Last week, America made some questionable choices regarding the top 16. With another major slash of four people tonight, let’s hope the better singers go through. Tonight’s theme, the audition song, will be a big help, I think, in seeing how far these contestants have come.
As I always do, I’ll rate each song on a scale of 0-5 along with a short blurb and then pick my favorite and least favorite performances of the night.
Sarina-Joi Crow (“Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic) – * * ½
Here’s the thing. I love Sarina-Joi. Her vocal tone is absolute beautiful and she has great stage presence. But while I could ignore some vocal hiccups last week, this performance was so pitchy and sloppy and all over the place it was uncomfortable to listen to at times. Perhaps she had trouble hearing the band or perhaps nerves got the better of her. Let’s hope this is just an off night.
Rayvon Owen (“Wide Awake” by Katy Perry) – * * * *
Rayvon is a technically gifted singer who delivered a solid, soulful (if not slightly sleepy) Katy Perry cover. He’s someone to keep an eye out for this season.
Daniel Seavey (“Straight Up” by Paula Abdul) – * ½
I’m starting to wonder if the contestants are having trouble following the band with this fancy new studios and these fancy in-ear monitors ‘cause Daniel is the second person of the night to deliver a consistently pitchy and rhythmically off performance. I’m tired of complaining about Daniel at this point, so I’m not going to keep kvetching, but let’s just say I hope America doesn’t vote him through again.
Maddie Walker (“Suitcase” by Gwen Sebastian) – * * * ½
If you remember my recap last week, you would remember that I put Maddie on my Send Home list. The good news is that Maddie seemed more relaxed and more connected this week and, as always, her voice sounded really nice if not unremarkable. If she sticks around, I hope Maddie will loosen up even more and just really dig deep.
Tyanna Jones (“Wings” by Little Mix) – * * * * ½
Tyanna sang that song better than Little Mix by a country mile. The judge are right, she’s a star. Next, I’d love to see her slow it down and show another side to her voice.
Nick Fradiani (“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel) – * * *
A few weeks ago Nick peaked with “Thinking Out Loud.” In the two weeks since, he’s deliver somewhat safe and unmemorable performances. “In Your Eyes” was pitchy and unfocused, which left it feeling like a coffee-shop open mic rather than America’s top ten. Perhaps that’s a little harsh and in no way was Nick’s performance as trainwreck-y as Daniel’s. It just wasn’t great either.
This was a tale of two performances. There was the acoustic piano Across The Universe arrangement which segued halfway through into a more traditional rock band version. If she had stuck with the soft piano version, we would have had a real contender for song of the song. Instead it got a bit predictable and karaoke-ish in the second half.
Qaasim Middletown (“Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder) – * * * ½
I love that Qaasim slowed down the beginning so he can really show off vocally. That being said, as I’ve said for a few weeks now, Qaasim needs to bottle that energy and focus up. His throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach is getting tiring and I’m looking forward to the day when we see a more sedate Qaasim who actually sits still and sings a melody. No doubt what he did tonight was a helluva lot of fun.
Clark Beckham (“It’s A Man’s World” by James Brown) – * * * * ½
There’s no doubt that Clark has talent but I’ve previously found him rather bland. While his “Man’s World” cover didn’t break any new ground it was his best performance in the competition without a doubt. His vocals were tight and soulful and showed a surprisingly large range. Really nice work!
Joey King (“King of Spain” by Tallest Man On Earth) – * * * *
This song was perfect for Joey and the stylistic comfortability showed as she delivered her best vocal in weeks. Truthfully, she’s one of the least vocally talented people in the top 12, but Joey has such originality, personality and musicality that she’s nevertheless one of my favorites.
Quentin Alexander (“Royals” by Lorde) – * * * *
I like when you watch an Idol performances and can perfectly see, crystal ball-like, what his/her eventual album would be live. And this is exactly what i'd think Quentin's original music would sound like. There were pitch problems but how can you fault a guy for crying over his art?
Adanna Duru (“You & I” by Lady Gaga) – * * * ½
Yes, Adanna’s performance was pitchy and all over the place. But I’d rather a passionate and infectious performance like this than a bland, safe one like Maddie’s. This wasn’t great – there was a lot of nerves and excitement in the mix – but I’m still very hopeful she can pull it together.
Show VIP: Clark (for his soulful performance and rapid improvement)
Who Should Go Home Next Week: Daniel! Daniel! Daniel!
Who Went Home This Week: Alexis Gomez, Loren Lott, Mark Andrew, Adam Ezegelian