The Semifinals are full of surprises, both from frontrunners and from singers you might have counted out.
But during the Semifinal performances, many singers made surprising choices both for good and for ill.
But his chances are looking a little less certain after his unsteady take on Ella Hendersons Ghost.
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
When Barrett first announces hell be singing this soul-pop record, Im excited at the possibilities.
(And how could anyone not be hooked by Barretts promise to make the song swampier?)
But in practice, the performance doesnt quite come off.
Ghost has rhythm and real broken-hearted power behind its lyrics.
Shelby Brown, who sings next, has never been a frontrunner.
She chooses to sing Even God Must Get the Blues by Jo Dee Messina.
At first, shes fretful over choosing a lesser-known song (and Im nodding along with that fear).
I get a Carrie Underwood vibe as she gives herself over to the raw emotion of this number.
Normally, Im not a fan of melodramatic ballads, but Shelby sings the pants off this song.
Whether or not she moves forward, she just gave herself the biggest boost she possibly could have.
After Shelby comes Team GwensJeffery Austin.
Unfortunately, there was no clinching.
The glorious stream of musical excellence I expected to burst forth from Jefferys lips did not come.
Instead, his performance of Chers Believe was one of his worst of the season.
Once Gwen said Jefferys arrangement sounded like Elton John, I was fully on board.
But his Believe was missing all the subtlety and finesse weve heard from him before.
But once again, those doubters would be wrong.
What pours out of Braiden is angelic.
His voice is so much clearer and more technically sound than on his past rock performances.
This was a season highlight for Braiden (and for me).
EvenZach Seabaughgot the memo about changing things up tonight.
He debuts his first non-country performance, Miley Cyrus The Climb.
Theres no Elvis impression tonight.
Zach is all guitar-strumming sincerity on this inspirational song about uphill battles.
Its quite on the nose, considering the singers current position.
The understated song has no bells and whistles, no jarring rearrangements or 90s nostalgia.
Its a pure, unfettered take on a classic.
Im so used to her breathy half-whisper that her fuller notes come as a pleasant surprise.
Those dynamics allow her to connect emotionally on a whole different level.
Make You Feel My Love is her best performance yet.
It feels like weve gotten a glimpse of Amys heart.
The final singer of the night is, of course,Jordan Smith.
The guy has been narrowing in on victory since the very first time he appeared on stage.
And just in case you forgot who owns this season, hes here to remind you tonight.
By the end, hes on his knees, and the crowd is on its feet.
This performance would have made Freddie Mercury proud.
