'American Idol' recap: Girls Rule, Boys Drool

Nick Boddington -- I was impressed by Nick's piano-driven snippet during the Hollywood round, but tonight's cover of James Morrison (again?!)'s "Say Something Now" was a total snoozefest. Nothing jumped out at me as something I'd want to see or hear more of. It just drove home the fact that these Vegas performances were 100 percent just for show and that the producers already had the Top 20 list engraved into a plaque above Nigel Lythgoe's vanity mirror. I do think Nick will step it up next time, so I'm not mad about it. Just severely underwhelmed.

Vincent Powell -- Ooh! Saved the best for last. This worship leader, vocal teacher, and former backup singer for Whitney Houston (!!!), is #inittowinit, which I honestly can't believe Idol is pushing as a hashtag this season. Last season, maybe. Season 10, for sure. Right now it is making me rage.

Anyway, Vincent ran the full gamut of vocal antics throughout Lenny Williams' "Cause I Love You," and somehow did so without ever over-performing. He obviously knew exactly what he'd do -- there were hundreds of tiny choices involved -- but nothing about it seemed forced or choreographed. He was the definition of "a connection to the song" -- Keith's wish for many of the other guys.

I worry that Vincent's sound won't be current enough for many voters to care, but then again Nicki had a great, albeit hyper-trashy point when she told Vincent she could envision "a whole bunch of 50- and 40-year-old women throwing their panties at you." And really, what has one's professional singing career been leading up to if not that?

"GET IT, PAPA SMURF. WORK!" belched Zoanette during a special Seacrest check-in following Vincent's soul-fest. That's her boo. "That's mah boo boo," Zoanette clarified.

To channel Mariah this time: "All I can say is FINALLY. Period." The recap is over. Am I right?

See the full Top 20 of Season 12 here.

Your thoughts on tonight? Is "worship leader" the new "unemployed"?

*

RELATED: Enough with the side eye, Nicki Minaj!

Follow @EWAnnieBarrett

Read more:
All 'American Idol' recaps on EW.com
Zoanette Johnson: Really, 'American Idol'?! -- VIDEO
Mariah Carey gets the Nicki Minaj phone call: A dramatization
'American Idol': 12 Wishes for Season 12

PREVIOUS Page 1 2 3 4