Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Top 9 of Kyndal, Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Daniel Stallworth, Brooks Rosser, Chris Tungseth, Luca Leon and Braden Rumfelt (ABC Photo)

The American Idol Top 9 take on Disney tunes tonight.

And by the end of the evening, that Top 9 will become a Top 7.

Former Idol standout and former The Voice coach Jennifer Hudson will be on hand to mentor the contestants.

She’ll also join Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie at the judges’ table.

Check back at 8 p.m. I’ll be providing song by song grades as the Top 9 compete.

See also …
Ranking the Top 9 on American Idol
Song by song grades for the Top 11
Most popular performances from last week
Song by song grades for the Top 12
Song by song grades for the Top 14

Daniel Stallworth, 27, Moss Point, Mississippi, “A Whole New World” from Aladdin: Thrilled to see Daniel get to kick off the show. He’s showing off such a fine, rich voice on this song. And he found a way to keep building it bigger and bigger until he reached that fabulous ending. That might have been his best performance on the show. He looked like a star too. Lionel called his sermon “amazing” and “powerful.” Grade: A

Braden Rumfelt, 22, Murphy, N.C., “Remember Me” from Coco: Interesting. A week ago, Braden’s brother told him Idol fans didn’t want to hear another slow song from him. Then he steps out tonight with a rather sleepy ballad. He sang it well and showed off his range. And he remembered the lyrics, unlike during rehearsal. The judges praised his performance. I’m wondering how it will go over with fans. I didn’t like the song choice. Grade: B–

Lucas Leon, 17, Gallatin, Tenn., “Life is a Highway” from Cars: Lucas turns in a fine, fun performance that will likely keep this handsome youngster in the competition for another week. He even included a crowd participation moment. And he sounded fine, as he always does. It was a song that’s likely to create an Idol moment, but it was entertaining. The judges love the confidence and comfort he shows on stage, and it’s indeed impressive considering his youth. Grade: B+

Hannah Harper, 25, Willow Springs, Missouri, “Almost There” from Princess and the Frog: Hannah confesses that she planned coreography for “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” but froze on stage. She calls this her redemption moment. Well, she moved some. It didn’t always look super comfortable. But I don’t think the fans will care. It’s Hannah’s voice the folks love, and she’s the fan favorite. Luke said the performance made his heart smile. Grade: B

Chris Tungseth, 27, Fergus Falls, Minn., “Let It Go” from Frozen: Jennifer Hudson is encouraging Chris to deliver a performance element. Chris admits it’s not something he’s used to doing. The judges seemed to love that performance. Jennifer Hudson hints at the truth, reminding Chris that it’s a singing competition. His vocal was subpar, pitchy in spots and only special once near the end when he leaned into his rasp. He would have been better off standing still and nailing the vocal. Instead, that vocal performance should lead to his elimination tonight. Grade: C–

Keyla Richardson, 29, Pensacola, Fla., “Circle of Life” from The Lion King: Jennifer performed this song back on Season 3. No choreography necessary. Keyla just stood behind the mic and delivered a superb, powerful vocal. Dang, can she deliver the vocal firepower. Jennifer said she performed the song like “your testimony.” And she threw a shoe at Keyla. If you didn’t see Jennifer coach on The Voice, that’s her ultimate compliment. Grade: A–

Okay, folks, just a question: Am I watching an episode of American Idol or a two-hour commercial for Disney. I mean, with all the wasted time tonight, everyone could have performed twice.

Brooks Rosser, 22, Bel Air, Md., “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus: Could we please go through a singing show season without hearing this piece of crap song? Slowing that song down to turn it into an intimate ballad might have worked. I didn’t like that arrangement. And you could almost hear the nervousness in the stripped-down arrangement. Luke saying the vocal got away from him a bit was kind. Oh, and apparently Brooks and Rae, eliminated last week, are an item. Both are from Maryland. Hopefully, Rae can coach him in stage presence. Grade: C–

Jordan McCullough, 27, Murfreesboro, Tenn., “Colors of the Wind” from Pocohontas: Another brilliant vocal from Jordan. And Jennifer throws another shoe on stage. In fact, she pitches two shoes in Jordan’s direction. Jordan has the crowd chanting in approval. Carrie calls the performance perfect. That was a tad too theatrical for me. But it was also more proof that Jordan is the best singer and one of the best performers on Season 24. He’s perfectly comfortable behind the mic and his voice absolutely soars. Grade: A–

Kyndal Inskeep, 29, Fishers, Indiana, “Butterly Fly Away” from Hannah Montana: Yikes, Kyndal was the singer most in need of a bounce-back performance this week, and Idol has saved her for last. That doesn’t give fans long to react. Interesting. Carrie called it a “beautiful moment of redemption.” I felt like she was a little guarded through the opening for fear of losing control of her emotion. The last 45 seconds of so were slendid and a reminder of why Kyndal has one of my favorite voices on the show. Grade: B

And now it’s time for two more singers to head home.

Advancing on Idol tonight: Daniel, Keyla, Jordan, Hannah, Chris, Brooks

That leaves Kyndal, Braden and Lucas as the final three standing on stage. Braden advances.

That means the elimination of Lucas and Kyndal.