Crisis's AI S21 Opinion Cavern

[Crisis]

 

Another year, another season. For the third season in a now, I'm hosting a thread in which I share my opinions on the contestants and their performances. I'll post links of my previous threads at the bottom of this post. For anyone who was looked in the previous two threads, the same rules and ideas apply, but I'll post them anyway as a refresher or for anyone who's viewing a thread of mine for the first time.

 

- I don't read spoilers and do my best to avoid them. I ask not to post any in this thread please. This includes song choices, themes unless they are mentioned on the show, and eliminations - which shouldn't be much of a problem when the live voting starts.

 

- I no longer watch the audition or Hollywood Round episodes, so I go into the voting rounds mostly ignorant about the contestants. I believe this will allow me to assess them without any bias.

 

- My opinions and/or rankings will be strictly performance based. That means a contestant who I rank low one performance can be ranked high the following one should he/she survive the votes. Also, these rankings aren't personal, so if I'm critical of someone's favorite, I'm not completely bashing or dismissing anyone. With that said, I may crack a joke here and there, but don't be afraid to call me out if I go too far. I also ask to be respectful of mine and other people's opinions. I don't mind disagreements, but there are certain ways to go about them.

 

My goal is to post my opinions and potential rankings before the following Sunday's episodes. It may be difficult due to my current schedule, but I'll try my best. With all of this said, I'm looking forward to the performances, and I hope anyone who stumbles across this thread have a good time.

 

S19 Thread

S20 Thread

[Crisis]

Semifinals - Part I

Semifinals - Part II

26 to 20

20 to 12

12 to 10

10 to 7 8

8 to 5

5 to 3

S21 Finale - Part I

S21 Finale - Part II

Edited May 27, 2023 by Crisis

[m1key]

Welcome back! Excited to read your thoughts and writeups again  

[CarmenSandiego]

Glad to see that you’re doing another season of opinions on the contestants who made it this far.  I’ll mention you when I do my analysis of why most of the Top 26 lost and hopefully why one of them won.

[erik g]

Ooo i enjoyed reading this thread last season!

[Crisis]

Top 26 Hawaii Showcase: Part I

Due to having a super busy schedule and the number of performances, these write-ups may not be as strong as last season’s (if they were considered to be good in the first place). This is mostly because I don’t have enough time to re-watch the performances and thus, they will mostly be based on my first impressions.

 

Getting into it, I'll start by saying Allen Stone was a great mentor. He was part cheerleader and part helper. For the most part, I thought he gave great advice to try to help the hopefuls. I also loved the way he was vibing during the contestants' performances.

 

Speaking of the contestants, let's get to them and their performances:

 

Elise Kristine – Holding Out For A Hero

Nowadays I can’t listen to this song without thinking of a particular scene from the Super Mario Bros. Movie. As for the performance, it started off kind of shaky with a heavy vibrato, which I’ll chalk down to nerves. However, she seemed to settle in as the performance went on, and she showed some good stage presence. This is a challenging song, and while I don’t think she quite lived up to it, she gave it a valiant effort outside of hitting a couple of shaky notes. It was a solid effort, overall.

 

Oliver Steele – Better Together

If there’s one word to describe this performance, it would be pleasant. It wasn’t flashy or particularly memorable IMO, but it captured the vibe a Jack Johnson song needed. He has a nice tone and was able to consistently stay in pocket. In addition, he appeared to be comfortable on stage. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say about this.

 

Matt Wilson – Speechless

I don’t dislike Dan + Shay, but I’m not the biggest fan of Speechless. However, Matt gave a nice and heartfelt performance of it. It was a smooth vocal that didn’t have too many bad notes to my ears. He didn’t try to do too much with it, and him singing it directly to his wife made it all the more sentimental. He did a good job with the song and the performance.

 

Kaeyra – Don’t Let Go (Love)

OK, En Vogue is one of my favorite groups of all-time, and Don’t Let Go (Love) is my favorite song of theirs. Therefore, I went into the performance expecting to be supercritical of any flaw I could potentially perceive. With that said, Kaeyra gave a very good, if not great, performance of the song. She had a great stage presence and captured the mood of the song very well. If there is one criticism I do have of this performance, it’s that it lacked the power I usually associate the song with. Other than that, Kaeyra did her thing. It was definitely better than Sabrina Sloan’s attempt from S6.

 

PJAE – Golden

Unfortunately, the string of solid performances had to end at some point. For starters, that arrangement was all kinds of wrong; I didn’t even recognize the song at first. The rest of the performance wasn’t much better. There were parts where he didn’t even sing the song and allowed the background singers to carry him. Also, it lacked the soul the original song has. Lastly, the switch-up with the arrangement towards the end just didn’t work. It seemed like he was more interested in performing than singing. Suffice to say this wasn’t one of the better performances of the night.

 

Zachariah Smith – Lucille

I wasn’t sure about this one when I heard the song choice. It’s not one that singers can showcase their voices on. But you know what? This was the most entertaining performance of the night for me. He had tremendous energy on stage, and the way his voice flipped when he sang ‘Lucille’ gave the performance some character. Everything about this performance was straight up karaoke, but it was very good karaoke. The one negative I have is that I didn’t need to see Luke turning around while giving that sad attempt at what he called dancing.

 

Mariah Faith – You Should Probably Leave

This song sounded like it should fit her tone like a glove, but there were some holes that prevented it from sliding on smoothly. The main complaint I have about this was the band was too loud at the beginning of the song, and I had to strain to hear her, even with the volume turned up. It got better as the song progressed, and she had the right attitude for the song. It’s just that it left me wanting more by the time the performance ended. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t one of the more memorable performances, IMO.

 

Emma Busse – Lay Me Down

Those who are familiar with me know I am not a Sam Smith fan to put it lightly; thus, I was not looking forward to this performance in the slightest. With that said, she has a very intriguing tone. She made some vocal choices that made me think ‘that was rather interesting’. Unfortunately, the rest of the performance wasn’t anything else to write about. I feel the same way I did about Mariah’s before her: not terrible, but nothing stands out about it.

 

Warren Peay – Set Fire To The Rain

First, they made too much of a big deal about tossing his hat. If there is one criticism I had about Allen Stone, it was this. With that said, I’d like to think Allen would’ve dropped the subject if Warren told him what the hat meant to him in the beginning. As for the performance, I…didn’t hate the country arrangement of this song. This is a huge and very recognizable song, so it was a risk to change it up as much as he did. However, he managed to pull it off. The vocals blended well with the arrangement, and he gave a strong performance of it. It was one of the most interesting performances of the night.

 

Nailyah Serenity – Lovin’ You

If there was a scale of 1-10 about song choice difficulty, I would put this at 1,000. Minnie Riperton had a very unique voice that’s hard to imitate, and that’s not including the legendary whistle notes (she was doing it before Mariah Carey). Hence, I wasn’t sure about this performance. However, Nailyah stared the song down and didn’t blink once. I was wondering if she could hit that whistle note, and she absolutely nailed it. I didn’t care for the mid-tempo change up at first because this is such a soft sweet ballad, but I began to appreciate it the more I thought about it. This contestant is an intriguing one.

 

Haven Madison – The Middle

I personally don’t care for The Middle as a song. It doesn’t do anything, and I think it’s beneath Maren Morris’s talent. As for Haven’s performance of it, it was a tale of two parts. The verses were too low and lacked any pizzazz, and the second verse was pretty messy as her voice wandered all over the place. The choruses, however, were far livelier although the last one was also kind of messy. With this said, I did hear potential from her; it’s just that this wasn’t the best song to show it.

 

Lucy Love – What’s Love Got To Do With It

This one is too lethargic; she needs to kick back a few drinks before taking the stage. All joking aside, more than anyone, Lucy owned the stage that night; she definitely knows how to get the crowd going. Her energy was contagious, and I was vibing along with her. The singing, however, eh. The word I would use to describe her singing is inconsistent. She clearly put more emphasis on performing, and her vocals suffered somewhat as a result. There were a few times I thought she was winded from all of that movement. Overall, while this performance was enjoyable, it was a bit of a mixed bag with some good and some not so good parts.

 

Iam Tongi – Don’t Let Go

First of all, the other Don’t Let Go is the superior song. As far as Iam’s performance is concerned, if I felt like being lazy, I would copy what I said about Oliver and paste it here because my opinions about their performances are almost identical. The only difference I could see was that Iam had more charisma and engaged with the crowd a little better. Regardless, he picked an apt song for the occasion and did a solid job with it.

 

Overall, this was an OK night. There will be no rankings this time. If I had to pick my favorite and least favorite, I would go with a tie between Kaeyra and Zachariah for the former and PJAE for the latter.

 

I'll get to work on Part II after I get home from work and will post that as soon as I can.

[CarmenSandiego]

30 minutes ago, Crisis said:

 

Top 26 Hawaii Showcase: Part I

Due to having a super busy schedule and the number of performances, these write-ups may not be as strong as last season’s (if they were considered to be good in the first place). This is mostly because I don’t have enough time to re-watch the performances and thus, they will mostly be based on my first impressions.

 

Getting into it, I'll start by saying Allen Stone was a great mentor. He was part cheerleader and part helper. For the most part, I thought he gave great advice to try to help the hopefuls. I also loved the way he was vibing during the contestants' performances.

 

Speaking of the contestants, let's get to them and their performances:

 

Elise Kristine – Holding Out For A Hero

Nowadays I can’t listen to this song without thinking of a particular scene from the Super Mario Bros. Movie. As for the performance, it started off kind of shaky with a heavy vibrato, which I’ll chalk down to nerves. However, she seemed to settle in as the performance went on, and she showed some good stage presence. This is a challenging song, and while I don’t think she quite lived up to it, she gave it a valiant effort outside of hitting a couple of shaky notes. It was a solid effort, overall.

 

Oliver Steele – Better Together

If there’s one word to describe this performance, it would be pleasant. It wasn’t flashy or particularly memorable IMO, but it captured the vibe a Jack Johnson song needed. He has a nice tone and was able to consistently stay in pocket. In addition, he appeared to be comfortable on stage. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say about this.

 

Matt Wilson – Speechless

I don’t dislike Dan + Shay, but I’m not the biggest fan of Speechless. However, Matt gave a nice and heartfelt performance of it. It was a smooth vocal that didn’t have too many bad notes to my ears. He didn’t try to do too much with it, and him singing it directly to his wife made it all the more sentimental. He did a good job with the song and the performance.

 

Kaeyra – Don’t Let Go (Love)

OK, En Vogue is one of my favorite groups of all-time, and Don’t Let Go (Love) is my favorite song of theirs. Therefore, I went into the performance expecting to be supercritical of any flaw I could potentially perceive. With that said, Kaeyra gave a very good, if not great, performance of the song. She had a great stage presence and captured the mood of the song very well. If there is one criticism I do have of this performance, it’s that it lacked the power I usually associate the song with. Other than that, Kaeyra did her thing. It was definitely better than Sabrina Sloan’s attempt from S6.

 

PJAE – Golden

Unfortunately, the string of solid performances had to end at some point. For starters, that arrangement was all kinds of wrong; I didn’t even recognize the song at first. The rest of the performance wasn’t much better. There were parts where he didn’t even sing the song and allowed the background singers to carry him. Also, it lacked the soul the original song has. Lastly, the switch-up with the arrangement towards the end just didn’t work. It seemed like he was more interested in performing than singing. Suffice to say this wasn’t one of the better performances of the night.

 

Zachariah Smith – Lucille

I wasn’t sure about this one when I heard the song choice. It’s not one that singers can showcase their voices on. But you know what? This was the most entertaining performance of the night for me. He had tremendous energy on stage, and the way his voice flipped when he sang ‘Lucille’ gave the performance some character. Everything about this performance was straight up karaoke, but it was very good karaoke. The one negative I have is that I didn’t need to see Luke turning around while giving that sad attempt at what he called dancing.

 

Mariah Faith – You Should Probably Leave

This song sounded like it should fit her tone like a glove, but there were some holes that prevented it from sliding on smoothly. The main complaint I have about this was the band was too loud at the beginning of the song, and I had to strain to hear her, even with the volume turned up. It got better as the song progressed, and she had the right attitude for the song. It’s just that it left me wanting more by the time the performance ended. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t one of the more memorable performances, IMO.

 

Emma Busse – Lay Me Down

Those who are familiar with me know I am not a Sam Smith fan to put it lightly; thus, I was not looking forward to this performance in the slightest. With that said, she has a very intriguing tone. She made some vocal choices that made me think ‘that was rather interesting’. Unfortunately, the rest of the performance wasn’t anything else to write about. I feel the same way I did about Mariah’s before her: not terrible, but nothing stands out about it.

 

Warren Peay – Set Fire To The Rain

First, they made too much of a big deal about tossing his hat. If there is one criticism I had about Allen Stone, it was this. With that said, I’d like to think Allen would’ve dropped the subject if Warren told him what the hat meant to him in the beginning. As for the performance, I…didn’t hate the country arrangement of this song. This is a huge and very recognizable song, so it was a risk to change it up as much as he did. However, he managed to pull it off. The vocals blended well with the arrangement, and he gave a strong performance of it. It was one of the most interesting performances of the night.

 

Nailyah Serenity – Lovin’ You

If there was a scale of 1-10 about song choice difficulty, I would put this at 1,000. Minnie Riperton had a very unique voice that’s hard to imitate, and that’s not including the legendary whistle notes (she was doing it before Mariah Carey). Hence, I wasn’t sure about this performance. However, Nailyah stared the song down and didn’t blink once. I was wondering if she could hit that whistle note, and she absolutely nailed it. I didn’t care for the mid-tempo change up at first because this is such a soft sweet ballad, but I began to appreciate it the more I thought about it. This contestant is an intriguing one.

 

Haven Madison – The Middle

I personally don’t care for The Middle as a song. It doesn’t do anything, and I think it’s beneath Maren Morris’s talent. As for Haven’s performance of it, it was a tale of two parts. The verses were too low and lacked any pizzazz, and the second verse was pretty messy as her voice wandered all over the place. The choruses, however, were far livelier although the last one was also kind of messy. With this said, I did hear potential from her; it’s just that this wasn’t the best song to show it.

 

Lucy Love – What’s Love Got To Do With It

This one is too lethargic; she needs to kick back a few drinks before taking the stage. All joking aside, more than anyone, Lucy owned the stage that night; she definitely knows how to get the crowd going. Her energy was contagious, and I was vibing along with her. The singing, however, eh. The word I would use to describe her singing is inconsistent. She clearly put more emphasis on performing, and her vocals suffered somewhat as a result. There were a few times I thought she was winded from all of that movement. Overall, while this performance was enjoyable, it was a bit of a mixed bag with some good and some not so good parts.

 

Iam Tongi – Don’t Let Go

First of all, the other Don’t Let Go is the superior song. As far as Iam’s performance is concerned, if I felt like being lazy, I would copy what I said about Oliver and paste it here because my opinions about their performances are almost identical. The only difference I could see was that Iam had more charisma and engaged with the crowd a little better. Regardless, he picked an apt song for the occasion and did a solid job with it.

 

Overall, this was an OK night. There will be no rankings this time. If I had to pick my favorite and least favorite, I would go with a tie between Kaeyra and Zachariah for the former and PJAE for the latter.

 

I'll get to work on Part II after I get home from work and will post that as soon as I can.

 

 

Very good analysis. I actually liked Emma's performance more than you did, but your analysis might explain why she lost if she is eliminated.

Edited April 19, 2023 by CarmenSandiego

[x3 because of u]

I love your threads! 

[Hsamid]

8 hours ago, Crisis said:

 

Top 26 Hawaii Showcase: Part I

Due to having a super busy schedule and the number of performances, these write-ups may not be as strong as last season’s (if they were considered to be good in the first place). This is mostly because I don’t have enough time to re-watch the performances and thus, they will mostly be based on my first impressions.

 

Getting into it, I'll start by saying Allen Stone was a great mentor. He was part cheerleader and part helper. For the most part, I thought he gave great advice to try to help the hopefuls. I also loved the way he was vibing during the contestants' performances.

 

Speaking of the contestants, let's get to them and their performances:

 

Elise Kristine – Holding Out For A Hero

Nowadays I can’t listen to this song without thinking of a particular scene from the Super Mario Bros. Movie. As for the performance, it started off kind of shaky with a heavy vibrato, which I’ll chalk down to nerves. However, she seemed to settle in as the performance went on, and she showed some good stage presence. This is a challenging song, and while I don’t think she quite lived up to it, she gave it a valiant effort outside of hitting a couple of shaky notes. It was a solid effort, overall.

 

Oliver Steele – Better Together

If there’s one word to describe this performance, it would be pleasant. It wasn’t flashy or particularly memorable IMO, but it captured the vibe a Jack Johnson song needed. He has a nice tone and was able to consistently stay in pocket. In addition, he appeared to be comfortable on stage. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say about this.

 

Matt Wilson – Speechless

I don’t dislike Dan + Shay, but I’m not the biggest fan of Speechless. However, Matt gave a nice and heartfelt performance of it. It was a smooth vocal that didn’t have too many bad notes to my ears. He didn’t try to do too much with it, and him singing it directly to his wife made it all the more sentimental. He did a good job with the song and the performance.

 

Kaeyra – Don’t Let Go (Love)

OK, En Vogue is one of my favorite groups of all-time, and Don’t Let Go (Love) is my favorite song of theirs. Therefore, I went into the performance expecting to be supercritical of any flaw I could potentially perceive. With that said, Kaeyra gave a very good, if not great, performance of the song. She had a great stage presence and captured the mood of the song very well. If there is one criticism I do have of this performance, it’s that it lacked the power I usually associate the song with. Other than that, Kaeyra did her thing. It was definitely better than Sabrina Sloan’s attempt from S6.

 

PJAE – Golden

Unfortunately, the string of solid performances had to end at some point. For starters, that arrangement was all kinds of wrong; I didn’t even recognize the song at first. The rest of the performance wasn’t much better. There were parts where he didn’t even sing the song and allowed the background singers to carry him. Also, it lacked the soul the original song has. Lastly, the switch-up with the arrangement towards the end just didn’t work. It seemed like he was more interested in performing than singing. Suffice to say this wasn’t one of the better performances of the night.

 

Zachariah Smith – Lucille

I wasn’t sure about this one when I heard the song choice. It’s not one that singers can showcase their voices on. But you know what? This was the most entertaining performance of the night for me. He had tremendous energy on stage, and the way his voice flipped when he sang ‘Lucille’ gave the performance some character. Everything about this performance was straight up karaoke, but it was very good karaoke. The one negative I have is that I didn’t need to see Luke turning around while giving that sad attempt at what he called dancing.

 

Mariah Faith – You Should Probably Leave

This song sounded like it should fit her tone like a glove, but there were some holes that prevented it from sliding on smoothly. The main complaint I have about this was the band was too loud at the beginning of the song, and I had to strain to hear her, even with the volume turned up. It got better as the song progressed, and she had the right attitude for the song. It’s just that it left me wanting more by the time the performance ended. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t one of the more memorable performances, IMO.

 

Emma Busse – Lay Me Down

Those who are familiar with me know I am not a Sam Smith fan to put it lightly; thus, I was not looking forward to this performance in the slightest. With that said, she has a very intriguing tone. She made some vocal choices that made me think ‘that was rather interesting’. Unfortunately, the rest of the performance wasn’t anything else to write about. I feel the same way I did about Mariah’s before her: not terrible, but nothing stands out about it.

 

Warren Peay – Set Fire To The Rain

First, they made too much of a big deal about tossing his hat. If there is one criticism I had about Allen Stone, it was this. With that said, I’d like to think Allen would’ve dropped the subject if Warren told him what the hat meant to him in the beginning. As for the performance, I…didn’t hate the country arrangement of this song. This is a huge and very recognizable song, so it was a risk to change it up as much as he did. However, he managed to pull it off. The vocals blended well with the arrangement, and he gave a strong performance of it. It was one of the most interesting performances of the night.

 

Nailyah Serenity – Lovin’ You

If there was a scale of 1-10 about song choice difficulty, I would put this at 1,000. Minnie Riperton had a very unique voice that’s hard to imitate, and that’s not including the legendary whistle notes (she was doing it before Mariah Carey). Hence, I wasn’t sure about this performance. However, Nailyah stared the song down and didn’t blink once. I was wondering if she could hit that whistle note, and she absolutely nailed it. I didn’t care for the mid-tempo change up at first because this is such a soft sweet ballad, but I began to appreciate it the more I thought about it. This contestant is an intriguing one.

 

Haven Madison – The Middle

I personally don’t care for The Middle as a song. It doesn’t do anything, and I think it’s beneath Maren Morris’s talent. As for Haven’s performance of it, it was a tale of two parts. The verses were too low and lacked any pizzazz, and the second verse was pretty messy as her voice wandered all over the place. The choruses, however, were far livelier although the last one was also kind of messy. With this said, I did hear potential from her; it’s just that this wasn’t the best song to show it.

 

Lucy Love – What’s Love Got To Do With It

This one is too lethargic; she needs to kick back a few drinks before taking the stage. All joking aside, more than anyone, Lucy owned the stage that night; she definitely knows how to get the crowd going. Her energy was contagious, and I was vibing along with her. The singing, however, eh. The word I would use to describe her singing is inconsistent. She clearly put more emphasis on performing, and her vocals suffered somewhat as a result. There were a few times I thought she was winded from all of that movement. Overall, while this performance was enjoyable, it was a bit of a mixed bag with some good and some not so good parts.

 

Iam Tongi – Don’t Let Go

First of all, the other Don’t Let Go is the superior song. As far as Iam’s performance is concerned, if I felt like being lazy, I would copy what I said about Oliver and paste it here because my opinions about their performances are almost identical. The only difference I could see was that Iam had more charisma and engaged with the crowd a little better. Regardless, he picked an apt song for the occasion and did a solid job with it.

 

Overall, this was an OK night. There will be no rankings this time. If I had to pick my favorite and least favorite, I would go with a tie between Kaeyra and Zachariah for the former and PJAE for the latter.

 

I'll get to work on Part II after I get home from work and will post that as soon as I can.

 

Really like your writeups. Very fair, critical when need be but not too harsh.

 

I basically agree with everything you said except for Emma, who I thought did the most interesting stuff vocally that night to be the standout for me.

 

I'm curious though behind your reasoning to skipping Hollywood and blinds? Is it cause they are not live and subject to post edits?

 

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Hsamid

[Crisis]

2 hours ago, Hsamid said:

Really like your writeups. Very fair, critical when need be but not too harsh.

 

Thank you for the compliments. I try to go on with an open mind and be as objective as possible. I don't want to be overly positive or harsh since the only thing I know about the contestants is what they show on TV. With that said, I do try to have fun and make a joke once in a while.

 

10 hours ago, CarmenSandiego said:

 

Very good analysis. I actually liked Emma's performance more than you did, but your analysis might explain why she lost if she is eliminated.

 

2 hours ago, Hsamid said:

I basically agree with everything you said except for Emma, who I thought did the most interesting stuff vocally that night to be the standout for me.

 

It's just that as I mentioned in her write-up, I'm not a Sam Smith fan, nor do I care for the song. If it's an artist or song I really don't like, that person has to do something extraordinary for me to overlook my dislike for both factors. An example of this is from S14. Iggy Azalea is one of my least favorite artists of all-time, and I really dislike the song Fancy (although Weird Al Yankovic did a brilliant parody of it with Handy). However, Joey Cook completely flipped the song on its head and gave one of the most innovative performances of not only the season but possibly all-time. In fact, it's actually my favorite S14 performance. Back to Emma, while she had some moments, it wasn't enough for me to really appreciate the performance.

 

2 hours ago, Hsamid said:

I'm curious though behind your reasoning to skipping Hollywood and blinds? Is it cause they are not live and subject to post edits?

 

As I mentioned in my first post, I don't watch them because I want to go into the voting rounds giving the contestants an even playing field. If I observe them knowing how they were edited and shown in the Audition and Hollywood Rounds, some bias will steep in, and I may not give some contestants a fair chance because of it. There are some contestants who do well in the pre-voting rounds but struggle when it comes to the voting rounds. On the flip side, there are some who may not be shown in the best light but do really well when performing for the audience's votes. Then there are contestants who go in with a lot of fanfare but withdraw for some reason (see Anderson, Kenedi last season). Heck, Ryan even mentioned Paige replaced a contestant who withdrew from the competition this season.

 

Another reason is because I no longer find the Auditions and Hollywood Rounds entertaining anymore. Not only that, they seem to drag longer than needed. It was at the point where I was like "just get to the live shows already!".

[erik g]

12 hours ago, Crisis said:

Warren Peay – Set Fire To The Rain

First, they made too much of a big deal about tossing his hat.

right!!! it was never that serious 

[muse273]

19 hours ago, Crisis said:

 

Top 26 Hawaii Showcase: Part I

Due to having a super busy schedule and the number of performances, these write-ups may not be as strong as last season’s (if they were considered to be good in the first place). This is mostly because I don’t have enough time to re-watch the performances and thus, they will mostly be based on my first impressions.

 

 

 

Trying to analyze double digit numbers of performances will wear your sanity out.

[Crisis]

17 hours ago, muse273 said:

 

Trying to analyze double digit numbers of performances will wear your sanity out.

 

Yeah, it's a lot of fun. It looks like it'll be a blast this Sunday with a three-hour episode (ugh, why are they doing this again? ).

[muse273]

I'm not SAYING it's spite.

 

But I'm definitely not ruling it out.

[Crisis]

Top 26 Hawaii Showcase: Part II

So, Noah Cyrus was the mentor for the second group. She didn’t have the energy or upbeat nature Allen Stone had with the first group, but she was a good mentor who had some decent advice.

 

The Contestants:

 

Elijah McCormick – Good Vibes

For a song titled Good Vibes, there weren’t too many of them at the beginning. This song has more energy than Elijah provided as he started flat (in energy, not pitch which was pretty good) and stayed there most of the way. The performance picked up a little after the run, but there wasn’t still enough pep to lift it to where it needed to be. When it comes down to it, he didn’t have the charisma to pull this song off.

 

Paige Anne – Wrecking Ball

This one has a rather mature sound to her voice. As for the performance, it was one that started out too low with the verse and chorus but picked up as it went along. I liked how she went soft before transitioning into the last chorus; however, she didn’t quite nail the chorus’ intro. It was like she sang in one key while the band played another. Overall, this was a performance with some good pieces, but the sum of the parts didn’t completely add up.

 

Marybeth Byrd – Heart Like A Truck

Heart Like A Truck is one of those songs that I have no idea how it does it, but it makes me sit up and pay attention to it when I hear it. It’s a song you really have to sell to make it convincing. Marybeth did her best to do so. She looked and sounded the part, and she didn’t hit too many off notes. However, I couldn’t help but feel it needed more grit, more dirt if that makes any sense. Outside of that, this was a solid effort from Marybeth.

 

Wé Ani – Edge Of Midnight

My first impression is that she reminds me a lot of Paris Bennett. Both have squeaky high-pitched speaking voices but powerful singing ones. Speaking of power, that performance had it in spades. The voice was powerful, her stage presence exuded power, and her attitude was perfect for the song. If I had to pick something I didn’t care for, it would probably be the outfit, but that’s an issue I have to live with. With this performance, she made it clear she came to compete.

 

Michael Williams – Tuesdays

Sometimes a performance doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles for it to be interesting. Case in point: Tuesdays. Outside of that high note towards the end, this was a song in which the simplicity and sentiment behind it (him dedicating it to his parents' anniversary) was for the better. While it wasn’t the most exciting, it was a clean and pure vocal that got its point across.

 

Dawson Wayne – Copycat

This was rather intriguing. The highlights of the performance were the soft parts; it was within them that his voice really shined. However, the band overpowered him on the bigger sections, and he couldn’t match the arrangement. In addition, it looked like he tried too hard as far as his stage presence was concerned. Overall, I get what he was trying to go for, but he fell short of hitting his mark.

 

Hannah Nicolaisen – Glitter In The Air

As mentioned, I haven’t watched anything prior to the voting rounds, so I have no idea how her voice normally sounds. With that said, she did an impressive job despite being sick. It doesn’t hurt that I love Glitter In The Air in general. The best parts were when she sang in her lower register, where she gave the right amount of tenderness needed for a song like this. Now, it makes me wonder how she sounds when healthy.

 

Megan Danielle – The Chain

I love Fleetwood Mac, and The Chain is in my Top 5 songs of theirs. However, I don’t think it works in a singing competition. It would be better suited if it were a group performance at the end of a Fleetwood Mac Theme Night. Having said that, Megan did a serviceable job with the song. Her voice brought the character a song of this nature should have. If I have one complaint, it’s that the best thing about the song is its buildup. It simmers for a while before blowing the top of the kettle off at the end. Here, however, it jumps from the verse and chorus to the end before heading back to the chorus. It was kind of jarring, and it would’ve been better if she would’ve wailed the “running in the shadow” part to close the performance, but that’s just me. At the end of the day, it was a good performance despite my pickiness.

 

Malik Heard – Ain’t It Fun

Well, the guy has a smooth voice that suits R&B well, which fitted the more R&B arrangement of this song. However, that was the main problem I had with this performance. It was too smooth for a song of this nature. It lacked the sardonic bite the original has, especially during the “don’t go cryin’ to your mama, ‘cause you’re on your own in the real world” lines. What I said about Marybeth’s performance needing more grit applies even more so to this one. I wouldn’t say he completely whiffed, but he barely was able to make enough contact to hit the catcher’s mitt in this performance.

 

Olivia Soli – Emotions

Lovin’ You is still the most difficult song picked in these two rounds. However, Emotions isn’t too far off. This was Mariah Carey entering her prime, and a song like this can devour anyone who tries to imitate it. Olivia gave a very solid performance of it, if I say so myself. She started off strong at the beginning and was able to keep it consistent throughout. The best thing she did was not even attempt to hit that iconic whistle note before the chorus. Instead, she added a growl that didn’t detract anything from the song and added her own flavor. It wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t stumble much. All in all, it was a very good performance that lacked just a few things to make it great.

 

Colin Stough – Midnight Train To Memphis

My first impression of this guy is that he gives off strong Noah Thompson vibes, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes far this season. As for the performance, it was passable. There were parts in which again the band was too loud, particularly in the chorus. Despite that, he had a nice growl to his voice and tried to capture the attitude of the song. He could’ve pushed himself a little more in a song like this, but it wasn’t anything too troubling. Verdict: it was OK; not bad but nothing great either.

 

Tyson Venegas – It Will Rain

To start, he has a nice tone to his voice. There were some parts where his voice shined, the main one being where he growled after his little stomp. Now for the criticisms. The main one I have is he didn’t convey the proper emotion of the song. It’s a song about someone who is desperately trying to keep his partner from leaving him, yet there was a serious lack of anything resembling that here. In addition, his vocals took a hit when he started to engage with the audience. While this wasn’t terrible overall, it could’ve been a lot better if he had more connection with the song.

 

Nutsa – Paris (Ooh La La)

Although I said I didn’t have time to rewatch the performances, this one I had no choice because for some reason my stream decided it was the perfect time to cut out on me. Well, this was another performance that put more emphasis on performing than singing. The performance itself was captivating and fit the song; the singing, however, while not bad, wasn’t the best. Like Lucy the night before, there were parts where she sounded like she was out of breath from moving around too much. Despite that, it was a fine way to close the show and Hawaii Round, especially with the way she ended the performance.

 

My favorites of the night were Wé and Olivia, and my least favorites were Elijah and Malik.

 

Overall, I’d say Night 2 was better than Night 1. I have no idea who’s popular or how the vote will go, so there will be no elimination predictions from me. We’ll see what happens this Sunday (which I am so looking forward to).

[Hsamid]

Spot on with your analysis.

 

Colin wasn't well received but if you saw how people were talking about him in discussion threads and rating his performance, you'd think he was the pitchiest contestant of the season. He was nothing special but far from the worst of the night 

 

I do think this is Hannah's weakest performance, she definitely didn't sound as pleasant as she usually does. But it wasn't awful or anything.

[FloorWax]

Love the Wé appreciation from someone who has no prior knowledge of her 

 

Agree that Tyson’s performance severely lacked connection. That was also his problem when he competed on The Voice Teens Philippines a few years back.

[CarmenSandiego]

11 hours ago, FloorWax said:

Love the Wé appreciation from someone who has no prior knowledge of her 

 

Agree that Tyson’s performance severely lacked connection. That was also his problem when he competed on The Voice Teens Philippines a few years back.

I also loved the Wé appreciation since I’m a major Wé fan.  Ask anyone on IDF.

 

 I didn’t know that there was a The Voice Teen Philippines, that Tyson was on it or that he had problems connecting when he competed on that show earlier.  That will help me when it comes time to analyze why Tyson lost.

[Hsamid]

17 hours ago, FloorWax said:

Love the Wé appreciation from someone who has no prior knowledge of her 

 

Agree that Tyson’s performance severely lacked connection. That was also his problem when he competed on The Voice Teens Philippines a few years back.

The only time I feel Tyson has felt connected was his audition.

 

At the moment it looks like he's gonna be one of those contestants that don't ever top their audition.

[Crisis]

On 4/20/2023 at 10:18 PM, FloorWax said:

Love the Wé appreciation from someone who has no prior knowledge of her 

 

She had my favorite performance over both nights, so I didn't mind giving her that much appreciation. That could change tomorrow depending on her performance should she survive the vote (which should be highly likely. As mentioned, I don't read spoilers, so I have no idea about the results and don't want to know before the episode).

[FloorWax]

2 minutes ago, Crisis said:

 

She had my favorite performance over both nights, so I didn't mind giving her that much appreciation. That could change tomorrow depending on her performance should she survive the vote (which should be highly likely. As mentioned, I don't read spoilers, so I have no idea about the results and don't want to know before the episode).

 

If you haven’t seen these yet, may I recommend:

 

[Crisis]

On 4/22/2023 at 10:55 AM, FloorWax said:

 

If you haven’t seen these yet, may I recommend:

 

 

I might check these out should I have the time. However, the first video doesn't appear to show up.

[StarWalker1]

3 minutes ago, Crisis said:

 

I might check these out should I have the time. However, the first video doesn't appear to show up.

Not sure what the first video was, but here's another performance from her!

 

 

[Crisis]

26 to 20

A couple of things before I get to the performances:

 

I have to say I'm digging the new set. It reminds me somewhat of the old FOX sets with a more modern touch.

 

Smokey Robinson still has it! Him being able to still sound good and make music at 83 years old should be life goals. On the flip side, what was the point of having Noah and Huntergirl performing a duet of Noah’s coronation song? Surely, they have other songs they could’ve sung, right?

 

The Contestants:

Zachariah Smith – I Want To Know What Love Is

After his lively Hawaii performance, he opted to take on the classic Foreigner power ballad. So, how did he do? In this poster’s opinion, he didn’t do too bad. If there is one criticism I have of it, it’s that he fell short when he attempted the power notes. Other than that, this was a nice, restrained performance of his, and it allowed him to avoid falling into the Tristen Gressett trap.

 

Matt Wilson – Say You Won’t Let Go

To put it lightly, I am not a fan of this song. Putting that aside, it appeared Matt tried to recapture what he did in Hawaii. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out too well for him this time. A lot of it had to do with the song, but another part was the band was too loud in the second half of the performance. On the positive side, he looked comfortable on stage, and the first half was good. Other than that, this was a step back.

 

Nailyah Serenity – Baby Love

This is a song I’m not too familiar with, so I can’t compare the performance with the original (or have time to listen to it). Regardless, Nailyah chose to show a different side after taking on a challenging ballad with a disco-esque tune. She had energy and stage presence, but the vocals, while decent, weren’t as strong, especially in the high notes. While this was a fun performance, it’s not one that could be all that memorable.

 

Warren Peay – Up There Down Here

This song fit him like a well-tailored suit. There were some parts in which he vocally reminded me of Bo Bice, which is a compliment because Bo was my favorite way back in S4. Furthermore, I liked how he tried to get the crowd engaged with the hand clapping. Overall, a solid showing for Warren, and he did what he needed to do.

 

Kaeyra – Bruises

Here we have another artist who I am not a fan of in Lewis Capaldi. With that said, Bruises is one of his more tolerable songs. One thing I appreciated is that Kaeyra tried to make this song more interesting than normal with the arrangement, the main part being the chorus. Vocally, Kaeyra did just fine. She didn’t do anything spectacular, but she did enough to showcase some nice artistry. While I preferred her previous performance, this was a solid showing overall.

 

Mariah Faith – Cry To Me

If one is to take on these older soul singers, that person better bring some serious soul. Mariah unfortunately fell well short of doing so. For starters, there wasn’t enough energy or projection throughout the performance. I hoped the performance would pick up some as it went along, but it stayed at an even plateau. Her stage presence and vocals were good if inconsistent for the latter, but there was nothing more than that. What I said about her Hawaii performance applies here as well with this one being slightly better.

 

Iam Tongi – The Winner Takes It All

He did a good job of adding his own flavor to this classic ABBA song. It wasn’t as bombastic as the original, but it didn’t need to be. The more subdued arrangement and nature suited him perfectly, and he was still able to capture the heartbreak the original song had. Finally, he was in his pocket the whole time and didn’t hit any really bad notes. A nice showing from Iam when it’s all said and done.

 

Haven Madison – Mean Girls

If I had to pick the most improved contestant from last week, it would be Haven. Then again, she really had nowhere to go but up after her Hawaii showing. For starters, this was a much better song than The Middle. In addition, she was far more consistent vocally. She sounded really good on the lower parts; however, it fell apart for her when she got to the key change and tried to hit the high notes. There are still some things she needs to work on, but this showed more promise she appears to have.

 

Oliver Steele – Too Soon (Original)

I’ve said this before, but it’s difficult to critique original songs because there’s nothing to compare them to. Because of that, they really have to jump out to make an impression. Putting those thoughts aside, this song reminded me a lot of John Mayer. With that said, the song didn’t really leap out, but it wasn’t anything that made me think ‘I never want to hear this again’. Just for that, I’ll give Oliver a passing grade for this performance. On a side note, that white PRS guitar is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Lucy Love – Boulders (Original)

Here we have another original. I get what she was trying to do with this song, but it felt like it lacked the gravitas it needed to really make it work. I’m hoping it’s only because of the limited performance time, but it appears like the song doesn’t have much going for it. Also, it appeared she was going more for the emotional impact over the singing one. If I had to pick my least favorite original song of the night, it would be this one.

 

Hannah Nicolaisen – Somebody To Love

Oh boy. Well, Hannah wasn’t lacking guts when she picked this song. I’ve always said this is one of the hardest Queen songs to tackle because it has a lot going for it, and that’s not even including the vocal prowess of the great Freddie Mercury. Hannah put up a valiant effort, but she completely fell short. Not only could she not match the power needed, but she also lacked the desperation the song required. This was a big miss on Hannah’s behalf.

 

Olivia Soli – I Surrender

Olivia is another one who isn’t lacking fortitude when it comes to her song choices. To go from Mariah to Celine takes a world of confidence in your talent. This is especially true when picking a song like I Surrender. The first half of the song was fine if a little low. However, maybe it’s my ears, but I thought I detected some pitch problems when she got to the bridge. After that, the rest of the performance didn’t really get much better. While Olivia didn’t lack audacity, she wasn’t quite up to the challenge for this one.

 

Marybeth Byrd – People Pleaser (Original)

So, this is the third of the four originals performed this round. This song sounds like something that would be suitable for her, and I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. It has a decent melody and solid subject matter. It’s pretty lowkey, but that isn’t always a bad thing. I wish I had more to say about this one, but I don’t; therefore, I’ll end this write-up here.

 

Michael Williams – Lose You To Love Me

Yikes. I knew he was in trouble when I heard the first words. This song is not suitable for a singing competition (then again, I don’t think it’s a good song in general). With that said, he tried to do the best he could with it, but there are some songs that nothing can be done to improve them; this was clearly one of them. I get he was trying to show how contemporary he can be, but there are much better songs to pick from. Now, to end this on a positive note, he sounded good in some parts having said all that, so it wasn’t a total waste.

 

Paige Anne – Say Something

There are some songs that can be changed dramatically and not lose much in the process. Then there are others that are better off being done straight. Say Something definitely falls in the latter category. This is a classic case of someone doing way too much when it isn’t needed. It wasn’t only the unnecessary over-singing; the key change didn’t work either. It looked like Paige was trying to show off her vocal range over connecting to the song. It’s too bad because the beginning was solid, and she would’ve been much better off had she sang the song straight.

 

Nutsa – Un-Break My Heart

As hard as it is to sing in the upper register, it can be just as difficult if not more so in the lower one. Un-Break My Heart is a song that can really challenge someone’s lower register. Nutsa did an admirable job of doing so at the beginning of the song. In addition, she gave a more subdued performance compared to her Hawaii one although there appeared to be a part where she was struggling to harness her energy. The main knock I have is her big note was on the wobbly side. Other than that, this was an overall solid performance.

 

Tyson Venegas – 180

Here is the last of the original songs performed in this round. The rhythm was fast and tricky, but it was still easy to hear the lyrics clearly. The subject matter was pretty strong as well. Of all the originals performed, this is the one that caught my attention the most. It shows that there is some songwriting talent in Tyson, and it’s something he should focus on sharpening more, IMO. Definitely one of the more standout performances of the night.

 

Megan Danielle – Holy Water

Megan was another contestant who picked a song that was suited for her voice. Along with not having too many bad notes, she sang the song with some assurance and conviction, which is necessary in Christian Contemporary music. If I had to pick a part that stood out the most, it was when she went high leading into the final chorus of the performance. All in all, a solid all-around showing for Megan.

 

Colin Stough – Pretty Heart

Well, the first thing I’ll address is his enunciation. It was difficult to understand what he was singing in the beginning, but it gradually got better as the performance went along. As for everything else, it was steady for a lack of a better word. For a song of that nature, there should have been more regret and ache. However, not much of that was present in this performance, which would’ve gone ways in improving this performance. As it is, it wasn’t anything special.

 

Wé Ani – Skyfall

This was a strong way to close the show. Just about everything needed was there in terms of presentation, vocal control, and power, which is not easy for a song of this nature. This was another strong performance from Wé albeit in a different way from her Hawaiian one. Although I’m more partial to the Caleb Johnson rendition of this song, Wé’s was very good as well.

 

The Eliminated:

Dawson Wayne

What got him wasn’t so much the song but the arrangement and stage presence. He tried to do too much, and it unfortunately didn’t work out for him. Sometimes, less is more in certain situations.

 

Elijah McCormick

His performance was both lackluster and forgettable, a dangerous combination if there was one. It also didn’t help that he performed first. It’s unfortunate, but what can be done.

 

Elise Kristine

While not as bad as Elijah, Elise also suffered from going first and giving a somewhat forgettable performance. As is the case most of the time in the early rounds, being forgettable can be worse than being bad.

 

Emma Busse

While most things about the show don’t surprise me anymore, I thought Emma would at least survive the first elimination. Despite my opinions about the artist and song, it seemed like it was well-received. However, that doesn’t always translate to votes, and that appears to be the case here.

 

Malik Heard

As I said about his performance, he picked an unfitting song that could showcase his voice’s strengths. If he picked a song that didn’t need as much attitude and roughness, he may have fared better, or at least go out with a better showing.

 

PJAE

His elimination is the one I’m the least surprised about, as I felt he gave the worst performance of both nights. I think the main thing that got him was too much performing and not enough singing. Regardless, best of luck to everyone eliminated and be proud you made it to the Top 26.

 

Man, that was a lot to write. Monday's episode to come some time this week.

[CarmenSandiego]

I prefer Wé’s version of “Skyfall” to Caleb’s, but that’s mainly because I prefer Wé’s singing style to Caleb’s.  I actually liked “Skyfall” most of all the songs that he sang, and that made me appreciate the song.