Idol Review – Blogging American Idol 2011

Rounding em up in Texas

Auditions in Houston tonight.

Skylar Laine – She has a maw maw and paw paw…she also sang hell on heels. She’s ok, but she might be a little too Lauren Alaina…

Baylie Brown – She was grouped with Antonella Barber back in season 6! I sort of remember her, but she has gotten way better.  She has some potential to do well.

Kristine Osorio – She is a newly single mom and at age 28, she is the oldest that can enter. I am rooting for the older contestants because as cute as all of the young and chipper 15 year olds are, the older kids come in with a bit of life experience–always a good thing in my book!

Cortez Shaw – This guy sang Adele, and was a bit manic, as Simon would say.  He had some chops in there somewhere, but I imagine Hollywood week will eat him alive.

Ramiro Garcia – The obligatory sob story, this guy was born without ears. He sang Amazing Grace, and was just ok.

Ugh, this was an uninspiring episode…Hoping next week brings more excitement…

Add comment January 26th, 2012

Idol is skiing into Aspen.

Another night of auditions!  Thank the idol gods this is only an hour episode.  Tonight we are in Aspen, CO, which looks beautiful.  Lets hope we don’t have to endure too many bad auditions…

Jenni Schick – Heartbreaker by Pat Benetar – She is ok, but her outgoing personality grates on my every last nerve.

Curtis Gray – Yesterday – I like his voice – he has decent control and a soulful sound. He could go far, if he doesn’t get drowned out.

Haley Smith – Tell Me Something Good – OO I love her! plus, points for the vegetarian. She would be great singing carole king or carly simon. Can’t wait to hear more from her.

Shelby Tweten – Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood – This girl is one to watch, too! Wow – they are getting some good contestants! Plus, she has the best last name for a twitter handle!

Jairon Jackson – He sang an original tune, and it wasn’t half bad! And he was so excited he ripped his yellow ticket and broke a light fixture.

Angie from Delray Beach, FL – sang some crazy show tune where she nearly flashed the camera, and nearly got sent home, but at the last second snapped herself into shape and busted out a great rendition of Blue Bayou. She is pretty good! I can’t see her making it out of Hollywood week, but she does deserve to get a shot.

Tonight I was a big fan of both Shelby and Haley.  Lets hope these girls bring some success to the idol stage!  Tomorrow we move on to Houston…

Add comment January 25th, 2012

San Diego Auditions on a special night.

As you can see, I did not blog Thursday’s episode. Why? Slacking already Laura? Well my DVR already failed me. But I think the technology kinks are now worked out, so I am back blogging this special Sunday night episode…which is airing about 2 hours late. If you couldn’t stay awake, here is your quick recap…

Ashley Robles (26) – Sang Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You – She loses points for choosing this song, and having zero originality in the interpretation. But I think she has some potential, so I hope we see her again. But please, someone help her with the clown blush! That looked terrible on camera.

Jayrah Gibson – He sang a beat box-ish song (did he say this was an original?), so like Jen said, we will have to see how he is with more melodic songs.

Aubrey Deckmeyer (20) – Feelin Good – Her voice was ok, but she seems a little too ditsy for my liking…

Aly Shields – She was on Ellen, she raps, and sang Corrine Bailey Rae. Total canon fodder. This girl will be out during round 1 of Hollywood week.

Kyle Crews (19) – Angel of Mine by Monica – This guy is pretty good! There is a whole lot of natural talent there.

Jane Carrey (24) – She sang Something to Talk About which is a fab choice of song…but her voice was just average. However, she is Jim Carrey’s daughter. We’ll have to see how far they want to take this celeb father thing…

Jason Hamlin – Midnight Special by CCR – I like this one! Keep that Git Fiddle playin, buddy. Johnny Cash was a great way to end that audition.

My faves from tonight were Kyle Crews and Jason Hamlin. Two great (and totally different) male voices. Yay for the boys!

53 people were sent to Hollywood! Not bad, San Diego!

I guess we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled times for rounds two and three this week Wednesday and Thursday. Until then…

Add comment January 22nd, 2012

Kicking Off Season Eleven!

Helloooooo Idol people! As we find ourselves again at the outset of the eleventh Idol journey, here’s hoping for big talent, little drama, and an expansion in Randy’s adjective collection.

Tonight’s audition episode kicks off in Savannah, GA.

David Leathers Jr. (17) – He sang some Century 21, He sang some MJ, and he kind of rocked it out!

Gabby Caruba (16) Sunday Morning by maroon 5 – She has a lot of soul in that little body! I am a big fan of hers.

Shannon Magrane (15) – Feeling Good by Etta James – She was pretty good, but she needs a little refinement.

Amy Brumfield (24) – Superwoman by Alicia Keys – She lives in a tent. I like that she is a little different, but I’m hoping it all ends differently than the kid who lived in his car…

Stephanie Renae (15) – Inside Your Heaven – She has potential, but like Randy says, she needs some coaching. Waiting for Debra Byrd to get her hands on this one and she can get the guidance she needs.

Schyler Dixon (16) – Break Even by the Script – She is pretty good, and I think she is kind of mad her brother stole her spot light – and rightfully so! I actually thought she was better than he was…

Lauren Mink (25) – She sang Country Song – she is just ok, but people will like her story.

Ashlee Altise (28) – The inventor of the joy hop sang some Beatles, and honestly, she wasn’t half bad! I want so see her sing without the schtick…she could be good!

WT Thompson sang Boondocks and Randy said he will get eaten alive. This is a very true statement, but he quit his job for this, the least they can do is buy him a plane ticket to the west coast.

Brittany Kerr, the NBA dancer, looks freakishly like Carrie Underwood…except taller and in tighter jeans. She doesn’t really sound like her, though.

Phillip Phillips, Jr. – He doesn’t have the best voice, but he can jam out with a guitar!

Savannah sends 42 people to Hollywood. My favorite audition we saw was Gabby Caruba. I think she has some serious raw talent that can be fostered through this Idol coaching process.

I also have hope that there were very few bad auditions tonight, which will make my generally dreaded audition episodes bearable.

In other news, I am now the proud owner of a DVR…I am welcoming myself to the world of modern technology, where I can pause to write down names and fast forward through commercials. Woo to the Hoo.

See you again tomorrow, when we head to Pittsburgh!

1 comment January 18th, 2012

America picks, and is stuck in the Clinton Administration (Top 4)

Yep, Rachel Crow left last week.  And although apparently America voted her off, Nicole could have singlehandedly changed this outcome.  But alas, she effed it up for everyone, and was crying harder than a 13-year-old girl…literally.

#impeachnicole

But this is all old news, and tonight we get to hear the Pepsi choice song that was mysteriously pushed back from last week.  Spoiler alert: America sucks at choosing songs.

1. Marcus Canty		I’ll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men – I suppose I can’t fault him for song choice, so I guess I’ll fault America.  FAIL America.  Fail. And the performance?  The dancers?  Not a fan.  It all just drowned out the mediocre vocal stylings.
2. Chris Rene		Fly by Sugar Ray – Chris is never good doing covers.  And of all the covers to do, this was one of the lamest choices.  The performance was weird, the staging was weird.  America can’t choose the songs.  Lesson learned yet, xfactor?
3.Melanie Amaro		Hero by Mariah Carey – Again, and America fail on the predictable song choice, but a flawless performance nonetheless. The weird minor chords on the first verse were ineffective at “changing up” the song, and felt like a half-hearted rearrangement, as they progressed into the original major chords as the song went on.  It could have been arranged better.  That said, I’m not sure it could ahve been sung any better, even by Mariah herself!
4. Josh Krajcik	+1/2	Come Together by The Beatles – Look, a song choice not from the mid-90s!  Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.  I do like this song, and I like this song for him, but I didn’t love the arrangement.  Maybe it was the grim lighting or Josh’s fighting face, but something felt off.
5. Marcus Canty		Careless Whisper by George Michael – I kind of liked the spin they put on the song–mixing some GeoMich with some dance beats.  Didn’t love the production so much, but I disagree with Simon that it was horrific.
6. Chris Rene		No One by Alicia Keys – I loved the first half of the song with him at the piano, and when he got up from the piano I would have loved if he would have busted out some of his own lyrics or something.  But no…the rest of the song was heavy on the backup singers, and off key singing.  Bleh…this could have been so much better.  But he does get props for the first half!
7. Melanie Amaro		Feelin Good by (most recently) Michael Buble – I mean, it isn’t my fave that she has ever done, but she is always amazing.  I do appreciate this song choice more than the predictable song, but I guess I just don’t love the song in general.  That said, she better effing make the finale
8.Josh Krajcik		Hallelujah – I loved this performance, and I don’t even particularly love this song. Nice work, Josh!  The piano was played with soul, and the interpretation was emotional and spot on.  I loved it…really!

Best of the night was Josh’s Hallelujah.  I can understand why he was pimped.  Marcus was the worst of the night and most definitely deserves to be sent packing tomorrow.  If I can rank the remaining performers it would be:

4. Marcus

3. Chris

2. Josh

1. Melanie

Chris and Josh might swap, but I’m not sure.  Chris has had more brilliant performances than Josh, but Josh is much more consistent.  However, if Melanie doesn’t win the crown it is serious blasphemy.

And remember to follow me on twitter for unedited, off the cuff comments.  @idolreview18.  (Not that this entire website isn’t unedited and off the cuff. )

Add comment December 14th, 2011

Top Five Live!

Yo yo yo.  (I had to insert a little Randy.  One month till Idol, have to start gearing up!)

So after last week’s “shocking” elimination of Drew and Astro (Spoiler: I was not shocked), The media created all of this controversy between Paula and Simon.  ”They’re feuding!” “They haven’t spoken in six days…here is Billy Bush to reunite them!”

Its all crap I tell you.  Drew was sent packing because I don’t think she had the polish of the rest of the performers.  Astro was sent packing because people never forgave him from his on-stage outburst of arrogance two weeks prior.  I think Astro will get signed by LA Reid and with a bit more finesse could be a real player in the rap format. Drew?  Well, she either has to go country or Radio Disney.  Only time will tell.

But lets focus on the remaining five.  There are big voices all around.  Which will be great for double performances tonight…of what theme, you ask?  Well, X Factor continues to have a free for all mentality in themes, with round one being “dance music” AKA anything a DJ has ever remixed, and round two being “contestant’s choice.”  Sometimes I long for the challenge of 70s disco.  Perhaps an “Eighties Ladies” light would be awesome.  But I digress…lets get to the reviews, shall we?

1. Melanie Amaro		Someone Like You by Adele –  She has been blessed with a serious instrument, and singing an Adele song in her voice, almost takes away from the Adele-esque intimate nuances of the  song.  I do think Melanie’s voice was better on the dance remix version.  But lets just talk about her voice for a sec…always on pitch, never nervous she won’t hit a note, she is reliable, precise, well executed and amazing.  Like the Aaron Rodgers of X Factor contestants.
2. Marcus Canty		Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Kahn – He is a good singer, of course, but I still think he is really generic!  I still haven’t bought my ticket for the Marcus train.
3.Rachel Crow		Beautiful Girls – I like her enough, I do!  And I think there is a market for her, and I think her personality is well suited for TV.  But where would her album fall into today’s market?  Radio Disney, I guess.
4. Josh Krajcik		We Found Love by Rihanna – Again, I feel like these male artists who flip songs have been extremely prevalent on Idol throughout the last four-ish seasons.  They are fine and very exciting on these shows, but in the real world, I mean, where is Kris?  Where is David Cook?  Not on the radio, I’ll tell you that much.  I mean, they both has a flash-in-the-pan radio career, but not a long relationship with the airwaves.  So, I like Josh, and I think his voice is great.  But in terms of realistic viability?  Not sure he can cut it.  (Also, my apologies for spelling his name wrong for 3 months…I think that is right now).
5. Chris Rene		Live Your Life by TI/Rihanna – More Rihanna, huh?  Well, I liked him much better doing this song, than Josh doing the last Rihanna song.  I 100% agree with Simon, though.  He is not the best singer, he is not the best rapper, he is not the best dancer.  But overall, he has a pretty strong combination of these.  As a recording artist, I can see where he might fit in.  It would take him awhile to build up some cred with the Rap/RB format, but backed by LA Reid, I’ll bet he could become a part of some collaborations with some bigtime people to try and break in.
6. Melanie Amaro	+1/2	Believe by Whitney/Mariah – I know there is the “Thou Shalt not sing Whitney or Mariah” commandment on Idol/X factor.  Melanie sang both in one song.  However, she has the chops to be able to pull this off.  LA Reid is right – it is safe FOR HER.  It is usually a huge risk…but her voice is so amazing, it appears safe.  Maybe she needs to sing a big Kelly C song?  Or an even edgier rock song (I keep suggesting Pat Benatar!) to put more edge in her image? IDK.  Anyway, she can sing anything.  ANYTHING.
7. Marcus Canty		A Song For You by Donny Hathaway – This was really great, actually!  This is one of the first times I have genuinely liked Marcus.  No gimmicks, just some good, soulful interpretation.  Not so risky, but it could have been worse!
8.Rachel Crow		Music and Me by Michael Jackson – Aw her mission is to inspire the kids!  I like her, and similar to what LA Reid said, I like the vision she has for herself.  I actually have to give credit to whoever has influenced her musical taste (parents? choir directors? itunes?)
9. Josh Krajcik	+1/2	Something by Paul McCartney – There was something off at the beginning of the song…he was ahead of the beat and under the pitch.  But he got on track by the middle of the first chorus.  That not withstanding, the performance was good.  Big voice, good understanding of the capabilities of his voice.  But I wasn’t amazingly thrilled.
10. Chris Rene	+1/2	Original Song, “God Only Knows” – First time seeing him on a guitar, his voice is sounding better than ever, and a totally different vibe than we have heard before!  I was amazed at his vocal abilities!  When he can just chill on a bench with a guitar, everything falls into place.  The lyrics could use a bit of work…but I still think this is his best performance.  Wow, go Chris!

I don’t even know if there was a best of the night.  I think they all equally brought their A game, and it is going to come down to fan base.  If I had to guess, I would say Marcus and either Josh or Rachel is going home.  I assume it is another double elimination, as I would guess the finale is next week.  But not quite sure yet.

Another plug for twitter, as I find myself enjoying the live tweeting very enjoyable!  @idolreview18.  

Add comment December 8th, 2011