Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Half of American Idol’s Top 24 took the stage Sunday night, hoping to secure a spot in the Top 16.

Each singer performed a brief solo, followed by a celebrity duet.

Here’s how I graded the night’s performances.

Alanis Sophia, “Alive” (solo), “Shallow” (duet with Jimmie Allen)
Solo: Alanis has the stage presence down and is the best of Idol’s pop gals. But this got a touch shouty near the end. Still, I think Alanis is among Season 19’s best. Grade: B
Duet: I absolutely loved the plaintive tone Alanis showed on her solo bits. An impressive vocal and easily one of my favorite duets of the night. Grade: A–

Cassandra Coleman, “Find Me” (solo) and “Apologize” (duet with Ryan Tedder)
Solo: Cassandra will never belt with the big voices of Season 19, but this was flat-out impressive from the gal who struggles so much with stage fright. She combined her unique tone with an emotional connection that made it one of my favorite solos of the night. Grade: A–
Duet: Cassandra also sang this song during her audition and wasn’t totally satisfied with the results. She should feel a lot better about this one, because it completed a very impressive night for her. What a nice tone. My only complaint, if the duet’s going to end with a vocal flourish, it should come from the contestant, not the celebrity. Grade: B

Alyssa Wray, “Something in the Water” (solo) and “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (duet with Katharine McPhee)
Solo: It’s easy to see why Idol is so high on Alyssa. This young lady radiates on stage. And from the 1:15 mark on, I’d give her an A+ on that vocal. Grade: A–
Duet: What was with that song choice? That harmonies got a bit ragged at one point, but the stage presence Alyssa shows so early in the season spells trouble for all the other top Idol contenders. Grade: B

Wyatt Pike, “Rubberband” (solo) and “Brand New” (duet with Ben Rector)
Solo: Wyatt lost his hat to reveal a mop of unruly hair. But the solo didn’t deliver emotion or dynamics or increase my understanding of Wyatt as a potential Top 16 contestant on Idol. Grade: C
Duet: Now this was more enjoyable because it pulled Wyatt into the pop lane. Despite his fears, he looked pretty comfortable on stage. And he made eye contact with his duet partner and the audience for most of the performance. Grade: B

Alana (Sherman), “Blow Your Mind” (solo) and “Back at One” (duet with Brian McKnight)
Solo: This young lady is loaded with potential, but I wasn’t quite as sold on this performance as her Showstopper round cover of “Bust Your Windows.” Bring back that attitude, please! Grade: B–
Duet: This duet didn’t jell and didn’t give Alana enough of a chance to shine. She should be singing young, fun pop songs, not a sappy 1990s ballad. Grade: C–

Anilee List, “My Future” (solo) and “Tell Me Something Good” (duet with Joss Stone)
Solo: Anilee was one of my favorites from the auditions; she’s got a great voice. But this arrangement puts the emphasis on that big, belting ending. And she’s singing on the same night at Grace and Alyssa. Grade: B–
Duet: Anilee showed off lots of sass and stage presence in well-done duet. She was overshadowed a bit by Joss vocally … but Joss is the celebrity and Anilee the contestant. Grade: B

Deshawn Goncalves, “Forever Young” (solo) and “I Lived” (duet with Ryan Tedder)
Solo: Loved the a cappella opening. I find Deshawn’s voice more pleasing than Willie’s. But, for me, the arrangement and the runs eventually got out of control. Grade: B–
Duet: And this song should be a flat-out carefree celebration. After Ryan’s fine opening, the arrangement and all the vocal frills sucked all the energy out of the song. Grade: C–

Graham DeFranco, “Raye” (solo) and “Love Like This” (duet with Ben Rector)
Solo: With Graham’s voice, this had the makings of a sultry love ballad. But those playful glances to the side and leg kicks detracted mightily from the mood his vocals were trying to create. Grade: C+
Duet: Did Katy really applaud Graham for his emotional connection on the duet. She must was been watching Ben Rector. Graham’s vocal was more impressive here, but he needs to appear less playful and more connected to convey the emotion Katy thought she saw. Grade: B–

Andrea Valles, “Lo Vas a Olvidar” and “Careless Whisper” (duet with Brian McKnight)
Solo: Brave decision by Andrea to sing her solo mostly in Spanish, huh? But she sounded great. And if we lost Andrea for a minute, Luke, it might be because Idol producers opted not to showcase her. Grade: B
Duet: After Andrea performed a ballad for her solo, something upbeat would have been better here. Or at least something that put the vocal spotlight more on Andrea. She sounded better on the solo. Grade: C+

Cecil Ray, “Paint Me a Birmingham” (solo) and “Freedom Was a Highway” (duet with Jimmie Allen)
Solo: If you can’t say anything nice, stay silent, right? Well, I miss Alex Miller. Grade: D–
Duet: Jimmie showed up in star duds; Cecil showed up in a t-shirt and jeans. That’s about how the duet played out: C–

Willie Spence, “Wind Beneath My Wings” (solo) and “The Prayer” (duet with Katharine McPhee)
Solo: Willie flips another female power ballad with too many frills and not enough emotion. Zero chill bumps for me. Grade: B–
Duet: Willie had a grand total of three solo lines, telling me nothing about his abilities as an artist. But Kat sounded really good. Grade: C

Grace Kinstler, “Queen” (solo) and “Midnight Train to Georgia” (duet with Joss Stone)
Solo: Grace has vocal firepower to spare and showed nice stage presence here. But the vocal sounded oddly off for her on the first verse. Grade: C+
Duet: Grace’s vocal was back to star quality on this performance, one of my favorite duets of the night. She matched Joss’s wonderful growls with a great glory note, showing off her range too. Grade: A–