Thursday, April 4, 2013

American Idol 12: Top 7

It’s "Rock - No Ballads" week on American Idol and sadly, this was one of the most underwhelming episodes in recent memory. I’m still absolutely flabbergasted at how weak this season has become! We went from one of the best seasons (in my humble opinion) in American Idol history to possibly  one of the worst. Yes, some delivered some great moments on that stage tonight, but as a whole this was pretty lackluster.

But, as usual, I digress. 

Onto the rankings!

SOLO

07. Lazaro Arbos
We Are The Champions
Tight pants. Sweaty face. Terrible diction. Oh my god. I will say that this Queen performance was far and above better than any of his recent performances, but that's not saying much. I don't know. He was lucky he got the right key to cushion his vocals from being pitchy, but I just can't anymore with Lazaro. I could tell he was trying so hard and yet didn’t seem to be able to find any traction. It's time to put him out of his misery. Please, America. End this. 5/10

06. Burnell Taylor
You Give Love A Bad Name
I don't know if I could even critique his performance because the backup singers drowned him out completely. Haha. Yes, this was a good karaoke performance from Burnell, but it was just that - a karaoke performance. He had good moments, but he looked incredibly uncomfortable on stage and his version was possibly the least energetic I've seen this song sung. It's not as terrible as I thought it would be, but these theme nights were supposed to be a challenge for them - work on something that would appear natural to them as an artist - and he failed miserably. 5/10

05. Kree Harrison
Piece Of My Heart
On paper, Piece Of My Heart, was a perfect song choice for Kree. She is a very powerful vocalist, but I’m now wondering why she's continually stuck in neutral. She has all the tools she needs to break through, but is now suffering from being too safe with her performances. It’s not enough to keep turning in solid vocal performances. You need to show momentum on the program, otherwise people don’t feel encouraged to vote. I would love to declare Kree safe, as per usual, but this episode was packed with middling performances, and I’m afraid a good (but safe) one will be lost in the mix. 7/10

04. Janelle Arthur
You May Be Right
I must say, this was a good time in the competition for Janelle to start peaking. To me, other than Amber, she is one of the true dark horses in the competition. There is something that draws people to her and it is often easy to underestimate these hidden qualities. Her vocals weren't perfect as I thought she hit a couple of wonky notes during the verses, but I did like how she worked the entire stage. This was a stable, uptempo song choice that's probably another step to the right direction. 7.5/10

03. Candice Glover
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
True, this was another fantastic number from Candice, but I'm starting to run out of things to say about her. To some, that's not exactly a problem, but her performances are starting to look too polished - almost to a fault. So, yes, the streak continues, and that can be a dangerous thing. Can you name the last time an American Idol won without a stumble? I would argue that you’d have to look as far back as, well, NEVER. 8/10

02. Angie Miller
Bring Me To Life
This was a good performance from Miley Angie, and she was certainly trying to up her game with this Evanescence cover. Sure, it probably wasn’t as vocally impressive as some of her other numbers, but these types of songs really fit her well as a musician. I can actually see her doing well singing this genre of music - something with a little edge as what she mentioned. She looked connected up there and I hope America rewards her for being one of the only contestants this evening to make the most of the theme and show the world what type of artist they intend to be. 8/10

01. Amber Holcomb
What About Love
First five seconds of the performance and my love for Amber EXPLODED! This was really good! I like that she managed to skirt the theme and find a song that she could absolutely kill with her brilliant upper register. The verdict is in, and the dark horse rides on. I don't know, but somehow, Amber continues to find the fighters spirit that Kree Harrison can’t seem to and she's bursting onto the scene as a powerhouse in this competition. The momentum continues! Right now, Lazaro outlasting Amber is an insult to music. No, that’s not my opinion. That’s a scientific fact, and while I appreciate other people’s input, I will drop kick you in the face if you disagree. Quote that for truth. 8.5/10

DUET

03. Angie Miller and Lazaro Arbos
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
I’ve come up with a new game. I’m going to take a shot every time Lazaro forgets a lyric. I’m going to be drunk in every episode. Haha. Angie was fine for the most part, but my real issue here was the incredible Lazaro Arbos. Here's the thing, I was cringing the whole time because of his godawful diction and I was completely shocked when it suddenly stopped. Until I realized that it was because he forgot the words. AGAIN. Seriously. How do you forget the lyrics to Crazy Little Thing Called Love? When you shorten it to 90 seconds, it's basically the same two lines repeated non-stop. Are judges now wondering how they let him through to Hollywood? 3/10

02. Amber Holcomb, Janelle Arthur and Kree Harrison
It's Still Rock & Roll To Me
This was ok. Individually, they had their moments, but there was just nothing special about the performance. I found the arrangement weird and their voices just didn't sound right. It's better than the other duet though. 6/10

01. Burnell Taylor and Candice Glover
The Letter
While this was not as good as the fantastic version of Carly Smithson and Michael Johns back in Season 7, I thought that this duet was the most successful in tonight's episode. It was good to see Burnell have a much-needed swagger - maybe singing with Candice helped him with that? - but when Candice opened her mouth, the whole performance just became outrageous. Plus, there's some actual musical chemistry between them. Good job. 7.5/10


PREDICTION

Who should go? 
Lazaro Arbos

Who will go?
Lazaro Arbos

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino was as consistent as Candice is. She never had any bad performances... But what Fantasia and Candice have in their consistency is that they still bring you something different each performance, unlike others like Melinda Doolittle. It was great, but more or less the same every week.

Anonymous said...

I have a gut feeling that one of the girls will be SAVED tomorrow. Or maybe Burnell will be eliminated. I just felt like Lazaro's time ain't over yet (though I won't stand having Lazaro for another week).

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...