Haley Reinhart Attempts to Move the Earth With Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ on Tonight’s ‘American Idol’

For her "inspiration" song tonight, the smoky-voiced Haley Reinhart sang Michael Jackson's obscure 'Earth Song,' since the song's message is utterly universal. The soft ballad allowed Reinahrt to showcase the highs and lows of her voice; the contemplative verse allowed her to explode in the chorus, when her Janis Joplin-meets-Joss-Stone husky pipes took control.

Oddly enough, Reinhart sounded a little like her former castmate Casey Abrams, as she resorted this strange, overwrought grunting as she pushed herself over the top.

"I felt that it did inspire you. I could feel your feeling in the song and all of that I love," said Jennifer Lopez. But in a roundabout way, Lopez told her it was the wrong song choice, despite her message. Randy Jackson totally shot down Reinhart's performance, telling her she didn't go where she needed to go. "The song needed you to deliver it," he said. "I felt like you were just screaming the same note over and over." Overall, the Lopez-Jackson consensus was that the song didn't fit.

Reinhart did defend herself to her critics and Steven Tyler came to her rescue, telling her that both Lopez and Jackson were wrong in their assessment of what she did. The poor girl's head must be spinning because the panel sent her such mixed message. Even Ryan Seacrest asked, "What is she supposed to do with that concoction of feedback?" He has a point there!

How Reinhart sifts through that conflicting information could define her future on 'American Idol.'

Watch Haley Reinhart Perform the 'Earth Song' on 'American Idol'