Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Early fan favorite Hannah Harper is one of the singers who performed on American Idol Monday night. (ABC Photo)

Hollywood Week heads to Nashville this year on American Idol, but the worst news for the show’s contestants isn’t being robbed of a chance to pose with the Hollywood sign in the background.

It’s the fact that Hollywood Week will consist of just one round of performances. Golden ticket recipients will have just one song to convince judges they belong in the Season 24 Top 30.

That’s going to mean the elimination of many of the singers we met over the last month during audition episodes.

The Hollywood Week performances will be aired in two parts, with the second airing next Monday at 8 p.m.

Based on pre-publicity photos, contestants we’ll likely see tonight include Abayomi Lewis, Braden Rumfelt, Bryant Thomas, Carmen Lorell Martin, Chloe Lauren, Chris Tungseth, Hannah Harper, Jack Thistle;

Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Khloe Grace, Livy, Lucas Leon, Madison Moon, Makiyah Mustiful, Michael Garner, Philmon Lee, Roelle and Trace Casavnoa.

I’ll be live blogging the show, hopefully with some song by song grades. But that’s going to depend on how Idol airs the performances. I’m not going to grade a performance if they only show a few seconds of it.

Bryant Thomas, 26, Mobile, Ala., “Champagne Problems” by Taylor Swift: He’s the guy who proposed to his girlfriend at the end of his audition. He’s already released his fabulous version of this song. It’s one of the performances that sold me on his voice when I was researching singers for Season 24. He’s turning it a little more boisterous here, but it’s a great twist on a great song. That’s Top 30 worthy for sure. Grade: A–

Keyla Richardson, 29, Pensacola, Fla., “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz: She’s the mom who’s also a teacher and stepped away from performing for a while. She’s dedicating her performance to her son, who is watching from Carrie’s seat at the judging table. Her start was a little shaky, but her voice soared when the music swelled. She showed off a nice little growl too. She might be oversinging just a bit. But the audience loved it. Luke Bryan said she “slayed it.” Grade: B

Livy, 22, Shinnston, W.Va., “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars: She’s the gal who delivered Texas Roadhouse to the judges before wowing with a Carrie Underwood song. This isn’t working for Livy, who promised slow and sexy but is struggling vocally. She’s having fun on stage, though, gotta give her that. Shame the vocal didn’t match the stage presence. Grade: C–

Idol shows up a glimpse of Vika, who gets a lukewarm from Luke. I didn’t see enough of that performance to grade it.

Makiyah Mustiful, 24, Pine Bluff, Ark., “”Nobody’s Suppose to Be Here” by Deborah Cox: She shows off a very nice tone, but you just know there’s a huge voice about to be unleashed. And it happens when the chorus hits. Again, these big voiced singers are getting a little shouty. I get it. You don’t want to hold back when you only have one chance to shine. Good news: Lionel declares her a star. Grade: B

From the singers we’ve seen so far, Bryan Thomas, Keyla Richardson, Makiyah Mustiful all advanced. The other singers, including Vika and Livy were eliminated.

Jordan McCullough, 27, Murfreesboro, Tenn., “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder: He’s a worship director, so he’s used to performing with a band and in front of crowds. And is sure showed. This is an excellent cover of the Stevie Wonder classic. And nice job of showing up on stage with an up-temp tune and showing off his showmanship. The ending was great too. He’s advancing for sure. Lionel calls him fire. Grade: A–

Madison Moon, 21, Orlando, Fla., “Alone: by Heart: She’s the lady rocker and says Carrie’s rendition of this song on Idol was her introduction to the music of Heart. Okay, I already love that little rasp in Madison’s voice. She steps away from the mic when the chorus comes. And manages to take the song to another level. You can tell she’s a performer too. Very solid performance. Carrie’s reaction: Dang. Grade: B+

Jordan and Madison both advanced.

The shows only shows snippets of performances by Noah Orion and Brett Carlisle. Not enough for me to grade for sure. Neither advanced.

Roelle, 25, Puerto Rico, “California” by Chappell Roan: This is the woman who moved to Death Valley to prusue music and was reunited with her mother at her audition. She has some special qualities to her voice. But I’m also struggling to understand some of the lyrics. And would have liked to have seen more emotion if this song meant so much to her. The performance left me on the fence about Roelle. Grade: B–

Trace Casanova, 22, Charlotte, N.C., “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osborne: He does a jazzy version of the Ozzy rocker. He’s a heck of a showman. But this isn’t the type of vocal that’s going to get him to advance on Idol. But, hey, he had great fun and certainly raised his profile with the help of Idol. Showmanship: A. Vocal: C

Hannah Harper, 25, Willow Springs, Missouri, “A Little Past Little Rock by Lee Ann Womack: She’s the mother of three who dazzled the judges with her debut single “String Cheese” at her audition. I can see her in the finals, folks. She’s just so likeable. It’s a solid performance. Nice ending. There’s no way the judges are going to cut here. Carrie said she nailed the song. Hannah’s worried because she flubbed some lyrics. Grade: B

Hannah, Roelle and Trace all made it to the gold room, which means they still have a chance to make the Top 30. Wow, little surprised about Trace. But he is a heck of a personality and performer. And I gotta remember, this isn’t based just on the voice.

Philmon Lee, 25, LeGrange, Ga., “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims: Nice song choice, even if it’s overdone on these shows. It’s a great fit for Philmon, who’s determined to show the judges that he can be a showman. He’s delivering a solid vocal and doing a nice job of showing off his soulful tone. Great high note at the end too. Very nice. Lionel praises his performance. Grade: B+

Lucas Leon, 17, Gallatin, Tenn., “Georgia On My Mind” by Ray Charles: He played guitar at his audition. He’s behind the keys for this performance. The opening was a touch rough, but he has a really rich soulful voice. And sounds very mature for 17. Once he found his groove, that turned into a very, very solid performance. Grade: B+

Carmen Lorell Martin, 20, El Dorado Hills, Calif., “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benetar: “At least I look hot when I cry,” Carmen says. That vocal almost made me cry. She will not advance. And, Idol, honestly, did her no favors by airing any of that clip. Grade: D

Philmon and Lucas and Kiera Howell advanced. Carmen did not. I think it saw Seth Witcher in that row as well.

Idol showed a snippet of Abayomi’s performance. She says she can sing, and she sounds very good from the snippet Idol aired. Idol also showed a small clip of Michael Garner, who wasn’t quite as convincing.

Khloe Grace, 15, Jacksonville, Fla., “Stay” by Sugarland: Her goal — to be the youngest Idol ever. She performed a great original at her audition. I love this young lady’s spirit, but she might have picked a song a little too big for her in this round. That said, the audience seemed to love it. Grade: B–

Abayomi and Michael advanced. Khloe did not.

Jake Thistle, 21, N.J., “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender: He’s a fine singer-songwriter, featured on the final audition show. He reminds me just a bit of Bruce Springsteen. Wow, that was a solid performance. Luke calls him “so ready for this.” Grade: B+

Chris Tungseth, 27, Fergus Falls, Minn., “Jealous” by Labrinth: This guy was the last auditioner we met and he’s another fan favorite, a guy I can see in the finals. He has a surprising gentleness to his voice. But he also shows off plenty of vocal firepower. I would have liked to have seen just a bit more emotion and heard a few fewer vocal frills. Carrie called it “captivating.” Grade: B

Chloe Lauren, 25, Warrenville, S.C., “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper: She says she’s never performed with a big band or in front of lots of people except in church. She sounds like she’s trying to hard to imitate Cyndi’s version of the song rather than doing her own. She does have some vocal firepower and a nice rasp. Grade: C

Braden Rumfelt, 22, Murphy, N.C., “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith: He’s the guy who was into sports growing up before medical issues diverted his interest to music. Nice soulful tone. You can tell Luke Bryan is a big fan of his voice. Very solid with a nice ending. Luke compliments his performance and says he picked the perfect song. Grade: B

And Idol ends without telling us who advanced among the last group of singers.