American Idol is now left with the final four contestants after eliminating Jacob Lusk on Thursday night’s live results. The final four contestants are Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery.
American Idol top 5 finalists
Jacob Lusk got the fewest home viewer votes out of the 60 million votes given after the performance show on Wednesday night, the highest home viewer votes for the season according to host Ryan Seacrest. The top 5 contestants sang one classic and one current song that night. Sixteen year old Lauren Alaina was the other finalist who was in danger of being eliminated after being in the week’s bottom two.
When host Ryan Seacrest asked Jacob about his fondest memory of the show, Jacob said, “I got to share a little bit of me with America and I feel like America has fallen in love with me, and now I can go and put out that good feeling R&B music.”
The Idol judges gave mixed reviews to Jacob’s performance on Wednesday’s show after singing of Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks’ “No Air” and “Love Hurts” by Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers.
The judges wondered if Lusk’s rendition of “No Air” was fitting and appropriate for his image, vocal style and the type of artist Jacob is. Lopez thought that the sound worked for him but Lusk should stick to who he really is. Jackson disagreed saying, “Listen. I think you’re one of the greatest singers here. I don’t think that’s the direction for you. I don’t think anyone on this stage should be trying to sing a duet song and sing both parts. It really kind of made the whole thing corny for me. He has to tell us who he wants to be and we can’t tell him who to be. I see you more as a [Luther Vandross] kid. You’re the church kid. So, to get out of that to go into this really Pop, R&B thing, it just doesn’t wear well. I don’t think it’s where you should go… He’s a new Luther. Don’t be the Chris Brown or the Rihanna. It’s not the way,” Jackson added.
Steve Tyler said, “We love where you’ve gone with your voice, but I’m waiting for you to find your niche — waiting for you to find that certain thing that’s going to make you do the best — that’s going to make you be the American Idol. I love your voice. Every time you sing, you bring something new. But I’m waiting for that certain something that you find is you. 100% percent you — not other people.”
Lusk’s second performance received positive comments from the three judges. Jennifer Lopez said, “I don’t know if everyone heard that little bobble in the middle, but you know how to pull out all the tricks in the end. You really really just brought it home at the end. It was just amazing. When you hear that kind of vocal, it just takes you to another place. Congratulations on doing that, especially having a moment like that in the song. Really good.”
Randy Jackson added, “This is what’s good about tonight. You had the first song, which I wasn’t personally feeling as much, but you redeemed yourself on this one. That is the Jacob right now. And I need to say, I could be wrong, but I think that was the highest note ever sung on this stage. Dude, that was crazy! This is like Mariah Carey! I was like, ‘What is going on up in here?!’”
A video montage after the show showed Lusk saying, “I am a college dropout with a dream, and there’s nothing I want more than this. The one thing that I want everyone to remember is that dreams do come true.” Lusk is looking forward to making a Luther Vandross-like album in the near future.
