Friday, March 1, 2013

American Idol 12: Sudden Death Top 40 - Boys Group 2

I’m well aware that American Idol is desperate for a female winner (as am I!), but watching these male “contestants” fail miserably was just laughable. I’m praying that next week, they will put my fears to rest and that this was just an aberration, otherwise we'll be in some serious trouble.

I have nothing more to say. Haha.

Let's get on with the rankings!

10. Lazaro Arbos
Tonight I Wanna Cry
Question: If Lazaro didn't have the stutter, how would you feel about this performance? I don't know. Lazaro seemed like a good kid, but he slaughtered an entire village of notes with this performance. His lower register was weak, he mumbled most of his words, and parts of it was so horrendous the off-key moments were enough to fill a small sinking boat. I'm sorry, but how are the judges going to justify putting him through other than his backstory? 2/10

09. Gurpreet Singh
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You
How often do you get to see a guy in yellow turban sing soul-pop on television? Yes, Gurpreet was pretty memorable during the auditions round, but this was a major miscalculation on his part and it's the kind that gets you kicked off the show. For a second, I seriously thought he was about to go uptempo, and then the karaoke nonsense kicked in and he lost me. His vocals were incredibly weak with no vocal dynamics. Oh, and I felt bad when he started pandering to the judges. 3.5/10

08. Mathenee Treco
A Little Less Conversation
Maybe Mathenee needed a little less choreography and a little more vocal precision and control. Not going to lie, I liked that he did something uptempo, but the song choice was awful and the arrangement was weird. Plus, his vocals, though powerful, almost verged on being too shrill for my taste. Also, Mariah, how can you not know this song? 4/10

07. Cortez Shaw
Titanium
Where was Beatrice Miller when I needed her? I wanted to love this performance from Cortez, but this was utterly disappointing. The arrangement was awful, his transitions were awkward, he screeched like a pterodactyl and he was seriously sharper than a diamond drill. Also, I didn't think it was possible, but he actually made the song sound shockingly old - and no, it's not even about the tempo as I heard other slowed down versions that still sounded current. I think any credible singer can make Titanium sound really good, but Cortez isn't one of them. 5/10

06. Josh Holiday
Better With You (Original Song)
If Kris Allen and David Cook had a lovechild, it would probably look like Josh Holiday. Haha. I admit, his original song was pleasant sounding, but it's so generic that I almost didn't care for it much. It didn't sound organic despite a pretty melody. His vocals were also shaky especially his falsetto and that ending note was weak. If anything hurt him, it wasn't his generic song but rather his vocal performance. Oh, and Nicki going after the crowd seriously made me laugh. 5/10

05. Nick Boddington
Say Something Now
Eh. I expected Nick to be better after his sensational cover of Grace Potter's Stars, but this was underwhelming. He's got a beautiful voice and an angelic falsetto, but this was just bland and pitchy. There really wasn't much there and therefore my review ends here. Haha. 5.5/10

04. Burnell Taylor
This Time
Not sure what to think of Burnell's performance. While I did think that he gave a pretty solid performance, there's this certain quality of sameness to the performance that made it less than stellar. I thought his pitch was under in parts and he could actually give Bryant Tadeo a run for his money in terms of those annoying hand movements. I did like his tone though and his vocal control was actually pretty good. 7/10

03. Bryant Tadeo
New York State Of Mind
I agree, this performance was like watching grass grow - go figure! - but he sang this incredibly well. His tone was spectacular, his pitch were on point and his phrasing was impeccable. His hand movements were obnoxiously distracting, but at least he sounded great. Technically, this was one of the better vocal performances of the night. 7.5/10

02. David Oliver Willis
Fever
Effortless! True, the melody of the song did hold him back from being sensational, but dear lord, I was so into that. He has a nice singing voice with good phrasing, and his take on this overdone song was interestingly appealing. It's understated, yet it commanded some attention. He was a breath of fresh air. Seriously. 7.5/10

01. Vincent Powell
Cause I Love You
Umm, Curtis Finch, Jr. move over! Wow. Not usually a fan of his style, but Vincent seriously tore the roof off on this one. This was some serious stuff! His vocals were top notch, his transitions were incredible and his vocal control was pretty impressive. How have I missed him before? Oh right, the show focused more on the irritating face of Curtis. Haha. He's earned his spot, most definitely. As for Zoanette, you're such a hot mess and I love it! Haha.  8.5/10

RESULTS

TOP 20
Vincent Powell
Lazaro Arbos
Cortez Shaw
Burnell Taylor
Nick Boddington

ELIMINATED
David Willis
Bryant Tadeo
Mathenee Treco
Josh Holiday
Gurpreet Singh

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As Mariah said, Vincent Powell, finally.

K

Anonymous said...

the 2nd set of guys and girls are so freaking good.. can they be the top 20 of idol?? just an opinion.. but anyways i love your comments and critiques.. can we replace nicki and randy with you mr. blogger? :)

Carlos Jude Laron said...

judges were harsh last night!

i like the fact that there's no sugarcoating whatsoever this season, they try to be as nice as they CAN but from their personalities, that's hardly possible (Nicki, Mariah)

X said...

Wasn't impressed with any of the guys...in either group. Actually, the only one I even came close to liking was Bryant...and he got cut. I really don't understand what the judges (or producers) were thinking with some of these people.

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