Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Canaan James Hill opened Sunday’s episode of American Idol with another outstanding performance. (ABC Photo)

Four singers head home and the Top 20 perform on American Idol Sunday night.

And this will be a critical night of voting for Idol fans hoping to keep voting for their favorites.

That’s because Monday night only the Top 10 vote-getters will automatically advance to the Season 23 Top 14.

The other four members of that Top 14 will be chosen by the judges from among the 10 still-at-risk contestants.

Like last week, you can vote via the Idol app, AmericanIdol.com or via text.

But the voting hours have changed. Tonight, you can vote between the end of the show (11 p.m. eastern time) and 9 a.m. Monday eastern time.

Check back for song by song grades once the show begins.

See also …
Idol Chatter’s picks for the Top 14
Who’s in danger tonight on American Idol
Song by song grades for the Top 24, Night 1
Song by song grades for the Top 24, Night 2

MONDAY’S GROUP

Canaan James Hill, 17, Dallas, Tx., “Better Days”: Wow, allergies be gone. That was so much better than last week. The theme was right down Canaan’s alley. But that doesn’t automatically mean a vocal like that. Canaan took us to church and understandably brought the judges to their feet. Grade: A

Drew Ryn, 27, Chino Valley, Ariz., “Yellow” by Coldplay: Okay, this is already shaping up to be a much better episode than last week’s. In some ways, I preferred that performance to Canaan’s. I would have like a little bit more intimacy and a little fewer big notes, but that’s a minor quibble for one of the contestants who’s best at delivering emotion and power rather than pure power. Grade: B+

Desmond Roberts, 25, Corona, Calif., “Worship” Desmond might be the show’s best entertainer. He was jumping all over the stage, interacting with the crowd and still managed to deliver an impressive vocal. He showed off great range and hit one heck of a glory note miday through the song. Grade: B

Filo, 23, Dublin, Calif., “Bridge Over Troubled Water”: Filo’s got a great voice and I loved the opening of this song. But I think I’m always going to be judging Filo more harshly than he deserves because I prefer emotion over frills. And Filo is a master at delivering those frills. I just thought the last 30 seconds of the song featured too much over-singing. Grade: B–

Josh King, 24, Charlotte, N.C., “You Are So Beautiful”: That was my favorite Josh King performance from the show. A great vocal, filled with emotion. And he said he was dedicating the song to his mom. That was world’s better than his Top 24 performance. My only concern: What it means about the Monday night eliminations. Kyana Fanene is likely in trouble, and I didn’t want her to be. Grade: B

Thunderstorm Artis, 29, Nashville, Tenn., “Reckless Love””Thunderstorm is just an absolute pro. And that was a pro performance. Not sure what the judges are talking about. But I loved the rasp in his voice and I loved his emotional connection to the song WHILE going big. Best of the night so far. Grade: A+

Amanda Barise, 26, Manhatten, N.Y.:,”If I Ain’t Got You”: Amanda got the judges to their feet and Luke called it her “shining moment.” They’re more impressed by vocal frills than I am. She’s got a great voice. I thought that was a little overbaked. Grade: B–

John Foster, 18, Addis, La., “Tell That Angel I Love Her” (an original): I’ve been telling you this song was coming. It’s written about two high school classmates tragically killed in a police chase in which they were not involved. The song is already released. John was very close to one of the young girls. Great performance from John. Great timing for the song. Grade: A

Mattie Pruitt, 15, Engleville, Tenn., “Rescue”: Love Mattie’s tone. Apparently, she recently turned 16. She’s still the youngest on a cast that strikes me as older than usual on Idol. That cry in her voice was front and center during that performance and, as the judges point out, that’s her crying card. They seem to want more stage presence. Grade: B

Olivier Bergeron, 22, Kedgwick, New Brunswick, Canada, “I Want You to Stay”: Lionel nailed this critique. Olivier brought an intensity to the stage and made that song his own. That was his best performance of the season. Wouldn’t it be something if a Canadian won American Idol, considering what’s going on politically these days? Grade B+

Well, that wraps up the first half of the show. And it means the singers heading home from Monday night’s group are Kyana Fanene and Grayson Torrence. They did not deliver the weakest performances last Monday. But they got the least screen time of anyone in the group.

SUNDAY’S GROUP

Breanna Nix, 25, Denton, Texas, “Up to the Mountain”: Great theme and a great song for Breanna. She did it again. I will be surprised it Breanna doesn’t wind up Top 5 this season. Idol has re-discovered lots of singers with a singing show past. Breanna is a true Idol discovery. Not to mention a great story. But most of all a great singer and performer. I loved that she ended that song with powerful emotion, not just power. Grade: A

Victor Solomon, 26, Peoria, Ill., “For Every Mountain” Last week, Victor showed off his performance ability. This week, I have a feeling he’s going to remind us of his vocal prowess. Yep, until the middle of the song, when he started roaming the stage and interacting with the audience. Again, a little too frill-filled for my taste, but a solid performance for sure. Grade: B+

Baylee Littrell, 21, Atlanta, Ga., “Gone Without Goodbye” (an original) This is Baylee more in his element, as a singer-songwriter. Not sure what Idol did to his hair. Yikes. Baylee came through with a much better performance than last week, but is going to need one hell of an effort tomorrow night to merit a spot in the Top 14. Grade: C

Isaiah Misailegalu, 17, Las Vegas, Nev., “Give You Blue”: Samoan Silk makes it through too. Like Baylee, I was surprised he made it through the head-to-head show. He does a very good job for someone with so little experience. On this show, though, he’s up against contestants with lots, lots more experience. A couple of wonky notes here and there. Grade: C+

Gabby Samone, 22, Baltimore, Md., “I Am Changing”: This young lady is sprinkled in stardust and brings the judges to their feet. Luke calls it a better breakout moment than her last breakout moment. She went big and she went big impressively. She has a knack for delivering power without sounding like she’s shouting at us. Grade: A–

Slater Nalley, 17, Atlanta, Ga., “Soulshine”: Another solid performance from Slater, who’s going to go deep into the competition with that combination of rasp, soul and deep country vocals. He added some tasteful vocal frills during the second half of that performance without overdoing it. And the judges are right, for his age, he seems remarkably comfortable on stage. Grade: B

Zaylie Windsor, 18, Safford, Ariz., “Silver Spring” Hooray! So thrilled the Zaylie made the Top 20. And this is a better song choice for what Zaylie’s best at. Love her voice on this song. And she was wise to jump to the part of the song where Stevie Nick’s starts ab libbing. Totally disagree with Luke’s advice that she choose songs that go big. Pick songs with emotion, Zaylie. Grade: B

Jamal Roberts, 26, Meridan, Miss, “Forever”: Don’t know what it is, but this guy is just easy to root for. He starts a little slowly, but goes into church mode over the last minute of the song. And you can tell the crowd loves it. We certainly have some skilled worship leaders in the Top 24 cast. Luke says he’s “slaying it.” Grade: A–

Che Chesterman, 28, Essex, England, “Redemption Song”: Didn’t like this song choice for Che. The crowd seemed to love it. Che has an undeniably strong voice. Luke said Che’s voice is one of his favorites. Sorry, but I can’t see him in the Top 14 among this cast. Grade: C+

Kolbi Jordan, 26, Tulsa, Okla., “Amazing Grace” Okay, Kolbi. Emotion, not frills. You’ve got the glory spot. You’ve got a great song. Nope, you’re not going to do it, are you? I don’t like this arrangement of the song at all. And this is a difficult song to screw up. Way too over the top. The judges will praise it. I didn’t like it at all. Grade: C–

That means the elimination of MKY and Penny Samar. Remember to vote, vote, vote to get your favorites into the Top 14. Only 10 singers advance based on fan voting.