“Rockin Robin”
Gabi Carrubba, David Leathers, Jr., Jeremy Rosado and Ariel Sprague
Wow. The oldest member of this group is Jeremy at age 19. Yet they look like they’ve been performing, and performing together, forever. One of the best group night performances and a nice match of a young, fun song with a young, fun group of contestants. David is semifinals bound. I’m not sure his voice ranks among the top 12 males, but he’s got a certain star quality. I’m not sold on Jeremy yet. Gabi was a victim of the final cut in Vegas. The voice that really stands out here is Ariel’s — amazing. Shame we didn’t get to meet her earlier. Grade: B+
“Sealed With a Kiss”
by Creighton Fraker, Aaron Marcellus, Nick Boddington and Jen Hirsh
Idol closed Thursday’s show with this performance. Wise choice. Talk about fabulous harmonies. Everyone but Nick is still alive in the competition. Here, Aaron gets a chance to show off his silky smooth vocals, Creighton is impressive yet again, and Jen proves she’s one of the best female vocalists in this competition. She’d better make the semis. Same for Creighton. If Idol needs a quirky male performer in its top 24, I far prefer him to Reed Grimm. Oh, and I love the kiss at the end of this number. Grade: A-
“Baby Love” / “Stop in the Name of Love”
by Brittany Hammond, Lauren Daigle and Amber Caparas
This is the first real misfire I’ve heard listening to these full performances. That harmonies didn’t work and none of the three singers sounded special during their solos. Perhaps it was the song choice. I’ve heard Amber, in particular, sound much better on other material. None of the three advanced. Not surprising, given the fierce competition for top 40 spots, especially among the ladies. Grade: D+
“Tell Him”
Hallie Day, Tenna Torres, Latia Lee
Another bit of a misfire. I’m pretty sure pop princess Tenna and gospel singer Latia can do better when they’re singing a song in their respective genres. Neither shines on this 1962 hit. Hallie sounds the best, and I wish we had heard more of her to this point. Nigel tweets that she reminds him a little of Marilyn Monroe. Yep, there is a resemblance. Anyway, she’s the only singer to survive these subpar harmonies. Grade: C-
“The Night Has a Thousand Eyes”
by Reed Grimm, Elise Testone, Haley Johnson and Eben Christian Franckewitz
I’m already on record as saying I didn’t enjoy this performance as much as the judges, and my opinion didn’t change after watching it back. I don’t understand the show’s fascination with Reed; no way he’s among the top 12 male singers. Same goes for Eben, at least judging from this performance. He’s young and cute, but if Idol is going to have a singer who looks 12 in the semifinals, I prefer David Leathers. Haley doesn’t get to do much here, but nails the final notes and survives along with everyone else in the quartet. The real star of this group effort is Elise. Talk about belting it out. The song comes alive every time she opens her mouth. Grade: C+
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