Idol Review – Blogging American Idol 9

The Boys’ Turn

Tonight we are separating the men from the boys, so says Ryan. I am so curious to see if they will come from behind and surpass the expectation of the girls this year.

1. Todrick Hall		“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson – Well, he gets an A for originality, and I liked the arrangement. It was a little all over the place, especially in the chorus. However, I give him props for stepping out of the box, especially since that is what the judges keep asking people to do.
02. Aaron Kelly		“Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts – He seems nervous. I do like him singing country. He looks about 12, though.
03. Jermaine Sellars	+1/2	“Get Here” by Oleta Adams – This is definitely a canon fodder guy. He won’t make it to the finals. The high notes were shaky, his other notes aren’t much better. But at least he learned not to throw the band under the bus.
04. Tim Urban		“Apologize” by One Republic – This performance was a disaster. Ouch. I feel like he had no control of his voice – he slid from falsetto to chest voice with no control, and it was just, well, a mess.
05. Joe Munoz		“You And I Both” by Jason Mraz – This performance was pretty good – It was a good song choice and a good vocal. Not great, but enough to keep him in another week.
06. Tyler Grady	+1/2	“American Woman” by The Guess Who (and Lenny Kravitz) Good song choice, good performer, it’s too bad his vocal was crap. He gets a +1/2 for the cool shirt.
07. Lee Dewyze		“Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol – His key is all over the place. The bum notes really overshadowed anything that was good about it. And I disagree with Simon – again, things must sound way different in the studio. I like the potential of his voice, but this performance didn’t cut it.
08. John Park		“God Bless the Child” – Nice, And to me, it sounded like the best of the night. I think Simon is on crack tonight, because I really enjoyed his voice and his tone.
09. Mike Lynche	+1/2	“This Love” by Maroon 5 – It wasn’t bad. I still don’t know if he is as good as the show is hyping him to be, but since tonight has been somewhat lackluster, this performance sounds pretty good.
10. Alex Lambert		“Wonderful World” (by ??) – It was very blah. Like Simon said, he did look nervous, and he doesn’t have too much stage presence. I can’t imagine that he makes it through to the top 12. Like Ellen said, he needs to ripen a bit.
11. Casey James		“Heaven” by Bryan Adams – I did not like the arrangement. Love the song, though, but I don’t love it for him. I expected some blues guitar, and I did not get any of that. Pretty lackluster.
12. Andrew Garcia	+1/2	“Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy – I do enjoy this song, and I do like it for him, but again, there was just something off in the phrasing or the arrangement that made me not like this. Like Simon, my expectations for him were high, but he did not live up to them. He will definitely be safe, but I expect him to do better.

Oh, boys, boys, boys. I don’t even know what to say. This night was horrid. There was not even really a shining moment from anyone. They need to step it the hell up. Next week needs to be SO MUCH BETTER.

If I had to choose a surprise of the night, it would probably be Aaron, because I had zero expectations for him, and he turned out to be pretty good.

If next week is anything like this week, people will seriously stop watching this show. (Not me, of course, but I will be one of 12 people who still watch).

Add comment February 28th, 2010

Ladies Night!

This is just a placeholder post while I get my act together – I am still working on my floating heads graphics, so I won’t post reviews until I have everything all ready to go.

Well well, semi-finals. We meet again. 5 hours of idol this week. AHHH! Also, I wonder if Paula is watching?

1. Paige Miles	+ 1/2	“It’s All Right Now” by Free.  This girl is adorable!  I like her personality, and I like the song, though I’m not sure it was the right choice for her.  Simon thinks she has the best voice of all the girls, which is a pretty bold prediction, given she is only the first to perform. (also, this photo makes her look like Kimberley Locke)
02. Ashley Rodriguez		“Happy” by Leona Lewis – Well the judges comments have solidified that this has become song arrangement idol. All of them want her to sing a song that they wouldn’t normally predict. I actually think it was a good choice for her, especially for round one. I mean, if you come out and go for broke on week 1, you peak at 8th place. Its like starting out a 5k run with a sprint…not such a good plan. Anyway, She gave a solid performance, shoed her voice had some depth, and she should have no problem moving on.
03. Janell Wheeler		“What About Love” by Heart – This song was too big for her. She has a more folky voice and she was REALLY pitchy when she tried to push too hard. I think we need to hear her with a guitar to get a better idea of what she can do. She needs to take a page from the Brooke White handbook, who had the same kind of vibe, and did a pretty successful job in the semi-finals. Janell should sing some Carole King next week.
04. Lilly Scott	+1/2	“Fixing A Hole” by The Beatles – Interesting choice. I guess it was ok, I am really not loving her voice, but I can see where other people would like her. I think she is extremely authentic, though.
05. Katelyn Epperly		“Oh Darling” by The Beatles – Excellent! I didn’t think it was a mess at all, like Simon said. It came across very well on tv, anyway.
06. Haeley Vaughn	+1/2	“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles – Interesting, yet kind of messy arrangement. She probably had a lot to do with the song arrangement, which I like, but she needs to get better at it. But I agree with Kara, that she does have to work on the vocals. And she has a bunch of hype so she will get through, but that will only take her so far.
07. Lacey Brown		“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac – The requisite red-head. This performance was really messy, and I don’t think her voice is very good. It’s too bad, because she got no backstory before tonight, so she will have no one to carry her. She will definitely go home tomorrow.
08. Michelle Delamore		“Falling” by Alicia Keys – She is from Miami, which means our local fox affiliate in South Florida is going nuts. She is good, and I think there is room for a good technical singer in this bunch. I don’t think she can win, but she could make the top 12.
09. Didi Benami	+1/2	“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson – Well she and Lilly are going to be battling for indie spot. And Simon is exactly right, that there is not going to be room on this show for one or two of those types of singers. This show needs a full cast and too many of one type of singer causes the purging of good singers early on.
10. Siobahn Magnus	+1/2	“Wicked Game” by Chris Issack – Kind of a weird song choice – When there is too much of the background singers, something doesn’t feel right. And I can see that she has a good voice, but she is a little weird, and I don’t know how far she can go with these song choices. And she has a weird face when she sings. I don’t know about this one.
11. Crystal Bowersox		“Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morrisette – Coming into this, Crystal was my favorite. Her Hollywood performance was pretty amazing. And after hearing this, she is still up there, and although this performance wasn’t as great as we’ve seen her, but she will go far.
12. Katie Stevens		“Feeling Good” by Michael Buble – The chosen one? Is she? Seems like it. She got the random interview. She gets to sing in the money spot. She reminds me a lot of Katharine McPhee. Kara said she was pitchy, and I didn’t hear too much of that. And she does have a strong voice. She needs to sing a rock song or something.

And in a complete surprise, my favorite of the night was Katelyn. Who’ve thunk? And the thing is, all of these girls are strong, but some of these indie-types is going to get purged. Lacey will definitely be out tomorrow. Haeley might also be in trouble, as might Janell. And I’m not sure how Siobahn will go over, either.

I think one of the biggesst surprises tonight was Paige. Coming out of nowhere, she really stepped up. And I hope people remember her, despite being in the Dead-man’s spot.

4 comments February 23rd, 2010

The Windy City

We visit the windy city tonight.  And it makes me hungry for deep dish pizza.

Shanaia is the guest judge.  There was a rumor that Shania has been less than eager to clear her songs for idol, so it is interesting that she is so excited to be involved.  Perhaps she has since been convinced that the show (sometimes) works!

Katelyn Epperly sang  Syrup and Honey by Duffy — I like her a lot, but I hate that they milk the backstory of “my mom left my dad.”  I mean, I would rather focus on the voice, you know?  But I think she will go far in this competition, actually.

It is weirding me out because the camera is on the opposite side than it normally is, and everything feels backwards. Does this bother anyone else, or is it just me?

Charity Vance – Summertime – I like her because she seems cute and perky, but she is a little too Megan Joy from last season.  I have to see her again before I judge!

Angela Martin!  She’s back!  I am really rooting for this girl.  I am slightly disheartened to know that her elimination last season was of her own doing.  But I still like her, and with the amount of screen time she was given tonight, clearly the producers do, too.  This is her year.

John Park – Not sure what song he sang, but he sounded pretty good.  Also, Shania and Kara wanted a piece of that.

Paige Dechausse – Change is Gonna Come.  I didn’t really like this girl too much – she will get eaten alive in Hollywood.

Next up was a montage of three singers: Justin Ray, Keith Semple who sang  Bryan Adams, (The judges didn’t seem to eager, but I liked him!) and Marcus Jones.  All three were pretty good.

It is interesting to note that only 13 made it from Chicago.  Tomorrow we are in Orlando, and perhaps you can see me on tv!  I have a bad feeling that they didn’t find anyone superb there, either.

Add comment January 20th, 2010

Here we go again…

Is it January already?  Is it?  It seems like only yesterday we had the Adam/Kris showdown.  Well, kids, time to ramp up for another five months of fun.  Generally speaking, I loathe the auditions so I am anxiously awaiting Hollywood week.

Tonight we visit Boston, home of baked beans and creme pies…among other things.

Oh, Posh Spice pre-surgery was way cuter.

Per usual, I will only be reviewing the good auditions, not the crazy ones ones.  And here’s to hoping they limit the crazy.  Because the amount at the judges table is really enough for me.

Maddy Curtis sang Halleluiah by Leonard Cohen.  She is a little bit hippy, and pretty cute too.  I like her voice.

There were some quick vignettes from three girls–Jennifer Hirsch sang a jazzy version of Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, Claire Fuller sang I’m the one who wants to be with you, and Jess Wolfe sang a song I didn’t recognize with the lyrics “all you need is faith.”

Amadeo Diricco sang Muddy Water, and he is a big personality, which will probably be annoying after awhile.  And he might be a nice guy, but he doesn’t have those spot-on vocals.  I can’t imagine he makes it too far in this competition.

Another group of vignettes starring Luke Shaffer singing A Girl Like You, and Benjamin Bright singing Send All My Lovin to You.  Plus these boys can play guitars, which is always a plus on this show.

Ashley Rodriguez sang If I ain’t got you by Alicia Keys, and was fantastic.  She will go far!

Tyler Grady sang Let’s Get It On, and is adorable!  He isn’t the best singer, but has a bunch of personality.  Plus, he has been in a band, and would probably be great in that capacity.

Mike Davis, who easily impressed Kara, drives “Codzilla,” which looks like fun!  He sang Yesterday, and was just ok.  But he made it through.

Katie Stevens sang At Last, and is totally adorable.  I hope she goes far.

Joshua Blaylock sang God Bless the Broken Road, and I thought he was fantastic!  He could be a good country artist.  The judges weren’t totally convinced, but I think he could really grow with this competition.

Justin Williams–Wasn’t this guy on last year, and sang in the Hollywood Week “White Chocolate” group with Matt Giraud and Kris?  Yep, confirmation after a bit of youtube searching.  That was my favorite Hollywood Week moment!  Good, I thought he kind of got the shaft because he was about the same caliber as Matt and Kris, so I am rooting for him this year.  Go Justin!

Bosa Mora — his parents are from Nigeria and I enjoy him and his family. I think he just needs a little training and he could be great.

Leah Laurenti sings Blue Skies and truthfully, I thought her voice was a bit shrill.  I felt like she was yelling, a bit.

Tomorrow we visit Hotlanta.  This semester I have a class on Wednesday nights, and since my TiVo is no longer operational (thanks, digital transition) I might not be able to watch.  But I will attempt to get video from somewhere, but will not be blogging live.  So I will be back later in the week. Until then, adios!

2 comments January 12th, 2010

2-3-4 night (Top 3)

Two songs, three contestants, four judges.  This is go time, boys.  Who will step it up tonight?

1. Danny Gokey		“Dance Little Sister” by Terrence Trent D’arby – I didn’t mind the dancing like Simon and Kara did.  I also thought he sang the song really well.  However, there was nothing extremely exciting or different coming from him.  So to summarize, good, almost great, but not outstanding.
02. Kris Allen		“Apologize” by One Republic – Sort of the same thing as Danny.  Thought he sang it really well, but don’t think he brought anything new.  I love the song, but if they wanted him to rearrange then they should have chosen a song that he would be forced to rearrange.  However, come on guys, how much do you expect from these people.  They didn’t find out about this until Friday, and I’m sure he didn’t have tons of time to make some genius rearrangement, especially considering he had to prepare two songs.  However, with the original arrangement like he did, I still think it could have been a bit better.
03. Adam Lambert		“One” by U2 – Fabulous arrangement, fabulous performance.  Well, round one goes to Adam.
04. Danny Gokey	+1/2	“You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker – I think Danny is finally doing what I have been waiting for, is stepping up, bringing something different and unexpected to the performance.  This performance was great.  My one gripe now is that he tends to babble on stage, and it is becoming annoying.  Ryan needs to reel that in right quick.
05. Kris Allen		“Heartless” by Kanye West – Beyond brilliant. I have hopped aboard the Kris Allen express.  And hopefully that train stops at the Nokia next week. That was fantastic.  Amazing.  LOVED IT.
06. Adam Lambert	+1/2	“Cryin’” by Aerosmith – Well, I think he schooled Danny’s Aerosmith from last week.  I was waiting for him to say that he picked Dream On – I would have died.  It was great, but not his absolute best performance.  I liked his first performance better.

Round 1: Adam

Round 2: Kris

Danny did step it up tonight with his You Are So Beautiful performance, and I think his fan base might put him through, though after Kris’s brilliant arrangement of Heartless, I think he deserves it slightly more.  I think Adam is a sure bet, so it will be Danny and Kris battling it out for the second spot.

The judges are right, though.  This is the tightest top 3 race ever to be on the show.  All of them are superb, and all deserve to win.

(Sorry this post is belated – I may or may not have found an extended preview of Glee on my tivo, and may or may not have watched it 4 times.  Sorry!)

6 comments May 12th, 2009

I Wanna Rock & Roll All Night (Top 4)

Ryan informs us of the accident on the stage – hopefully he will elaborate on twitter later!

Tonight is Rock Night with Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Slash! He is probably the coolest mentor ever.  With the most awkward looking nose ring.

01. Adam Lambert	+1/2	“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin – I don’t even know what to say.  It was an absolutely authentic rock performance, and exactly what I expected.  And I hope that this is the type of music he makes. I loved the clothes, loved the makeup, and thought the screaming was somewhat subdued, considering it is rock week.  It was solid, but didn’t quite thrill me.
02. Allison Iraheta		“Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin – The verses were a little slower and made the song drag a bit, but the chorus was AMAZING.  I got chills.  Loved the outfit and performance, per usual.  I’m glad that she was clear that her other option was Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” rather than Queen’s, because I like JA’s song much better for her. And I like that she is getting feisty, but she is bordering on getting frustrated, which can come off as desperate.  Don’t let them see you sweat, kid!
DUET! Kris Allen and Danny Gokey		“Renegade” by Styx – I’m not really sure how to comment on this whole duet thing. Obviously Simon didn’t know either.  They were good, but not their thing.  The harmonies were the highlight.  Danny has the bigger voice so he was overpowering Kris, but since they obviously had problems hearing themselves on the stage, I can’t fault him for singing too loud.  This is weird – a mix between a results show performance and Hollywood group day.
03. Kris Allen		“Come Together” by The Beatles – Wow – I loved this!  I was worried when he said he was singing this because Carly tore this up last season, but I thought it was as good or better! I disagree with the judges 100% on this one. It’s not like he chose some hard rock song, he chose The Beatles–rock, but not Guns ‘n’ Roses rock.  I can’t believe they didn’t give him more props for this.
04. Danny Gokey		“Dream On” by Aerosmith – And we wonder what broke the glass globe on stage? DANNY’S LAST NOTE. Screamy has come out to play with another contestant, and he is not playing nice.  That last note was HORRENDOUS !!!   The lower notes were fine, and like Paula/Kara said, he should have gone for some other Aerosmith song like Cryin’.  But I was literally hiding under a blanket on my couch during that last part.
DUET! Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta	+1/2	“Slow Ride” by Foghat – I loved this one!  They definitely need to do a duet on the tour.  I would pee my pants.  They were authentic, and I loved the way they played off each other on stage.  Adam called her his little sister, and shared his hairstylist–they are SOOO BFFs.

Well, I can definitely tell you that Gokey was the worst tonight.  I really loved Kris’s performance, and think the judges are insane.  Allison and Adam were also both fantastic, and I loved their duet.  I am torn.  I really don’t want Allison going home, and Gokey SHOULD be going home next, especially after tonight.  I think Kris and Adam are safe, but maybe this turns out to be the “Daughtry” elimination, and Adam gets ousted tomorrow (ironically, when Daughtry performs.)

Another note: In seasons past, between the top 4 and top 5 performance nights, one is spectacular, and one is a trainwreck.  This year, both were fantastic (Danny’s last note notwithstanding)

Just one more rant:  As much as I appreciate the new dueting, I still would have rather gotten another performance song from each contestant, saving these duets for tomorrow night (we can bump No Doubt, as much as I love them).  I am appalled that they cant fit eight 90 second performances in an hour.  The top 3 generally perform three songs, but considering the pattern this season, we will be lucky to get two.   I feel so robbed.

OK, so what did you think?  Am I the only one who loved Kris tonight?

16 comments May 5th, 2009