Phillip Phillips did "The Letter" by The Box Tops -- he made it his own, added a more songwriter element. Did it work? The judges thought so, but we disagree. The lack of melody was disinteresting and made it hard to connect with the song. Yet Phillips will sail through to the next round if only because he's already established such a strong fan base. Phillips also sang "Time Of The Season," and had a much more interesting showing.
Skylar Laine took on "Fortunate Son" by Credence Clearwater Revival. Never have we seen Laine have so much fun on stage, and it was infectious. While Cavanagh 's performance may have been the biggest surprise of the night, Laine's was more memorable for engagement alone. She also sang "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me."
Then we have Jessica Sanchez, singing "Proud Mary," also Tina Turner style. Sanchez tried out her dance moves, and they may not have competed with Turner's, but they were fun and a new take on Sanchez's expected performance approach. Sanchez may still seem uncomfortable with showing personality on stage, but at least she's trying. She sang "You Are So Beautiful" as her Brit pop selection.
Finally, Joshua Ledet performed "To Love Somebody" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations . The latter was the perfect choice for Ledet's performance style, old-school and classic. However, where Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanagh and even Jessica Sanchez worked the stage, Ledet remained relatively stationary by comparison. It was a strong vocal showing, but Ledet took no risks whatsoever. At this point in the competition, that's what it's about -- and that's what will place him in the bottom three during tonight's results show.
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