Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Among the singers we’ll hear from tonight on American Idol are (from left) Trevor McBane, Jonny Brenns, Kay Kay Alexis, Brandon Diaz, Gabby Barrett, Cade Foehner. (ABC Photo)

The American Idol semifinals begin tonight. And fans of the show know this is traditionally when they begin weighing in with votes to help select the finalists.

Well, no need to limber up those voting fingers yet. ABC has decided the judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are the only ones to be trusted picking the cream of this talented cast.

The show and network hasn’t explained precisely how that’s going to happen, but everything we’ll witness over the next two weeks was pre-taped. In fact, judges have already selected a Top 14.’

That won’t keep me from providing song by song grades tonight as each performance occurs. I’ll be doing the same over the next three episodes, except that those song by song recaps will come in the form of a recap rather than a live blog.

Here’s who we’ll hear tonight and what they will be singing.

Dominique Posey, “Ain’t Nobody” by Rufus & Chaka Khan — Nice upbeat way to start the night. But there were times I was wondering if all the moving around was affecting Dominique’s vocals. He hit quite a high note midway through the song. But that did not strike me as a Top 10 vocal. Grade: C+

Layla Spring, “A Broken Wing” by Martina McBride — Layla gets to FaceTime with one of her Idols, Lauren Alaina. The look is a little too pageantry, but Layla picked a good song to show off her country twang. And Layla’s learned a thing or two about building to a big Idol ending. These performances are pretty short, but Layla delivered very well at the end of the song. Grade: B

Catie Turner, “Call Me” by Blondie — This song choice was one of the night’s most surprising. How can you not smile when this young woman is on screen? Check out those boots. And there goes the hair tie. And there goes the mic stand at the end. If I was grading that just on the vocal, it’s probably be a C+. But it’s Catie, so she’s getting a B+. I say put her in the finals and let the fans speak. Grade: B+

Dennis Lorenzo, “Rude” by Magic — Dennis is a great performer. He’s working the stage without letting it affect his vocal. He’s also done a nice job of showing variety in his Idol performances. I would agree with Katy, however, that wasn’t a song that necessarily showcased his vocal. Grade: B–

Michelle Sussett, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce — This young lady has a certain sparkle, no doubt. But this is starting out very shouty. She slips in some Spanish, at Bobby Bones suggestion. She went for big glory notes twice; I’m not sure she landed them either time. Lionel likes her superstar appeal. Katy thinks she went into overdrive too soon. Grade: C–

Michael J. Woodard, “Homeward Bound” by The Beatles — From a personality standpoint, Michael is sort of the male Catie of Idol Season 16. He’s turning in a solid vocal here. There are some enunciation issues, and a couple of odd choices with notes. But that was one of the better vocals we’ve heard. He shows lots of potential Grade: B–

Trevor McBane, “Way Down We Go” by Kaleo — He’s in all-black again and explains it’s a nod to some of the things he’s dealt with in the past. Wow, really nice opening by Trevor. Love that deep voice. Dang, Trevor, way to deliver an impassioned performance. OK, Trevor gets my nod for best vocal of the night so far. He connected with that tune on the second line and never let go. Very good. Grade: B+

Jonny Brenns, “Georgia” by Vance Joy — Jonny was magical sitting at the keys on the first round in Hollywood. This is a solid performance and Jonny is showing off his range. But it’s not quite as magical. Idol is clearing envisioning Jonny as a potential heartthrob. Luke calls him a “big star who doesn’t quite know it yet.” He also likes Jonny’s smooth vocals. Grade: B

Kay Kay Alexis, “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna — Kay Kay hasn’t got nearly as much screen time as most other members of the Top 24, but she has a great song choice here. Not sure Kay Kay was understanding Bobby’s advice. Because the start of this performance was loaded with vocal frills, not emotion. A bit overdone for my taste. The judges, however, give her a standing ovation. Katy says “the full package arrived” and applauds her for turning “an important corner.” Grade: B–

Brandon Diaz. “Hello” by Lionel Richie — Hmm, I just stumbled upon a story from a couple of months ago where the judges offered this advice: Don’t sing one of our songs. Nice opening by Brandon. Great range. It sounded like there might have been a bit of a vocal stumble afterward. But Brandon recovered and delivered a really nice heartfelt ending. Lionel gives the performance mixed reviews. Grade: B

Gabby Barrett, “My Church” by Maren Morris — Her goal: Make Madison Square Garden in five years. Nice ambition. Hell, yes, Gabby, you can get a hallelujah. I’ve been waiting for someone to blow my away iwth a vocal tonight. And it just happened. And that was before that fabulous ending. Tons of stage presence too. Great job, Gabby Barrett. That best of the night so far. Grade: A

Cade Foehner, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix — I was prepared to love this. And no doubt, Cade brings a straight-up rock-n-roll vibe and high-energy to Idol we haven’t seen in a while — maybe since Bo Bice in Season 3. But the vocal was a wee bit over the top for me. A little too much growling. A little too much gravel in his voice. Still it was one of the better performances of the night. I could do without the Katy Perry silliness though. And without the front rows packed with fawning teenage girls. And without Idol’s overt attempt to turn every cute guy who steps on stage into an overnight heartthrob. Grade: B+

See also …
Meet the Top 12 ladies
Meet the Top 12 guys
Showcase photo gallery guysShowcase photo gallery gals
Showcase photo gallery Top 50