Kellie Pickler Duets With ‘American Idol’ Contestants
Last night on American Idol, 12 of the Top 24 contestants were put to the test when they had to prove they could stack up against some of Idols biggest and brightest former stars.
Nashville natives Tristan McIntosh and Amelia Eisenhauer each had a chance to duet with season five finalist Kellie Pickler.
For the McIntosh/Pickler duet, the two performed Kellie’s smash-hit, “Best Days of Your Life.” The performance was one the judges enjoyed, but highlighted McIntosh’s youth and inexperience.
“Pretty good. It was pretty darn good,” Harry Connick, Jr. explained. “I encourage you to make sure you don’t rush. Make sure that you sing, I use the phrase ‘in the pocket’ a lot. I think you know what that means. And also, be aware of where you are on the stage. A lot of times, Kellie was standing there. She planted her feet and she sang, in contrast to you. You seem to wander a little bit. Make sure you know who you are. That is purely experience and it’s purely hours on the stage that will probably come, but I saw a little bit of inexperience. You’re 15 so it’s bound to happen. Pretty good job.”
“I felt like it was tricky for you to open with the harmony below Kellie,” expressed Keith Urban. “That was tricky, right? It felt stronger for you once you got into the melody where you could really sing the thing. But it was a little shaky pitch wise. It’s hard to hang on to that one because it’s just going for it. You’re like this unbridled horse.”
Pickler revisited her time on the show when she performed Sara Evans’ “Suds In The Bucket,” a songs she sang in season five, with current contestant Amelia Eisenhauer. Eisenhauer not only showcased her vocal abilities, but also her fiddle playing skills during the song.
“One of my favorite things is to see somebody who’s young and up-and-coming and to see somebody like Kellie, who’s still very young and up-and-coming and not even at the prime of her life really, but clearly who has a tremendous amount of experience, and try to school a youngster like you and you come out fighting. I love that. I thought that was absolutely terrific,” Connick said excitedly.
“I felt exactly the same,” Urban agreed. “I thought it was such a great song for you to do and I thought the spirit was great. You stepped up to the plate in a big way. It was great to see you play too, Amelia.”
“You felt right at home with Kellie. I think Kellie was really good for you,” Jennifer Lopez added. “She was probably the perfect mentor for you and you were really lucky to have that and it showed in your performance. It was a really good job.”
Following the conclusion of the duets, five of the 12 contestants who performed that night were sent home. For Eisenhauer, it was the end of the road. McIntosh was chosen to move on to next week’s first live show with Lee Jean, Olivia Rox, Jenn Blosil, Dalton Rapattoni, Manny Torres and Trent Harmon. They round out the Top 14 with last week’s LaPorsha Renae, Sonika Vaid, Avalon Young, Gianna Isabella, Thomas Stringfellow, MacKenzie Bourg and Jeneve Rose Mitchell.
Next Wednesday, Feb. 24, the judges will choose their top eight singers, with the final six competing for America’s vote to fill the final two slots in the Top 10. The results of the vote will be revealed on Thursday’s show (2/25), with the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, returning to perform and serve as a guest judge.
Did the judges get the Top 14 right? Sound off in the comments below!
Tristan McIntosh and Kellie Pickler sing “Best Days of Your Life”
Amelia Eisenhauer and Kellie Pickler sing “Suds In The Bucket”
