'American Idol' Final Season Recap - Showcase #1

I’ve been a bit MIA on TheCelebrityCafe.com for a few weeks now. Part of this is because I find the Hollywood Week round important but hard to recap. With quick, highly edited performances, there just isn’t enough singing to fully justify a recap. The other reason is that I’ve been involved with auditions for a community theater show. Sitting on an audition panel has been amazing for a number of reasons, but it’s really made me realize a few things that are directly related to recapping American Idol. The biggest is how quickly you can tell the success of an audition. In just a few bars, some people light up a room, while others shrink into the wall.

This week we have the first live show – one of my favorite Idol moments. Who will shrink and who will become a star on the national stage? Let’s find out.

As I always do, I’ll rate each song on a scale of 0-5, along with a short blurb, and and then pick my favorite and least favorite performances of the night.

Stephanie Negrete (“Mama Knows Best” by Jesse J) - * * * ½

Stephanie looked great. She gave the right attitude, strutting around the stage like an old pro. She executed bright, clean vocals complete with intricate runs. So, in theory, Stephanie is everything you’d want. But it left me cold. There was indeed something disconnected, a bit soulless perhaps, in the performance. She needs to dig a lot deeper next time… if there is a next time.

Mackenzie Bourg (“Say Something” by Little Big World) - * * * *

Unlike Stephanie, Mackenzie is all heart and no razzmatazz. He is so comfortable on stage and has a great, easygoing storyteller quality. But although I like “Say Something,” its melody is just too static for a singing competition. This is a good start, but I want to see more of what he can do vocally.

Janeve Rose Mitchell (“Angel” by Sarah McLachlan) - * * * *

Far and away, this is the best Janeve has sounded so far… at least for 95 percent of the song. Singing McLachlan’s schmaltzy ballad, Janeve showed a musicality far beyond her years. I liked that she played the harp (there were shades of Joanna Newsom, without the annoying moonshine-soaked warble) and enjoyed her arrangement. But while most of the vocals were on-point, the head/chest voice switch was wonky at best. That kind of vocal control takes time, but she’s a unique voice that Idol is lucky to have.

Jenna Renae (“My Church” by Maren Morris) - * * *

I’m a fan of Jenna’s, and she sang this fiery country ditty just fine (even if she did push it a little too far), but I’m still wondering just who Jenna is. What are her original songs like? How can she express her own life or experiences through song? Right now she’s doing great karaoke, and I know there’s a real artist just waiting to emerge.

James VIII (“Love Lockdown” by Kanye West) - * * ½

I’ve heard a few acoustic arrangements of “Love Lockdown” before, and James’ muddy, bluesy arrangement was a nice turn. But neither the song nor the performance really went anywhere, and James lacked the charisma to overcome the song’s stagnation. Right now he’s good background music, not a star.

Sonika Vaid (“Safe & Sound” by Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars) - * * * ½

Sonika is very likable on stage; pretty and unpretentious and most definitely talented. But while her angelic, feathery voice does a good job of conveying the song’s melancholy lyrics, Sonika’s pitch wavered a bit too much to put her into the four-star category. With better breath control, her voice could be fuller and more technically sound.

Gianna Isabella (“I Put A Spell On You” by Annie Lennox) - * * * *

Gianna has pipes, there’s no doubt about it. The runs were artfully executed and her bluesy tone was on-point. But “I Put A Spell On You” (originally by “Screaming” Jay Hawkins, not Annie Lennox) is a slinky, sexy and sinister track. There’s a desperate, slightly creepy tone to the whole thing. Gianna’s was missing that edge. Perhaps it was her young age, but there was a degree of grit or sensuality or anger missing.

Emily Brooke (“I Am Invincible” by Cassadee Pope) - * ½

Emily may feel invincible, but she certainly isn’t free from pitch problems. Indeed, Emily’s song, originally by The Voice champion Cassadee Pope, was so fraught with wildly off-key singing, poor phrasing and uncomfortable stage presence, I question how she ended up in the top 24. Maybe this was just a bad night for Emily. A really bad night.

Avalon Young (“Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber) - * * * *

Between her sweats-and-sneakers look and her easy stage presence, it almost felt like Avalon was performing at her high school talent show. That may sound like a dig, but it isn’t. Avalon is so comfortable on stage and delivers the Bieber tune with a likable swagger. Could her singing and diction improve? Sure, but she’s still one of my favorites of the night.

Jordan Sasser (“All By Myself” by Celine Dion) - * *

This is indulgent, schlocky reality show singing at its best/worst. Singing “All By Myself” is a stretch for Jordan during a regular weekend karaoke night. So on national TV, it just feels egotistical and far beyond his (considerable) talent.

Thomas Stringfellow (“Creep” by Radiohead) - * *

While Thomas did a nice job of conveying “Creep’s” desperate loneliness, I just couldn’t get past his uber-affected vocals and bizarre pronunciation. That’s about all I can say.

La’Porsha Renae (“Creep” by Radiohead) - * * * * ½

Vocally, La’Porsha is so ahead of the pack. Her voice is amazingly assured and nearly pitch perfect. That’s the kind of voice that can win competitions. Given how amazing her vocals are, I wish she had picked a fresher song that doesn't feel so karaoke-ish…or at least updated the arrangement into something that felt her own.

Best of the night: La’Porsha

Worst of the night: Emily

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