Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Tonight, American Idol took its most promising Season 14 contestants to the House of Blues.

The goal: Make them perform in front of a live crowd to see who’s capable of delivering a top-notch live performance and who isn’t.

You could call it the M.K. Nobilette round. Or the C.J. Harris round. Or the Majesty Rose round.

They were all top-notch singers a year ago who were maddeningly inconsistent once they hit Idol’s big stage.

So, this season, Idol has decided to add an extra step designed to ensure better performances once the finals start. Well, it can’t hurt.

Of course, we have 48 singers and only one hour, minus 50 or so commercials, so we probably won’t get to see many of the performances.

And here we go …

Michael Simeon: He’s a judges’ favorite, and a guy likely to make the make the Top 24. He sings “Classic” at the House of Blues, raps a bit, sounds fine throughout. And, yep, he makes the list of the Top 12 guys.

Loren Lott: She oversings “My Heart Will Go On” at the House of Blues, but she was solid in previous performances, so let’s see whether it costs her. That last note was a killer, and not in a good way. Nevertheless, she advances.

Adam Ezegelian: The 21-year-old toy designer, pretty much MIA during the Hollywood round so far belts out “Here I Go Again” at the House of Blues. Flamboyant, to be sure, and he’s off to the Top 24 as well. Not sure I get that pick.

Cody Fry: He changes it up, dumping the slow tempo songs he had been performing to sing Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.” But he doesn’t advance.

Lovey James: She sang Little Mix’s “Wings” at the House of Blues. She ended with a great glory note, but the performance was a tad shaky vocally until that point. She advances.

Adanna Duru: The gal from The Voice exploded on the House of Blues stage, with a superb performance of “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” — the best performance we’ve seen so far tonight. She makes the Top 24.

Maddie Walker: She sang “Big Girls Don’t Cry” at the House of Blues, even though she’s a country singer. That was a little bit of an off performance. And Maddie doesn’t advance.

Rachel Hallack: Pretty sure this is the first time we’ve seen the 23-year-old, who belted out “Gunpowder and Lead” at the House of Blues. Pretty solid performance. She’s supposed to advance, but the judges now decide they’ll have a sing-off.

Jennifer says they hadn’t planned any sing-offs this year. Sure, Jennifer, sure. Maddie sings “Red High Heels.” Rachel sings “Son of a Preacher Man.” And they are pretty even. The judges decided to give the position to Maddie.

Clark Beckham: He sang “Georgia On My Mind” at the showcase, and turned in a pretty solid, soulful performance, if a bit over the top. But he delivered an especially nice flourish at the end. He’s in the Top 24.

Daniel Seavey: The youngest contestant in the Top 48 sings “Straight Up” at the House of Blues. He’s a cute kid, but honestly, I don’t understand how he’s made it this far. But he’s in the Top 24.

Tyanna Jones: Another teen, Tyanna delivers a spirited version of “Love on Top” at the House of Blues. She looks totally comfortable on stage, though the vocals are a tad inconsistent. She’s on to the Top 24.

Rayvon Owen: He’s been one of the top guys throughout the competition, so I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t advance. Yep, he’s in the Top 24.

Shannon Berthiaume: She sounds great singing “Piece of My Heart” at House of Blues. She might have forgotten her lyrics on the first day of Hollywood, but she nailed that performance, and she’s moving on to the semifinals.

Jax: She sang “You and I” at the House of Blues, and given the right songs, she’s one of the best gals in Season 14. She added a bit of a dramatic flair to that performance. I liked it. The judges were lukewarm. She’s in the semifinals.

So, to review:

Gals advancing … (seven in; five remaining)

Adanna Duru
Jax
Loren Lott
Lovey James
Maddie Walker
Shannon Berthiaume
Tyanna Jones

Guys advancing (five in; seven remaining)

Adam Ezegelian
Clark Beckham
Daniel Seavey
Michael Simeon
Rayvon Owen