Philip Phillips has made it to the Top 4 on the 11th season of American Idol. There is a fair amount of negative reaction to his still being here, but that is apparently only from hardcore fans who realize he is the biggest threat to their favorite. Some people just can’t handle the fact that Philip isn’t a diva singer like Jessica or a screamer like Hollie or Joshua. He is not that type of singer, and his talent goes beyond a limited set of traditional factors used to judge talent.
The top 4 was just announced, so it should be a day or two before we find out the theme. Additionally, song choices are released this year a few hours before the Wednesday performance shows. Unfortunately, they do not say who is singing which songs. So we have to wait until the live show to know what Philip will be singing in the Top 4.
In my opinion, the show wanted to use Philip for ratings but has attempted to downplay his talent and chance for a moment. With a guy like this, a moment would consist of just sitting there with a guitar in the dark with a spotlight on him and no one else on stage. He can own the stage if given that opportunity. In all likelihood, the producers do not even want him to win. But the voters have kept him out of the bottom 3 for the whole season.
The only thing I can recommend for Philip in terms of song choice is to rearrange songs and play the guitar. There’s no sense in trying to reinvent the wheel now, and he doesn’t have the versatility to do something different, anyway. Some of his rearrangements don’t flow all that well, so he should be careful to make them as catchy as possible to keep the casual crowd entertained.
Watch Philip Phillips and the others compete in the Top 4 on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. I will add the theme or other information as it becomes available.