Top 24: Top 12 Men Perform

Welcome back. Tonight begins the 2-night performance episodes on the Top 24. The Top 12 Men will perform tonight, and the Top 12 Women will perform tomorrow. The episode was taped last Thursday at the Fillmore Theatre in Detroit. Live performances will not begin yet but Live voting does. Though we won't learn the results of the men and women until next week prior to the beginning of Top 16 week.

We have been tracking our favorite contestants from the auditions. We started out with a Top 30 after auditions, that number was reduced to 16 by the House of Blues performances last week and now we are left with only 10. They are:

From Nashville=Michael Simeon, Sarina Joi-Crowe and Savion Wright
From New York=Jax, Adam Ezeglian and Katherine Winston
From Minneapolis= Mark Andrew
From San Francisco=Adanna Duru, Rayvon Owen and Tyanna Jones

We have begun to pick out several other favorites that weren't on our initial Top auditions list that have made the Top 24. Tonight hopefully will give us a great chance to see and listen to all of these contestants a little more than we have the past couple weeks when we have only got to see little snippets. There is a lot of singing, and we will try to streamline the whole process for you. So, let's get started:

Top 12 Men Perform

Adam Ezegelian( I Wanna Rock-Twisted Sister)- He is dressed as if he was going on job interview at a bank but then goes into this super rock song. He has a pure rock voice. He puts it all out there, he plays with the band a little, the audience, and gets really into the groove. He starts the show off really well.
Judge's Comments-Jennifer-Is every man. Crazy, very contagious. Harry-Embodies what rock and roll is about. Can really sing. Keith-Loves those kind of heart-aching ballads. 
Our Grade= B+

Michael Simeon (How Am I Supposed To Live Without You-Michael Bolton)- Not sure if I like this old school song choice, but it is a pretty song and he has a pretty voice. It starts off kind of sleepy. He hits some really nice notes in there, but overall it was kind of boring.
Judge's Comments-Harry-tough act to follow, needs him to sing in tune. Good job though Jennifer-like the feeling of the whole thing. Keith-Loved that, and performance, stayed in the moment and control.
Our Grade= C+



Savion Wright (Hey, Soul Sister-Train) - He makes the song a little more funky than the original. He plays the whole thing kind of cool. It allowed his voice to really groove. His voice is really good and I liked to see him so comfortable on stage. The way he sang the song didn't allow any big moments, but he sang well and was solid throughout the whole thing.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Started unfocused but as got on it got more focused. Jennifer-loves his style, keep eye on camera not just in house audience. Keith-Not liking the song choice, he has more strengths than that.
Our Grade=B

Mark Andrew (The Weight-The Band)-He is one of the "elder" contestants at age 29, you can tell how comfortable he is with his voice. He knows where to push and pull it. I like the way his voice sounds. This was a cool song choice, very eclectic. He has a big smile as he sings, you can tell he enjoys himself up there.
Judge's Comments-Keith-Perfect song choice, even without the band. Harry-Perfect song choice, keep singing like that he will be in zone no one else will be. Jennifer-Has a great vibe right now, great chance at this.
Our Grade=A-

Trevor Douglas(Best I Ever Had-Gavin DeGraw)- He is a super fast performer. He just goes for it all, but sometimes he sings so quick that I miss a lyric or two and can't understand what he is saying. He goes to play with the audience and ends up going out of tune. When the song slows down a little you can hear some flaws in his voice. It's like he ran out of breath at points. He is a fun performer, but his voice just loses steam. It wasn't a full performance. Parts were good, some weren't.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Song got on top of him, energy is palpable. Jennifer-This was an OK day, didn't see him at his best vocally. Harry-Strong performance but not vocable.
Our Grade=C-

Clark Beckham (When A Man Loves A Woman-Percy Sledge)- Clark doesn't pick very current songs, but his voice makes him sound current, and that's a talent. His first note hits hard and he continues to make great choices with his voice. He is sans guitar, or piano and it's just pure voice. He puts his whole heart into the performance but makes it look like it's nothing. The high note he throws in there and the way the band stopped on his demand was pretty impressive. Keith gives him a standing ovation.
Judge's Comments=Jennifer-Goosies all day. Harry-Extremely talented. Fun to see the nitty gritty of things as he goes further. Keith-It was killer.
Our Grade=A

Rayvon Owen (So Jealous-Nick Jonas) Clark's song choice and Ravyon's song choice were created nearly 50 years apart. Amazing. Anyways, Rayvon picked a song that really allowed his falsetto to shine. He can do almost anything he wants to with his voice. He sounds better than he did last week. He stays in tune the whole time, and again those falsettos really enhanced everything.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Elegant, talented that harkens back to Motown singers. Strong and good song choice. Jennifer-America is watching and voting. Don't forget about them. Would've liked a little more attitude with the song. Harry-Good thing to show off the falsetto.
Our Grade=B+

Daniel Seavey(I'm Yours-Jason Mraz)- He comes out playing a little mandolin thing. His voice has still not fully cracked so his voice is a little uneven. I liked the way he hit certain runs. He looks down a few times to the audience standing there, so you missed some of the connection to the home crowd. It was a nice performance, nothing outstanding, but nothing overly offensive. Just good.
Judge's Comments=Keith-Loved the way he looks, the mandolin, good song, interesting hear his voice tackle that song. Jennifer-Needs to make sure he is consistent throughout the whole song. Harry-Competition starts tonight and there is great talent up there. Great job.
Our Grade=B-

Riley Bria (Homeboy-Eric Church) He is the only country guy left in this competition. So that's a big advantage for those that love country and will vote only that way.  I am not too familiar with this song. His voice sounds a little flat tonight. It doesn't really go anywhere. It is consistent, but it just never gets to a great point that I was excited to hear. A little underwhelming . Riley can play his guitar though,
Judge's Comments- Jennifer- Sweet with that little bit of edge. Belongs here. Harry-Can't help but notice that he is a little like Keith. Keith-Great song choice, can't wait to hear more. 
Our Grade=C+

Quentin Alexander (I Put A Spell On You-Screamin' Jay Hawkins)-His style is one that can barely be described, but it's him and it's unique. The song itself and performance is super intense. His voice is amazing. He hits every note almost differently. It's so unique and creative. I liked the intensity and powerfulness of the performance. Really cool.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Different presentation across the board, hopes America gives him a chance to stay in this. Makes brave choices. Jennifer-Performing, drama, dynamics, vocals, way he looks. Perfect. Harry-Hasn't made a record yet and it was a Grammy performance.
Our Grade=A-

Nick Fradiani (Thinking Out Loud-Ed Sheeran)-He is another "elder" contestant at 29. He, like Mark Andrew, knows his voice so well that he can do whatever he wants to it.  He isn't intense like Quentin or high energy like Trevor but he is a great blend of a beautiful voice, very knowledgeable about his talent and a nice performer. Overall just a wonderful job.
Judge's Comments=Keith-Perfect song choice. Jennifer-Don't want anyone to go home. Did a great performance. One of the best. Harry-Really strong.
Our Grade=A-

Qaasim Middleton(Uptown Funk-Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars)- I love the current song choice, but his voice sounded a little thin to start. He is a true performer. He dances, works the audience and stays in tune for the most part. His performance definitely enhances his voice. His voice might not be as strong as others but he has that little extra something special on stage that others do not.
Judge's Comments=Jennifer-Make me want to dance and sing with him. Crazy every time. Harry-Leave it on the stage, give everything you have and he did exactly that. Keith-Stands out, has charisma, killed it.
Our Grade=B+



Our Top 3 Best of Night= Quentin, Clark and Nick

Going Home Predictions = Daniel, Trevor, Michael, Riley

Final Thoughts

*Although the show was taped last week we got to see full performances from each of the guys and there was not one performance that was utterly terrible. Sure there were a few underwhelming performances or voice inadequacies, but overall it was a solid night of performances.

*The 3 that stood out based on their voice, their performance or a combination of both were Quentin, Clark and Nick. I think Daniel, Riley, Trevor and Michael might be in trouble. None of them were terrible, but they were either inconsistent or lacked having a really great performance and moment.

That's it. Come on back here tomorrow for a full recap on the Top 12 women as they perform. Hopefully it will be just as solid as tonight's episode. So until then, see ya!