Idol 2012: Top 8, 80's Week

Heejun gone! He was one of the two right choices. And the other right choice was buried at the top of the show tonight. Huzzah!

• Deandre Brackensick - I Like It (by Debarge) - Bury him at the top of the show, I like it. MUCH better than last week, but still not a fan. 
• Elise Testone - I Wanna Know What Love Is (by Foreigner) - Would have loved her to do "Hallelujah", too… I think "tour de force" is the word I'm searching for here. Apparently I saw a different performance than the judges…
• Colton Dixon & Skylar Laine - Islands in the Stream (by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton) - Cute. Seemed artificial, but I liked the harmonies.
• Phil Phillips - That's All (by Genesis) - Seemed tentative at points, but worked it out by the end. Nothing we haven't seen from Phil though…
• Hollie Cavanagh & Deandre Brackensick - I'm So Excited (by The Pointer Sisters) - Hollie doing an uptempo song is a breath of fresh air. The performance can't escape Deandre, though…
• Josh Ledet - If You Don't Know Me by Now (by Simply Red) - Haven't we seen this same exact performance from Josh already? 
• Jessica Sanchez - How Will I Know? (by Whitney Houston) - Not shabby. Nothing shocking, which is probably expected, given it's Jessia singing Whitney.
• Phil Phillips & Elise Testone - Stop Dragging My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty - Loved this, as expected. But Phil, dear, keep the guitar.
• Hollie Cavanagh - What a Feeling (by Irene Cara) - I was excited for this after hearing Hollie's duet… but a misfire. Shaky performance that never got to where it needed to go. Actually, it came off incredibly desperate.
• Josh Ledet & Jessica Sanchez - I Knew You Were Waiting for Me (by Aretha Franklin & George Michael) - That was fun.
• Colton Dixon - Time After Time (by Cyndi Lauper) - Loved the arrangement, but vocals were a touch messy. Still, probably my favorite thus far. And giving credit to the band responsible for the arrangement? How un-Idol like!
• Skylar Laine - Wind Beneath My Wings (by Bette Midler) - Beautiful performance. Perfect choice after last week's performance, that's for sure. Best of the night.

Another strong night, all in all. I'm not totally convinced there is an absolute star this season, but this is a very strong season in it's own right. I'd be happy with no less than 4 contestants winning, which just may be a new personal record for me at this point...

Winner of the Night... Skylar. She took a VERY recognizable song, put her own personal stamp on it, and hit it out of the park. Great stuff.

Better watch out... Deandre and Hollie. The former turned in a completely unmemorable performance leading off the show... never good. And Hollie completely misfired on her solo. Given that she's a girl, she's my pick to go home this week.