Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Tonight, X Factor USA has 17 surviving contestants/acts.

By 10:30 p.m. — two and a half long hours from now — we’ll be down to 12.

Five acts get sent home at the end of this marathon episode.  Stay tuned; I’ll be live blogging throughout the show and grading each performance as it occurs.

As I suspected, the judges will decide who goes home in their group. Does that mean Simon Cowell will have to cut two girls? Time will tell.

Yep, Steve Jones just indicated Simon will cut two girls.

Boys

Brian Bradley, aka The Astronomical Kid, aka Astro, performs first.  He’ll perform “Jump Jump.” Good thing we came to that line, because I can barely make out Astro Ego’s lyrics over the loud background music.  I rated Brian as the most annoying contestant coming into the competition because of his humility (LOL).  Youth is about all he’s got going for him.  Grade: C-

Chris Rene: A fan favorite, Chris is tackling “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.”  Ouch, I’m not sure that was a wise song choice for Chris.  I was expecting something more upbeat.  Not sure this guy’s forte is singing ballads.  That said, it was a heartfelt performance, and the guy should make the finals.  Grade: B-

Phillip Lomax: The crooner needs to prove he can be a pop star, so he’s going to sing “I’m a Believer.”  Not sure this is the young, hip performance The X Factor is going for, and I have a feeling that Mr. Lomax is in trouble tonight.  Personally, though, I’d rather see him in the finals than Astro.  Grade: C.

Marcus Canty: Brilliant opening from Marcus on “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.”  Again, I’m not sure that was the perfect song choice for him.  But I think he proved that he has the best voice among the guys.  And this guy is a natural performer.  Grade: B.

Elimination: Predictably, L.A. Reid advanced Marcus Canty, the ego known as Astro and Chris Rene.  He sent Phillip Lomax home.  Honestly, it was the wisest choice.

Groups

The Stereo Hogzz: This quintet is going nowhere but on to the finals.  They turn in a decent pop/rap performance of “Try a Little Tenderness.”  The lead singer’s vocals are excellent again.  I wasn’t nearly as thrilled with the performance as Simon, though. Grade: B.

The Brewer Boys: The lads go acoustic, with a hoedown version of “Rich Girl” combined with George Michael’s “Faith.”  Well, they smiled at the audience. That’s about the best I can say about that performance.  The vocals were OK.  I can’t see these guys competing in the same league with the Stereo Hogzz. Grade: D

InTENsity: I have a feeling this group could do very well in this competition once the voting begins.  They’re young. They’re fun. They’re attractive. They’re flashy. They’re singing “Footloose.”  I’m telling you, they’re going to be a fan favorite even if that was a bit shy on standout individual vocals. But, hey, it was entertaining, and that’s the name of the game. Grade: B.

Lakoda Rayne: These girls are lovely and sing well and performed very well together for a group thrown together just a few weeks ago. Not sure I want to see them go country every week, but I’m hoping they advance because they’ve got worlds more potential than The Brewer Boys.  Grade:  C+

Elimination: Lakoda Rayne and the Stereo Hogzz go through.  The final spot goes to InTENsity, which means The Brewer Boys head home.  Another wise choice.

Over 30s

Dexter Haygood: What the heck?  Dexter is singing “I Kissed a Girl” mixed with a Britney Spears tune.  Dexter is long on energy, long on performance ability.  That was fun, but I’m not sure Dexter has the vocals to match up with the best in this competition. Grade: C-.

LeRoy Bell: This guy is 60, and might have the best voice in the competition.  Paula calls his voice “velvet,” and that’s a good description for it.  Love the smoky tone.  Anyway, I think he just proved why he should advance to the finals.  Grade: B.

Stacy Francis: She looks great, she’s singing with control, she’s singing with confidence.  As long as Stacy does that and doesn’t cry, I’ll root for her to hang around. By the way, I know Nicole’s the lightweight among the judges, but I like it better when Simon critiques the performers rather than his fellow judges.  Grade: B-

Josh Krajcik: A nearly a cappella performance from one of the favorites in the competition.  Simon calls it the best performance of the night.  Not sure it was one of those magic moments these shows strive for, but he certainly earned a spot in next week’s show.  Grade: B+

Elimination: LeRoy Bell, Josh Krajcik and Stacy Francis advance; Dexter Haygood is heading home.  Hey, smart choice, Nicole.  Gee, Simon doesn’t have anything to say?

Girls

Simone Battle: How did I know Simone would show up on stage in shorts?  She’s got the legs. She’s got the looks.  She does not have the vocals.  This is absolutely the worst vocal performance we’ve seen all night.  When Paula compliments the looks more than the performance, you know you’re in trouble. Grade: F.

Rachel Crow: I’m speechless this is so bad.  Simon said it was now down to singing for Rachel.  If that’s the case, she cannot advance after that performance.  L.A. Reid says little Rachel could be an actress.  I wish she would pursue that.  Grade: F-

Drew (Ryniewicz): Love this subdued version of “What a Feeling” from “Flashdance.” That might have been the vocal of the night. And she’s 14, just one year older than Rachel.  But what a world of difference.  Grade: A-.

Tiah Tolliver: And now we get Simon’s favorite in a performance clearly met to fit in with the season.  What happened to the vocals on my TV?  Did FOX tone them down intentionally?  Well, that was better than I expected from Tiah.  Best line of night from Nicole: “If that was a sweet dream, I’d hate to see what one of the scary ones is like.”  And Simon calls Nicole and Paula two spiteful little cats.  Grade: C-.

Melanie Amaro: Gee, check out the Mariah Carey makeover Melanie Amaro.  And Simon took Tiah, Rachel and Simone over Melanie the first time around?  Very, very solid performance, if perhaps just a bit over the top.  Grade: B+

Elimination: Simon has to send home two. Simon sends Drew through.  And Rachel goes through?  Really?  And the final girl going through is Melanie Amaro.  That means Tiah and Simone go home.