Thursday, February 13, 2014

American Idol 13: Top 30 Finalists Revealed (Part 1)

I had to hand it to the producers for finally showing us several performances of every contestant that has entered the Top 30. It actually feels like we'll be going into next week with very few cannon fodder contestants. That will, of course, make the eliminations a bit of a blood bath, but I guess, we’ll get through it! I’m going to spend the rest of this article briefly commenting on the contestants we saw making it to the Top 30.

On to the Top 30! (or sort of)

Emily Piriz
Stars
Where has Emily been all this time? I admit, I haven't really paid much attention to her - she came across as a complete fodder - but Emily's version of Stars was fantastic! Superb vocal control, lovely tone, and good pitch. I got my eyes on this girl now. 8

Spencer Lloyd
Original Song
Look, Spencer won me over with Say Something as he got connected with a song on a level I didn't realize he was capable of reaching, but he can't write to save his life. Was there even melody to his original song? I can't help but think now that Say Something worked more because of the song than because of Spencer himself. 6.5

Jillian Jensen
Original Song
Eh. She never really impressed me when she joined X Factor US in Season 2, and I still don't think she's good enough of a singer to actually win this whole thing. Yes, she has a decent singing voice, but that's about it. 6

George Lovett
I Won't Give Up
Who is this guy? We keep hearing bits and pieces of his voice for the past few Hollywood week episodes, but we don't know a thing about him and where he comes from. His version of this Jason Mraz hit was flawless as his huge voice rested in the perfect place of his pitch. Fabulous. 8

Sam Woolf
Original Song
This was pretty impressive! I've been a fan of Sam since his audition, and this was very good. True, his song was cookie cutter, but it's lyrically retrospective and has a lovely melody that sits well with his undeniable tone. For some reason, when he sings, it's like I'm listening to a recording. 7.5

Malaya Watson
I Believe
Malaya is an absolute character. I didn't think her version of I Believe was all that great, but there's a great youthful and quirky vibe that I can't get enough of. She's a natural singer and I hope she picks better songs next time. 7

Maurice Townsend
Wrecking Ball
Out of all the African-American singers this year, Maurice probably is the blandest. Don't get me wrong, he has a pretty good voice, but there's nothing about him that stands out in the crowd. I maybe wrong, but we'll see. 6.5

Bria Anai
It's A Man's World
There were moments where she was so busy auditioning his voice for Cirque du Soleil Acrobatics that she made part of the song a bit unrecognizable, but she sure has a good controlled vocals with a rich quality to her tone. Hoping she could reign it in a little. 7

Jessica Meuse
Original Song
"This song is about an idiot!" HAHA. More than her voice, I just love Jessica's personality. Yes, I've wavered back and forth on her as a contestant all season, but I thought her original song was pretty rad. She's like a much better version of Jillian Jensen. She chocked a bit with Simple Man though. 7

Dexter Roberts
Not sure if it's because he's authentic country, but I just can't get behind Dexter. He's likeable, I know what he's capable of and he has this certain Jason Aldean vibe going on for him, but I just don't care. I'm keeping an open mind that he'll be able to change my mind once the live show starts. 6.5

Emmanuel Zidor
I'm Going Down
The unfortunate comic relief this season. Emmanuel can sing, but it's so over the top and theatrical that it brings back bad memories of Jacob Lusk and Zoannette Johnson. He's energetic, fun, and will always be ready to perform, but I just couldn't take him seriously. Like, seriously. 5

MK Nobilette
The A Team
I like that she never tries to oversing and she has a good rhythm and timing, but she's annoyingly dull. I don't see any star quality in her and she seems more like a fodder than anything else. 6

Kristen O' Connor
Unconditionally
Pedestrian. She can hit those notes effortlessly, but the way she delivered those words were pretty hollow and left me cold. She can be molded into a popstar though, but I don't know. Pretty generic. 6.5 

Jordan Brisbane
Halo
Umm yeah. This happened. 4

Andrina Brogden
Burn
Possibly the first time I've noticed her, but she still kinds of hit the lower tier of the Top 15 girls for me. Her Burn cover sounded nice, but her voice still sounded a little too thin and wispy for my taste. 6

Malcolm Allen
I'm Going Down
This guy probably is one with the most potential this season, and the way he took this song with great restraint and power at the same time was awesome. He needs to work on the emotion, but there's ton of charisma in Malcolm. 7.5

Alex Preston
Original Song
Does Alex sleep with his guitar? I honestly think that stylistically and vocally, he's an acquired taste. Me personally, I like his voice, but I find his facial expressions ugly - and yes, I'm a terrible person for saying that. 7

CJ Harris
Bring It Home To Me
Never really like CJ especially after his audition, but this was very good. It's passionate, raw, and gritty and he delivered it like a professional. There's also a believability in his delivery that's quite refreshing. 7.5

Casey Thrasher
Amazed
Gawd. There's an alternative tone to his voice that's interesting, but some of his recent performances sounded a bit unpleasant. Heck, I can't believe he sang Amazed and still in contention. Haha. 6

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