Rayvon Owen, Jax Cole, Clark Beckham and Nick Fradiani performed three times each, and one was sent home on American Idol.

American Idol Top 4 Perform

Before the Top 3 were announced, each contestant performed three times for America’s votes: once Scott Borchetta pick, one song to dedicate to their hometown and one pick from the judges.

Rayvon Owen

Borchetta chose Jason Derulo’s “Want to Want Me” for Rayvon. Rayvon milked his falsetto for all it was worth during his performance, and it worked nicely with his upbeat performance. Rayvon is usually singing ballads, so it did sound as if he was struggling to catch his breath throughout the verses.

Rayvon went back to his comfort zone with his hometown pick: Stevie Wonder’s “As.” Not quite a ballad, the mid-tempo song allowed Rayvon to pretty much stay in the same spot throughout the performance, letting him sing without running out of breath.

The judges had Rayvon slow it down even more with their pick: Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.” This song was right in Rayvon’s sweet spot, letting him show off his powerful belt and controlled falsetto.

Clark Beckham

Borchetta, who fought with Clark last week, challenged him with U2’s “Beautiful Day.” The song was clearly a stretch for Clark, but he started out strong. Unfortunately, Clark struggled to mold his voice to the song, hitting a few sour notes, including his off-pitch big finish. Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. were both underwhelmed by the performance, but Jennifer Lopez loved it.

For his second performance, Clark returned to his roots, singing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” for his hometown from behind his piano. Clark’s soulful performance was perfectly nice, and it was fun to see Clark add a little grit to his crooning, but he had a few vocal issues that kept him from delivering the kind of show stopping performance needed to win the competition. The judges liked the performance, but they didn’t love it. Connick Jr. called it “nice,” while J Lo said it was “really good.”

The judges mixed it up a little with Clark’s third performance, giving him The Weeknd’s “Earned It” off the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. The sexy track was odd coming from Clark – not because he isn’t sexy, but because he performed it with such a smooth attitude. That said, odd isn’t necessarily bad; in fact the judges loved Clark’s performance, as did the audience. “I saw and heard and felt things from you I’d never seen, heard, or felt before,” Urban said.

(For American Idol fans who also watch The Voice, it should be noted that “Earned It” was also beautifully performed by Rob Taylor on the NBC singing competition a few weeks ago.)

Nick Fradiani

For Nick Fradiani, Borchetta chose Bruce Springsteen’s “Because the Night,” a song that was right up Nick’s alley. Nick is increasingly comfortable on the Idol stage, and he owned this performance with impressive confidence. JLo didn’t connect with the performance, saying she didn’t believe Nick really meant what he was singing.

For his hometown song, Nick decided to sing the somewhat literal “Back Home” by Andy Grammer. It was a smart choice for Nick, who stepped out from behind his guitar for the performance, allowing him to interact a bit more with the audience and move around the stage. Once again, Nick’s comfort on stage seems to grow with each performance, and the entire crowd was loving it. “Each week you get better and better,” J Lo said.

Nick ended the night with Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be.” The song may be somewhat overplayed, especially in Idol world, but Nick’s sincere performance was absolutely swoon-worthy. Urban gave him a nice standing ovation and Connick Jr. told him he “nailed that song.”

Jax Cole

Borchetta encouraged Jax to go full rock ‘n’ roll with The Who’s “My Generation.”Jax’s rasp and fun onstage attitude were perfectly suited to make this classic song electric on the Idol stage. Unlike Rayvon, Jax has no problem letting lose on big notes while also running around the stage and engaging with the band and audience.

Jax’s hometown song was a bit more melancholic than others, singing Evanescence’s “My Immortal,” accompanying herselfon the piano. Jax’s slow, nuanced take on the song was beautiful, and she had the audience completely transfixed. The judges gushed over the performance, and even Connick Jr. could barely speak, he was so in awe.

Finally, for Jax’s judges pick, she was tasked with singing Paramore’s “Misery Business.” While the judges were expecting another punk, rock performance from Jax, she switched it up, taking a more subtle approach to the song and adding a flamingo sound with a guitar. It was certainly an impressive risk for Jax, but the judges weren’t so sure it paid off. Urban called the performance “odd” and Connick Jr. told Jax it was her weakest performance of the night.

Rayvon Owen Eliminated

When it was finally time for elimination, the crowd was screaming for Jax to make it through, but they weren’t disappointed when Ryan Seacrest announced that the first to make it into the Top 3 was Nick. As Seacrest got ready to announce the third and final name making it through to next week, again audience members screamed out “JAAAAAAX!” And they were finally right. Jax was ushered into the Top 3, and Rayvon was sent home.

The Top 3 will perform next week on American Idol, Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.