Crisis Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Hello all! Seeing that the semi-finals are upon us, I feel it's time to create a new thread. This thread will be a one-stop thread in which I give my thoughts and commentary on S19. A few things to keep in mind when reading through this thread: Ā I did not watch any AuditionĀ or Hollywood Rounds episodes, nor have I read any spoilers or visited any of the contestantsā fan threads. Therefore, my opinions will be solely based on what the contestants did that particular night. While on the subject of spoilers, I please ask not to post any in here. Speaking of opinions, this is what they only are. There is a high chance my opinions will differ from others. The only thing I ask is that we are respectful of each otherās opinionsĀ even if we disagree; I know Iāll try to be. * Suddenly remembersĀ Iām onĀ IDF * OK, maybe thatās too much to ask for. I may throw in some humor and jokes throughout this thread. I want to say this right now:Ā they will not be from a place of malice. If I go too far, please feel free to call me out. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone. Ā With everything said, I hope everyone has a great time here and enjoys my commentary in some form or another. Iāve watched every AI season from the beginning; however, this is the first season in which I didnāt watch any auditionĀ or Hollywood episodes. To be honest, itās weird going into the semis without knowing anything about the contestants. Ā At the same time, however, itās kind of exciting. I look forward to meeting this group and see how well they do. I'm also interested in seeing how they fare with some of the posters here. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 (edited) Semi-Finals Top 24 - Part I Top 24 - Part II Top 16 Top 16 Results Top 12 - Oscar Night S18 Returnees Top 10 - Disney Night Top 7 - Coldplay & Mother's Day Top 4 - Personal Idols, Originals, & Reprises Finale - Part I Finale - Part II Ā Edited June 2, 2021 by Crisis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Ooh, this should be interesting. Will definitely be popping into this thread.Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarmenSandiego Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 1 hour ago, Crisis said: Ā Speaking of opinions, this is what they only are. There is a high chance my opinions will differ from others. The only thing I ask is that we are respectful of each otherās opinionsĀ even if we disagree; I know Iāll try to be. * Suddenly remembersĀ Iām onĀ IDF * OK, maybe thatās too much to ask for. Iāll respect your opinion even if it disagrees with mineĀ but I know that some of us on IDF arenāt so good at doing so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedy_Speedy Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Lol I saw the thread title and thought the doomsayers were upon us again, IDF glory days Ā Ā I'll be following. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 4 hours ago, Bk1234 said: Ooh, this should be interesting. Will definitely be popping into this thread.Ā Ā I'm looking forward to us disagreeing on the contestants.Ā Ā 3 hours ago, CarmenSandiego said: Iāll respect your opinion even if it disagrees with mineĀ but I know that some of us on IDF arenāt so good at doing so. Ā Yeah, I know you're respectful. I don't have to worry much here. Ā 3 hours ago, Weedy_Speedy said: Lol I saw the thread title and thought the doomsayers were upon us again, IDF glory days Ā Ā I'll be following. Ā Heh. My thread titles are usuallyĀ plays on my username. It's hard for me to declare the season a disaster when I haven't watched any of it up to this point. Ā Hopefully that won't be the case this season. Ā Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 Alright, the first night of the semi-finals is underway! Before getting to the contestants and performances, Iāll share a few thoughts. Ā For starters, itās nice to see everything back in a studio again. I felt bad for last seasonās contestants who didnāt get to experience this, though it was no fault of their own. The stage looked nice, and it was good to see actual people in the audience instead of the monitors other shows employed. Ā Maybe itās just me, but did the judges actually criticize some of the performances? If so, things are looking promising for this season already. Ā Iām not a fan of the celebrity/all-star duets. While itās nice to see the contestants sing with industry names, I think theyāre a waste of time. Besides, in past seasons, I donāt think they made much of an impact whether or not a contestant advances to the next round. Speaking of advancingā¦ Ā Iām so happy theyāre allowing the voters to decide who moves on to the next round. One of the things I didnāt care for during seasons 15-17 was the judges deciding who advanced. I think this helps even out the playing field a little. Ā Last but not least, the best part: Bobby Bones was nowhere in sight. Ā Now on the performances: Ā Alanis Sophia Solo: Alive Well, one thing I can say is that this girl is not playing it safe. Sia songs are notoriously difficult to sing, and I think this is one of the hardest songs to sing in her catalog. With that said, I think Alanis did a nice job with the song. If I had one complaint, I felt the performance was abruptly cut. Seeing that there were 24 performances tonight, it leaves little time for the contestants to sing. Oh well. Ā Duet: Shallow (Jimmie Allen) First, I want to say Iām happy to see Jimmie doing well for himself. I remember him from S10 where he didnāt make the voting rounds. As for the duet, here is a song I could go a couple of lifetimes without ever hearing again. Despite that, unfortunately I didnāt care for this duet. I didnāt think they harmonized well; I felt Jimmieās voice overpowered Alanisā when they sung together in the chorus. In spite of this, I think Alanis had a solid night. Ā Cassandra Coleman Solo: Find Me I have to say Cassandra has a very interesting tone to her voice. This is a song Iām not familiar with, so I canāt compare the performance to it. With that said, I think Cassandra did a fine job all things considered. She seemed to connect to the message of the song and gave a nice performance. She may be someone to keep an eye on. Ā Duet: Apologize (Ryan Tedder) This was a nice duet between the two of them. Unlike the Alanis Sophia/Jimmie Allen duet, the two appeared to harmonize well together. If there is one criticism, I wouldāve liked to have seen Cassandra end the song instead of Ryan, for I felt it was more about Cassandra than him. Nonetheless, this was one of the better duets of the night, and Cassandra had a great night overall. Ā Alyssa Wray Solo: Something In The Water Iāll begin by saying Alyssa appears to have a very powerful voice. However, if Iām to be honest, I didnāt care for this performance. I felt there were some enunciation issues in the beginning and thought the song got away from her a bit. While Alyssa definitely has an instrument, I think her enunciation and control are some things she could work on should she advance. Ā Duet: I'm Your Baby Tonight (Katharine McPhee) I think Iām going to have to get my temperature checked because I just came down with a serious case of McPheever! Ā As much as Iād love to talk about Kat and as difficult as it was not to focus on her, this is about Alyssa. Ā This was an interesting song choice, but I have to say Alyssa did a much better job here than in her solo. The fast and wordy end section was done to perfection. In addition, I think Kat held back and gave Alyssa a chance to shine, which I thought she did. Overall, I think Alyssa had a mixed night. Ā Wyatt Pike Solo: Rubberband Wyatt is another contestant with an interesting tone to his voice. I think he picked a good song; however, I felt the performance felt the same throughout. He didnāt have to add any vocal gymnastics, but he couldāve made it more interesting somehow. In addition, his stage presence was kind of lacking here. Despite everything, it was still solid. Ā Duet: Brand New (Ben Rector) Here Wyatt put away the guitar and from what he said in the pre-performance video, heās someone whoās more comfortable with it. It looked that way in the beginning of the duet because it appeared like he didnāt know what to do with his hands at first. Ā However, he became more comfortable as the performance went on and had much better stage presence than he did in his solo. He didnāt sound too bad either. Wyatt is someone else who I thought had a solid night. Ā Alana Solo: Blow Your Mind Alana isĀ absolutelyĀ gorgeous and is someone who appeared to have stage presence for days and an infectious attitude. In addition, I liked that she picked a performerās song because it helped her stand out somewhat, and I enjoyed it for what it was. However, I thought she was one of the weakest singers tonight. I just donāt think she is vocally up to par with the other contestants, which could be a problem for her after this week. Ā Duet: Back At One (Brian McKnight) I have to say Brian still has it vocally. He has one of my favorite voices. I felt he held back a bit, but he still overpowered Alana in the duet. I liked Alanaās stage presence, but once again I felt her vocals were kind ofĀ lacking. Personally, I wouldnāt mind her sticking around if solely for eye candy reasons; however, I think sheāll be one of the casualties next week. Ā Anilee List Solo: my future If there was any solo performance that caught my attention this evening, it would be this one. Anilee definitely has a powerful voice, and for her to take on this song and belt it the way she did in some spots really helped her stand out. Billie Eilishās songs arenāt known for having belting moments, but Anilee managed to create some. Ā Duet: Tell Me Something Good (Joss Stone) This song is a funk classic, so anyone taking on this song needs to really bring it; otherwise, it comes off as bland. Anilee and Joss brought the funk, and Iām not talking about the funkĀ from their bare feet. The vocals were strong, and it appeared the two were having a blast during the number. It was one of my favorite duets of the night, and Anilee is definitely someone Iāll keep an eye on should she advance. Ā DeShawn Gonclaves Solo: Forever Young DeShawn has a really smooth voice, which he showed during the a cappella intro in this performance. The rest of the performance was vocally fine. However, I felt he lacked connection to the song and the audience. As a result, I donāt think he came across as memorable as the other contestants. In a field where there are plenty of contestants remaining, that could mean trouble for him. Ā Duet: I Lived (Ryan Tedder) What I said about DeShawnās lack of connection in his solo performance unfortunately carried over to his duet. They were obviously doing an acoustic version of the song, which suited DeShawn better because I donāt think heād have the energy to do the more up-tempo version. In addition to his lack of connection, DeShawn lacked stage presence and was overshadowed by Ryan. I think he may be in trouble because he isnāt as memorable as some of the other contestants. Ā Graham DeFranco Solo: Raye I have to say I really dig this guyās vibe. He has a great tone to his voice, and he reminds me of some neo soul artists. I really liked his performance because it set a chill and relaxed mood. There werenāt any vocal gymnastics, but he didnāt need them. Unfortunately, I have a feeling he and this performance may get lost in the shuffle. Ā Duet: Love Like This (Ben Rector) As much as I liked his solo performance, I liked the duet even better. Whereas the solo performance set the mood, this duet was more of a storytelling performance. I think Graham did a great job of connecting to the song, and I think he and Ben worked well together. Sadly, seeing that he is one of the oldest contestants and not having the most exciting style, I donāt know if heāll connect with the voting audience and make it past the first round. If not, itās too bad because he intrigues me from a style standpoint. Ā Andrea Valles Solo: Lo Vas A Olvidar Itās difficult for me to critique songs that are sung in Spanish because my understanding of the language isnāt the best. However, from the parts I understood, I thought she did fine. The problem was I didnāt really feel anything from her performance. I would probably place this performance somewhere in the middle if I were to rank them. Ā Duet: Careless Whisper (Brian McKnight) Careless Whisper is one of my all-time favorite songs. Itās one of those songs I can never get bored of listening to. With that said, this was a decent performance. I thought the two harmonized well and both did well on their solo parts. As for Andrea herself, the most interesting thing about her was her eye patch. Sheās not a bad singer by any means, but she isnāt someone who has me jumping out of my seat either. Weāll see what happens with her next week. Ā Cecil Ray Solo: Paint Me A Birmingham As much as I donāt want to say this because Iām trying to be nice, this guy lost me at the first note. Iām not the biggest fan of nasal singing, and his tone was very nasal. Outside of this, he lacked stage presence and charisma during his performance. I know nasal tones work well in country music, but it isnāt for me. This was easily my least favorite solo performance of the night. Ā Duet: Freedom Is A Highway (Jimmie Allen) Everything that plagued Cecil in his solo performance appeared in this duet. Again, Cecil lacked energy, charisma, and vocals here. They were even more magnified because this was an up-tempo performance as opposed to his solo one. Cecil appears to be a nice guy, and it was cool that Jimmie gave him his phone number, but he was my least favorite contestant tonight. Ā Willie Spence Solo: Wind Beneath My Wings There arenāt enough words in the English language that describe how tired I am of WBMW. In any other circumstance, I would immediately turn it off. With that said, Willie did a great job with the song. Dude definitely has the vocal chops; in some parts he reminded me of Ruben, which is a great thing because Ruben has one of my all-time favorite Idol voices. In addition, his interpretation was spot on. Despite my disdain forĀ this song, this was one of my favorite solo performances of the night. Ā Duet: The Prayer (Katharine McPhee) I thought I was feeling better; however, the McPheever symptoms are worse than ever! Ā Ā As for the duet, I think it was one of the best ones of the evening. The two voices blended well together, and I loved how each of them interpreted the song. With that said, if I were to have one criticism of it, although I could listen to Kat sing the phone book and as much as I love it when she sings The Prayer, I wouldāve liked to have seen Willie have more solo parts to himself. Overall, I think Willie has one of the best voices thus far, and I hope he sticks around for a long time. Ā Grace Kinstler Solo: Queen Now for the final performer of the evening. Grace has a strong voice; however, maybe it was the song, but I wasnāt the biggest fan of her tone. I thought the verse was kind of sloppy. Things got better when she got to the chorus and moved on stage more. In the end, however, while I thought the songās message was great, I canāt say I was a fan of this performance. Ā Duet: Midnight Train To Georgia This was a much better song for Grace. While I didnāt care for her tone in her solo performance, I liked it more here. I thought both Grace and Joss did their thing on this soul classic. This was the most energetic performance of the night, and I loved how Joss set Grace up for her big moment and how excited she was when Grace hit that high note. Based on tonight, I think Grace was OK but feel she is capable of more than what she showed. Ā Overall, it was a solid night of performances for the most part. The only one I didnāt care for was Cecil, but I donāt think things were too bad. Based on tonight, hereās how I would rank the contestants: Ā 12. Cecil Ray 11. DeShawn Gonclaves 10. Alana 09. Andrea Valles 08. Alyssa Wray 07. Grace Kinstler 06. Wyatt Pike 05. Graham DeFranco 04. Alanis Sophia 03. Cassandra Coleman 02. Willie Spence 01. Anilee List Ā Time to look forward to the other 12 semi-finalists! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 (edited) Alanis Sophia -Ā I completely agree, especially about the rough cut ending. I also wasnāt a fan of her duet. It was very sleepy and Jimmie overpowered her.Ā Ā Cassandra Coleman -Ā Her tone gives off a very messy, unpolished vibe, which isnāt necessarily a bad thing. I wasnāt too impressed with her solo, but I loved her duet, despite the all-star stealing the show at the end with that run. Ā Alyssa Wray -Ā I actually really loved this performance. While it was a little messy, I felt that added to the raw emotion of the performance! I had a feeling youād be excited about Kat making another appearance on the Idol stage. I think Alyssa slayed vocally and her personality really shined. My main issue was actually with Kat () who looked stiff on stage and couldnāt match Alyssaās energy.Ā Ā Wyatt Pike -Ā I wasnāt a fan of his arrangement of āRubberband,ā but I like to see him taking more risks. In his duet, I was shocked by how comfortable he looked on stage without his guitar. His style isnāt for me, but I think heāll sail through. Alana -Ā I love her stage presence, but I honestly wish she chose a more vocally impressive song for her solo. Her duetĀ of āBack At Oneā was nice, but like you said, Bryan clearly overshadowed her here. Unfortunately, I donāt see her advancing... Ā Anilee List -Ā WOW!!!! I loved this performance so much!! Like you said, I liked the fact that she incorporated belting moments in the arrangement. Her runs were also spot on as usual. This was probably my favorite of the night. I donāt really remember her duet too much, to be honest with you, and I donāt feel like re-watching it. Ā DeShawn Goncalves -Ā I completely agree on him. He was technically perfect, but he lacked the emotion in both his performances. I donāt think voters will remember him, especially not after Willie.Ā Ā Ā Graham DeFranco -Ā This guy kind of puts me to sleep, not gonna lie. Heās pretty good, but Iām just not a fan of his style and wasnāt impressed. I think heās another one who could get overshadowed in the votes.Ā Andrea Valles -Ā I loved her performances so much, especially the duet. Iām so happy she sang in Spanish because it allowedĀ her to stand out (though not sure how well that will translate into votes.Ā ) Her duet was probably my favorite duet of the night. There was no overpowering and I thought Andreaās stage presence was excellent. She was probably in my Top 3 of the night, but unfortunately, I donāt see her advancing... Ā Cecil Ray -Ā Yeah, he was easily the worst of the night, and if I were the judges, I would seriously be regretting choosing him over Drake McCain in the Showstopper rounds. His solo performance was a pitchy mess and in his duet, he was outclassed by Jimmie. I want to say that he wonāt advance, but something tells me that he has a shot at doing so. Ā Willie Spence -Ā This guy definitely reminds me of Ruben. I enjoyed his solo performance, but found it too safe (maybe itās just because I was constantly comparing it to Skylar and Piaās versions.) I also didnāt agree with the judgesā song choice advice. Big, classic songs wonāt make him stand out or be a relevant artist in the industry. His duet was good, but compared to some of āThe Prayerā covers Iāve heard, it was pretty average. Ā Grace Kinstler -Ā Her solo was a bit sloppy, but Iām a huge fan of her high notes, so I loved the performance. She worked the stage for her solo too, which was nice to see. Her duet was definitely better than her solo and I thought she killed it (she was one of the few who overshadowed their celebs imo.) I think Grace had a good night and will advance.Ā Edited April 5, 2021 by Bk1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedy_Speedy Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 I just watched the episode on Hulu, so here are my comments, both to the performances and your personal assessments: Ā Alanis - She's IDF's it-girl this season, isn't she? Maybe I'm just imaging that since I've seen her name in the Rankdown thread a few times. I do think she's really good. I personally am over all the cookie-cutter pop princesses because to me they're all the same, but she has a great tone to her voice that makes her stand out. She needs to be smarter picking songs though, she's not Sia and those high notes were above her ability. Still, a really good start to the season. I don't remember Jimmie Allen on Idol but I love it when the show tries to take credit for its rejects that found fame without it lmao. Ā Cassandra - She has an interesting look and "vibe", but the singing is about a C for me. Lionel gave her some good advice because you could definitely feel her nerves in the performance. Honestly though she's more of a season 7 or 9-lite contestant, with how fast the seasons are nowadays I don't think she'll have much room to "grow." She may make the top 12, though. Ā Alyssa - Lol @ the comeback of IDF's favorite Republican, too funny. To me, this girl was indulgent, Carrie Underwood and then a Whitney Houston song she didn't even know? She has to be fodder. Ā Wyatt - Where in the pits of hell did this dude find that Rubberband song from? He was decent I guess, but he suffers from Alex Preston syndrome where he's kind of cute but makes ugly faces when he sings. Unlike you I thought he was waaay worse in the duet. Ben Rector made him soundĀ ordinary. Ā Alana - I'm the opposite of you on this one: I thought she sounded fine, but the performance aspect was super karaoke. I think she sang better than Alyssa and Wyatt, at least. By the time I had finished the show however, I had basically forgotten her, so she's probably another fodder pick. Ā Anilee - Lol I must have been watching a different performance than you. I thought she was absolutely terrible. Ngl my face legit scrunched up at her attempts at "belting," she's definitely a less is more singer. Don't know what else to say, really. She has a good look, I guess? Ā DeShawn - He was ok, I think I liked him better than you. The performance seemed interesting to me, but that may have been because of the a capella beginning. I'm not familiar with the song so I can't say if he connected to it or not. At first I thought he was safe enough to advance, but then Willie showed him up later in the show so he's basically doomed lol. Ā Graham - He's someone that sounds better when you close your eyes and listen to him. Not because he isn't "conventionally attractive," but because he has a great storyteller tone to his voice, but is completely lacking in charisma and stage presence. The duet was definitely better and I think he'll advance to the next round. Also mad props for being 28 and not making me feel old lmao. Ā Andrea - I definitely liked her more than you, after Alanis she was the first contestant who really stood out and make me take notice. Bedazzling the eye patch was a genius move lmao, and she sounded great. I would love to see a Latin singer do well on Idol because that's something the show has never given us. They're killing me with all these A names, though. Andrea, Alana, Alanis, Anilee, Alyssa?! Wtf?! Ā Cecil - I thought he was godawful. Ā Willie - Like you I would also like to remove WBMW from existence, but sometimes the best thing to do is play by the Idol playbook, which is what Willie did. He chose a song the audience will know and the duet with Katharine was pretty much brilliant, probably the best performance of the night. He's gonna walk to the top 12 tbh and probably even further than that. I will leave you with my roommate's assessment of KatPhee, a fan before her conservative outing: Ā Grace - Lol I loved everything about this. At first I thought she was gonna be pop princess wannabee #5 billion, but clearly she felt the need to make a statement. The duet was great too, another one that played by the Idol playbook and I want to hear Joss Stone sing it by herself, she sounded incredible. I hope she does well in the competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 7 hours ago, Bk1234 said: Alanis Sophia -Ā I completely agree, especially about the rough cut ending. I also wasnāt a fan of her duet. It was very sleepy and Jimmie overpowered her.Ā Ā Cassandra Coleman -Ā Her tone gives off a very messy, unpolished vibe, which isnāt necessarily a bad thing. I wasnāt too impressed with her solo, but I loved her duet, despite the all-star stealing the show at the end with that run. Ā Alyssa Wray -Ā I actually really loved this performance. While it was a little messy, I felt that added to the raw emotion of the performance! I had a feeling youād be excited about Kat making another appearance on the Idol stage. I think Alyssa slayed vocally and her personality really shined. My main issue was actually with Kat () who looked stiff on stage and couldnāt match Alyssaās energy.Ā Ā Wyatt Pike -Ā I wasnāt a fan of his arrangement of āRubberband,ā but I like to see him taking more risks. In his duet, I was shocked by how comfortable he looked on stage without his guitar. His style isnāt for me, but I think heāll sail through. Alana -Ā I love her stage presence, but I honestly wish she chose a more vocally impressive song for her solo. Her duetĀ of āBack At Oneā was nice, but like you said, Bryan clearly overshadowed her here. Unfortunately, I donāt see her advancing... Ā Anilee List -Ā WOW!!!! I loved this performance so much!! Like you said, I liked the fact that she incorporated belting moments in the arrangement. Her runs were also spot on as usual. This was probably my favorite of the night. I donāt really remember her duet too much, to be honest with you, and I donāt feel like re-watching it. Ā DeShawn Goncalves -Ā I completely agree on him. He was technically perfect, but he lacked the emotion in both his performances. I donāt think voters will remember him, especially not after Willie.Ā Ā Ā Graham DeFranco -Ā This guy kind of puts me to sleep, not gonna lie. Heās pretty good, but Iām just not a fan of his style and wasnāt impressed. I think heās another one who could get overshadowed in the votes.Ā Andrea Valles -Ā I loved her performances so much, especially the duet. Iām so happy she sang in Spanish because it allowedĀ her to stand out (though not sure how well that will translate into votes.Ā ) Her duet was probably my favorite duet of the night. There was no overpowering and I thought Andreaās stage presence was excellent. She was probably in my Top 3 of the night, but unfortunately, I donāt see her advancing... Ā Cecil Ray -Ā Yeah, he was easily the worst of the night, and if I were the judges, I would seriously be regretting choosing him over Drake McCain in the Showstopper rounds. His solo performance was a pitchy mess and in his duet, he was outclassed by Jimmie. I want to say that he wonāt advance, but something tells me that he has a shot at doing so. Ā Willie Spence -Ā This guy definitely reminds me of Ruben. I enjoyed his solo performance, but found it too safe (maybe itās just because I was constantly comparing it to Skylar and Piaās versions.) I also didnāt agree with the judgesā song choice advice. Big, classic songs wonāt make him stand out or be a relevant artist in the industry. His duet was good, but compared to some of āThe Prayerā covers Iāve heard, it was pretty average. Ā Grace Kinstler -Ā Her solo was a bit sloppy, but Iām a huge fan of her high notes, so I loved the performance. She worked the stage for her solo too, which was nice to see. Her duet was definitely better than her solo and I thought she killed it (she was one of the few who overshadowed their celebs imo.) I think Grace had a good night and will advance.Ā Ā Alanis - Yeah, that ending was abrupt. It felt like the song was going somewhere else but was cut off all of a sudden. Ā Agree with everything else. Ā Cassandra - I could see how her tone could come across that way, but itās something I enjoy for now. Yeah, I thought Ryan was wrong overshadowing like that. Youād think he was the Idol contestant with something to prove and Cassandra was the recording star. Ā Alyssa - I could see that regarding her solo performance. What made you think that about Kat? Ā You weren't kidding when you said I would be pleased about one of the celebrity guests in the other thread. Ā I could talk about how much I loved her interaction with Alyssa (especially the part about her not understanding period and how old it made her feel when Alyssa said she didnāt know Iām Your Baby Tonight) and how gorgeous she was, especially for someone who gave birth over a month ago. Ā Regarding the duet, as much as it kills me to say this, I agree about Kat seeming stiff. In her defense, however, Kat was never a high energy, move around on stage type of performer. In addition, I think she wanted to let Alyssa shine and held back some. Aw crap, to quote Britney Spears: oops, I did it again in getting carried away talking too much about Kat (for those who donāt know me, Katharine is my all-time favorite Idol contestant, and I tend to get a teeny bit excited over her). Ā Sorry, Alyssa. Ā Wyatt -Ā I pretty much agree with everything written here. Heās not really my style of contestant either, but he wasnāt bad. Ā Alana - Again, in complete agreement with everything here. Ā Anilee - I agree about her solo performance. I liked her duet with Joss. Ā DeShawn - Sounding like a broken record, but once again I agree with everything written. At least he got to sing the last note in his duet with Ryan unlike Cassandra. Ā Graham - I had a feeling he would come across that way to some people. It wouldnāt surprise me one bit if he wasnāt very popular here. Ā Andrea - I didnāt like her as much as you did, but fair enough about everything written. As of right now, Iād probably have her on the fence. Ā Cecil - Wait, Drake auditioned and was cut at the Top 40 again? Poor guy canāt seem to catch a break. Maybe heāll finally break through should he audition again next season. Ā As for Cecil, once again Iām pretty much in agreement with everything said about him. Ā Willie - Fair point about him not standing out or showing any relevance in the industry by picking big classic songs. I take it he sang a lot of those prior to the semis? Fair enough about The Prayer, but as with Alyssa, I think Kat held back in order to harmonize with Willie more. Ā Grace - I canāt say I was a fan of the solo, but good if anyone enjoyed it. Definitely agree about her killing her solo; however, as far as overshadowing Joss, like Kat I felt Joss held back so Grace could shine because she couldāve easily taken over that performance if she wanted to. Iād go as far as saying she was the one who tried to showcase her partners the most. In other words, she was the anti-Ryan Tedder. Ā 4 hours ago, Weedy_Speedy said: I just watched the episode on Hulu, so here are my comments, both to the performances and your personal assessments: Ā Alanis - She's IDF's it-girl this season, isn't she? Maybe I'm just imaging that since I've seen her name in the Rankdown thread a few times. I do think she's really good. I personally am over all the cookie-cutter pop princesses because to me they're all the same, but she has a great tone to her voice that makes her stand out. She needs to be smarter picking songs though, she's not Sia and those high notes were above her ability. Still, a really good start to the season. I don't remember Jimmie Allen on Idol but I love it when the show tries to take credit for its rejects that found fame without it lmao. Ā Cassandra - She has an interesting look and "vibe", but the singing is about a C for me. Lionel gave her some good advice because you could definitely feel her nerves in the performance. Honestly though she's more of a season 7 or 9-lite contestant, with how fast the seasons are nowadays I don't think she'll have much room to "grow." She may make the top 12, though. Ā Alyssa - Lol @ the comeback of IDF's favorite Republican, too funny. To me, this girl was indulgent, Carrie Underwood and then a Whitney Houston song she didn't even know? She has to be fodder. Ā Wyatt - Where in the pits of hell did this dude find that Rubberband song from? He was decent I guess, but he suffers from Alex Preston syndrome where he's kind of cute but makes ugly faces when he sings. Unlike you I thought he was waaay worse in the duet. Ben Rector made him soundĀ ordinary. Ā Alana - I'm the opposite of you on this one: I thought she sounded fine, but the performance aspect was super karaoke. I think she sang better than Alyssa and Wyatt, at least. By the time I had finished the show however, I had basically forgotten her, so she's probably another fodder pick. Ā Anilee - Lol I must have been watching a different performance than you. I thought she was absolutely terrible. Ngl my face legit scrunched up at her attempts at "belting," she's definitely a less is more singer. Don't know what else to say, really. She has a good look, I guess? Ā DeShawn - He was ok, I think I liked him better than you. The performance seemed interesting to me, but that may have been because of the a capella beginning. I'm not familiar with the song so I can't say if he connected to it or not. At first I thought he was safe enough to advance, but then Willie showed him up later in the show so he's basically doomed lol. Ā Graham - He's someone that sounds better when you close your eyes and listen to him. Not because he isn't "conventionally attractive," but because he has a great storyteller tone to his voice, but is completely lacking in charisma and stage presence. The duet was definitely better and I think he'll advance to the next round. Also mad props for being 28 and not making me feel old lmao. Ā Andrea - I definitely liked her more than you, after Alanis she was the first contestant who really stood out and make me take notice. Bedazzling the eye patch was a genius move lmao, and she sounded great. I would love to see a Latin singer do well on Idol because that's something the show has never given us. They're killing me with all these A names, though. Andrea, Alana, Alanis, Anilee, Alyssa?! Wtf?! Ā Cecil - I thought he was godawful. Ā Willie - Like you I would also like to remove WBMW from existence, but sometimes the best thing to do is play by the Idol playbook, which is what Willie did. He chose a song the audience will know and the duet with Katharine was pretty much brilliant, probably the best performance of the night. He's gonna walk to the top 12 tbh and probably even further than that. I will leave you with my roommate's assessment of KatPhee, a fan before her conservative outing: Ā Grace - Lol I loved everything about this. At first I thought she was gonna be pop princess wannabee #5 billion, but clearly she felt the need to make a statement. The duet was great too, another one that played by the Idol playbook and I want to hear Joss Stone sing it by herself, she sounded incredible. I hope she does well in the competition. Ā Alanis - I agree with her not being Sia, but then again who is. I don't know about her beingĀ IDF's it-girl because I haven't been paying attention, but it wouldn't surprise me if she was unless there are some power belters in the other group tonight. Ā Cassandra - I agree with her having an interesting look and vibe. While I thought she did fine, I did sense some nerves from her. I hope she takes Lionel's advice and try not to overthink her performances should she move on. Ā Alyssa - I could see how her singing Carrie Underwood and Whitney Houston can come across as indulgent. Ā Wyatt - Now I can't unsee those faces he made while singing. Ā Alana - Fair enough. She did seem to give off a fodder vibe. Ā Anilee - Fair enough. People can look at the same thing and have different opinions about it. Ā DeShawn - OK, fair enough about the performances. He does have the misfortune of being in the same season as Willie. Ā Graham - Sadly, I may agree about him sounding better if you don't look at him. Regardless, I liked him. Ā Andrea - Fair enough. Having a good Latin singer would be good for Idol. LOL at all of the girls with 'A' names. It reminds me of S11 when some of the girls had similar sounding names. Ā Cecil - Unfortunately Ā Willie - Pretty much agree about the performances. I'm not sure how popular he is, but I'd like to see him move on from this week at least. Ā Grace - Fair enough. I also the duet was great. 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Bk1234 Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 13 minutes ago, Crisis said: I tend to get a teeny bit excited over her I wouldnāt describe it as āteeny.āĀ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 8 hours ago, Bk1234 said: I wouldnāt describe it as āteeny.āĀ Ā Ā Ā I should have my comments on the other 12 semi-finalists up in a day or two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 Alright, time for Part 2 of the semi-finals! Ā Jason Warrior Solo: Call Out My Name It appears this guy has a controversial past on other singing competitions. I donāt know anything about that and even if I did, Iām solely focusing on his time on Idol. He has a powerful voice and great control, no question about it. However, I thought he was over the top in this performance. It felt like he was putting on some kind of act. Nonetheless, it was a strong way to open the show. Ā Duet: How Deep Is Your Love (PJ Morton) My love for this song runsĀ pretty deep. Ā However, I canāt say I cared for this version. The gospel type arrangement was interesting, but the singing wasnāt that good to me. I donāt think Jasonās and PJās voices went well together, mainly because I thought Jason oversang the song. Despite all of this, Jason was one of the better performers, if only because some who came after him werenāt that good. Ā Madison Watkins Solo: Holy For starters, I donāt care for the song, so Madison wouldāve had to do something extra with it to make it more interesting. Unfortunately, she didnāt really do that. The verse was fine; however, she shouted the second part of the chorus, and the big note leading to the key change made my ears wince. The one positive I have about this performance is that I liked her energy. Ā Duet: Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing (Tori Kelly) One thing Iāll say, this performance definitely had the most volume. While I didnāt care for her solo performance, while she didnāt have any moments that could make body parts curl, I thought Madison did OK in the duet. However, Tori channeled her inner Ryan Tedder and overshadowed her with that hair raising run in the middle. All in all, I place Madison in the middle of the pack. On a last note, the janitors probably had a field day with all of the hair they had to clean up afterwards. Ā Beane Solo: Don't Start Now I donāt know what to make of this arrangement. It was slowed down in the first half before becoming more lively in the second. It was as if Beane didnāt know in which direction he wanted the song to go in, so he just combined the two styles together hoping it would mesh well together. Personally, I donāt think it worked. As for his singing, he was OK although there were a couple of parts I didnāt care for. Nonetheless, the overall performance was interesting to say the least. Ā Duet: Angels (Josh Groban) Iām not the biggest Josh Groban fan, but I think he is one of the best pure singers out there today. He showed why in the duet. As for Beane, I didnāt care for the harmonizing parts with Josh because I thought Josh overpowered him at times, and the times Beane could be heard didnāt sound all that pleasant to me. With that said, Beane sounded fine on his solo parts except for when he went into his upper register, which isnāt pleasant to my ears. Right now, I donāt know what to make of him, but I will say heās one of the more stylistically intriguing contestants this season. Ā Hannah Everhart Solo: I Was Wrong If I were to describe this performance in two words, it would be hot mess. Chris Stapleton is a vocal beast, so taking on his songs are risky. Unfortunately for Hannah, it was a risk that didnāt pay off. She started off in the wrong key,Ā and there were all sorts of pitch problems the rest of the way. Needless to say, to paraphrase the song title, Hannah was definitely wrong for this performance. Ā Duet: She's Country (Jason Aldean) This was a better showing for Hannah. I think a lot of it had to do with Aldean singing with her, which reigned her voice in a little. Songs like these appear to be better for her than more mature songs like IWW. With that said, while I liked her energy, the singing was still not that great for me. Overall, I thought she was one of the weakest contestants and think, as with most teenagers, need more time and experience to mature. Ā Mary Jo Young Solo: Castle On The Hill I donāt know if itās my audio output or my ears arenāt the best at picking up these things, but to me she sounded sharp throughout the song. There were moments in which I cringed at some of the notes she hit; it mainly happened when she went for the high ones. Also, for such a lively song, she emitted very little energy. Unfortunately, I wasnāt a fan of this performance at the end of the day. Ā Duet: Foolish Games (Jewel) I would say this was the biggest surprise of the night, but one overtook it later. Still, because I didnāt care for her solo performance, I expected Mary Jo to get swallowed alive here. For starters, Jewel is such a stylized artist itās really difficult for anyone to cover her and come out on top. Plus, Jewel herself had a larger than life presence. However, Mary Jo more than held her own here. Her voice sounded better here because there werenāt as many moments for her to go big, which I think was a problem in her solo. In the end, Mary Jo had a mixed night for me. Ā Chayce Beckham Solo: Afterglow One thing I will say about Chayce is that he definitely has a distinct sound compared to the rest of the contestants. Also, he gives off this cool yet confident aura which I canāt explain all that well. This was a nice subtle performance from Chayce although I donāt care for the song to be honest. Sometimes, vocal gymnastics aren't needed and a simple storytelling performance can be just as eye-catching.Ā I think ChayceĀ did that well here. Ā Duet: Drive (Brandon Boyd) First, I never expected someone like Brandon Boyd would ever appear on Idol (then again, I thought the same thing about Judas Priest back in S10). Ā Also, Drive is one of my favorite songs, so I hoped this would be a great duet. While not bad, I felt it couldāve been better. I didnāt think Brandonās and Chayceās voices went well together; however, they sounded fine separately. I wouldāve liked Chayce to have more parts to himself, but it is what it is. I think more than anyone thus far, Chayce is someone who knows who he is as an artist, and should he make smart choices he appears to be someone who can go far this season. Ā Colin Jamieson Solo: Locked Out Of Heaven I want to know what Bruno Mars did to this guy for this song to be butchered like that. Ā Yikes.Ā He was off from the first note and didnāt even try to sing any melody. Even if he did, his tone was not exactly my favorite. Finally, the performance aspect was bad, and the guitar was more of a hindrance than an asset. I went back and forth between this and Hannahās performance as my least favorite solo performance of the night, and this one won because as bad as Hannahās was, at least she tried to sing her song. If Vote For The Worst was still around, they'd have a field day with this one. Ā Duet: Hollow (Tori Kelly) After his solo performance, I had very low expectations of Colin in his duet and expected Tori to mop the floor with him with her hair. However, this was the biggest surprise of the night for me. He held his own and went toe to toe with Tori, who is a serious vocal powerhouse. She really impressed me with her range during her stint on The Masked Singer. Back to Colin, he was able to harmonize really well with her and showed he had some pipes of his own. With that said, however, I felt his solo performance really hampered him and put him in the danger zone. Ā Liahona Olayan Solo: Just Friends Oh dear. The main thing I took away from this performance was here was someone trying to show how contemporary she can be. I get that and she looked like she was having fun; however, maybe itās just me but it looked like she was trying too hard. In addition, the song didnāt appear to be one to showcase anyone vocally, so I had no idea what sheās like there. Overall, I give this an A for effort and C- for execution. Ā Duet: Say So (PJ Morton) Now this is more like it. I loved the harmonies between the two of them in the beginning, and I have to say Liahona showed she did have a voice inside of her with her solo parts. With all of this said, based on what Iāve seen and heard, I donāt think sheās ready and still has some ways to go; however, something tells me sheāll have at least another week to work on herself. Lastly, I have to say I found it amusing that when everyone else seemed to dress up, she looked like she was getting ready to kick back on the couch and catch a few movies on TV. Ā Ava August Solo: Driver's License Well, here is someone who managed to catch my attention. At first, I didnāt know what to make of her voice when she started, but as the song progressed I became more and more intrigued with it. If I were to have one criticism, itās that I felt she fell just short of hitting the high notes in the big part of the song. Other than that, this was a solid effort from Ava. Ā Duet: Both Sides Now (Josh Groban) This was a really nice duet. I felt the song was appropriate for Ava, and she really shined in her parts. I also really liked the two singing together though it was clear Josh was holding back so he wouldnāt overpower her. If I had to pick my favorite duet of the night, it would be this one. As for Ava, despite her age she showed where she wants to go as an artist, and I would like to see her stick around. I just hope no one tries to turn her into a belter. Ā Caleb Kennedy Solo: Midnight Rider For starters, I think he picked a good song, and he sang it well for the most part. However, it felt as if he was guarded and didnāt try to connect to anyone. I donāt know if thatās who he is, and for all I know the shy, closed off country boy with the hat covering the eyes imagesĀ makes him endearing. Heck, some people eat that type of thing up. As for me, it made it difficult to invest in him for now. Ā Duet: Fly Over States (Jason Aldean) Eh, I unfortunately found this duet kind of boring. I think a lot of it had to do with the song. Nonetheless, Caleb seemed to be lacking energy, and his stage presence was pretty much non-existent. In addition, he still had that guarded presence that was present in his solo number. Caleb is a hard one for me to pin down. I could see him lasting a while if the country vote is strong; however, he could easily be an early casualty as well. Ā Hunter Metts Solo: Chandelier Maybe Iām being unfair because Iām comparing this to both of Trentās versions, but this didnāt really do anything for me. It lacked the emotional impact the song is known for having. Having said that, the smartest thing he did was to do a toned down and acoustic version because it appeared there would be no way he could sing it in its original form. I also had the feeling he was holding back some because he didnāt appear to be all that confident in himself. Ā Duet: Who Will Save Your Soul (Jewel) What I said about him holding back in his solo was definitely true in his duet. He didnāt sound too bad, but it was obvious he was overthinking in this performance. Jewel even tried to set him up to have a big moment in the song like Joss did for Grace; however, unlike Grace, Hunter didnāt take advantage of his opportunity. With that said, something tells me he isnāt going anywhere any time soon. If this were the final FOX Idol seasons, heād be a threat to go really far. However, in the ABC seasons, this may not be as sure of a thing. Ā Casey Bishop Solo: Decode Hmm. This was an ambitious take on this song. However, I felt that she fell short. The verse was fine; however, I thought the song ate her up some during the chorus. She looked like she was straining to hold those long notes, and as with Alanis the night before, the song ended kind of abruptly. I think she wouldāve been better off with a different song. Ā Duet: Wish You Were Here (Brandon Boyd) Once again, it appeared to me she was having a hard time holding some of the longer notes. With that said, I think she did well though I felt Brandon held back a lot to accommodate her. I get the feeling she wants to be this powerhouse pop-rock singer, but the voice just isnāt there now. With that said, there is potential in her and I donāt think sheāll reach it during her time on Idol, but itāll be interesting to watch as long as sheās around. Ā Overall, this wasn't as strong of a night as the first group. Unlike the first group in which I didn't care for one contestant, there were plenty here that weren't impressive in some form or another.Ā Based on the night, here's how I would rank the contestants: Ā 12. Hannah Everhart 11. Colin Jamieson 10. Madison Watkins 09. Caleb Kennedy 08. Casey Bishop 07. Mary Jo Young 06. Liahona Olayan 05. Beane 04. Hunter Metts 03. Jason Warrior 02. Chayce Beckham 01. Ava August Ā It looks like four contestants from each group will be leaving next week. I'm not sure about their popularity, so I won't predict who I think will be eliminated. We'll see what happens from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzontherocks Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 On 4/5/2021 at 12:57 PM, Crisis said: Wyatt Pike Solo: Rubberband Wyatt is another contestant with an interesting tone to his voice. I think he picked a good song; however, I felt the performance felt the same throughout. He didnāt have to add any vocal gymnastics, but he couldāve made it more interesting somehow. In addition, his stage presence was kind of lacking here. Despite everything, it was still solid. Ā Duet: Brand New (Ben Rector) Here Wyatt put away the guitar and from what he said in the pre-performance video, heās someone whoās more comfortable with it. It looked that way in the beginning of the duet because it appeared like he didnāt know what to do with his hands at first. Ā However, he became more comfortable as the performance went on and had much better stage presence than he did in his solo. He didnāt sound too bad either. Wyatt is someone else who I thought had a solid night. Ā Ā Ā Thanks for saying this about Wyatt I usually don't listen to his style but somehow I feel there's magic in his voice. Lol I've been worried about him performing without his guitar but he exceeded my expectations and did well.Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 I pretty much agree with everything except your thoughts on Liahona. I feel like that is just her style. ItāsĀ very current,Ā similar to how current Jena was in Season 13. I will agree that it wasnāt the best vocal display and that her duet was better though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 14 hours ago, jazzontherocks said: Ā Thanks for saying this about Wyatt I usually don't listen to his style but somehow I feel there's magic in his voice. Lol I've been worried about him performing without his guitar but he exceeded my expectations and did well.Ā Ā Happy to see you liked my comments on Wyatt.Ā Ā 4 hours ago, Bk1234 said: I pretty much agree with everything except your thoughts on Liahona. I feel like that is just her style. ItāsĀ very current,Ā similar to how current Jena was in Season 13. I will agree that it wasnāt the best vocal display and that her duet was better though. Ā Seeing that a certain someone created a fan thread for Liahona, I had a feeling my opinions about her would be disagreed. Ā Still, she wasn't the worst of the night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimmerStud87 Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 i haven't watched anything either, is it worth watching auditions and hollwood week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarmenSandiego Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 3 hours ago, Crisis said: Ā Seeing that a certain someone created a fan thread for Liahona, I had a feeling my opinions about her would be disagreed. Ā Still, she wasn't the worst of the night. Iām also a fan, but I donāt think that she did the best that night, mainly due to her solo. Ā And yeah, she wasnāt the worst. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Semi-Finals Top 16 Ā After tonight, the Top 24 becomes a Top 16. Which 16 advance and which 8 have to leave the competition? Let's find out... Ā First, the Top 16: Alyssa Wray - Killing Me Softly With His Song I'll start with the positives. The arrangement was interesting with it going from an old-school R&B tune to something more hip-hop. In addition, she looked comfortable on stage. However, as withĀ Something In The Water, the singing was all over the place.Ā I didn't like how her voice sounded in this song. She had a couple of jarring octave changes that made the performance not flow as smoothly. With that said, something tells me she has a good shot of advancing tomorrow evening. Ā Graham DeFranco - That's Life Goes and checks the episode thread to see the reactions of him advancing. Predictably, himĀ advancing to the Top 16 isn't very popular. Ā I, for one, am happy to see him in the Top 16. I may be the only one here who likes him; then again, I'm used to having unpopular opinions about some contestants. Ā With that said, I wasn't a huge fan of this performance. He wasn't the worst, but I thought he was better last week. The performance was better before the key change, where it unfortunately fell apart somewhat for him. One thing I did like was the arrangement sounding more modern and fresh. Something tells me this is as far as he goes, but though I didn't care for the performance, I wouldn't mind seeing him in the Top 12. Ā Grace Kinstler - Elastic Heart It appears this one is the IDF darling this season. Ā Well, I liked her a lot better this week. The performance wasn't as messy as her solo last week, so that's a plus; I think it mainly had to do with the song. I liked that she showed a more subdued side to her here. If there's one thing I didn't care for, it was the arrangement. I don't think it did a good job of highlighting her voice, but that didn't hinder her too much. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I thought she was one of the better singers tonight and have a feeling she'll be around for a long while. Ā Alanis Sophia - The Story After taking on a powerful Sia song last week, she came out with a more subdued song. I have to say I liked the softer tones in her voice, and I liked the little amounts of head voice at the end. However, I wasn't a fan of the belting parts. They sounded strained and it appeared she didn't have much control of her voice there. I think she would've been better off singing the song in her lower parts and not tried to make it sound more rock. As it is, I'm not sure where she stands with the voters, so whether she advances or not wouldn't be all that surprising. Ā Willie Spence - Set Fire To The Rain From a pure technical standpoint, he may have the best vocal instrument this season. I thought the verse was fine, nothing special. I'll admit I raised an eyebrow when he didn't belt the chorus at the beginning because that is what the song is known for. However, he was just building it up to something different, and I have to say I liked what he did with it. I also liked seeing him taking the mic off the stand and walking on stage. He's not a lively dance on stage type of performer, but he doesn't have to be. Still it was nice to see a different side of him stage presence wise. I think he easily sails into the Top 12. Ā DeShawn Goncalves - Feeling Good Admittedly, I wasn't expecting him to advance, but he did. Once again he started a cappella, which is probably his thing. The parts in which he played the piano were nice, but he had to do the Idol tradition of leaving the piano and finishing the performance on stage. Ā He sounded good, but his facial expressions didn't seem to match his singing. It sounded like he was having fun, but his face looked blank and void of emotion; I thought it was something interesting. Ā Something tells me he won't advance tomorrow, but after tonight nothing is certain with him. Ā Wyatt Pike - Use Somebody Unfortunately, I didn't like him this week. I think he wanted to have fun with his performance this week; however, I thought he picked the wrong song to do so. I didn't like the arrangement nor the singing. I didn't like how he clipped the long notes at the end of his phrases in the verses. In addition, once again the vocals were lacking dynamically, which was easily noticeable in a song like this. He is another one that's difficult for me to predict whether or not he advances tomorrow night. Ā Cassandra Coleman - Wicked Game Well, she was fine vocally on the verses. However, I didn't like her in the chorus;Ā I don't think she quite hit the notes she needed to. With that said, I think she has one of the most unique tones this season. The problem is once again she appeared to be stiff and tentative, plus there were signs on her face she was overthinking the performance. I don't know if she'll get over that, and I have a feeling she won't have many chances to do so. I could see her advancing tomorrow, but if she does I don't see her lasting much longer after that. Ā Caleb Kennedy - Midnight Train To Memphis What do you know, another Caleb singing this song on Idol. Ā I was on the fence of him advancing, but it's not a surprise to see him in the Top 16. As for his performance, I thought it was fine vocally, but it appeared to lack energy and I didn't think he had the attitude and grit to pull it off (funny enough I felt the same way about the other Caleb ). I guess the hat covering his eyes is his thing. Once again, it wouldn't surprise me if he advanced to the Top 12. Ā Colin Jamieson - Everybody Wants To Rule The World I guess his duet with Tori was good enough for voters to send him through this week because it certainly wasn't his solo. Ā Speaking of which, this performance appeared to be a repeat of last week's solo performance. He does appear to be comfortable on stage and looks like he's having fun. However, as with Wyatt, this was the wrong song to do it on. He didn't even try to sing the song well, and to be honest I found myself irritated watching him. He's starting to remind me of Eddie Island, which is not a good thing. He was easily my least favorite tonight, but something tells me he has a shot of being in the Top 12. Ā Casey Bishop - Black Hole Sun First, hearing Soundgarden on Idol was certainly a treat. With them, out of the Big 4 Seattle rock groups, only Alice In Chains haven't had any of their songs performed on Idol. As for Casey, though this is a challenging song and few compare to Chris Cornell vocally, I thought this was better than last week. She did a much better job holding the long notes although I think some of it had to do with them not being as long in her previous performance. With that said, one thing I noticed was her enunciation was kind of off; there were times I thought she was singing Black Hole Sky instead of Black Hole Sun. Ā Something tells me she'll be in the Top 12 and between her and Alanis, she's more popular as far as the pop-rock girls are concerned. Ā Madison Watkins - Gravity She was the biggest surprise of the night for me. For starters, I didn't expect her to be in the Top 16, but here she is. As for her performance, she gave a really nice and emotional yet controlled vocal, which was leaps ahead of her vocal showing in her solo last week. In addition, she looked like a star on stage. All in all, she was the most improved contestant of the night; however, I think she's another contestant who may be on the fence as far as advancing is concerned. Ā Beane - Searching For A Feeling Last week, I said I don't know what to make of this guy. The same applies this week. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with this song, so I really can't say how he did with it. Singing-wise, he sounded OK, but it wasn't anything to really catch my attention. He appears to be the one contestant who isn't afraid to experiment with his songs and performances; however, this also means it's difficult to see where he fits in genre-wise. With that said, he appears to be popular, and I think he moves on to the Top 12 tomorrow. Ā Hunter Metts - Skinny Love Skinny LoveĀ is one of my favorite songs, so I was hoping he would do the song justice. Sadly, I don't think he did. First, the arrangement wasn't something I was a fan of. Second, I didn't like the way he sang the song. When done well, the song should have some emotional impact, especially in the chorus. However, I felt he took it out of the song. He wasn't aggressive enough on the song, and the performance felt flat to me. I still think he doesn't feel all that confident in himself, and it's holding him back. With that said, I have a feeling he goes through tomorrow. Ā Ava August - 2002 First of all, her singing about remembering 2002 was strange because she wasn't even alive that year! Ā With that said, while I don't think she was as good as last week, she still gave a solid performance. I liked that she gave more of a performance. Also, I think she's going a great job of picking songs thus far. She may be the contestant who feels the most current this season. Having said that, her voice appears to be an acquired taste, and that may affect how she does in the competition. I could see her in the Top 12, but you never know. Ā Chayce Beckham - Waiting In Vain First of all, it was easy to see he would be the last one advancing out of the remaining contestants. Ā I liked him a lot more last week than this week. I said he could do really well if he were smart with his song choices. However, I don't think this was a good one for him. I thought he sounded fine enough in the verses, but I didn't like him in the chorus. To me, it sounded as if he was straining and pushing his voice too hard; he needs to be more careful with that. Having said all of that, I don't see him not making the Top 12 in some form or another next week. Ā How I would rank the contestants based on tonight: 16. Colin Jamieson 15. Wyatt Pike 14. Alyssa Wray 13. Hunter Metts 12. Graham DeFranco 11. Beane 10. Caleb Kennedy 09. Cassandra Coleman 08. Chayce Beckham 07. DeShawn Goncalves 06. Alanis Sophia 05. Ava August 04. Casey Bishop 03. Willie Spence 02. Grace Kinstler 01. Madison Watkins Ā Eliminated: Alana Though I didn't watch anything prior to last week's episodes, something about her just screamed fodder to me. Unfortunately, she didn't stand out in either of her performances to overcome that status. While I would've loved for her to stick around for shallow reasons (she looked beautiful tonight), her elimination was no surprise. Ā Andrea Valles She was someone who was just there for me. I didn't dislike her, but I wasn't enamored with her either. With that said, I thought she would have a chance at advancing; however, voters thought otherwise. It appears she was somewhat popular here, so I'm sure her elimination was disappointing. Ā Anilee List She was my favorite out of Group A, so she's the one I'm the most disappointed about. I thought she had a shot at advancing, but that wasn't the case here. She's someone who I wouldn't have minded hearing more from. Oh well. Ā Cecil Ray His elimination was the biggest no-brainer. I thought he was the worst out of both groups last week, and based solely on that his elimination was justified. With that said, I thought he had a chance because of his backstory and being a country male. I guess the voters decided the performances weren't good enough. Ā Hannah Everhart I felt she was the worst of Group B, so I can't say her elimination was surprising. She was perhaps the most raw contestant this season and was probably better off not advancing to the Top 24 in the first place. There is promise, but she wasn't ready. Ā Jason Warrior Out of everyone in Group B, he probably has the best case of advancing. While I thought he was over the top in his performances, I felt he was better than some of the people who were voted through. Nonetheless, they got the votes and he didn't. Ā Liahona Olayan I thought she had a chance to advance for some reason. I guess voters didn't warm up to her for some reason and decided they liked the other contestants better. While I don't think she was all that bad, she didn't really stand out either and therefore, her not advancing made sense in that way. Ā Mary Jo Young I had her on the fence as far as advancing was concerned. I thought she had a better chance of being in the Top 16 than Madison, but the voters thought otherwise. She had a mixed night and I don't think she did enough for the voters to remember her. Ā I'm looking forward to see who makes it to the Top 12 tomorrow night. It appears it'll be the Top 10 vote getters and 2 wildcards. We'll see how it all goes down. Ā Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weedy_Speedy Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Alyssa - I've been sick of this song for a while, and she did nothing to change that. I really hope she doesn't advance, I find her super affected and indulgent. Ā Graham - I liked his first performances (he was the country dude, right?) but this was a mess. You have to be smooth and charismatic to pull of a Big Band song, and he was neither. Ā Grace - If IDF is pro-Grace then that's good, because I think she's pretty incredible. She made the two singers before her look ordinary. Amazing voice that makes her stand out from the crowd. I really hope she goes all the way. Ā Alanis - Pretty much in agreement with you here. She wasn't belting, she was screaming, and it ruined the performance for me. I really enjoyed the more subdued part, she has a lovely tone to her voice. Hopefully when Paula's judging tonight ( Ā ) she'll advise her against the need to shout. Ā Willie - He was alright. Everyone's heard a million covers of this song so it wasn't anything I haven't already experienced. He'll be fine, though. Ā DeShawn - Meh, he's fodder for this round anyway. Ā Wyatt - Mediocre. Ā Cassandra - I think this was better than last week, but once again I don't see her hitting her potential while competing on this show. I think she'll advance, she sort of has a unique niche among this group of contestants, but she'll need to raise the bar if she wants to go much further. Ā Caleb - Oh I was wrong, this is the country dude, oops. Well anyway, I never heard this song until Caleb Lee did it a few years ago (one of my favorites from him) but this was just a bar cover. He doesn't have the superior Caleb's charisma and likability. He may survive on the "country vote" for a bit but it's not gonna take him too far. Ā Colin - Lol I'm not gonna lie, my face legit scrunched up on the first note and I turned it off. How is he still here? He isĀ terrible. Ā Casey - Yeah, I'm not feeling this girl. I guess it's cool that she's a 90s/early 2000s rock tribute act? I find her unoriginal/mediocre talent-wise and only emulating the people she's listened to all her life. Ā Madison - She was pretty damn good. I don't remember her from last week, but she impressed me with this. Ā Beane - I wasn't familiar with the song either, but I was really into this. So many of these contestants seem like they're overthinking everything, while Beane just goes out there and does his thing. Big fan. Ā Hunter - Meh. He can stay long enough to knock out Wyatt, other than that I have no interest in him. He's cute, though. Ā Ava - Did I just read this girl was born afterĀ 2002?!Ā Ā That sh*t should be illegal! Especially since I assumed she was in her early 20s. She definitely performs with the confidence of a 20-something, especially compared to Alanis/Casey who make it obvious how young they are when they perform. Her voice may be an acquired taste, but I'm buying into it. She and Grace are by far the most interesting girls this year. Ā Chayce - Didn't like him as much as last week either, but he was still good enough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, Weedy_Speedy said: Hopefully when Paula's judging tonight ( Ā ) she'll advise her against the need to shout. So excited for this!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Weedy_Speedy said: Hopefully when Paula's judging tonight Ā Ā Paula's judging tonight?! Is this for some kind of special occasion or something? Regardless the reason, it'll be good to see her at the judges' table again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bk1234 Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 5 minutes ago, Crisis said: Paula's judging tonight?! Is this for some kind of special occasion or something? Regardless the reason, it'll be good to see her at the judges' table again. Luke tested positive.Ā Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 5 minutes ago, Bk1234 said: Luke tested positive.Ā Ā Oh. Ā Here's to a speedy recovery for him. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisis Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Ā Just finished watching tonight's episode, and outside of Paula judging again (and seeing Randy in Facetime), the thing that caught my attention was Ryan announcing they were bringing back 10 contestants from last season to compete for a spot this season. Ā Ā I don't know what to think about this. On one hand, I understand last season's group was screwed from the Idol experience because of the pandemic. On the other hand, I think it does a disservice to the current group, especially if one of last season's contestants was fairly popular. With that said, without reading any threads or spoilers, here are my thoughts on who may return or not: Ā Not Returning: Sam - Winner Arthur - Runner-Up Grace - Over the Age Limit Jovin - Over the Age Limit Francisco - Signed Julia - Signed Dillon -Signed Sophia - Signed (at least I think she is) Ā So that leaves these 12: Faith Olivia Makayla Louis Jonny Franklin DeWayne Lauren Nick Aliana Cyniah Kimmy Ā Since only ten are coming back, I'd guess Jonny and Franklin would be the odd ones out because I get the feeling Jonny wouldn't care to do something like this, and Franklin may be over the age limit. If any of the other ten come back, I guess it would be OK. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Ā As for the current group, I'll have my thoughts on the Top 12, the eliminees, and their performances within the next couple of days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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