Idol Chatter & Voice Views

They’ve earned their golden tickets.

They’ve survived American Idol’s grueling Hollywood Week.

They’ve shown their performance chops during a new House of Blues round.

And now they’re part of the Top 24.

The semifinals begin tonight on American Idol, with the guys performing tonight and the gals performing Thursday night.

I’ll be grading each performance as it occurs. And here we go …

1. Adam Ezegelian: The 21-year-old toy designer from New York, has decided to rock it out. This is certainly an upbeat way to start the show. He’s belting out “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister. It’s a high energy performance, complete with a couple nice vocal wrinkles. Jennifer calls it “very contagious.” Harry liked it too and complimented Adam on not taking himself too seriously. Actually, I was wondering if the performance was a tad too novelty. Grade: B

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2. Michael Simeon: The 21-year-old is best known for slow dancing with Jennifer in the audition round, but he’s been steady throughout the competition. He’s singing “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton. Another song you could slow dance to. Unfortunately, this isn’t shaping up as one of Michael’s best vocals. Nice falsetto at the end though, and he did deliver it with emotion. Harry warns him not to stray off tune. Jennifer enjoyed it. Keith thought it was very good. Grade: C+

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3. Savion Wright: This 22-year-old would appear finals bound. He just missed the semifinals last year and says he questioned whether he should come back. He’ll perform “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train in bright yellow pants. He’s performing the song with a few of his own wrinkles, and it’s an overall solid performance. So far, we haven’t seen a hint of nerves from the guys. Harry thinks the performance seemed a little unfocused at the beginning. Jennifer wants him to smile into the camera more. Decent performance, but Savion will need to deliver better to be the Season 14 Idol. Grade: B–

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4. Mark Andrew: Here’s the former singer from The Voice who’s in his last year of Idol eligibility. I really liked his voice when he was singing on NBC, and he hasn’t lost any of that special tone. He also has picked a song in his wheelhouse, “The Weight” (“Take a Load Off”) by The Band. That might have been a little low key, but he delivered a solid vocal. Harry, Keith and Jennifer all compliment him on the song choice. Harry says if he keeps picking songs like that, he’ll be in a zone few contestants will find themselves in. Grade: B

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5. Trevor Douglas: He’s one of the youngest singers on the show and one of the best showmen. I mean, he shows no fear on that stage. He’s putting his own twist on “Best I Ever Had” by Gavin DeGraw. And he should get an A for energy, but this vocal seems to be straying all over the place. That said, he finishes with a flourish and gets a rousing reaction from the audience. Jennifer calls it an “OK day” for Trevor. Harry says the vocal wasn’t as good as the performance and Keith concurs. Grade: C

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6. Clark Beckham: He’s been a street performer in Nashville. He’s opted for “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge. Idol is doing a good job of mixing it up with ballads and up-tempo songs. Is it just me, or is Clark over singing this? I think he would have been better off with a few fewer flourishes in the beginning to build to that huge glory note he hit near the end of the song. Jennifer says it gave her the goosies. Harry calls him extremely talented. Keith calls him a contender and classifies that performance as “killer.” Grade: B

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7. Rayvon Owen: This is another guy who has been a standout to this point. He’s going pop, singing “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. Another guy who’s delivering with his performance, but that vocal strayed a bit too. There was one very nice falsetto glory note near the end of that performance. Harry calls it strong and a good song choice. Jennifer says she could have used a little more attitude and a little more edge. Keith also thinks the performance could have used a little more weight, but complimented him for showing off his range Grade: B–

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8. Daniel Seavey: He’s the youngest singer on the show at 15 and, honestly, I’m a little confused how he made the semifinals over some of the male singers who were cut before this point. He’s playing a mandolin and performing “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Well, let’s just say Jason doesn’t have much to worry about. He’s an absolutely adorable teen and hard to root against, but that wasn’t a very good vocal. Jennifer questions his vocal consistency. Harry and Keith compliment him on a nice job. Jennifer nailed that critique: vocal consistency was what Daniel lacked. Grade: C–

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9. Riley Bria: This is the guy who got to play guitar with Keith Urban on an awards show. He’s also formerly from Lancaster, Pa., but has relocated to Nashville to focus on his music. His song: “Homeboy” by Eric Church. He shows off his guitar skills during a solid performance, and I particularly liked the ending. The last 30 seconds made that performance. Jennifer thinks he’s the perfect combination of sweet with a little bit of edge. Harry says Riley reminds him of Keith. Keith says he can’t wait to hear more from Riley. Grade: B

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10. Quentin Alexander: He might be better known for his style than his singing to date, which isn’t fair because his performances have been very strong. He’s shown up on stage in another unusual outfit. He’s singing “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. And I mean he’s singing it. That, folks, was clearly, without doubt, the best vocal we’ve heard tonight. He showed amazing range while delivering a unique version of the song. Harry compliments him for being a real artist and delivering a brave performance. Jennifer calls it perfect. Keith says: “You haven’t even made a record yet, and that was like a Grammy performance. Grade: A

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11. Nick Fradiani: Another of the veterans among the Top 12 guys, Nick will perform “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. He’s turning in a solid performance. It’s tough stepping on stage after that performance by Quentin. But Nick was more vocally consistent that several of the other guys we’ve heard tonight. Keith calls it a perfect song choice. Jennifer says he delivered a great performance, one of the best of the night. Harry calls it very strong as well. Grade: B+

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12. Qaasim Middleton: Another of the more flashy performers on the show. And he’s looking sharp as he performs “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. He’s turning in a fun performance that’s also vocally impressive. Add some dance moves, a little scream near the end, and you have a flat-out fun performance. Another of the best of the night. Jennifer calls him “so my type of performer.” Harry says he left everything on the stage. Keith says he killed it, showing charisma during a memorable performance. That was a great way to end the first semifinals show. I’m going to grade him just below Quentin because the vocal wasn’t quite as impressive. Grade: A–