How Did Top 6 Perform on American Idol Season 6?

It was all about hope and inspiration tonight as America Idol kicked off their “Idol Gives Back” campaign. Where each vote up to 50 million was worth 10 cents for charity from FOX parent company News Corp. Regular sponsors, Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T were thanked multiple times for their undisclosed support for “Idol Gives Back.” Tomorrow will be a two-hour results show with plenty of performers and pleas for you to make a donation.

Overall, I would say that the singing performances were good. It will be interesting to see who ends up in the bottom three after giving voters two phone numbers for each contestant and an extra two hours to vote.

Did I completely miss something or did they say that Bono was the guest mentor, but we never saw any mentoring? Was I dreaming, did I just make it up in my head? Or, did I see it in the ads and hear Ryan say it at the beginning of the show? It makes me think I am losing it.

Anyways, what did they sing and how did they do?

American Idol Season 6 – Top 6 Performance Rankings:

1. Jordin Sparks – She was the last to take the stage and sang, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” She was very good. For me, it was the first time I felt she was connected with the song and wasn’t just singing it. There was some real emotion behind it. Randy thought it was so good, he it might be the “best vocals” they have heard “from any season.” Paula thought it was a “glorious” performance. Simon thought she was “fantastic” and “could have a hit record with that” song.
2. Melinda Doolittle – She was second to sing and chose “There Will Be A Day.” She was once again fantastic. Randy thinks she has “arrived.” Paula told her she was “magical” and there is “no one like you.” Simon thought it was a “vocal master class.”
3. Chris Richardson – He was first to go and his performance started out a bit rough for me, but he sounded pretty good for him as the song went on. He sang, “If I Could Change the World.” Randy thought he was finally “in it to win it.” Paula thought it was “fantastic.” Simon told him that it was a “good vocal” and a “more sexy performance.
4. LaKisha Jones – She chose “I Believe,” which if I remember correctly was the song that vaulted Fantasia into the front and her eventual win. I don’t think it was a great song choice, although I thought she did better than the judges seemed to. Randy thought it had some “pitch problems” and Paula told her she is a “powerhouse vocalist,” but basically she liked the Fantasia version better, although it took Simon to translate her mumbling into something coherent. Simon was once again worried about “the shouting.” It was nothing like last week in the shouting department, but it paled in comparison to when Fantasia sung it. She was the fourth to take the stage.
5. Blake Lewis – He was third and went with John Lennon’s “Imagine.” I thought it was a pretty solid performance, but a tad boring. It was just “kinda all right” for Randy. Paula thought it was the “first sensitive or emotional performance” he had given. Simon said he “sang it with sincerity.”
6. Phil Stacey – He was next to last to sing and chose “The Change.” It was weird for me to her him sing a song by a country artist without any country flavor in his performance. Especially after last week’s really good Country week he had. I thought he sounded a bit scratchy in places and more opera than country. Randy thought it was “another strong performance.” Paula thought it was his “best.” Simon thought that if he could connect more with the country elements he could keep going because “people like you.”

That would make my bottom three Blake, LaKisha and Phil, two of which were in the bottom three last week. And, like last week I think they will be safe and Phil, who was safe last week, will be heading home to spend some quality time with his kids.

Who do you think will receive the least votes out of the Top 6 remaining on American Idol Season 6?