X Factor USA Recap: Melanie Amaro, Astro And Drew Shine During First Live Show For America’s Votes

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The judges have had their say for weeks but now it’s finally America’s time to vote for the talent on The X Factor USA.

The top 12 contestants appeared on the second live show of the season and gave performances that they all hope will sway the public to dial, text and tweet a vote their way. They brought on stellar vocals, awesome dance moves and tons of personality all in a bid to impress the viewers.

The votes will be crucial as the two lowest vote getters will be forced to sing for their lives during the results show. It will then be left to judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and L.A. Reid to see who stays.

Here’s a rundown of the action:

The Stereo Hogzz: What a way to kick off the night! The guys of The Stereo Hogzz turned things out with a pretty awesome performance of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation. They’re getting better with every performance and all of the judges are taking notice. “You absolutely have what it takes to be a star,” L.A. told the group who dressed in coordinated red, gold and black stage costumes. No one swooned harder than Simon though. “Not only do I think that you are one of the best groups I’ve seen on one of these competitions…I don’t think there’s a band in the world right now who is as good as you.”

Chris Rene: So apparently Chris has a hard time singing songs that he hasn’t written. That’s coming across very clear in his live performances. Where he was once a front-runner, he’s easily forgettable now with only decent efforts. Nicole still has “mad love” for him and his “Don’t You Remember You Told Me” mash-up. Paula is so proud of him and thinks he owned the song. Simon thought it would be a disaster but thought it got better once the song picked up. His mentor L.A. thought it was fire. Good comments from the judges but will it translate into votes from America?

Leroy Bell: It’s becoming clear that the most interesting thing about Leroy is the way he does not look his age. He has a nice voice but his performances are always so boring. His performance of “I’m Already There” was no different. Simon thinks he’s a really good singer with a confidence issue and pans Nicole for the song choice. Nicole strikes back with a “less is more” rebuttal but less can be boring and a ticket home.

Rachel Crow: There was a few things that stuck out about Rachel’s performance but the biggest was the horrid lyric changes to “Walking On Sunshine.” It was all too lame and distracting. Nicole points this out but loves Rach anyways. So does the entire panel. Paula would like to see her do something like her boot camp performance of Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy” if she makes it through to the next round though.

Lakoda Rayne: The foursome of Lakoda Rayne portrayed the four seasons for their more Dixie Chicks than Fleetwood Mac performance of “Landslide.” Although it always sounds like there are more than four of them singing when they perform, they did a wonderful job. L.A. loved the performance but doesn’t like that they’re skating the line between being country and pop. Simon loved it but hated what they were wearing and despised the idea of them being seasons.

Josh Krajcik: Simon was 100% ready to hate Josh’s performance of Christina Perri’s “Jar Of Hearts” but turned all of that around when he actually heard him slay it. Josh completely made the song his own and sang the hell out of it with raw emotion. Paula says he “just nails everything.” “It was absolutely stunning,” Simon said after saying he takes back everything he said before. Score for Nicole.

Melanie Amaro: Melanie played it safe with her first live performance but now she’s going to shake it up a little. And we mean a little. Sure, she totally nails the performance of “Desperado” but it’s yet another ballad from Mel. She’s probably the best singer in the competition but she can’t just be “ballad girl.” None of the judges seem to care at the moment. They all shower her with praise. “There is no limit to what you and your voice can do,” Nicole says. “You are seriously, seriously good. Right now, you are the one to beat,” Simon says of his girl.

Astro: The Astronomical Kid is cocky but he has a reason to be: He’s one of the most original acts in the competition. He writes his own verses set to Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray” and Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” and gives one of the best performances of the night. “I know Jay-Z’s got his eye on you,” Paula said. Newest member of Roc Nation? We can see it.

InTENsity: Some of the members of this 10-piece group doesn’t want to sing cheesy kiddie songs. It’s pretty tough to get all adult when you have a 12 year old in the group. In a bid to show America that they’re more than just a kid band, they get on stage and mix “Kids In America” with LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” Oddly enough, it works. Nicole and L.A. thought it was fun and “funomical” and Simon doesn’t want to like them but really does.

Drew: We’re completely and totally #TeamDrew around here but her performance of Nelly’s “Just A Dream” was just weird. She earns points for doing something more her age but it just didn’t come together. Clearly, we’re the only ones who feel this way because the judges loved it. They think she does everything right and L.A. even wants to steal her for his team.

Marcus Canty: L.A. really wants Marcus to be the new Bobby Brown minus the drug addiction and legal trouble. To assist him in his efforts, he had Marcus sing–you guessed it–a Bobby Brown song. Marcus does a pretty nice job of covering Bobby’s “Every Little Step” and even steps up his dance moves. Simon thinks he’s come alive and loves the song choice. L.A. thinks he’s getting better and better with each week and thinks America loves him.

Stacy Francis: Stacy and mostly Nicole completely lost us with the logic behind this song choice. They dislike the fact that Simon called Stace a “church singer” and to prove him wrong, Nicole has Stacy sing a gospel song. Uh, wouldn’t it have been better to perform a pop song and totally slay it? She performs the gospel tune and does a great job–only proving Simon right. Either way, the judges loved it and Stacy even gets a kiss from Simon.

Prediction: We can see Leroy Bell and Chris Rene in the bottom two with Leroy heading home.