Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Trevor Douglas performs on the American Idol Top 12 show last week. (FOX Photo)

Cutting four guys from its Top 12. And having the Top 8 sing for a spot in the Season 14 finals.

Viewers have already accomplished the first task, based on the votes they cast last week.

And thanks to a string of very strong performances, they had a difficult decision to make.

If I’m going strictly by last week’s song by song grades, the guys to go would be Michael Simeon, Trevor Douglas, Daniel Seavey and either Savion Wright or Ravon Owen.

But the latter two have proven themselves finals worthy in earlier rounds. So has Michael Simeon. And Trevor Douglas is one of the show’s most entertaining young singers.

The guys will be singing the songs of Motown this evening. And it sounds like we’re going to get the singers in random order with the four guys not selected to sing tonight heading home.

1. Daniel Seavey: He would have been my contestant most deserving to go home from last week, but cuteness got him through. He’s singing “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” by Marvin Gaye. Well, this is as far from Marvin Gaye as you’re likely to get. Daniel is still cute as a button, but here’s betting the songs of Motown wouldn’t be high on his list of favorite themes. Daniel ends with a nice glory note, but the rest of that was just so-so. Keith wants him to get into it more. Jennifer says he seemed more relaxed on the stage. She predicts he’ll be a favorite. Harry wasn’t as thrilled with it. I’m with Harry. Grade: C

2. Mark Andrew: Hey, glad to see the former singer-songwriter from The Voice make the Top 8. He’s deserving. He’ll sing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by the Temptations. Hmm, Mark didn’t dress up for the occasion did he? He turns in an assured, fun-loving performance, but I’m not sure that song showed off his voice to the best. Harry thought it was a strong performance. Jennifer wasn’t crazy about it. Keith’s just glad to see Mark made it through to the Top 8. I’d agree with Jennifer; it wasn’t Mark’s best. Grade: B–

3. Rayvon Owen: This should be good. Rayvon, donned in a black hat, is showing off his range by singing a crowd-pleaser, “My Girl” by The Temptations. My, my, Rayvon hit some incredible high notes during a very nice performance, easily the best of the first three we’ve seen tonight. Harry said everything about that was “really, really strong.” Keith is looking for a little more weight in a performance. Jennifer said he did a great job. Grade: B+

4. Adam Ezegelian: Again, a little surprised he made it. Last week’s performance was fun, but borrowed on novelty. This week, he’ll tackle “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. OK, this isn’t the comedy club. Adam is having a lot of fun on stage, but this vocal isn’t something I’d want to listen to more than once. I mean, can you imagine that on the radio? Keith calls it the “perfect song for you” and says he “loves that you’re here.” Jennifer thought he did a good job, too. Harry calls it a nice job, too. Grade: C–

5. Clark Beckham: The guy from Tennessee is going to tackle “Tracks Of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson. And he starts very well. OK, Clark is showing off some impressive range, too, followed by a nice growl. And he picks up the pace for the last few seconds of the song. Very nicely done. That should be worth a spot in the finals. Jennifer agrees that he has one of the best voices on Idol this year. She thinks he could go all the way. Harry calls him a “terrific talent” but thinks the performance lacked an ending. Keith thinks he could have broken everyone’s heart with a different arrangement. Grade: B+

6. Nick Fradiani, Jr. Along with Mark Andrew, he’s in his last year of Idol eligibility. He got to perform next to last a week ago and was pretty impressive, so I’m not surprised to see him advance. He’ll sing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. And he’s turning in a solid performance. Harry called it a great arrangement and a nice song choice. He wants him to smile more. Keith wishes he had performed minus the guitar. Jennifer says he did well. Solid, but not one of my favorites. Grade: B

7. Qaasim Middleton: He was one of the top two performers last week, so he’s very deserving of this spot. Tonight, he’s doing “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. He’s a natural showman, isn’t he? And he’s showing off lots of moves tonight. Unfortunately, his vocals might be suffering a bit because of it. If I didn’t know this song, I’d have a heck of a hard time figuring out the lyrics. But that performance will certainly be a crowd-pleaser. Talk about lots of energy and stage presence. Keith said Qaasim “explodes” in front of an audience. Jennifer says he “owns that stage.” Harry says he didn’t think he lost the vocal. “That’s what we’re looking for,” Harry says. Grade: B+

Hmm, that means we have Quentin Alexander, Riley Bria, Trevor Douglas, Savion Wright and Michael Simeon hoping to get a chance to sing. Quentin should get it, based on last week. And you’ll note three of the others were among those I thought might be in danger tonight.

8. Quentin Alexander: Glad to see the Idol viewers appreciated his performance from last week. He’s singing Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster.” He throws in a little reggae. This is pretty good, but not nearly as good as last week. He does deliver a big ending. Jennifer calls it “so easy, so smooth, so perfect.” Keith and Harry also thought it was a strong performance, though Harry thought his performance might have been affected by the pressure of being the last singer to advance. Grade: B