Top 24: Guys

It's time for the top 12 guys to take their place on the stage and show us their chops. I have to start out by saying it was another weak night overall. Nerves must be running extremely high through these folks because nobody is bringing their "A" game. However, it always seems the contestants struggle most when they do current songs versus oldies and being their first night performing live, nerves are a given. Nobody wants to fall short and go home when they are so close to making the Finals. Anyway, let’s hope for better next week.So how did the guys stack up? Let's discuss...

Todrick Hall (♪♪♪♪) – I was not sure what to make of Todrick, but I have to admit he guy got up and entertained. He took my girl Kelly’s song, which is an anthem classic, and gave it a fun groove turned it into something totally new and I have to say I am not mad at him for it. Yes, he is a music theater person but look how well that worked for Adam Lambert. This was all about the performance but next week I would like to hear him focus on just singing, because I think he has the ability to nail a great vocal.

Mike Lynch (♪♪♪♪) – Where have I heard this exact voice before?? Oh yes…Ruben Studdard. Don’t get me wrong, Mike has a solid voice and he maintained his pitch through the entire song, but if I close my eyes while he is singing I hear Ruben Version 2.0 and let’s be frank…we all see how “well” Ruben did in the music biz. I am on the fence about this guy. However, he did well enough to earn 4 notes from me, so I will leave it at that.

Casey James (♪♪♪ ½) – Casey was one of my faves going into this performance and although he did not disappoint, he did not excite either. (side note: Kara, you are married AND how rude was it for you and Randy to be a complete and obvious distraction to Casey during his performance). At any rate, Casey was solid and he is authentic and unlike Tyler, he has that old southern/blues/rock vibe and makes it current. The only suggestion I have for Casey is to be careful of his vibrato…it came off a little goat-ish in moments. Either way, I am sure he will be in our Final 12.

Andrew Garcia (♪♪♪ ½ ) – Andrew, my golden boy of the competition, showed a little tarnish tonight. It was the classic case of poor song choice and a very odd rendition of a song. However, I give him props for continuing to take risks and stand out, that is more than I can say for almost all the other guys. As much as I wanted to get into it though, I just could never get the vibe. Andrew is leaps and bounds better than this and I know he will bring it next week.

Joe Munoz (♪♪♪ ½) – This is an example of someone who is virtually unknown to America prior to stepping on the Semi Finals stage and coming in and making a statement! Joe did everything right. He has one of the smoothest voices of all the guys and sang with ease. He also comes off very likable and believable. This was the most pleasant surprise of the night for me.

Aaron Kelly (♪♪♪) – I LOVE Rascal Flats and I think this song is great, but I am not sure young Aaron has quite the vocal chops to fully pull this off. The veins bursting out in his neck are proof of this. I think Aaron is a solid singer, when he is not trying too hard and that is what this performance was. No doubt he is going to be around, but he needs to pick songs that don’t require him to strain his vocal chords and cause him to not have total control of his pitch.

John Park (♪♪ ½) – Ok, so initially I did not understand why John got a spot in the 24 and although I am still not completely sold on him, this performance was pretty solid. He has the deep baritone thing going on and he has pretty good control minus a few shakes parts. The runs were a little sloppy for me and he could have cut out a few of them. Vocally it was fairly solid, but overall it was sorta forgettable. 

Tyler Grady (♪♪ ½) – Ok Tyler, we get it, you are a 70’s rocker. It’s obvious in your hair, clothes, your stage presence, the songs you sing, etc, etc, etc. However, this is 2010. What you really need to do is take that 70’s vibe and find a way to infuse it with today. I mean, we saw this from Bo Bice and although it got him to runner-up status, it did not do much for him in the music biz. They don’t play contemporary artists on the oldies station, so where would your music get played? Aside from that, the vocals just are not that great, and the whole thing just came off like everyday karaoke.

Alex Lambert (♪♪) – We know nothing about Alex, and I feel like this performance did not help that. As a side note, are mullets in style again? I missed that memo. At any rate, it felt like he was never on pitch throughout the entire song. He looked completely unsure on stage and it just made me uncomfortable. I didn’t get it. I gave him 2 notes simply on the strength of his vocal tone but nothing else.

Jermaine Sellers (♪♪) – My church singing boy with insane range. I really liked him based on his initial audition; however, he completely overdid it with this performance. Wow! “Get Here” is a song that needs no real embellishments as it is already perfectly crafted. Jermaine, we get it, you can hit high notes; however, tonight they bordered on ear piercing. Nothing about the song was enjoyable because it was all just too much. Settle down Jermaine, it doesn’t always have to be over the top. A simple, moving performance with your smooth vocals will go much further.

Lee DeWyze (♪ ½) – Oh man, I really wanted to like Lee’s performance and I hate giving him such a low score. I dig his gravely, raspy, Daughtry-esque vocals but this performance was just a little too unstable for me. He was all over the place with his pitch and he himself did not even seem to buy into his performance, which is evidenced by his facial expression a second after finishing the song. I felt your pain too, Lee. Hopefully America gives him a second chance because I think would be a great contribution to the Final 12.

Tim Urban (♪) – Tim gets the privilege of being this season’s last minute replacement contestant…poor guy. Was it just me or were there moments during the performance when Tim’s eyes looked like they were screaming for help? He picked a song that was obviously too big for him. He did not have control of his falsetto when he would go into those upper register “too late” parts of the song and it just sounded week. This was not a great introduction to America.

So, who goes home? This is another night of my predictions not completely matching my ranking, but you have to consider a lot of other things than just singing ability when predicting what America will do. So, for the guys, I think it will boil down to who did not get any airtime prior to the Semi's AND did not do enough in their performance to prove they should get a second chance tonight. Thus, Alex Lambert, Tim Urban and Lee DeWyze are in trouble and I think we will say goodbye to Alex and Tim. Although, I would not be shocked to see Jermaine peace out either. We will find out at results time!  

Season 9 - Top 24: Girls

I'm back people and ready to get this blogging machine cranked up for a new season of our favorite show, American Idol. To begin, I was not impressed or inspired by the initial auditions this year; for some reason it just did not capture my attention as it has in the past, so I decided to wait until we got to the nitty-gritty of the competition before I started sharing my opinions. I will say that there were a few that caught my attention from their initial auditions though and some who really impressed me in Hollywood. I think this year our batch of 24 is more talented than any previous season. It's going to be an exciting season, and with America starting to vote now, there is always that uneasy and drama-enducing air of unpredictability. Will be interesting to see who gets narrowed down to the Final 12, but I do think I have a pretty good idea of which 12 we will see on the big stage!

For now, let's look at the girls who were first up last night. Going into the show I was excited about Crystal Bowersox and Lilly Scott's performances. I had other favorites too, but these 2 girls are really standing out to me this year. I was also looking forward to seeing how Katelyn Epperly did since we have not really seen her since her initial audition. However, from the moment I heard her first audition, she was in my top picks as well. How did she live up to that? I guess you will find out in a minute! Overall though, I think nerves and, for some, song choice got in the way of showing just how great they really are. It's obvious the judges want a female winner this year, so let's hope the girls get over the pressure and have a better showing of their talent next week.

So, this year I am assigning a "notes" rating system (my version of "stars") as each contestant performs. The scale is 1 - 5 notes with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. From this scoring I will rank the performances for the night. Here is how the girls fell into place for me last night:

Katelyn Epperly (♪♪♪♪) - Katelyn did not disappoint with her performance of "Oh Darling". Was her look a little "Oh Dear"? Maybe, that is why they have stylists later on in the Finals. :) Anyway, her voice was strong and powerful and did not sound like the others. This season, it is obvious that the judges want to push through an "indie" styled female singer (ex: Lilly Scott, Did Benami, Lacey Brown). In this crowd of Adele/Duffy sound-alikes, Katelyn has the most pop voice of the bunch which will bode well for her in the competition. Also, I have some fondness for her because she had this Kelly Clarkson vibe going on last night, and you KNOW that is a win for me! lol

Crystal Bowersox (♪♪♪ 1/2) - Crystal is a solid performer and my top pick going into the Semi Finals. I was a little disappointed that she did not showcase the power and range she holds in her vocals, but sometimes playing it safe and pulling off a solid performance is the way to go on the first night of live shows. However, this was almost just a carbon copy of Alanis and I KNOW that is not what Crystal is about. She's got pipes and I hope to see her showing that off next week.

Lilly Scott - (♪♪♪) - Lilly is another favorite of mine going into last night's show. I think she has the complete package as far as the look, talent and experience of trying to make it in the biz. She knows who she is as an artist and is confident in that. Tonight, she showed us just that. She chose a song and made it her own and infused her vocal stylings into it. She was calm and confident on stage and yet maintains humility and likeability (which are 2 HUGE factors in a contestants success on this show, aside from singing talent).

Didi Benami (♪♪♪) - Didi's voice is solid and although she has a similar style to Lilly and Lacey, her voice is more melodic where Lilly's is about the style. The biggest problem with Didi is her lack of stage presence. Her voice was on point but the overall performance just came off boring because she stood like a statue at the mic stand. She definitely needs to work that out in order to shine among some of the other stars in the bunch. Yes, her voice is solid, but not outstanding enough to make up for lack of presentation and star quality.

Michelle Delamor (♪♪♪) - Technically, this was the cleanest performance, but it was also the most detached and robotic. She just sang the song, she did not perform it. She was completely removed from any emotion of the song which makes sense knowing her background. This is going to be her biggest obstacle. I totally agree with Kara (shocker, I know) that she did not come off genuine or believable doing the song. She has got to figure out how to make her singing and her soul connect with each other. She has potential.

Siobhan Magnus (♪♪ 1/2) - I had no idea ANYTHING about Siobhan before last night, and I was pleasantly surprised by her performance. It was a little dull and she did not bring anything new to "Wicked Games", but there is something that makes me want to see/hear more from her. I think her reel before she sang helped, specifically the little "off camera" cut of her asking what a dark horse is. She's a little spacey, but that could be her niche.

Janelle Wheeler (♪♪) - Oh Janelle, my Tampa girl! The biggest disappointment of the night. Her nerves got the best of her apparently. Plus, I was nervous to hear she was doing a Heart song, because only Carrie Underwood has been able to pull off one of their songs, and obviously Janelle is no Carrie. I am a little confused at what type of singer Janelle wants to be. At first I thought Country, then I thought Indie, now I am not sure and therein lies the issue for dear Janelle. She has the looks but what direction does she want to go in musically? I am not sure she knows. I think she will make it another week and I hope she gets it right next time.

Katie Stevens (♪♪) - Another girl I had high hopes for going into the Semi's. I will admit I was slightly curious when it was obvious she was getting the "pimp spot" and going last for the night. Sadly, she did not live up to such a covetous spot. I think she tried a little too hard and she sounded like she had no control over her vocals. I agree with the judges, the whole thing just didn't work. She is a MUCH better singer than what she showed, I expect her to take their advice and knock it out next week.

Paige Miles (♪♪) - Ok, so we knew nothing about Paige going into this first night of live voting and on top of that they put her first. So, on top of needing to do something great because we did not know anything about her singing, she also had to make an impression that lasted going first in the night. Yes, Paige has powerful pipes but I would not say she is the best singer out of all the girls (Simon...seriously). If this is in fact true, then she did not show it off tonight at all. Her song choice was the worst of the night as well. Although she was not the worst vocally, I don't know that she did enough to get people to keep her around.

Haeley Vaugh (♪ 1/2) - I have never been a fan of Haeley due to the fact that I have never heard her perform and sound good. Her pitch is always all over the place and her performances seem chaotic and last night was no different. I did give her 1/2 a note for trying to make the song her own, but it didn't work. I was ecstatic to hear Randy tell her exactly what I was thinking which is that her voice is NOT pleasing when she is trying to hit those high notes. Yikes! I also have never understood the whole "country singer" thing she is/was trying to pull off, it does not work. She does not even sound country. Honestly, how did this girl make the top 24 when someone like Angela Martin was in the running?? I am praying America does not put her through to the Finals.

Ashley Rodriguez (♪) - Wow, terrible. I don't know why Ashley continues to choose well known songs by well known and extremely talented singers. She started with Alicia, then Jordin now Alicia again?? Come on! She is a cheap copy at best. Her rhythm was all over the place and it just came off as uncomfortable. I tuned out half way through the song. She needed to do something to set herself apart from Michelle Delamor, but she did not and ultimately handed away her spot to Michelle with this performance.

Lacey Brown (♪) - So Lacey is the 3rd of the "Indie Girl" trio of contestants and although she is the prettiest (especially those eyes) she is the least talented vocally. She has the red/pink hair which is usually a staple in the Final 12 lineup but I think we are going to be pink hair free this season. Lacey's voice just sounds immature at moments and nasally. I almost think that this style of singing is not natural for her, like she is trying to fit into that mold. Either way, unless fans rally with sympathy votes, I see Lacey's time in the semi finals as one night only.

So, although I have Haeley in the bottom 3 based on my ranking, I actually think Lacey, Ashley and Paige are the 3 in trouble tonight. My gut says Lacey and Ashley will ultimately go home tonight. I think America is going to give Paige 1 more shot based on Simon's praise. We will find out Thursday night if I am correct.

Tonight, we get our first full look at the Top 12 guys. My favorites going into tonight are Andrew Garcia and Casey James. I highly doubt they will disappoint. Check back tomorrow to see my thoughts on the 12 guys performances!