Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 8 on American Idol including (back row) Oliver Steele, Iam Tongi, Haven Madison, Colin Stough, (front row) Zachariah Smith, Wé Ani, Warren Peay, Megan Danielle. (ABC Photo)

Iam Tongi is still a frontrunner on American Idol Season 21.

But he’s going to have to move on without good buddy Oliver Steele.

Oliver was eliminated Sunday night along with Haven Madison and Warren Peay as Idol voters opted for a semifinal featuring Iam, We Ani, Megan Danielle, Colin Stough and Zachariah Smith.

Idol seemed to be setting the stage for a fairytale ending heading into Disney Week.

Oliver got to perform a duet with the incredibly popular Iam early in the show.

He got to close the show.

He got to sing one of mentor Alanis Morissette’s biggest hits.

Heck, his dad was even in the audience to cheer him on.

And Oliver did his part. The duet with Iam went wonderfully. His show-closing performance was one of the night’s most intense.

But Idol voters didn’t cooperate with that fairytale ending. In truth, Oliver’s task was herculean.

He needed a save to make the Top 8, meaning he would have had to leapfrog at least three contestants in the voting to advance.

It didn’t happen. In fact, the only duet pair that advanced intact after performing songs by Ed Sheeran was Megan Danielle and Colin Stough.

Here are my song by song grades.

See also …
Ranking the Top 8 on American Idol
Song by song grades for the Top 10
Song by song grades for the Top 12
New music from Marybeth Byrd, Tyson Venegas
New music from Nutsa

1. Warren Peay, 24, Bamberg, SC, “All I Really Want” — Wanting to focus on stage presence, Warren decides not to play guitar. Working the stage and interacting with the crowd wasn’t a problem. The music mix was. The band drowned Warren out through the early part of the performance. And that takes some drowning out. That was my least favorite Warren performance in weeks. Alanis thought he “brought that home” and said is “sounded beautiful.” Grade: C+

2. Zachariah Smith, 20, Amory, Mississippi, “Ironic” — I’m wondering how the contestants got to pick songs, because this is only the most popular song from Alanis’s career. I sorta wish someone else had gotten it, because Zachariah slipped back into karaoke zone. He actually sounded better on the softer opening than when the song went big. Zachariah did serve up a pretty nice ending. Ed Sheeran said Zachariah “rocked it.” Luke complimented him on the dynamics of his performance. Grade: B–

3. Iam Tongi and Oliver Steele, “Photograph” — They were duet partners in Hollywood Week, so it’s only natural they keep the bond going. They sound really good together. Remember, Oliver needed a save last week. So he should be thrilled that this duet with the show’s most popular contestant is airing early in the show. That was a great performance. Both guys sounded fabulous. That second verse was especially wonderful. Ed Sheeran called is “so beautiful.” And he’s correct. Hey, and great sportsmanship from Oliver, who said he’s not sure he’ll survive tonight, but his “money” is on Iam. Grade: A

4. Haven Madison, 17, Clarkesville, Tenn., — “You Learn” — Alanis gave Haven a pep talk on being herself. So why did she show up on stage seemingly determined to channel Alanis on this song? Haven looked comfortable on stage. And looks like a star. But there were several pitchy moments in what was not one of Haven’s better performances. That said, Ed Sheeran called it “very captivating.” I would have preferred if she slowed down the arrangement and delivered some Haven emotion. Grade: C

5. Warren Peay and Wé Ani, “Perfect” — Now this is a much better example of what Warren can do vocally. His rasp is really shining through. And he’s holding his own with Wé in terms of vocal firepower. Which is saying something. And, of course, Wé looks and sounds lovely. I liked the chemistry between them too. That was another really strong duet. Alanis loved the dynamics in their performance. Luke called it “great.” Grade: A–

6. Colin Stough, 18, Amory, Mississippi, “Hand in My Pocket” — Okay, I’m going to like this much more than the other Alanis covers so far because Colin changed up the song to fit his style and came up with a really good arrangement. He also cut loose on that number — or got nasty in Lionel’s words — and still sounded very good. “If nasty is this,” says Alanis, “I love nasty.” I thought that was one of Colin’s better recent performances. Grade: B+

7. Haven Madison and Zachariah Smith, “Thinking Out Loud” — Hey, Haven reminds us how great her voice sounds when she’s singing softly. Zachariah starts strongly too. Hey, he sounds pretty darn good when he sings softly and with emotion. But this is a love ballad, and the duet partners apparently didn’t trust their ability to sell the song without going big. Zachariah especially went too big on a number of occasions. Grade: B–

8. Megan Danielle, 21, Douglasville, Ga., “Head Over Feet” — The country-leaning singers are doing very well on Alanis’s songs. That was a really nice opening from Megan, and she shows her underrated ability to go big and still sound very good. Not my favorite song for her, but she did pretty well with it. Alanis called it “gorgeous.” Ed called her tone “incredible.” Hey, and Megan must be feeling more comfortable on the Idol stage. She got a little playful while Ryan was encouraging people to vote for her. Grade: B

9. Iam Tongi, 18, Kahuku, Hawaii, “Guardian” — Iam knows his strength. So he picked a ballad from Alanis’ catalog of music, dedicated it to his mom and delivered it with emotion. And that incredibly rich tone of his. He sounded especially great on the chorus. And it was great to see him smiling while performing. Alanis loved the “empathy” in his voice. The only letdown: It wasn’t quite as memorable as that fabulous duet. Grade: B+

10. Wé Ani, 24, Harlem, NY, “Uninvited” — Wé gets the unenviable task of following fan favorite Iam to the stage. But if anyone’s up to it, it’s Wé. Oh, yeah. She delivers a wonderful opening, goes big, sounds fabulous and delivers a tender ending. With a touch of defiance along the way. Simply fabulous. Right there, folks, those are your top two performers of Season 21. Alanis called it “chilling to behold.” Ed loved the way the arrangement showcased her voice. Grade: A–

11. Colin Stough and Megan Daniel, “Dive” — They start off singing back to back. Someone got through to Colin about singing with more conviction. Though there were times during this duet when they were harmonizing and I wish he had dialed it back a bit. All in all, though, another solid duet. Ed called putting them together to perform was “genius.” Luke called the performance “a sweet moment.” Grade: B

12. Oliver Steele, 25, Mount Juliet, Tenn., “You Oughta Know” — Oliver says fans think he’s been a little “sleepy” as a performer and he wants to wake them up. So he starts this song on 10. And you might say Oliver is invested and intense in this performance. He goes bigger after leaving the mic, then tossed his beanie into the crowd at the end. Okay, I’m awake. Alanis says she “proud” of Oliver. Ed called it an entertaining performance. Okay, now we know Oliver can rock out when he wants to. Grade: B