Joshua's Got A Way

Source: [NOLA.com]

Billy Joel music was the theme of Wednesday’s (March 21) performance episode of “American Idol.” Louisiana’s Joshua Ledet got stuck with “She’s Got a Way,” and struggled a bit until a choir took the stage to elevate the concluding bars.



Recapper Kevin Rutherford @ Billboard.com nonetheless put Ledet in his “Definitely In” category to survive Thursday’s vote-off episode, scheduled to air at 7 p.m. on WVUE-TV.

"Here's the thing about Joshua's performance: if you've heard the original, it's probably not your bag. If it was your first time hearing the tune, you probably found it to be yet another astounding performance from the singer. So, take your pick. I thought Joshua did the best he could with "She's Got a Way" considering he'd never heard the song before -- not surprisingly, Billy Joel isn't his forte. Jennifer didn't think he felt the lyrics, while Steven thought he sang his life into the song. The performance is polarizing, but I think the general consensus will be positive."

More reviews/commentary on Joshua's performance:



Amy Reiter @ LATimes.com:

Really, Mr. Tyler, you've never heard Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way"? Aren't you the same guy Ryan Seacrest portrayed as some kind of Billy Joel expert at the top of the show? (They've shared the stage; Joel has introduced Tyler as his "old friend.") Aren't you a musician? Weren't you alive in the '80s? Have the intervening years of enthusiastically hard living obliterated a few memory cells?

Lisa de Moraes @ WashingtonPost.com:

Joshua does not wear a tux on stage. He is, however, wearing a dark jacket. He is a bit lost in the song until a gospel choir comes on stage to back him and this simple little love song begins to sound like the road to redemption.
JLo says he lacked conviction; Randy calls it half a good performance. Tyler follows along the same lines. Then they spend exactly as much time as they’d spent giving pointers in apologizing for giving pointers.

Melissa Locker @ RollingStone.com:

Joshua Ledet is more special than an all-black outfit, according to Tommy Hilfiger. But Joshua must have low self-esteem, because when he shows up on stage to sing "She's Got a Way," he's still wearing all black. His performance with a backing choir is a crowd-pleaser, but when they cut to the judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson are deep in conversation. Turns out J.Lo didn't think Joshua really connected with the lyrics. Luckily Steven Tyler disagrees and says the complete opposite. Randy agrees with them both. This is undoubtedly extremely helpful to the young singer. The judges then swear they love him and that he is also one of the best singers on the competition.