Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Tyson Venegas, Haven Madison, Warren Peay and We Ani, four members of the Top 12 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

American Idol revealed its Top 12 for Season 21 Monday night.

That top 12 includes fan favorite Iam Tongi and platinum ticket winner Tyson Venegas.

It also includes three ladies — We Ani (formerly We McDonald), Megan Danielle and Marybeth Byrd — who previously excelled on The Voice.

Other singers advancing based on fan voting were Warren Seay, Haven Madison, Colin Stough, Oliver Steele and Zachariah Smith.

Then the Idol judges saved the very deserving Lucy Love and the always entertaining Nutsa, leaving us with a Top 12 that includes six guys and six gals.

Heading home Monday night were Olivia Soli, Kaeyra, Matt Wilson, Paige Anne, Nailyah Serenity, Mariah Faith, Hannah Nicholaisan and Michael Williams. Michael was the only other former Voice contestant still in the competition.

So, how did the fans and judges did in selecting a Top 12.

Not badly, though I would have axed Colin and Zachariah and advanced two more members of a very talented group of female artist, and one of those would have been Kaeyra.

But this is American Idol. And if you haven’t figured out by now that any male who plays guitar and sings anything that sounds a little like country has a big edge … well, you haven’t been paying attention.

I’ll follow with snapshot grades from Monday’s show.

And keep checking back. Between now and Sunday I’ll ranked the newly minted Top 12.

See also
Song by song grades for the Top 20, Group 1
Song by song grades for the Top 20, Group 2

ADVANCED

We Ani, 24, Harlem, NY, “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman — “Look out cause here I come,” We sings. She isn’t joking. Check out that star look and listen to those pitch-perfect vocals. She’s my Season 21 favorite at this point. Grade: A

Warren Peay, 24, Bamberg, SC, “It’s Not My Time” by 3 Doors Down — Hey, this upbeat, high energy performance was one of my favorites from Warren. Loved the way he worked the stage while delivering a powerful vocal. Rock Week is up next and should be a breeze for Warren. Grade: A–

Haven Madison, 17, Clarkesville, Tenn., “15,” an original — This really is a wonderful song, the original that got me excited about Season 21. I’d encourage fans to check out the streaming version. Here, Haven might have got wrapped up in the emotion of advancing, because the vocal was extremely shaky and a bit overbaked. That said, her answer to Ryan’s interview question at the end of the clip below was brilliant. Grade: C–

Tyson Venegas, 17, Vancouver, Canada, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John — I don’t think it’s a leap to say Tyson is clearly the best male vocalist remaining in the competition. The ending of this was a little too frill-filled for my taste, but then he delivered that great closing glory note. Grade: B+

Colin Stough, 18, Amory, Mississippi, “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn — I shook my head when this result was announced. Predictable because he’s a male country singer. Undeserved because his last two performances we’re that great. Then he turned around and did everything right that he hadn’t done the last two times he visited the Idol stage, turning in his best performance yet and proving my initial reaction wrong. Grade: A–

Marybeth Byrd, 21, Armorel, Ark., “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell — Damn, Marybeth, that was absolutely beautiful. I almost wished she’d saved that performance for a night when she needed votes. Then again, she can do it again with another song. I have no doubt about that. Wow, just wonderful. Grade: A

Oliver Steele, 25, Mount Juliet, Tenn., “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain — For better or worse, this was a well-timed song choice. Oliver flips a female artist’s song, switches up the arrangement a bit, provides some great vocals moments, hits some wonky notes … and none of it mattered. Grade: C+

Iam Tongi, 18, Kahuku, Hawaii, “Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie — My, my, here’s another song choice a contestant should have held onto. Add a bit of island vibe to a judge’s song and deliver it with those smooth vocals? That’s a winning combination. Iam is looking more and more like the Season 21 favorite. Grade: A

Zachariah Smith. 20, Amory, “Hold the Line” by Toto — He’s back with another high-energy performance and one of his better vocals. It comes off as a little cheesy. But he had fun, the crowd did too. And that’s the recipe that got him into the Top 12. Grade: B–

Megan Danielle, 21, Douglasville, Ga., “Thank God I Do” by Lauren Daigle — So in case you missed it, this means all three ladies from The Voice are in the American Idol Top 12. And Megan might have stumbled upon a winning formula, not just for Idol, but post-show as well — delivering earnest country gospel songs with a big dose of emotion and sincerity. Grade: B+

JUDGES SAVES

Lucy Love, 28, Holly Grove, Ark., “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons — She’s fierce and has so much character in her voice. I wasn’t surprised to see her wind up in need of a judges’ save. Nor was I surprised when she delivered a performance that absolutely screamed: You must save me! Grade: A

Nutsa, 26, Tbilisi, Georgia, “And I am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls — Okay, was song a set-up. She sings last. She sings this song. With a save on the line. And she belts as though she’s absolutely insisting that she be saved. Personally, I loved this save because Nutsa is such a wonderful personality. Blessed with a very big voice.

HEADING HOME

Michael Williams, 21, Mason, Ohio, “Golden Hour” by JVKE — Michael’s smooth vocals and range rank right up there with the best guys on Season 21. But I’m not sure these rapid-fire lyrics are the best vehicle for showing that off. He also seemed more pitchy than usual. Grade: C

Hannah Nicolaisen, 24, Houston, Texas, “Royals” by Lorde — Her lovely rasp came through occasionally here. So did her unique tone. But her voice got swallowed up by the band the first time she hit the chorus. And later on, some of those big notes strayed off key. Grade: B–

Mariah Faith, 22, Conway, S.C., “If It Hadn’t Been for Love by The Steeldrivers — Loved this soulful vocal from Mariah. And I have to wonder if she would have fared better if this had been her Sunday night song choice. That opened half was fabulous. I’ll be looking forward to her post-show music. Grade: B+

Nailyah Serenity, 23, Charlotte, NC, “Alive” by Sia — Nailyah made the big chorus pay big dividends on the Sia hit. But the changes to the song’s arrangement didn’t pay off as well. Still, there’s not doubting Nailyah’s vocal firepower. Grade: B–

Paige Anne, 16, Idaho Falls, Idaho, “I am Here” by Pink — “My stomach’s in knots,” Paige Anne sang. And I have to wonder if nerves played a part in that shaky opening where it was tough to make out what she was singing. Once the song swelled, Paige Anne found her groove. I mean, really found her groove. At 16, this gal has a world of potential. Grade: B+

Matt Wilson, 21, Buffalo, NY, “For Tonight” by Giveon — Matt has a great tone. And the judges seemed genuinely shocked to see him in the danger zone. Remember, he was one of the three singers in the running for America’s golden ticket. Unfortunately, this performance didn’t scream “save me.” Grade: B

Kaeyra, 21, Algonquin, Illinois, “If I Were Your Woman” by Gladys Knight — She might have been voters’ biggest mistake. And she proved it with this stellar vocal. I mean, her voice explodes. She’s every big as good a singer as the two contestants the judges saved. Grade: A–

Olivia Soli, 21, Los Angeles, Calif., “God is a Woman” by Ariana Grande — Didn’t love the song choice. But it certainly gave Olivia a chance to display her vocal firepower. And she has enough of that to match anyone on Season 21. She also looked absolutely gorgeous in that purple dress. Talk about star appeal. Grade: B