Idol Chatter & Voice Views

John Foster and Clara Rae perform during the head-to-head round on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

It sure sounds like American Idol will have a Top 24 when tonight’s show ends.

And that means fan voting will begin next week! Hooray!

Tonight’s show will feature head-to-head duets. I can’t imagine that means one singer advances and one goes home, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.

I’ll be grading the performances as they occur, at least when Idol airs the complete performance.

Last night, Canaan James Hill, Gabby Samone, Zaylie Windsor and Mattie Pruitt earned automatic spots in the Top 24.

Looking at the list of contestants still in limbo below, I think we can rule out Keilene, Rylie O’Neill, Cali Morris, Krystal Molina and Rileyy Laenz as singers who make the Top 24.

Idol typically showcases the singers who make it deep into the competition in the early rounds, and we haven’t seen a single performance from any of those five.

There are several others on the list below who we haven’t seen since their audition aired. And I’m very curious about the fate of Canaan’s platinum ticket counterparts.

Kolbi Jordan over sang badly in the group performance that opened the first day in Hollywood, then turned in one of the weaker performances during the Showstopper round. And Idol only aired a snippet of Filo’s Showstopper performance. Had a platinum ticket holder brought the house down, I’m sure the full performance would have aired.

Oh, and with three ladies already in the Top 24, the gals will be facing longer odds than the guys on tonight’s show. You can be sure the judges would prefer a 50-50 split of guys and gals in that Top 24.

Off the list below, I’ll be rooting especially hard for Slater Nalley, Thunderstorm Artis, Drew Ryn and Victor Solomon to make the cut. In my mind, they’ve already done enough to prove themselves Top 24 worthy.

See also …
Song by song grades for Showstoppers

Drew Ryn and Thunderstorm Artis, “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron: For crying out loud, Idol judges, put these two in the Top 24. Like right now. They are clearly two of the absolute best of Season 23. Great vocals. Great connection to what they’re singing. Thunderstorm has a wonderful distinct sound. Drew has the perfect combination of power and emotion. Grade: A

Che Chesterman and Sonny Tennet, “Shallow” by Lady Gage and Bradley Cooper: They’re both from the UK, which is why they paired up. Well, I’m used to seeing that performed by a guy and a gal. Che had a more standout performance than Sonny. The latter also hit a bum note at one point and came off as nervous as he said he was. Che seemed more in control of his performance. Che advanced; Sonny did not. Grade: B–

Penny Samar and Grayson Torrence, “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish: We’ve seen more footage of Grayson crying that singing so far this season, so let’s see how this goes. Both are showing off nice performance skills. And Grayson has a really unique tone that I like. Wow, those harmonies were special. And both advance. Not sure I like this new format. Shouldn’t the judges hear everyone sing before deciding. Grade: B

MYK and Josh King, “Until I Found You”: They’re singing a song they’re not familiar with, and Josh is having trouble remembering the lyrics. Odd the way Josh is literally leaning on MYK. He seems timid at first, but comes into his own as the song progresses. Why the hell is Luke joining them on stage? Sorta cheesy, honestly. MYK showed confidence. Both advanced. A bit surprising. Grade: B–

Victor Solomon and Amanda Barise, “Lady Marmalade”: Victor’s voice is tired, so the duo limit their rehearsals. Great song choice for these two. They both have powerhouse voices, and I had no doubt they’d excel in spite of the drama Idol tried to create. Amanda is slaying this song. And I bet there are singers in the crowd who wish they sounded like Victor when their voice was tired. Excellent duet. Grade: B+

Amanda Barise and Victor Solomon
Baylee Littrell and Keilene
Breanna Nix and Rylie O’Neill
Bryson Quick and Lexi Tieffel
Cali Morris and Olivier
Che Chesterman and Sonny Tennet
Clara Rae and John Foster
Crews Wright and Kam’ron
Desmond Roberts and Jamal Roberts
Drew Ryn and Thunderstorm Artis
Filo and Kolbi Jordan
Grayson Torrence and Penny Samar
Isaiah Misailegalu and Krystal Molina
Josh King and MKY
Kyana Fanene and Yani
Lashon and Rileyy Laenz
Nina Daig and Slater Nalley