Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 14 on American Idol with Ryan Seacrest at the end of Sunday’s show, from left, Michael Woodard, Jonny Brenns, Marcio Donaldson, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Mara Justine, Maddie Poppe, Cade Foehner, Ada Vox, Gabby Barrett, Garrett Jacobs, Jurnee, Michelle Sussett, Dennis Lorenzo, Catie Turner. (ABC Photo)

American Idol cuts down to a Top 10 tonight with six singers advancing based on the overnight fan voting and four advancing via judge’s saves.

Those who shouldn’t have a whole lot to be concerned about heading into tonight’s show include Catie Turner and Gabby Barrett, both of whom got high praise from the Idol judges and appear to be fan favorites.

Those who should be very concerned include Marcio Donaldson and Garrett Jacobs, who got lukewarm responses to their performances and didn’t seem to connect with fans either.

Those caught in between: Pretty much everyone else. I mean, Mara Justine and Michelle Sussett didn’t get rave reviews Sunday night, but they had two of the most often viewed performances on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Maddie Poppe turned in two of Sunday’s most solid performances. But in terms of YouTube popularity … well, they could be in jeopardy.

Check back at showtime. I’ll be providing song by song grade where possible and coming back with a recap after the show.

See also …
Ranking the Top 14 performances
Song by song grades for the Top 14
Most popular Top 14 performances

Maddie Poppe: She’s safe. And she’ll sing “Walk Like an Egyptian.” Like the song choice. Not liking the vocal as much as last night, but then again, the pressure is off Maddie. Grade: B.

Michelle Sussett: She’s in danger.

Marcio Donaldson: He’s in danger. He’s singing “Jealous.” This is tough. You get bad news, then you immediately have to sing. He started out a little shaky and didn’t deliver one of his better performances. I think Marcio is in real danger of going home. Grade: C+

Cade Foehner: He made the Top 10 on fan voting.

Garrett Jacobs: Garrett didn’t make it on fan voting. He’s singing “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” Shaky start vocally. When he stays in his deep voice, Garrett sounds really good. When he goes for those high notes, he missed as often as he hits. Garrett rallied pretty well over the second half of that performance. That said, I would not advance Garrett. Grade: B–

Gabby Barrett: She advances based on fan voting. She’s singing “Little Red Wagon” by Miranda Lambert. Hey, and Gabby’s having fun, showing off her stage presence. Not sure this is her best vocal performance, but the attitude is great. Wow, it’s amazing how much different it is if a contestant gets good news, isn’t it? Grade: B

Dennis Lorenzo: He’s also in danger.

Jonny Brenns: Nor did Jonny get voted through. He’s going to sing “Demons.” He seemed really nervous early in the song. But I actually think he’s pulling this off very well. He’s sounding much, much better than he did last night. I have a feeling the judges will save Garrett or Jonny. Based on what we heard tonight, I’d save Jonny. Grade: B

Caleb Lee Hutchinson: I was hoping Caleb would be voted through. And, look at that, he did. He’s singing “Getting Me Home.” Another solid performance from Caleb, who seemed less affected by the news than most of the singers who have performed so far. I’d save him. Grade: B

Mara Justine: She did not make it through on fan voting. She’s singing Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain.” Mara is so much better than she showed Sunday night. And she just proved it with that performance. Good song choice because it allowed her to show off those big vocals of hers. Not sure it will be enough based on who else makes the Top 10. Grade: B+

Jurnee: Damn, Jurnee didn’t make it in on fan voting. She’s going to try to salvage a spot in the Top 10 with “Never Enough.” If the judges are inclined to save one of the pop girls, I’d go with Jurnee, who seems just a little more prepared for this competition. This isn’t a perfect vocal, but it’s pretty good. Grade: B

Michael J. Woodard: He made it on fan voting. He’s singing “Believe in Yourself.” Again, it’s a whole lot easier to sing with a rush of adrenalin from good news than after being doled a fresh dose of tension knowing your next performance is a do-or-go-home situation. The judges seemed thrilled with Michael’s performance. Grade: B

Catie Turner: She made it on fan voting and might very well be the next American Idol based on her popularity. Holy crap, she’s going to sing “Havana.” This girl is absolutely fearless. Well, that turned out better than it had any right to, and here’s betting her fans loved it. Grade: B+

Ada Vox: Adam has decided to sing “I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” And he’s going to turn in one of the best vocals of the night — yep, I think we can say the best. And showing no fear over being in danger of elimination. In fact, embracing the challenge. I don’t know how you don’t advance him. And how about that song choice. You think that wasn’t orchestrated? Grade: A

Now it’s up to the judges: If I’m them, I save: Ada, Jurnee, Jonny and, perhaps, Dennis. But I wouldn’t argue if Mara got that last spot.

Look at that, the judge immediately steer Ada to safety. Rather dramatic, right? The cynic in me says that was orchestrated too.

The judges other three picks …

Jurnee. Hooray!

Michelle Sussett. Whew, that’s a surprise. But she’s popular.

Dennis Lorenzo gets the final spot. Nice pick.