Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I’ve never been a fan of duets when the goal is to eventually select an American Idol or The Voice.

And that’s doubly true when some singers are restricted to performing songs by their celebrity duet partners while others can tackle a classic like “Proud Mary.”

So I’m hoping the American Idol judges put more weight on the Top 20 solo performances than the celebrity duets we watched Sunday when deciding who to advance and who to cut.

In the end, Laci Kaye Booth, Laine Hardy, Uche, Ashley Hess, Riley Thompson, Walker Burroughs and Madison VanDenburg got good news from the judges.

Heading home: Bumbly, Shawn Robinson and Kate Barnette.

Can’t argue with those decisions, though I had Bumbly ranked higher based solely on Sunday’s performances.

1. Laci Kaye Booth with Brett Young, “Mercy” by Brett Young — Katy says Laci sprinkles star dust all over the stage. I’d agree. Her voice is just so distinctly special. And perfected suited to sing a country heartbreak song. At this point, I’d be rooting for her to win Season 17.

2. Ashley Hess with Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz — Brilliant opening by Ashley and a smart arrangement to have her start off on piano so she could have a vocal moment to open the song. The duet portion of the song worked out very well too. A big performance for Ashley, who I had on the bubble in terms of whether she advanced or not. She did.

3. Laine Hardy and Elle King, “The Weight” by The Band — Really solid performance by Laine who looks not the least bit bothered to be in a celebrity duet. He’s gained so much confidence since last year. He also turned in a fine vocal, and one of the best overall performances we saw from a male singer Sunday night.

4. Uché Ndubizu with Shaggy, “I Need Your Love” by Shaggy, Mohombi, Faydee and Costi — That might not have been the best vocal we’ve heard from Uche, but that sure was fun. And Uche is more than a little bit at home on stage, wouldn’t you say? Loved the that hat toss into the audience. The Top 14 would have seemed empty without him.

5. Riley Thompson with Brett Young, “Like I Loved You” by Brett Young — Really, really nice vocal from Riley. And loved that ending. I figured she might have an edge to make the Top 14 because she’s sorta in her own female country lane on the show. This vocal confirmed her spot in the Top 14 was deserved. She’s just 16, folks.

6. Bumbly with Shaggy, “Angel” by Shaggy & Rayvon — This was going along fine, then Bumbly really got to show off in the last 30 seconds or so, displaying off her range and her ability to speak in Spanish. A fun performance. But it wasn’t quite enough to convince the Idol judges she deserved a spot in the Top 14.

7. Madison VanDenburg with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, “We Belong” by Pat Benatar — Not sure it was a good idea for Idol to pair the ladies with Pat Benatar. Madison got to show off her big voice at the end, but she didn’t look particularly comfortable during that performance. And didn’t seem to cut loose the way I was hoping she would. Still, she needed to advance based on fabulous solo performances.

8. Walker Burroughs with Jason Mraz, “Have it All” by Jason Mraz — Perfectly fine performance by Walker, though I’m not sure that was the perfect song to show off his talent. He hit a couple of nice big notes. But he performed first and it wasn’t exactly a performance to make a lasting impression. He glowing feedback from the judges, including Luke Bryan, who loves Walker’s spirit.

9. Kate Barnette with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar — Well, Pat Benatar sounds great all these years later. Unfortunately, Kate could not match her vocal firepower and I’m not sure what to make of that song-closing semif-shriek. Turns out the guitar solo might have been the best part of the song for her. Please, judge Kate by her far-better solo performances.

10. Shawn Robinson and Elle King, “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival — The flub in the middle of that performance wasn’t the big problem. That was one of the most subdued performances of Proud Mary I’ve seen. I saw the song choice and that, advantage Shawn. Nope. And the whole time he was performing, I could only imagine how crazy Uche would have been going on stage during that song.