Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hey, congrats to American Idol for coming up with a more sensible semifinal format for Season 14.

Of course, it couldn’t have been more of a mess than last year.

Remember last year? Idol had the contestants sit backstage, then called them to sing in random order.

Some semifinalists never got the chance to sing; they were eliminated without ever hitting the stage.

Let’s just say the results weren’t fantastic. Forced to sing at a moment’s notice, nerves got the best of several contestants.

That wasn’t the case last night when the Top 12 guys delivered a couple of standout performances — like Quentin Alexander and Qaasim Middleton — and lots of solid performances.

Here’s hoping the Idol ladies follow suit tonight.

1. Lovey James: The 17-year-old has a big following on social media and has been at this for a while. She’s going to sing “Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic. I would have liked a little more attitude on that opening, but Lovey cranks it up as as the performance reaches the midway point. No doubt she feels comfortable on stage. Not sure, however, that this song is a great match for her voice. Jennifer calls it “awesome.” Harry thought it was “really strong.” And Keith thought she got better as the song went on. Grade: C+

2. Adanna Duru: She’s 18 and, along with Mark Andrew, is one of two former Voice contestants to make the Idol Top 24 this year. She’s performing “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and Jesse Glynne. Not loving this opening. But like Lovey, she kicks the performance into high gear for the second half of the song. Nice build up to that glory note. Keith calls it a really good performance. Jennifer says “you’re going for blood.” Harry says the first half of the tune was the best he ever heard her sing. Grade: B

3. Alexis Gomez: The 22-year-old from Ohio has decided to rock out country style with Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder and Lead.” Here’s another gal who knows her way around a stage. Rock out, Alexis. The vocal is Miranda strong, but that was a very solid performance, and lots of fun, too. Jennifer says she loved the performance. Harry told her not to twang if it isn’t natural. And Keith complimented the performance and said she was especially strong when she wasn’t playing the guitar. Grade: B

4. Joey Cook: The 23-year-old says she wishes she could turn off the weird, but it just sorta happen. She’s playing her squeeze box again as she tackles a Keith Urban tune, “Somebody Like You. It’s a quirky performance, in a very good way. Really entertaining, but I wonder how it’s going to play with fans at home. To me, it was oodles of fun. Keith seemed to get a real kick out of it, too. Jennifer called it “all the best things about you.” Keith called it fantastic for taking a song and making it her own. Grade: B+

5. Katherine Winston: This young lady says Idol was her favorite show growing up. The 18-year-old will perform Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound.” Katherine has some really great originals. Not sure this is going to be one of her best performances, though. Keith called it a solid performance but told her not to forget to deliver with emotion. Harry says he questions the song choice because she sang a ballad. Jennifer calls her voice magical. I’m with Harry; that wasn’t especially memorable. Grade: C

6. Shannon Berthiaume: Another brave singer. She’s going to tackle Pink’s “Who Knew.” Unfortunately, because on the first 30 seconds, Shannon isn’t quite up to the task. Don’t know whether it’s nerves or what, but that first verse was way too subdued. And as she punches up the volume as she approaches the finish line, her voice is straying off tune. Harry says she needs to be more energetic. Keith says he doesn’t think it was a good song choice. Jennifer says she’s a phenomenal singer and needs to believe that. Grade: D

7. Loren Lott: This 22-year-old was identified as an actress when she began her Idol journey, but she flashed some very impressive vocals to this point. Tonight, she’s going to sing “Note to God” by JoJo. She starts soft, but quickly begins to show off the range and power in her voice. Hey, a very dramatic performance from Loren. One of the better vocals we’ve heard. Jennifer calls it a good job and a brave performance. Harry calls it powerful. And Keith says she’s given the other gals a “run for their money.” Grade: B+

8. Shi Scott: Here’s another young lady who also models and acts. She’s got one of the most unique looks among the Top 12, and a charming lack of ego when it comes to her vocal ability. She’s lending her unique vocals to “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Jennifer says he doesn’t think fans got the best of Shi. Harry doesn’t think it was the right song for her. Keith thought she’s better than that performance, too. Actually, I thought it was pretty darn good. Especially, the way she delivered over the last 30 seconds or so. Grade: B

9. Maddie Walker: Here’s the other country singer among the Top 12. She was impressive in the early rounds of Season 13, and won a sing-off at the end of the House to make it this far. She tackles “Love Gets Me Everytime” by Shania Twain, and it just doesn’t quite click at any point during the song for me. Keith likes the character in her voice, but wasn’t sure that was the best song to showcase it. Jennifer agrees, saying it lacked the “wow” factor. Honestly, so did the vocal. Grade: C

10. Sarina-Joi Crowe: She’s in her fourth try at American Idol. And there’s not going to be anything bland about this performance. It’s full of sass and attitude. She’s singing “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J. You know what Jennifer said about delivering a “wow” factor? Well, Sarina just did it. Jennifer calls it “pretty incredible.” Harry calls it “really really powerful.” Keith calls it the perfect match of attitude and control. It was absolutely one of the best performances we’ve seen tonight. Grade: A–

11. Jax: I’ll be surprised if this aspiring pop star doesn’t do well. She’s going to sing “Bang, Bang.” And the 18-year-old sounds great on the opening. And here comes the attitude. A little bit of rock. A little bit of soul. A little bit of blues. And a big ending. Keith says he loved it. Jennifer agrees and says she’ll definitely make it through. Harry says she’s going to be fun to watch as the show progresses. I have a new favorite performance of the night. Way to go, Jax. Grade: A

12. Tyanna Jones: Well, you know Idol is expecting big things from this 16-year-old, because they’ve given her the pimp spot. She’s singing Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Moving.” As a group, the Idol gals are doing so much better this year. Tyanna is another performer who looks perfectly at home on the stage. But this vocal isn’t quite as good as the last two we heard. Harry calls her ridiculously talented. Jennifer wants Tyanna to “just be you.” The Idol judges clearly liked that better than I did. I’d call it solid, not spectacular. Grade: B