Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Oliva Rox was among the contestants who sang an original song for the final round in Hollywood on American Idol Season 15. She advanced.

The judges will have picked their chosen 24 and we might even get to hear someone sing a full song without a lot of chatter over the vocal so we can actually form an opinion about how talented they are.

That certainly wasn’t the case during Wednesday’s final Hollywood round episode.

Shelbie Z. seemed to be singing the crap out of Heart’s “Alone,” but there was so much blabber going on, you really couldn’t tell. Ditto for James VIII as he tackled “Wicked Game.”

Yeah, one thing I won’t miss about American Idol is Hollywood Week, where there’s little rhyme or reason to what we see or hear other than the Idol machinations as they try to mold our opinion of certain contestants.

Speaking of which, where did Trent Harmon and La’Porsha Renae disappear to during Wednesday’s episode? I mean, we know they both advanced. But they were the stars of the first two rounds in Hollywood and we didn’t get to hear even the tiniest snippet of their final performance.

Some impressions of those we did hear from:

* MacKenzie Bourg stole the show with an original song called “Roses.” Not that I’m surprised; he’s released two fine singles since competing on The Voice in Season 3.

* Sonika Vaid continues to impress me with her stellar, oh-so-pure vocals. Vocally, she and La’Porsha have been my favorite ladies to date. Plus Sonika looks like a star.

* I was sorry to see John Wayne Schultz get the Idol ax. I thought his final Hollywood performance was every bit as good as several singers who advanced. Guess he should have kept wearing that lucky cowboy hat.

* Harry Connick Jr. again commented about how strong the girls are this year on Idol. Doesn’t matter once the voting starts. I won’t believe a girl will win until the final guy is eliminated or confetti is falling on a female when the finale ends. I’ve seen too many worthy ladies lose out to “cute” guys on this show.

* Speaking of “cute” guys, it continues to boggle my mind that Dalton Rappatoni is being allowed to compete on Idol. The guy sang in a boy band Simon Fuller created. Yes, the same Simon Fuller who created American Idol. How much worse do conflicts get on a show that once booted Joanna Pacitti because of her close relationship with Idol producers?

* Someone in wardrobe should convince Jeneve Rose Mitchell to tone down the cowgirl attire. No doubt the teen is talented beyond her years, but she’s starting to come off as a novelty act.