"American Idol's" Top 20 rounded out Thursday night, with the final 5 male finalists surviving the final "sudden death" round. And while she was almost brought to tears by Zoanette's performance Wednesday, one of the guys had her feeling real good Thursday night.
Did stuttering standout Lazaro Arbos make it through? And what of Gurpeet Singh Sarin aka "The Turbanantor"? Read on to find out who made the cut.
1. Vincent Powell
Vincent is a worship leader who sang backup for Whitney Houston, so you know he is good. Vincent covered Lenny Williams' classic "Cause I Love You" like a old school showman. For a minute, I was worried he would get judge Randy Jackson's "too old-fashioned" critique, but the last two notes sealed the deal. Nicki said it the powerful vocals were "sexy old-fashioned" and hit her "somewhere." We can imagine where!
2. Burnell Taylor
Like Vincent, Burnell is also a bespectacled singer, but his voice is very different. There's a real sincerity to it, and I love how he uses his hands when he sings, like he's casting a spell. His rendition of John Legend's "This Time" was stylish -- the placement of his runs, his dynamics, etc. On top of it, Burnell dropped 40 pounds! "This time I'll give you more," he sang ... and he did.
3. Cortez Shaw
Cortez got the cocky edit (like Curtis Finch, Jr.) during the audition rounds. His slowed down version of David Guetta and Sia's "Titanium" was really shaky for the first two-thirds. But he brought it home in the last third, "hitting the mark" as Keith Urban said. Good range, but not so good performance. Still, it was enough to get through.
4. Lazaro Arbos
Lazaro's story has been inspiring all season -- a Cuban immigrant who has fought his stuttering to succeed. Lazaro wears his heart on his sleeve. He covered Keith's "Tonight I Want To Cry," and while the performance was an emotional one, it wasn't a good vocal -- too breathy and pitchy in places. Lazaro was sent through, but I'm afraid he'll be swallowed by the competition.
5. Nick Boddington
Nick made it really far last season, and has this nice singer-songwriter vibe. Covering James Morrison's "Say Something Now" was a good choice, but I agree with the judges that there was something lacking, especially compared to a showman like Vincent. I'm afraid he'll get outshone by bigger personalities, despite having a good voice.
Unfortunately, that meant The Turbanator was cut, as was the super commercial Josh Holiday, who probably would've made it through had he not done an original song. I felt Bryant Tadeo demonstrated more control than both Cortez and Lazaro, but he got cut as well.
Did the judges make the right decision? Tell toofab in the comments below.
