Heading into this week, my expectations were rather low. None of the performers tonight had particularly impressed me during Hollywood Week. While it was a bit of a roller coaster with some horrendous performances, there were a number that were quite good, and predicting who makes it through is going to be tough.
At the beginning of the show, they talked about having a week where Simon Cowell picks the songs for everyone. I really hope they do this. He always critiques people on their song choice, and I’m curious to see if he could do better.
I expect that he would do well.
Also, why is Kara DioGuardi wearing medieval chain mail? Is she expecting the Black Knight to charge the four of them from off stage?
In any case, on to the performances.
Von Smith
“You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye
The stage presence and performance were ok, but the vocal was a bit weak. It got better as the performance went on.
Frankly, it was better than most of last week, and would have put him on the bubble seven days ago. Unfortunately, he’s with Group 3, not Group 2.
The wife agrees with Cowell on his choice of outfit.
Taylor Vaifanua
“If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys
Ok, I’m not an Alicia Keys fan, and I particularly don’t like this song. Even trying to keep that in mind, the performance was pitchy and completely forgettable.
Alex Wagner-Trugman
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John
Love the song; hated the performance. The dancing certainly didn’t help his cause.
He simply changed the song up too much. It’s a fantastic melody, if you’re going to change it, you need to change with and around what’s already there, not create something new out of whole cloth.
We now have a new leader for Worst Vocal in the Top 36 rounds.
About half way through, I realized what it reminded me of: Adam Sandler in “The Wedding Singer”. No Drew Barrymore to be seen, however.
Arianna Afsar
“The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA
And Alex only holds onto the title for Worst Vocal in the Top 36 for one sone. Arianna beats him easily. She was off the beat. It was pitchy. It was just all over the place.
Ju’Not Joyner
“Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White Ts
This is what I’ve been waiting for! Great opening! The wife liked it, but thought it was a bit slow for her tastes. I loved the entire performance.
Kristen McNamera
“Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman
Wow. Blondie can really sing the blues. All the drama and pain from Hollywood Week has given her an edge to her voice that I really like.
She a bit personality deficient, however. And why is she dressed like one of the Stepford Wives?
Nathaniel Marshell
“I Would Do Anything for Love” by Meatloaf
The song is way too big for him. He just doesn’t have the pipes for it.
There’s also no edge to his performance. Rock and roll needs that edge.
And why is he dressed like Richard Simmons?
Felicia Barton
“No One” by Alicia Keys
Did I mention that I don’t care for Alicia Keys?
Very screechy performance, but it sounds exactly like the original. The wife said, “The longest two minutes ever.”
But we knew the judges would love it.
Scott MacIntyre
“Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby
I like Scott and he’s got a very pretty voice. A little pitchy, but he can really sing.
I thought the performance was quite good, but it won’t get him through.
Kendall Beard
“The One’s for the Girls” by Martina McBride
Gorgeous girl with a great commercial look. She knows who she is and what sort of music she wants to perform.
Unfortunately, she picked a song that was way to big for her. She just doesn’t have Martina’s pipes. It wasn’t a bad performance, but not good enough on this night by far.
The wife says she would like the belt if it didn’t have grass stuck to it.
Jorge Nuñez
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John
Really nice opening. The song is actually too big for him, but he made it work. I would have loved to have heard him do a second verse in Spanish.
Jorge’s performance just pushed Scott out. Hopefully Scott will get called back next week for the wildcard round.
Lil Rounds
“Be Without You” by Mary J. Blige
Nice, soulfull performance. I’m not a big Mary J. Blige, but I liked this. She did a great job.
Ok, so the first two rounds were really easy to predict. This week is quite a bit harder.
Lil Rounds should take the top female spot. For the top male spot, it’s going to be very close between Ju’Not Joyner and Jorge Nuñez.
The at large spot will most likely go to the one above who doesn’t get picked, but it’s not impossible that Kristen McNamera might slip in there.
I wouldn’t be completely surprised to see Felicia Barton and/or Scott McIntyre in the mix, but I don’t think either is particularly likely.