The Top 11 took the stage again last night, thanks to the only Judges’ Save being used to save Casey Abrams from elimination last week. And while last week’s Top 11 gave their all on the stage, this week’s Top 11 left a lot to be desired.

Like singing worth listening to.

With all the undersinging and underperforming that went on last night, it’s no surprise that the night left me feeling very underwhelmed. Too many of the contestants chose power ballads only to remove all power from them. What should have been grand slams ended up being strike outs. Others attempted to sass and jazz up their performances, only to leave all traces of anything resembling a decent performance on the arrangement room floor.

Last week I struggled to fill out my Worst Performances of the Night list, the first time that had happened all season. This week, the problem was trying to limit the worst performances to just three. And like the contestants last night, I failed at that task.

The third worst performance of the night is a tie between Haley Reinhart and Stefano Langone. Haley’s screeching and growling ruined any chance of her doing a decent job with “Bennie & The Jets,” and her attempts to be sexy with her drawn out “sssssssssss” sounds made her come across as desperate. Stefano’s attempt to sing “Tiny Dancer” resulted in a tiny voice that had no dance to it. Despite what the judges thought, Stefano did not connect with the song or with the audience, and this duel elimination week should see him bite the dust. Haley fans won’t have anything to worry about, as people voting for her this week didn’t hear her sing. They were too busy looking at her legs.

The second worst performance of the night goes to Paul McDonald. If there was ever going to be a time where I would like Paul, I figured Elton John week would be it. And “Rocket Man” should have been an easy home run for the guy. But his arrangement was flat AND he woefully undersang it. The Vote For The Worst people have been able to keep Paul in the competition so far, but his days are very numbered. If he doesn’t go home this week, which I have picked him to do, then I think next week will be his swan song.

The worst performance of the night goes to Naima Adedapo. For some reason she thought it would be a good idea to turn “I’m Still Standing” into a reggae song. She was warned by Jimmy Iovine during rehearsals that this might be too big of a risk, and she should have listened. There were low notes that she never came close to properly hitting. In addition, she lost the key for a while when the song changed keys. I don’t question that Naima has the ability to sing a wide variety of music, but she’s not mature enough yet to do it. I don’t have her in my Bottom 3 this week, but many others are predicting that this is her week to go home.

My list of the Best Performances of the Night was much easier to fill out, but contained two surprises. The first surprise is that Scotty McCreery, who has been on that list every week, didn’t make it this time. The other surprise is that Casey Abrams, someone who I had completely given up on and railed, at depth, about being saved, made the list.

Yes, I’m still sane.

The third best performance of the night goes to Jacob Lusk. His performance of “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” was better than the original. It was tender, restrained, and nearly perfect. He didn’t oversing the song and he kept those annoying mannerisms out of it completely. In addition, Jacob ended the song on a powerful note that wrapped it all up perfectly. In fact, endings are where Jacob excels at, better than just about every other contestant this season. He knows that a wrong note at the end can and will ruin the song, and he makes sure that doesn’t ever happen.

The second best performance of the night goes to the aforementioned Casey Abrams, a contestant that I had given up all hope of ever making this list. Casey showed us back during Hollywood Week that he had the talent to be in the Top 13. But his incessant growing/screeching/screaming has kept him from properly showing us that talent. This week, he left the growling at home and proved to us that the save wasn’t wasted on him. He displayed great vocal control during the song, quietly building the song up to the next-to-last lyric, only to bring it down again and end it on a beautiful note. For me, this was one of those “a-ha” song moments, one I hope he will repeat again.

The best performance of the night shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone: James Durbin. He took one of my all-time least favorite Elton John songs and turned it into a rock anthem classic. Jennifer Lopez told James last night that, “When you’re up there, i forget that it’s a competition show.” And I agree. James brings us a performance each and every week. We are watching him perform on tour, not sing for a chance to win a competition. I sincerely hope that turns into a multi-platinum, multi-album career for him.

So there you go. My picks for the best and worst performances of the night. Hopefully the contestants will bring their A-game again next week. If not, then I just might have to see what else is on TV on Wednesday nights.

What did you think about the performances last night? Do you agree with my picks, or do you think someone else belonged on one of those lists?

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