitted it well, but her performances tend to be a little boring. She’s tried livening up with the likes of Miranda Lambert, but Jessica, who’s Bottom Two appearances these last few weeks have been her first foray into danger, might be the overall weakest link in this Top Five.