'American Idol' Top 13 Perform Spirited Tributes To Personal Idols

It may not have been live, but Wednesday night's (March 9) pre-taped "American Idol" top-13 performance show was lively, with plenty of surprises as this year's baker's dozen sought to solidify their onstage personalities off the bat.

That meant that bearded lad-killer Casey Abrams served up some more gritty soul, Naima Adedapo showed off her reggae flair and Scott McCreery, well, let's just say he stuck with the "good ol' boy" songbook.

But first up on "Your Personal Idol" night was precocious teen Lauren Alaina, who sang a song by her musical inspiration, country/pop superstar Shania Twain. Sounding a bit out of breath, Alaina swiveled her hips to "Any Man of Mine" and used all her considerable 16-year-old hair-flipping charm and reedy country twang to win over the crowd.

Showing his tough side, Steven Tyler said he loved the song, but just wished it had been "a little more kickass" and Jennifer Lopez said it was time to shift into a higher gear. Randy Jackson said it was good, but didn't allow Alaina to unleash her big, versatile voice.

Abrams was right in the pocket with Joe Cocker's cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," and mentor Jimmy Iovine encouraged him to feel the song with every inch of his body. Starting off sitting on the steps and singing in a soft, cuddly voice, Abrams did a slow walk down-stage as a group of gospel backup singers joined him, and his voice climbed into a high, raspy wail. Though it took a bit to warm up, by the end, Abrams was throwing in some bluesy improvisational howls that showed off his gritty side.

Lopez said she was beside herself, telling a smiling Abrams, "[You] blew me away," with Randy chiming in that he can always count on Casey to hit the notes and provide a show. "You are a rainbow of talent, man ... and you are a plethora of passion," Tyler tossed in.

After scooting in as a wild card, Ashthon Jones went with Randy's suggestion to sing Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me." She opened a bit shaky with some flat, breathy notes and never seemed to really find the right groove, singing a competent, but not stellar version of the tune.

Randy deemed it safe, but complimented her for recognizing when she was going off key and pulling it back. Lopez said she also saw some budding professionalism in Jones' stagecraft, but encouraged her to find more popular songs that the audience can sing along to.

Speaking of somewhat obscure songs, resident quirky guy Paul McDonald chose indie singer/songwriter Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up." Wearing a military jacket, McDonald seduced the crowed with a whispery delivery, building up and bouncing all around the stage like Coldplay's Chris Martin, mixing arena stagecraft with an intimate, understated delivery.

It was a bit pitchy for Tyler, who said he still loves anything Paul sings, praising his unique character. Jennifer said McDonald's infectious smile translated into some grins in the crowd, but she wondered whether the song was too obscure.

Sudden frontrunner Pia Toscano tried to solidify her status with Celine Dion's version of the big weeper "All By Myself." Wearing a skintight golden mini-dress, Toscano looked the part and hit he kind of showy notes a diva has to have in her pocket.

Saying she topped even last week's Pretenders showstopper, Lopez called it simply beautiful and Randy said despite taking on one of the dreaded big-three female singers, Pia nailed it.

The last person you could imagine rocker James Durbin working with is hip-hopper Jim Jonsin, but the Lil Wayne producer put a thick beat to Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Durbin showed his sensitive side while showcasing his contemporary potential.

"Yo, this dude can do anything man. ... James Durbin is dangerous!" Randy gushed, saying he was impressed with JD's versatility. Tyler heaped on some of his twisted praise as well, adding, "James, you have taken everything you've ever felt and kicked it into the middle of next week," whatever that means.

Haley Reinhart has been singing LeAnn Rimes' "Blue" for most of her life, so she set aside the R&B sass for some hip-swaying yodeling and country-gal charm. Tyler was blown away and said Reinhart nailed it as Lopez gave her props for the versatility of her vocals. Randy? He said it was a bit sleepy, like being at a boring luau.

It was R. Kelly's uplifting "I Believe I Can Fly" for former spa concierge Jacob Lusk, who slowed it down into a vibrato-filled pop/gospel skyscraper, complete with a crazy falsetto run in the middle. "Pure passion, pure music, I can't even judge ya, that's how good you are," Tyler said, kicking off a three-judge love-fest.

After getting King of Pop comparisons last week, 16-year-old Thia Megia chose Michael Jackson's (via Charlie Chaplin) "Smile," bringing an old-school, jazz-diva class to the gentle ballad before a corny hip-hop-lite beat broke in and she kicked it up a notch. Randy loved the soft, Adele-like acoustic intro, but he and Steven thought it went a bit pitchy and wobbly in the second half.

Talk about staying in your lane: Wild card Stefano Langone chose Stevie Wonder's "Lately" and Karen Rodriguez kept tapping into her Latin background with Selena's "I Could Fall in Love," while resident country boy McCreery opted for Garth Brooks' very trad "The River."

Langone over-emoted a bit and producer Polow Da Don's thumping beat overwhelmed him at times, forcing Stefano to rush to keep up and keep the spotlight on his often-crystalline vocals. Selena superfan Rodriguez got a Beyonc é-like beat from Jonsin, but her pageant-y performance and sparkly jumpsuit fell a bit flat. And McCreery promised to not change things up too much, keeping it very old-school twangy, down to the rolling-plains backdrop and his signature froggy delivery.

Despite the difficult arrangement, Tyler and Lopez liked the dance remix in Langone's performance and Jackson said he did Wonder proud. The news was not as good for Rodriguez, with Lopez saying it was clear she was uncomfortable with some of the notes and Randy concerned it was not unique enough and a bit sleepy. "If it ain't broke, don't even consider fixin' it," the big Dawg counseled McCreery, encouraging Scotty to stay right where he is.

The "pimp" spot belonged to wild-card contestant Naima Adedapo, who sang the only (kind of) contemporary song of the night, Rihanna's 2007 smash "Umbrella." Working with the original song's producer, "Tricky" Stewart, Naima made the most of her second chance, showing off her popping-and-locking moves and throwing in an unexpected fierce dancehall reggae breakdown.

Even with some pitchy notes, Tyler applauded how she brought the flavor and Lopez said the few bum notes didn't matter, "You got fire, girl!" She suggested Naima work on her vocal control amid all the dancing.

"Idol" execs promised they would get music out from the finalists much faster this year thanks to Interscope boss Iovine's influence, and they weren't kidding. For the first time in "Idol" history, the show provided studio versions of the songs performed on Wednesday night's show at the iTunes store on a compilation album available right after the broadcast.

With help from such producers as Rodney Jerkins, the Rock Mafia, Jonsin, Ron Fair and Stewart, the songs will be sold both as a compilation album for $7.99 and as individual tracks.

Thursday night's live results show will feature sets from "Idol" alum Adam Lambert and Diddy-Dirty Money.

Who was your favorite top 13 "Idol" performer? Tell us in the comments!

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