'Idol' finalists thrill with Motown tunes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "American Idol" finalist Naima Adedapo was on the move.

The funky 26-year-old dance instructor from Milwaukee injected African dance choreography into her lively rendition of Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" during the Fox talent competition's Motown-themed performance edition Wednesday. "Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez told Adedapo that her routine gave her the "first little goose bumps of the night."

"You definitely have that little extra something on the stage," praised Lopez.

Other singers who impressed the panel included unemployed 22-year-old rocker James Durbin of Santa Cruz, Calif., and 23-year-old spa concierge Jacob Lusk of Compton, Calif. Durbin wailed Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City," while Lusk belted out Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need to Get By," which prompted Steven Tyler to rise from the panel for a hug.

"You know what was wrong with that performance?" asked Randy Jackson. "Absolutely nothing."

Some singers continued to misstep. Lopez again criticized the intensity of Stefano Langone, the unemployed 21-year-old singer from Kent, Wash., who crooned Lionel Ritchie's "Hello," and Jackson told Pia Toscano, the 22-year-old make-up artist from Howard Beach, N.Y., that he didn't want another ballad from her following Stevie Wonder's "All in Love is Fair."

"I know you can do it," said Jackson. "The next time bring something a little bit different to the thing."

Thia Megia, the soothing 16-year-old high school student from Mountain House, Calif., and Haley Reinhart, the growling 20-year-old college student from Wheeling, Ill., successfully recovered from their stumbles last week with their respective renditions of Martha and the Vandellas' "Heatwave" and The Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold on Me."

"This is exactly the kind of singer we thought you were," Jackson told Reinhart.

Several of the "Idol" finalists made Motown hits their own, including 17-year-old high school student Scotty McCreery of Garner, N.C., with his Western take on Stevie Wonder's version of "For Once in My Life" and 26-year-old singer-songwriter Paul McDonald of Nashville, Tenn., with a Rod Stewart-like rendition of The Miracles' "The Tracks of My Tears."

"You're kind of the complete package," Lopez told McDonald.

Confidence was key for Lauren Alaina, the 16-year-old high school student of Rossville, Ga., and Casey Abrams, the 20-year-old film camp counselor of Idyllwild, Calif. She brought her strut and swagger to The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On." Abrams stomped through the audience while delivering Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."

"I think you're the perfect entertainer," Tyler told him.

One of the top 11 singers will face elimination Thursday.

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