Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Former The Voice standout Megan Danielle is part of a cliffhanger that will continue Monday night on American Idol Season 21 (ABC Photo)

American Idol revealed 11 members of its Top 24 Sunday night.

And the show closed on a cliff hanger, with Megan Danielle and Paige Anne involved in a sing-off.

Megan delivered a sensational vocal during the Showstopper round, which was the focus of Sunday’s show.

Paige Anne was nearly equally as impressive on her sing-off performance of Adele’s “Easy on Me.”

But the show ended before we saw Megan’s rendition of that song. Or before we heard who will advance on Idol.

Singer was saw advancing Sunday night included five talented ladies — Lucy Love, Haven Madison, Nutsa, We Ani, Kaeyra.

They also included six talented guys — Tyson Venegas, PJAE, Zachariah Smith, Malik Heard, Michael Williams, Warren Peay.

But the show also cut some fan favorites, including Platinum ticket recipient Kaylin Hedges, Adin Boyer and, most noteably, Fire Willmore.

Here are song by song grades for the performances we saw Sunday.

Note that the singers advancing include three former The Voice contestants, We Ani (formerly We McDonald), Michael Williams and Malik Heard.

Kaeyra, 21, Algonquin, Ill., “River” by Bishop Briggs: She played bass guitar while showing off her powerful, raspy vocals. I don’t know who among the Season 21 cast could feel the lady rocker spot better. She also showed off plenty of soul in her voice. She advanced. Grade: B+

Warren Peay, 24, Bramberg, S.C., “Whipping Post” by The Allman Brothers: Warren showed off nice stage presence and vocal firepower to spare. But the song did not show off his unique vocals as well as the challenge performance clip we saw. He advanced. Grade: B

Nutsa, 25, Georgia (the country), “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner: This young woman has lots of singing show experience behind her. Along the way, she’s sure learned how to put on a show and stand out on stage. And she has the vocal chops to make it work. That was a confident, self-assured, entertaining performance. She advanced. Grade: B+

Adin Boyer, 22, Lake Forest, Calif., “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay: Adin accompanies himself on the keys. And any anxiety he felt during the group round is absent here. The vocals, however, were not as good as what we’ve heard from lots of the guys. He did not advance. Still, he walked away saying he was thrilled with the experience. Grade: C

Michael Williams, 21, Mason, Ohio, “Angels Like You” by Miley Cyrus: He sings the first ballad we’ve heard tonight and shows off nice range. He’s one of several former Voice contestants to audition for Season 21. That vocal wasn’t as good as the one we heard during his audition. The judges were spot on with their critique. Still, he advanced. Grade: C+

PJAE, 24, Lawton, “I Want You” by Luke James: Wow, in 30 seconds, PJAE showed off a wide range of vocal ability, from a nice growl to great range. From the clip Idol showed, I thought PJAE was the clear winner. Same with the singer, where PJAE oversang a bit and wasn’t pitch perfect, but delivered the more interesting arrangement and an extra dose of emotion. He advanced. Grade: B

Malik Heard, 25, Dallas, Texas, “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell: Malik too, showed off great range and delivered a really nice ending. His overall performance, however, wasn’t nearly as impressive. That’s based on the small clip we saw. Malik sounded more impressive on the Billie Eilish cover and, as the judges noted, delivered the more controlled of the two performances. Malik advanced as well. Grade: C+

We Ani, 23, Harlem, New York, “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin: This former Voice finalist has hands down been one of the most impressive performers on Season 21 to date, dazzling in every round. This vocal was no exception. It got as bit shouty for a moment, but We is looking like an early favorite. Grade: A–

Zachariah Smith, 19 Armory, Mississippi, “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen: This guy is a great performance, but I’m not sure a Queen song is his best choice vocally. And that’s how it turns out. The performance was top notch, lots of fun, full of energy. The vocals fell way, way short. Coupled with forgetting the lyrics on duet night, that should have spelled the end for Zachariah. Yet he advanced. Grade: C–

Kaylin Hedges, 15, New York, NY, “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal: She was a platinum ticket winner and provided a wonderful moment during the auditions when she was reunited with her military father. This vocal featured a wonderful ending, but the lead-up to that moment wasn’t quite up to snuff vocally. Grade: C

Tyson Venegas, 17, Vancouver, Canada, “Cuz I Love You” by Lizzo: Ooops, the platinum ticket winner from Vegas faltered badly at the opening, even forgetting his lyrics at one point. Fortunately, he bounced back to show off his vocal talent and his ability to deliver a big performance. The judges forgave the mistake, advancing him to the Top 24. Interesting decision. Grade: B–

Haven Madison, 16, Clarkesville, Tenn., “Bird Set Free” by Sia: This young woman doesn’t have the best vocals on the show, but let’s not forget that she already delivered two amazing originals at her young age. Keep the originals coming Haven. If you missed them for some reason, make sure to listen to “Fifteen” and “Still Need You.” She advanced. Grade: B–

Fire Willmore, 23, Lawton, Okla., “Mercy” by Duff: If you have a heart, you have to be rooting for this young woman. Like the fire she’s showing on stage. From a showmanship perspective, that was her best yet. The vocals … well, American Idol Season 21 is packed with super talented female singers. She did not advance. Grade: B–

Lucy Love, 28, “Flying Without Wings” by Ruben Studdard: This young woman is blessed with a monster voice and is experienced enough to deliver a great performance. She showed off the power on this performance. That said, I didn’t think the song choice was a good one. She can be better and more emotional than that. She advanced to the Top 26. Grade: B

The Cliffhanger

Paige Anne, 16, Idaho Falls, Idaho, “Easy on Me” by Adele: Unfortunately, Idol didn’t show a second of her Showstopper performance. She showed off a really nice tone on her sing-off with Megan Danielle though, so I’ll grade that. Grade: B

Megan Danielle, “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga: Dang, Megan. That was an excellent vocal, showing off a great smoky quality and cry to her voice. That might have been one of the best vocals we heard all night. Grade: A–

Zachariah Smith advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

We Ani made the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Warren Peay advanced to the Top 24 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Platinum ticket recipient Tyson Venegas advanced tot he Top 26 on American Idol Season 21. (ABC Photo)

PJAE advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Nutsa advanced from the Showstopper round on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Michael Williams advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Malik Heard advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Lucy Love advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Kaeyra advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol Season 21 (ABC Photo)

Haven Madison advanced to the Top 26 on American Idol. (ABC Photo)