Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We’ve heard from the American Idol ladies.

Tonight we hear from the guys.

Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. at the American Idol girls semifinals on Tuesday. (FOX Photo)

Or at least some of the guys — 10 hand-picked guys while an unlucky five get to sit backstage, hoping that their names are called, only to see their Idol aspirations dashed, not because of a poor performance, but because they aren’t even given a chance to sing.

Let me put it on the record: I hate this Idol wrinkle or twist or whatever they want to call it.

There were only 15 female semifinalists. An Idol performance only lasts about two minutes.

Do the math. That’s 30 minutes of singing.

You mean Idol can’t fit 30 minutes of singing into a two-hour singing show?

That wouldn’t be better than cutting five singers without even giving them a chance to perform?

Especially when at least half of those who got a chance to sing didn’t exactly sizzle on the Idol stage?

To sum it up, the Idol ladies were underwhelming as a group. Here’s hoping for better performances tonight.

Caleb Johnson

1. Caleb Johnson, 22, of Asheville, N.C.: The rocker who nearly made the semifinals back in Season 11 is going to sing “Stay with Me.” Not the most original of rock song selections, but here’s betting it’s a fun performance. He’s been performing for years, so I doubt nerves will be a factor. And I like the idea of starting off the night with an up-to-date tune. Perhaps not the greatest vocal we’ve ever heard, but I absolutely loved the flourish at the end — both the vocal flourish and the charisma on stage. Really nice way to start the night. Jennifer calls it “the real deal” and says it’s Caleb’s “time.” Harry calls it a really strong way to start the show. It just might have matched anything we saw last night. Grade: B+

Curtis (C.J.) Harris

2. C.J. Harris, 23, Jasper, Ala.: One of a number of male country singers to make the semifinals, C.J. might be ditching the guitar for this performance. He’ll sing “Shelter,” which Randy calls one of the better song choices among the guys. Nope, he ignored Chris Daughtry’s advice and kept the guitar. But he did lose the baseball cap. C.J. is certainly showing off the grit in his voice. And he’s pouring emotion into the performance. Jennifer says he makes her smile and calls it “a beautiful thing.” Harry provides a little technical advice not to sing sharp. Keith gives him a solid review, too. I don’t think I liked it quite as much as they did, but it was a solid performance. Grade: B–

Emmanuel Zidor

3. Emmanuel Zidor, 24, of Miami, Fla.: Well, Emmanuel is quite the performer, but I’m a little surprised he’s one of the 10 selected to sing. He’ll perform “Best of My Love.” He starts off dancing more than singing. Well, Emmanuel is having lots of fun on the stage, and not showing the least little sign of struggling with nerves. The vocal isn’t doing a thing for me. Sorta like something you’d see in a karaoke bar. Harry compliments his “happy energy” and says the performance started to go a little out of control. Keith agrees, the performance knocked the vocal off kilter. Jennifer thinks Emmanuel “belongs on a stage.” And Jennifer encourages him to sing a snippet of another song. What the heck? I’m grading “Best of My Love.” Turns out by choosing that song, he was honoring one of his favorite past Idol contestants — Vonzell Solomon. Grade: C–

Sam Woolf

4. Sam Woolf, 17, Bradenton, Fla.: He’ll perform “Babylon.” The mentors are trying to work on his stage performance and helping him connect on stage. No one told him to put down the guitar. Ring the cute white guy with guitar alert. Best of all, he’s turning in a nice, solid performance. And he’s maintaining eye contact with the fans. Not a lot of vocal fireworks, but a nice little wrinkle at the end and an all-around fine effort. Keith calls his voice “money” and compliments him on a smart song choice. Jennifer talks about his “sweet quality” and says his “heart and soul come through.” Harry wants him to gain more confidence. Grade: B

George Lovett

5. George Lovett, 24, Baltimore, Md.: He’s going to do the oft-performed “Grenade.” Little surprised to see him get to sing as well, because we didn’t even see his audition. He’s probably the least featured of the Top 31. I’m wondering if nerves are making this opening just a wee bit shaky. But George seems to find his stride when he hits that oh-so-catchy chorus. Still, he seems to be going a little sharp in spots. Clearly he knows about the Idol tradition of ending with a big glory note. Jennifer calls it “really good” and liked his “energy.” Harry wonders if wasn’t too passionate, allowing the vocal to spin out of control. He says he’s heard George sing better. Keith didn’t like the song choice. Mixed reviews, to be sure. Grade: C

Dexter Roberts

6. Dexter Roberts, 22, Fayette, Ala.: Alex is just hoping the Idol stylists can “fix my hair.” He’ll sing “This Old Boy.” And he plans to Dexter-fy the song. I’ll give the guys this: They’re doing a better job than the girls at shaking off the nerves. Dexter is a lot of fun, but some of the lyrics are getting a wee bit muddled. Otherwise, he turned in a solid performance. Harry thinks he’s “a typical modern day country performer,” but wonders how he’d be distinctive in the country world. Keith calls him “legit.” Jennifer likes his “easy and cool way on stage.” And she says he sounded great. Grade: B–

Alex Preston

7. Alex Preston, 20, Mont Vernon, N.H.: A self-admitted band geek, he says he plays 11 or 12 instruments. He’s going to sing “Volcano” by Damien Rice. The mentor urged him to make eye contact; he admits he’s shy. OK, love the opening. One of the more unique singers we’ve heard tonight. Sorta like Sam Woolf. Not a lot of vocal fireworks. But a very nice performance. Keith calls it the best song choice of the night and calls it a “really good performance.” Jennifer liked the fact that it’s “so different” from everyone else. Harry gives him a positive critique as well. Hey, my enthusiasm about this year’s guys is rising. They’re definitely turning in a better set of performances than the girls did last night. Grade: B

Malcolm Allen

8. Malcolm Allen, 21, Wrightsville, Ark.: He’s singing “Comin From Where I’m From” by Anthony Hamilton. He’s another guy who says stage presence is the biggest obstacle he has to overcome. OK, and that’s obvious from the start of this performance. And he seems to be the first guy tonight really suffering from a bad case of nerves. This is not a very good vocal. He’s trying to inject some energy into the performance, but I’m not sure it’s working. Jennifer says vocally he’s “top of the list,” but she wanted more from the performance. Harry criticizes him for singing the same run over and over. Keith suggested he should have tried a more stripped down version of the song. I flat-out didn’t like it. Grade: C–

Ben Briley

9. Ben Briley, 24, Gallatin, Tenn.: He’s going to sing “Soul Shine.” Well, at least America’s save of Ben wasn’t for naught. Hey, I like this performance from Ben Briley. It’s my favorite country-flavored performance of the night. Not sure what the judges will say about his decision to do a guitar solo in the middle of an Idol performance. But there was a ton of grit and feeling in that performance, and a huge glory note at the end for good measure. That was one of my favorites of the night. Harry compliments him on a great performance. Keith says he has a great voice. Jennifer says Ben is one of those guys who “come alive” on stage and says that’s the sign of a true performer. Grade: B+

10. Spencer Lloyd, 19, Bryant, Ark.: He’ll sing “Love Don’t Die” by The Fray. He says he’s trying to move away from the security of an instrument, but Randy encourages him to keep using it. Adam encourages him to lose it. Oh, my, a cliff hanger. And he’s decided not to use it. Win me over, Spencer. Because right now, I’d rather be hearing Casey Thrasher or Maurice Townsend. The opening of this song isn’t doing it. The falter in your voice and the fact that you’re off-pitch lots of the time isn’t working either. That said, he delivered a high-energy performance. The only thing lacking: a solid vocal. The girls will go crazy over him, but the fact is, the vocal wasn’t good. Among the judges, only Harry spoke the truth, saying simply: “That wasn’t good.” Grade: D+

To me, this is really clear-cut: Caleb Johnson, Sam Woolf, Alex Preston and Ben Briley earned spots in the finals. For sure. I’d probably give the fifth spot to C.J. Harris. And really kinda mad we didn’t get to hear Maurice Townsend and Casey Thrasher.