Scotty McCreery (♪♪♪) - Scotty is staying true to his roots, but this song did not do much for me. I know he can do more and he needs to keep pushing himself. Going first is always a tough spot, and if it was anyone other than Scotty performing this song first, I would be worried...but I am not.
James Durbin - (♪♪♪) - As soon as I heard James doing a Muse song I was like "how Adam Lambert" of him....then he came out to perform and he was dressed like Adam Lambert! He did an ok job with the song, except when he started screaming the 2nd verse. James was back to his more-fluff-than-substance performing which is just ok for me.
Haley Reinhart (♪♪♪♪) - Haley, there you are!!! This was BY FAR Haley's best performance EVER. THIS is the music she needs to do. Showing off her raspy, husky vocals that sets her apart this season. She kept her stage antics tame which really helped sell her vocals even more. Wow! Impressive. Of course...that could spell bad news for her this week.
Jacob Lusk (♪♪ 1/2) - I was not feeling it from Jacob this week. It was probably the emtional connection to the song combined with apparent sound issues. Jacob got lost in the background vocals and although he was emoting, I was not feeling totally connected to this performance. He is capable of more and should loosen the reigns a little if he stays.
Casey Abrams (♪♪) - Creepy Jacob is back in full affect. Ugh. Casey was doing so much better when he was "staying in his lane" with a more jazz/soul sound. Casey is NOT a rocker and when he does he gets those intense/insane eyes. It's so weird because in his video clips and outside of performing, Casey is very likeable! Eh...
Stefano Langone (♪♪♪♪♪) - Yes folks, 5 notes for Stefano this week! Here is why...he finally got out of his own head! He performed his arse off as if he had forgotten he was on national television. For the first time I truly felt like Stefano let go and put his all into it. Fantastic job...but is it enough to keep him from going home again this week?
Lauren Alaina (♪♪♪) - Lauren has sort of lost me. I like the girl, sher is sweet and seems funny but that is not translating to me on stage. She is not shining like I know she can. She is definitely holding back if you compare her now to the girl we saw audition in Tennessee. I don't know what to tell her, but she needs to start singing like she wants to be there!
Soooooo...who is in the bottom 3 and who gets the boot? I would put Casey, Lauren and Jacob in the bottom. Of course, Stefano has been in the bottom for the last few weeks and I doubt his fan base is gonna suddenly be strong enough to keep him out again so he is probably in trouble. On top of that, he had a fantastic week which may cause what fan base he does have to slack off. So, will Stefano send another person packing or will his fan base fail him for the last time? We will see!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Final 8: Cinemusic (Yes, I just created that word)
First off, I am still reeling from the ridiculous elimination of Pia last week; however, I am excited to hear she has been vindicated with a record deal practically hours after she got the boot! You go Pia!!
Tonight, we have music from the movies...this is always an interesting theme as some contestants pull out songs from very obscure, unheard of movies (I'm talking to you James Durbin). Who had a box office hit and who had a flop? Let's take a look...
Paul McDonald (♪ 1/2) - I have already said in the past that, to me, Paul is forgetable and going first tonight will not help his cause. Aside from his placement, he was back to the weird "dancing" and at this very moment I could not tell you what song he sang cause I have forgotten. What I can't forget (because he won't let us) is that awful suit which he NOW has in black! Seriously?? I think he is in danger this week.
Lauren Alaina (♪♪ 1/2) - I called it...I KNEW she would do "The Climb"...eh. Her performance seemed disjointed to me. I could not get into it. I totally get where Jimmy is coming from with the whole "stealing Pia's voters" and he is right; however, there is no way Lauren would be the one to do it, especially not with this song/performance. I like Lauren but I feel she has lost momentum again. She also sounded like she was having some vocal issues on top of it. Anyway, I just didn't feel a connection with this performance.
Stefano Langone (♪♪♪♪) - I agree with the judges, Stefano BROUGHT IT! I believe this was his best performance so far since the Wild Card round. I really felt his emotions and he sang the heck out of the song. I want Stefano to do well and I still am shocked that he does not seem to have a strong fan base! I hope those of us (me included) who are voting stepped it up enough to keep him around another week.
Scotty McCreery (♪♪♪ 1/2) - It's a funny thing with Scotty...he is consistent and sticks to what he is good at and gets criticized by the media/public. Why can't a contestant be really good at a specific genre and stick to it? Do you see Brad Paisley trying to do pop or R&B? No. Scotty is a solid country artist and I give him (and the producers he works with in the studio) kudos for sticking to it without making the songs cheesy. Did this performance knock my socks off? No...but it was still good and he is a solid contender and if I am being honest I think he is in the running to win the whole thing.
Casey Abrams (♪♪) - Yikes on so many levels! Casey going against the guidance of industry professionals? Casey's appearance? Casey's playing the standup bass again? Casey's creepy faces are back? Ugh...just when I was starting to have hope for Casey he falls back to his old ways. This performance was lackluster and awkward. Sadly, I do not feel his risk in going against the advice of Jimmy and Will.I.Am paid off.
Haley Reinhart (♪♪ 1/2) - "Call Me" is SUCH a karaoke sounding song when anybody but Blondie does it and Haley didn't do anything to change that (take not of cheesy jazz hands pictured left). Of all the songs out of all the movies, this was NOT what Haley should have picked. Jimmy Iovine is right on the money when he is telling these contestants they need to pick songs that will make them win, not just songs they like or are comfortable with. However, Haley has garnered (shockingly) a decent following that has kept her out of the bottom 3 for a few weeks straight. Will she keep riding the safe wave?
Jacob Lusk (♪♪♪♪) - Jacob is back people! I am sure Jacob knows he has quite a hurdle to overcome after his comment in his video last week. On one hand I am glad Jimmy corrected him for it, but on the other I wish it would not have been refreshed in America's mind again. Either way, Jacob brought a fantastic performance this week. I love when he holds out for the money notes until the end and gives us something to look forward to. Great job!!
James Durbin (♪♪♪♪) - I don't know that I would call this song/performance "metal" even if James did the matrix move during the guitar solo; however, it was a good vocal by James. As you know, I am not a fan of James, but I can give credit where credit is due and he was on point this week. I like it better when he drops some of the antics and just rips it vocally, he does have quite a range when he uses it properly. He needs to be careful of the cockiness though....how do you tell the head of Interscope Records how he can or cannot tell a good song?!?! LOL Well, James is "green" so a good smack down by a professional will hopefully help keep him grounded. Good performance though.
So, who goes home?? At this point in the game I cannot figure out America and how they vote, but here is who I think is in trouble this week: Paul, Lauren, Casey and (sadly, based on history) Stefano. My preference for who SHOULD go home would be either Paul or Casey. We will see what America decides!
*photo credit to Michael Beker/Fox
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Final 9: Rockin' For Votes
Let me just say, this competition is definitely on! From here on out, no matter what I or anyone else thinks about each contestant, it is going to be tough to make cuts. Every single contestant in this Top 9 are talented in their own right and it will all come down to the strength of their individual fan bases. This is nothing new, but with contestants who are not leaving any room for error and putting on great performances each week, it becomes less about who is good enough, and more about who is popular enough. There is no slack for slip ups or missteps right now, so EVERYONE has to be on their "A" game because the safety net of a Judge's Save is LONG GONE (still...I feel mistakenly). So, let's look at how everyone ranked in my eyes this week.
Jacob Lusk (♪♪♪ 1/2) - I am nervous for Jacob this week; although he gave a solid performance it was nothing super standout and combine that with going first on a night that, in my opinion, was as strong of a night of performances as Motown week, he may be forgotten. Again, I really like Jacob, he is uber talented vocally and he is in my Top 3 without a doubt and I think he did great, but like I said...it's now about the strength of the voting fan base and doing things to cause new voters to want to vote for you.
Haley Reinhart (♪♪♪) - Do I think this was Haley's best vocals in the finals? Yes. However, it was very copycat and she did not do anything new with the song. I think she misunderstood the judges comments about her having a Janis Joplin sound and thought they wanted her to copy Janis...that was an incorrect assumption. Again, I think she did ok, but she still has yet to show me who SHE is. However, she seems to have developed a fan base as she has not even visited the bottom 3 in a few weeks. We will see how her fans do for her this week. In my opinion she is the weakest of the bunch.
Casey Abrams (♪♪♪♪) - Ok, do I think the judges made a mistake using the Save on Casey with 11 people left? YES (as you all know well by now) but I will also say that his near-elimination experience has jolted him back to actually SINGING and for THAT I am happy. 2 weeks in a row now we have finally heard the voice that got Casey to where he is. He minimized the creepy glares and tones down the screamy growls and we were left with a solid vocal performance. Bringing back the standup bass definitely helped his case too! Good job, Casey!
Lauren Alaina (♪♪♪) - Lauren didn't do anything for me this week. I don't know what has happened to her during this competion, but she went from being a strong (and strongly pimped) competitor to a see-saw of good and not-so-good performances. Whatever it is, she has GOT to snap out of it if she wants to continue on. Granted, my opinion this week might be effected by the fact that Kelly Clarkson OWNED this song in the 1st season of the show and since I have never heard anyone do it anywhere close to her level, so I think Lauren's performance this week will be eclipsed by that. Part of me wonders if the Producers pushed her into that song in hopes of having the Kelly comparison, however, I think the WRONG comparison will be made from this performance.
James Durbin (♪♪♪♪) - Yes, you are seeing correctly, I gave James 4 ♪'s. This is exactly what James needed to do...stop jumping around, screaming and being a faux rocker and just sing. On the flip side, this moment seemed almost too much like the "Mad World" moment Adam Lambert had on his season, but regardless James showed he can actually sing. Now if he would just quit focusing SO MUCH on getting right in the camera lense and just perform. I will give kudos where kudos are due and say James did a great job vocally this week.
Scotty McCreery (♪♪♪♪) - All I can say is that this kid is destined for country stardom no matter how long he lasts on Idol. He's genuine, likeable, entertaining and has a unique style/sound. I love that he (and the music producers) are able to give each song it's own country twist without making it cheesy. Kudos!
Pia Toscano (♪♪♪♪ 1/2) - THANK YOU PIA for finally showing the world you CAN do uptempo and still kill it! I absolutely love this girl and I cannot wait to buy her album when it comes out. She is the most deserving to win this whole deal and I hope she does. I would have given her 5 stars but I still think (like JLo was saying) that she can do even more in the performance aspect. But still...LOVE!!
Stefano Langone (♪♪♪) - Interesting how these 2 seem to end up performing next to each other in the line up...anywho...Stefano started out a little rough with the falsetto but once he was able to get into full voice he was back on track. Although I think Stefano has great potential for the current music scene and I think he has a great voice and awesome range and technique, I am worried about him this week. We have already seen he does not have the strongest fan base and, if I am being honest, he did not pull out all the stops this week. I want to see him succeed, but we need to see more from him. He needs to break out of his shell more.
Paul McDonald (♪♪♪ 1/2) - I think this is the most enjoyable I have found Paul to be vocally, but I just can't get myself to be enthusiastic about his performances. I think he has the total package of an artist and the unique voice but I just don't see him as somone who's album would get much Top 40 airplay and I don't see myself running out to buy a CD of his if it was in stores. That's just me though. Paul seems to have a solid fan base and his apearance in the Bottom 3 last week will definitely put them in rally mode which will probably keep him out of danger this week.
Like I said at the start of the blog, from here on out it is going to be tough to see any of these contestants go, but we can only have 1 winner (unless Idol throws another curveball at us this season! lol) I think everyone did great but based on things other than singing talent I am going to say we will see Stefano, Jacob and Lauren in the bottom 3 this week. I would also not be surprised to see Haley in the bottom 3 again; after a couple weeks of safety maybe her fan base will slack off some? As much as it hurts me to say it, I would not be surprised if Stefano's lack of fan base gets him sent home this week. I HOPE I am wrong though. Only time will tell.
Jacob Lusk (♪♪♪ 1/2) - I am nervous for Jacob this week; although he gave a solid performance it was nothing super standout and combine that with going first on a night that, in my opinion, was as strong of a night of performances as Motown week, he may be forgotten. Again, I really like Jacob, he is uber talented vocally and he is in my Top 3 without a doubt and I think he did great, but like I said...it's now about the strength of the voting fan base and doing things to cause new voters to want to vote for you.
Haley Reinhart (♪♪♪) - Do I think this was Haley's best vocals in the finals? Yes. However, it was very copycat and she did not do anything new with the song. I think she misunderstood the judges comments about her having a Janis Joplin sound and thought they wanted her to copy Janis...that was an incorrect assumption. Again, I think she did ok, but she still has yet to show me who SHE is. However, she seems to have developed a fan base as she has not even visited the bottom 3 in a few weeks. We will see how her fans do for her this week. In my opinion she is the weakest of the bunch.
Casey Abrams (♪♪♪♪) - Ok, do I think the judges made a mistake using the Save on Casey with 11 people left? YES (as you all know well by now) but I will also say that his near-elimination experience has jolted him back to actually SINGING and for THAT I am happy. 2 weeks in a row now we have finally heard the voice that got Casey to where he is. He minimized the creepy glares and tones down the screamy growls and we were left with a solid vocal performance. Bringing back the standup bass definitely helped his case too! Good job, Casey!
Lauren Alaina (♪♪♪) - Lauren didn't do anything for me this week. I don't know what has happened to her during this competion, but she went from being a strong (and strongly pimped) competitor to a see-saw of good and not-so-good performances. Whatever it is, she has GOT to snap out of it if she wants to continue on. Granted, my opinion this week might be effected by the fact that Kelly Clarkson OWNED this song in the 1st season of the show and since I have never heard anyone do it anywhere close to her level, so I think Lauren's performance this week will be eclipsed by that. Part of me wonders if the Producers pushed her into that song in hopes of having the Kelly comparison, however, I think the WRONG comparison will be made from this performance.
James Durbin (♪♪♪♪) - Yes, you are seeing correctly, I gave James 4 ♪'s. This is exactly what James needed to do...stop jumping around, screaming and being a faux rocker and just sing. On the flip side, this moment seemed almost too much like the "Mad World" moment Adam Lambert had on his season, but regardless James showed he can actually sing. Now if he would just quit focusing SO MUCH on getting right in the camera lense and just perform. I will give kudos where kudos are due and say James did a great job vocally this week.
Scotty McCreery (♪♪♪♪) - All I can say is that this kid is destined for country stardom no matter how long he lasts on Idol. He's genuine, likeable, entertaining and has a unique style/sound. I love that he (and the music producers) are able to give each song it's own country twist without making it cheesy. Kudos!
Pia Toscano (♪♪♪♪ 1/2) - THANK YOU PIA for finally showing the world you CAN do uptempo and still kill it! I absolutely love this girl and I cannot wait to buy her album when it comes out. She is the most deserving to win this whole deal and I hope she does. I would have given her 5 stars but I still think (like JLo was saying) that she can do even more in the performance aspect. But still...LOVE!!
Stefano Langone (♪♪♪) - Interesting how these 2 seem to end up performing next to each other in the line up...anywho...Stefano started out a little rough with the falsetto but once he was able to get into full voice he was back on track. Although I think Stefano has great potential for the current music scene and I think he has a great voice and awesome range and technique, I am worried about him this week. We have already seen he does not have the strongest fan base and, if I am being honest, he did not pull out all the stops this week. I want to see him succeed, but we need to see more from him. He needs to break out of his shell more.
Paul McDonald (♪♪♪ 1/2) - I think this is the most enjoyable I have found Paul to be vocally, but I just can't get myself to be enthusiastic about his performances. I think he has the total package of an artist and the unique voice but I just don't see him as somone who's album would get much Top 40 airplay and I don't see myself running out to buy a CD of his if it was in stores. That's just me though. Paul seems to have a solid fan base and his apearance in the Bottom 3 last week will definitely put them in rally mode which will probably keep him out of danger this week.
Like I said at the start of the blog, from here on out it is going to be tough to see any of these contestants go, but we can only have 1 winner (unless Idol throws another curveball at us this season! lol) I think everyone did great but based on things other than singing talent I am going to say we will see Stefano, Jacob and Lauren in the bottom 3 this week. I would also not be surprised to see Haley in the bottom 3 again; after a couple weeks of safety maybe her fan base will slack off some? As much as it hurts me to say it, I would not be surprised if Stefano's lack of fan base gets him sent home this week. I HOPE I am wrong though. Only time will tell.
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