Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol’s second group of 12 take the stage tonight. That group includes (from left) John Foster, Thunderstorm Artis, Canaan James Hill, Filo, Josh King, Desmond Roberts, Olivier Bergeron, Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, Mattie Pruitt, Amanda Barise and Drew Ryn. (ABC Photo)

The second half of the Top 24 take the stage tonight, and I’m anticipating a stronger night of performances.

Why?

Simple. The lineup includes Canaan James Hill, Thunderstorm Artis, Drew Ryn and Mattie Pruitt.

I ranked the Top 24 this week, breaking them down into two groups of 12. Had I combined them, those four singers still would have been the top four on my list.

Voting follows the same pattern as last night. You can vote on the Idol app, via AmericanIdol.com and via text with a maximum of 10 votes per artist per method.

And you can vote for more than one singer. Just be sure to cast those votes between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. eastern time.

Some reflections on last night:

1. Of the 12 performances, there are two that I would willingly watch again for enjoyment. Those from Jamar Roberts and Breanna Nix. Sorry, Slater Nalley fans. He was good. I think he’ll go far. I just did not need another cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

2. Given a night of lackluster performances, the praise for the mentors seemed way overblown. I don’t even know why Idol needed Ashanti with Jelly Roll around. Can anyone recall a key piece of insightful advice she gave to an artist?

3. I’m already sick and tired of the cutaways to Jelly Roll’s reactions. Idol, I tune in to watch the contestants. When they’re performing, keep the camera on them. If I was tuning in to see mentors and coaches react, I’d be watching The Voice.

4. Any hope that Carrie Underwood’s presence would bring real judging to Idol was a pipedream. After some questionable decision-making in the early rounds — how did you cut Crews Wright and advance Baylee Littrell? And you’re telling me known of those talented ladies you cut on duet night weren’t better than Isaiah Misailegalu and MKY? — the judges have turned into cheerleaders. If judges can watch last night’s performances, heap praise on every one without a word of helpful criticism … well, you’re a cheerleader, not a judge.

See also …
Song by song grades for Sunday’s performances
Idol Chatter ranks the Top 24
How the Top 24 stack up on social media

John Foster, 18, Addis, La., “Callin’ Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks: Right off the bat, they’re encouraging John to be energetic and put down his guitar. Hey, we’re already off to a better start than last night. Nice vocal. Nice upbeat performance. And he did fine holding his guitar by his side. John should have no concerns about advancing. Idol fans will rally behind that performance. Grade: B

Desmond Roberts, 25, Corona, Calif. “Do I Do” by Stevie Wonder: Another high energy performance. And Josh Groban nailed Desmond’s biggest problem. He’s a great performer. Sometimes the vocal suffers because of all the movement. That’s happening to a certain degree again. Sure can’t argue about his energy level though. Grade: C+

Drew Ryn, 27, Chino Valley, Ariz., “I,m With You” by Avril Lavigne: Not my favorite Drew performance, but she should breeze into the Top 20. She delivers a nice combination of power and emotion, and she did it again. A couple of the notes at the end got a touch wonky, but she typically goes big and doesn’t sound like she’s shouting, a technique some of the Idol hopefuls haven’t mastered. Grade: B+

Canaan James Hill, 17, Dallas, Tx., “Glory to Glory to Glory”: Canaan ended in great fashion. But that was the first time he hasn’t sounded like the hands-down best singer on the show. Perhaps it was his allergies, but that was an average vocal until the big note at the end, despite the overwhelming feedback we’re hearing from the judges. Again, why are they called judges. Carrie says his allergies were a blessing. Huh? Lionel called the performance a possession. Actually, Canaan seemed a little more timid than usual. What was Lionel watching? Grade: C+

Filo, 23, Dublin, Calif., “Who’s Loving You” by The Jackson 5: Okay, I was not a fan of that performance. Give me emotion over frills any time. That performance was frill upon frill upon frill upon frill. Mixed with a bit of screaming near the end. It was like all the mentoring Filo and Kolbi got in the head-to-head duets was thrown right out the window. The judges, of course, are over the top in their praise. Grade: C

Kyana Fanene, 28, San Leandro, Calif., “I Am” by Stan Walker: Now that was a possession, the way Kyana got wrapped up in that performance. The opening was worrisome because Kyana’s voice was being overwhelmed by the backing band. But her voice came front and center and cut through once she reached the Polynesian portion of the song. Nice job on a risky song choice. Not sure how fans are going to react. Grade: A–

Olivier Bergeron, 22, Kedgwick, New Brunswick, Canada, “I’m Not Okay” by Jelly Roll: That might have been my favorite Olivier vocal. That said, Luke gave him some fine advice: More angst. Oh, and keep your eyes open, even on the big notes. Add a heavy dose of emotion, and that would have been a standout performance. Olivier clearly connected with the song’s message. He just needed to do a better job of displaying that. Grade: B–

Grayson Torrence, 21, Providence Forge, Va., “Ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine: My favorite part of that performance was the delicate ending. I almost wish the entire performance was stripped down, allowing us to focus on Grayson’s voice and the emotions in that performance. She still closed her eyes a bit too much and I worry for her because she hasn’t had as much airtime as most of tonight’s singers. Grade: B–

Josh King, 24, Charlotte, N.C., I’m Still Standing” by Elton John: Maybe Josh should have opened the song playing the harmonica. Because his voice got a little stronger right after the harmonica interlude. It was a fun performance. But the vocal was the weakest we’ve heard tonight. Grade: D+

Mattie Pruit, 15, Engleville, Tenn., “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry: Idol surprises Mattie by having her mother show up during rehearsals. Mattie says this is a lot different from anything she’s performed so far on the show. Doesn’t seem like her voice is in top form. It cracked a couple of times there and she sounds like she’s really straining to nail the big notes. Hoping she advances, because she’s sounded much better than that. Grade: C+

Thunderstorm Artis, 29, Nashville, Tenn., “Is This Love” by Bob Marley: He’s a Hawaii native, so this is a homecoming for Thunderstorm. Wow, from the opening note, Thunderstorm’s voice cuts through. And he delivers the song with a sense of joy and so much dedication to what he’s singing. This is how it’s done, folks. Nice tender ending too. Easily the best of the night so far. Grade: A.

Amanda Barise, 26, Manhatten, N.Y.: Amanda Barise, 26, Manhatten, N.Y.. “Defying Gravity” from Wicked: Well, Amanda raised her grade with that amazing ending. She sure has ample vocal firepower. Until then, there were points where she was oversinging. And she’s another of the contestants who needs to keep their eyes open, especially when delivering the song’s most meaningful lyrics. Grade: C