Welcome back! This is the last week of American Idol without being Live, so that's something. Last week 5 Men and 5 Women were selected to join the Top 20, the rest will be chosen over the course of the next 2 nights. Tonight the women will follow the same format as last week, 5 women will be chosen by the judges to move on to the Top 20, and 5 women will be eliminated. So let's get to it:
Sudden Death Performances
1. Melinda Ademi-We learn that we have seen Melinda in 2010, she was eliminated after Las Vegas. She hopes to change that this time. We saw her sing Jessie J's "Price Tag" during Hollywood, well she goes for another Jessie J song, this time "Nobody's Perfect". I think I enjoyed her Hollywood performance better than this one, but it was still pretty good. She was always in tune and she had fun, so that's something.
Keith=Really loved the performance. Nerves tried to get through, but she got in the zone. Has a lot of potential and raw talent.
Nicki=Felt a little less connected than when Angela Miller did the same song last week. Liked it but didn't love it.
Randy=It was okay, but not enough big moments. Might be in a little trouble tonight.
Mariah=The nerves got to her and made her voice waver.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. She sounded better in the past, but still good.
2.Candice Glover-By far she is one of, if not the front runner in this competition, so she has a lot of pressure on her. She sings "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". No one will top when Kelly Clarkson sang this song in Season 1 of Idol, but Candice does a great job. She's in another league than so many of these other contestants, men and women. That last note she hit was so powerful and beautiful. Keith gives her a standing ovation. Well deserved.
Keith=Great song choice, so beautiful. The way she sings is just natural.
Nicki=Born to do this. Boggles her brain that she didn't make it past Vegas last season. Her confidence sets her apart.
Randy=A really good job, not her best, but still really good. Keep doing things that only you can do.
Mariah=A bonafide singer. Nice key change and arrangement of the song.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Absolutely. She is gonna sail right through, no doubt.
3. Juliana Chahayed-We really haven't seen or heard much from Juliana. She decides to play the acoustic guitar for her performance of Demi Lovato's "Skycraper". I loved the stripped down version of the song, but there were parts of the song that I couldn't fully understand her, like her words were jumbled together. I feel she needs to enunciate her words a bit better. Her voice quality is solid, but it almost was too slow.
Keith=Struggled with pitch in place, but is understandable given the nerves. Has a purity of her tone.
Nicki=Has a signature sound to her voice. Sings very timid, but it may not work with some of the bigger voices and personalities in the competition.
Randy=Had a lot of honesty in her delivery. Gave everything she had. Good performance.
Mariah=Has an angelic quality coming from her. Has a lot of vulnerability and it's a beautiful thing.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Sorta. They thought she did a much better job than I did. But then again, I never heard Juliana before, so they already know her voice, this was my first real chance at hearing her.
4. Jett Hermano-We saw Jett in a group number, but we didn't actually hear her. Tonight she is singing a stripped down version of Rihanna's "Only Girl(In The World)". She keeps it simple, she just is sitting and playing the piano, with a very soft drum accompaniment. I like her voice. It doesn't blow me away, but I can see why they have kept Jett around, because she is a really nice singer.
Keith=Loved the unique arrangement of the song. Made the song her own.
Nicki=I liked the arrangement. Never really climaxed to anything.
Randy=Thought it was gonna go further than it did. Wanted her to push herself further.
Mariah=Not exactly sure what her place is, but is intrigued by her. Not sure where it will take her.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. They weren't blown away by her, but she has talent.
5. Cristabel Clack-I liked Cristabel in her audition, then we saw her involved in a bit of a messy group performance, but she survived it to sing Alicia Keys' "No One". She starts off singing the song kind of slowed down, then she basically does Alicia Keys' version. I like Cristabel's voice. She might have done a little too much with it, but Alicia Keys does a lot of things in her songs. I definitely enjoyed past performances better, but it doesn't take away that Cristabel's voice is really good. Randy gives her a standing ovation.
Keith=Loves her voice, loves the soul in it. Good song choice. Crazy potential.
Nicki=Liked the song choice, like her rasp, but today it got a little out of control.
Randy=Totally on point. Love the raspiness of her voice. Allowed herself the freedom to just let it go.
Mariah=Loves her past performance better, but still keep doing what she is doing.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Randy loved her more than anyone, but everyone agrees that she is a really good singer.
6. Aubrey Cleland-Tonight Aubrey is singing Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams". She is no Beyonce that is for sure, but she is okay. She couldn't really hit the notes that we all know Beyonce can hit, it was just a middle of the line kind of performance.
Keith=Did her own thing. Has great poise and great fire in her voice.
Nicki=Obsessed with you. Looks and sounds like a current artist. Sounds really pretty, and has rich texture.
Randy=Very great commercial artist. Not a perfect song choice, but she is the full package.
Mariah=Limitless. Hopes to continue on with the show.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Um, no. I thought she was just okay. Maybe the song choice really was the problem, if she chose another song it could be a whole other story.
7. Rachel Hale-She was the last woman chosen in the Hollywood rounds. Tonight Rachel is singing Grace Potter & The Nocturnals' "Nothing But The Water". I like Rachel's voice a lot. I really do. She is a good performer. I think she didn't every note that she intended to hit. The high notes went a little flat, and got pitchy. But overall pretty decent.
Keith=Loved the song choice, but didn't perform it well enough. Has a great spirit.
Nicki=Has gotten a ton of confidence. Really came alive.
Randy=Was happy to hear her choose a high tempo song. Loved seeing this side of her. Fearless.
Mariah=Has a smile that is hard to forget. Heard her better in other songs.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Yep. She had a few rocky moments, but they love her performance and personality.
8. Breanna Steer-Tonight Breanna is singing Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows". I like her look and attitude on stage, but her voice didn't do much for me. The song just kind of sat there. This song needs a bit more voice and vocal range, but Breanna didn't go there. I wish she did though because her last note was pretty solid.
Keith=Like the whole vibe of the song. Made him believe her.
Nicki=Work, work, work. Perfect song choice. It felt right into her tone. Gave her sexy on a stick.
Randy=Has the whole package. Perfect song choice for her voice. Knows who she is.
Mariah=So glad that the contestants get to choose her own song, because it was perfect. It was amazing.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Um, nope. I thought she didn't do enough, they thought she did more than enough and then some more. I just didn't hear it, if/when she moves on we'll see what happens.
9. Janelle Arthur-We learn that this is Janelle's 3rd time on Idol. I don't believe she ever got this far. She is singing Lady Antebellum's "Just A Kiss". I like Janelle a lot. If we compare the other country girl, Rachel Hale, than Janelle wins, if we compare Janelle to Candice or even Cristabel then she isn't quite there. But, she is still very good.
Keith=Loves the way Lady Antebellum performs it, but because their are 3 people in that group, she is only one person, so it doesn't really go anywhere at times. Didn't show what she can really do.
Nicki=Things fell a little flat. Usually has a silent confidence, but didn't show it tonight. Felt disconnected. Doesn't need to overdo it, she's a star.
Randy=Favorite country singer in this competition. Still a fan, despite tonight.
Mariah=Wasn't the best song choice, but still rooting for her.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Yep. It sounds like if Janelle moves on it will be because of her past great performances, not because of tonight, because tonight was a let down.
10. Zoanette Johnson-Don't get me wrong, I think Zoanette is super entertaining, I like her story of persevering from a struggling country, Liberia, but her voice has been crazy, and her performances equaled that and several contestants were eliminated that might have had a shot when Zoanette didn't deliver. Tonight she is singing Lion King's "Circle of Life". Again, Zoanette is very entertaining but her voice was super shaky. She gave everything she could, she has a ton of passion. In all honesty if she went through I wouldn't even care too much. Her performance and energy should count for something. Nicki, Keith and Randy give her a standing ovation. Mariah probably would have but her dress looks incredibly intricate.
Keith=Love that he never knows what she is going to do.
Nicki=Served it. So proud of where she came from and where she is now. Unforgettable, superstar.
Randy=Tonight she showed and proved why she deserves to be here. Her spirit just shines through.
Mariah=So proud and happy for her. Her spirit can't be contained.
Do The Judges & I Agree? Definitely. Her emotion, and spirit almost defies voice. How long this will last is anyone's guess, but for now it's pretty cool.
Predictions
Eliminated: Melinda Ademi, Jett Hermano, Juliana Chahayed, Rachel Hale, Janelle Arthur
Top 20: Candice Glover, Cristabel Clack, Aubrey Cleland, Breanna Steer, Zoanette Johnson
Judges Decide Who Stays/Who Goes?
Zoanette Johnson= Top 20
Melinda Ademi=Eliminated
Juliana Chahayed=Eliminated
Aubrey Cleland=Top 20
Cristabel Clack=Eliminated
Candice Glover=Top 20
Jett Hermano=Eliminated
Breanna=Top 20
Rachel=Eliminated
Janelle=Top 20
Final Thoughts
*Tonight was the first night that I didn't really hear what the judges heard on a number of performers, but that's okay. As long as they make sense and don't send someone through because they are entertaining rather than a great singer than that's fine. They did that with Zoanette, I might have preferred Cristabel or Rachel, but I guess something has to be said for performance and energy and entertainment value.
*I am sad that Cristabel and Melinda didn't make it. I would have preffered them from Aubrey and Breanna, but the judges thought something completly different than I did. This is where editing and screen time plays a part. I barely saw Aubrey or Breanna before tonight so I don't have any idea how they usually sound or what their voice can do. We heard Cristabel and Melinda a couple times and they both did a great job, so I take that info with decent performances tonight and I feel like they deserved to move on.
*I give the judges credit for sending though Janelle, despite a rougher night. I think she had a poor song choice, but her voice is still really strong. I think Rachel had a better night than Janelle when comparing the two, but Janelle has had a stronger track record.
A lot of good talent moving on, a lot of good talent going home, solid night. What did you think? Next week we will rank our Top 10 females and Top 10 males, but that's next week. Tomorrow is the final night of pre-taped performances. So until tomorrow, see ya!
No comments:
Post a Comment