Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Okay, I gagged a bit when Ryan Seacrest said the American Idol judges had done a pretty good job of whittling the field to a Top 14.

After all, we were looking at a Top 14 minus Shelbie Z. Minus Stephany Negrete. Minus C.J. Johnson. Minus several singers who performed better than some of the teens still on stage.

But when it came time to award fast passes to the finals, the judges did a “pretty good” job, granting them to La’Porsha Renae, Oliva Rox, Dalton Rapattoni and Trent Harmon.

I mean, I would have substituted Sonika Vaid for Olivia and MacKenzie Bourg for Dalton. But at least the judges didn’t automatically advance singers who struggled in the past two weeks over clearly superior performers.

Then it came time for the remaining 10 to sing … songs we’ve already heard them perform before.

Manny Torres: He opted to do Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster.” He brought lots of energy to the performance. He showed no signs of nerves in a press-packed situation. He provided the big ending Idol loves so much. And his vocals were pretty much on point throughout, though I’m not sure those vocals are strong enough to win American Idol. Keith Urban called it a “great way” to open the show, though he wasn’t sure it was the best song to showcase Manny’s voice. He was the only coach who got to critique Manny. Grade: B–

Gianna Isabella: She opted to reprise “I Put a Spell on You.” And she immediately showed off the big voice that has impressed the judges so much. She also got a makeover that makes her look much more mature. But I’ve seen that song done much better on singing shows before. And because she started the song by blasting away with that big voice of hers, there wasn’t much chance to build over the course of the performance. Jennifer Lopez praised Gianna’s sassiness, then damaged her judging credibility by saying Gianna — the weakest of the Top 14 — would have been her fifth pick to make the finals. Grade: C–

Thomas Stringfellow: He will repeat his performance of “Story of My Life” by One Direction. I could barely make out Thomas’ vocals over the backing music for the first two lines. The vocals got stronger, and Thomas worked the stage pretty well, but I’m still not sold on him being a strong enough singer or performer yet to demand a spot in the American Idol final season finals. Harry gets to critique Thomas and criticizes him for those little yips the teen throws in at the end of nearly every line he sings. About time Thomas got some constructive feedback. Grade: C–

Tristan McIntosh: She wants to represent the diversity that country music needs, she says in her intro package. she’ll reprise her performance of “What Hurts the Most.” Yikes, she hit some bum notes earlier in that first verse. That aside, that was one of Tristan’s better recent vocals. And she just delivered the most emotionally connected performance of the night. Keith compliments her on a beautiful song choice and a great job. And though only one judge is supposed to judge each performance, mouthy Jennifer just can’t helped chipping in “better than ever.” It’s clear the judges want her to advance. Grade: B–

Avalon Young: She’ll perform Chris Brown’s “Yo (Excuse Me Miss).” Not sure Avalon’s I-don’t-care-how-I-look style statement is going to go over with Idol voters. But she just delivered another solid vocal and looked completely at home on stage doing it, a skill most of the younger Season 15 contestants haven’t mastered yet. And Jennifer redeemed herself as least a bit by calling Avalon’s performance “smooth like butter.” She called it a “great performance.” Well, it was probably the best of the night so far, though a bit lacking in vocal fireworks Idol voters love so much. Grade: B

Jenn Blosil: She stumbled very badly last week. Tonight, she shows up on stage with sparkly eyebrows for a second stab at Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.” The judges seem to be pushing for Jenn to fill the role Joey Cook held on Season 14 — the quirky female singer. She’s quirky, but I haven’t enjoyed Jenn’s twist on songs nearly as much as Joey’s. Unfortunately, that’s true again tonight. I always ask myself: Would I want to listen to that long on repeat? Nope. But I’d rather see Jenn in the finals than an overmatched teen. Harry Connick calls it a “flawless lyric delivery.” Hmm. Grade: C–.

Lee Jean: The 16-year-old will sing Ed Sheeran’s “Make It Rain.” This is a major improvement over last week, when Lee was one of the least impressive semifinalists. Oops, I might have made that assessment a little too early, because Lee ran into some pitch issues in the second half of that. It sorta slipped away from him after a solid opening. Keith says he loves what Lee does, but could sense some nervousness in his performance. Grade: C.

Sonika Vaid: She’ll reprise “I Surrender” by Celine Dion. Sonika’s performances often come off a bit like the talent portion of a beauty pageant. But she sings on pitch. And she sings beautifully. And all of that it true about tonight’s performance as well. Oh, and Sonika provided one of those big endings that punctuate the best Idol performances. Jennifer says she got goosies on her cheeks Sonika’s voice is “so out of this world.” Well, I didn’t get goosies on my cheeks, but I definitely think Sonika belongs in the Top 10. Grade: B.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell: The off-the-grid teen wants to make Hollywood her new mountain. She’s in her cowgirl outfit again, singing “Ring of Fire” for a second time. I actually liked her first performance of this song much better. This time around, she seemed to drain the song of most of her energy with a new arrangement. Of the teens remaining, I like Jeneve the most. But that wasn’t my favorite Jeneve performance. Harry says she’s very talented and in a different way than everyoen else in the competition. Grade: C+

MacKenzie Bourg: Interesting — he’s decided to sing the original he sang in Hollywood, “Roses.” This isn’t the first time a contestant performed an original with a shot in the finals on the line; Jena Irene did it back in Season 13. It’s a really nice original song, and MacKenzie performs it very well, leaving me to wonder again why Dalton advanced to the finals over him. Keith calls it a great song and the crowd reaction “an amazing thing.” Let’s hope the votes follow, because of the 10 who performed tonight, MacKenzie most deserves to advance. I’d rate that as the night’s best performance. Grade: A-

So, at the end of it all, I’m hoping voters deliver a spot in the finale for MacKenzie, Sonika, Avalon and Jeneve.