I also thought that after tonight, I would be able to narrow in on the potential winners. Fortunately - or unfortunately - I really have no clue who’s going to take this! It's insane. I honestly think that this will be the fiercest season ever and I love it! I guess, tomorrow will be more unpredictable than I thought.
Oh, and I loved the constructive Jennifer Lopez. She's by far my favorite judge EVER!
Anyway, let's go with the rankings, shall we?
DISCLAIMER: I am no expert, but this is my opinion - to each his own - and yours will be in the comments below! Haha.
Stefano! You just killed yourself and you don’t even know it. Sigh. Obviously, David Cook made this song untouchable on American Idol and anyone who even dares to cover this will pale in comparison. No, it wasn't hardly terrible, but it was bland and ridiculously cheesy. He sounded nasally, his phrasing was shockingly weird, he almost had zero connection with the song and he just warbled his way throughout his performance. He did try to redeem himself with a big power note at the end, but I guess it was too late. And I thought this theme was tailor made for him. I guess, I was wrong. 6.5/10
Wow. A country version of this song? It looked like Scotty had no problem with making Motown his own. Haha. For the record, I like Scotty, but this arrangement seriously gave me some unwanted flashbacks of Kristy Lee Cook's Eight Days A Week. I thought the country ornaments slightly worked well, but the band arrangement was working against him. His vocals were pretty uneven too. I don't know. I guess, Scotty can't cut outside his genre. I'm not complaining though - even if he's been doing the same thing every week. At the end of the day, he's going to release a country album and Motown will never be part of it. Just saying. 6.5/10
She seemed quite.. or did she mess up with the words? Well, I was pretty sure there were a couple of forgotten lyrics in there. Technically, she was good if a bit generic and karaoke sounding. Thia needed more oomph with that song. Yes, she was less than boring than usual - I'll give her that - but again, it was still too timid for my taste. Another great vocal performance but lackluster stage performance. I don't know. Oh, and Randy, she's not giving birth. Calm down. Stop saying PUSH! Haha. 7/10
“Take a good look at my face. You’ll see my smile looks out of my place” Isn't this the perfect song for someone who grins no matter what the lyrics or how depressing the stuff he sings about? Haha. It's Track of My Tears, Paul!! Wistful smiling? Really? Irony is cool, but the goofy grin in your face was so disconnected. Good thing, I liked the entirety of his performance sans the smile. Imagine that! A guitar was all he needed to stop dancing silly! Give him a guitar and he looks so much more comfortable on stage. Possibly my favorite from Paul so far. It sounded contemporary and his vocals weren't as annoying as before. I guess, the non-offensive strumming is the best alternative for the spastic dancing. I'll take that. 7.5/10
Was it just me or did Casey look like a lion? I think it was the gel on his hair. Haha. Enough with this non-sense. Overall, I thought Casey was decent. True, he started off a bit rough around the edges, but he delivered a passable version of this overdone song. The problem I have now with Casey is the fact that he's trying to growl the whole song to mask his off key singing. It's a smart move, but he needs to do something about it. Melodic growling. Rhythmic screeching. Playful grunting. Whatever you want to call it, it’s not singing. I hope and pray he does a ballad next week because I love myself some mellow, smoother-than-butter Casey. He hasn’t been nearly as good or interesting in the voting rounds as he was in Hollywood. 7.5/10
Of course, Jacob sang a song Von Smith chose two seasons ago. Haha. Well, Jacob is officially the most overrated contestant this season. I mean, no matter what he does, he gets praised even when it was terrible. Now, the judges were literally creaming over this performance? It was good, but not as great as the judges made it sound. Good start. Decent arrangement. Lovely bridge. Nice control. I could have done without his last note, but whatever. Drowned out by the backgrounds singers on the chorus. All in all, possibly one of Jacob's strongest performances to date. But Motown really should be in his wheelhouse, so I expected nothing but great and he was good. 8/10
Surprise! Surprise! Haley has learned from Haley Scranato that, when in doubt, wear the shortest shorts possible. Haha. She busted out with those legs. Smart girl! Well, she didn't need any of that because I thought she sounded great. She got spunk, tons of personality, and the liberties with the melody and those runs at end were amazing! She CANNOT miss the tour, she doesn't deserve it. I know. I know. I didn't give her much credit the past few weeks, but I get her now. I really do. 8/10
It pains me to say this, but Lauren sounded fantastic! She started off really strong and although she got a bit tentative after that, I actually liked her performance. Effortless vocals and her phrasing didn't bother me one bit. The arrangement could've been faster but it was still good. Plus, I did see her growth and maturity this week. I mean, she kept her mouth shut after singing. Thankfully, someone told her NOT to act 12. Yay! 8/10
Oh, Pia. Really? I haven't heard you do any of those yet! Haha. It's silly, I know. It's common knowledge that Pia is technically the best singer this season. She has an amazing range and great control. Now, I admit that this performance was vocally outstanding. Flawless pitch, lovely tone and interesting build up, but I have to agree with the judges about her and those sleepy ballads. With a voice as good as hers, it would be really nice not to constantly hear such dreary non-current songs. She needs to spice it up a little. Stop trying to be perfect, Pia! It bores the crap out of me. 8.5/10
He freakin' owned the stage! Yes, I like James more and more every week. Who knew? Aside from the abrupt ending, I thought his performance was amazing. His vocals were better compared to last week, and although he sounded a bit screechy in some parts, I shockingly didn't mind. Great tone. Good vibrato. Nice range. Interesting vibe. Amazing stage presence. Outstanding performance, overall. 8.5/10
CRAZY!! One thing about Naima - you'll never know what you're going to get! Seriously. Is she the best singer? Hardly. Is she the strongest singer? Not really. Does she have the whole package? Doubtful. But goddammit! She is the most entertaining and she knows how to use them to the hilt. She brought the stage presence other contestants were lacking and just made the other favorites look duller than usual. Plus, her vocals were shockingly on pitch. Pia and Thia should take a page from Naima's book, I believe. 8.5/10
8 comments:
Thia could be in serious trouble after that performance. I mean(not that I am racist or something), Heatwave, Vonzell and Lil Rounds performed this song and I thought this song has a female black diva feel into it. And Thia was just too robotic for this song.
Though Naima did great, she sure is still in danger. Bottom three last week. Wildcard entry. I dont know. She is not that marketable.
Haley. She'll go home no matter what.
Stefano. I am worrying about the inconsistency of this guy. He did great last week and bombed this week. Talk about being consistent. He might be in danger as well.
I love James and Pia, though I am starting to get bored with her. She needs some tempo FGS!
Jacob overdid his song. Lauren looked annoyed. Scotty WTF? Paul, good, but I like Lambert's version. Casey, stop growling. and SHAVE!!!!
Dang! Everyone keeps saying Haley will go tomorrow but I want her to stay even more. Hope she will.
Naima's performance was insane! And I loved it! She really listened to the judges. She's also my top pick this week.
As for Stefano's, well, his performance sucked.. big time! He struggled all throughout his nbr and I don't like the quality of his voice. I thought that his song, w/that same arrangement and key, would've been PERFECT for Jacob.
When Scotty, Thia, Haley and Lauren took the stage, I just switched to the Discovery Channel.
When I heard that they were doing Motown this wk, I expected to see James as the last performer of the night.. and I was right. Well, we all know that he sings amazingly, but I just think something's really "off" w/this guy, and I'm not talking about his TS. Jennifer and Steven are soooo into him. For James to say, after his performance last week, that he's saving an Aerosmith nbr for the finale, and the judges' responses/reactions to it.. PIMPING MUCH!? Ugh! He seems really cocky and I think he's just plain annoying!
the comparisons to seasons past have to stop! comparisons to the original songs are more than welcom but comparing them to past contenstans is just appaling, some people might have not watched last season and i have to say imho ur list is a little off, jacob is overrated, and lauren is no where near third, her performance was absolutly boring, vocally she did good but she was boring and played safe. james messed up a little but brought it back and killed it, and i dont really need to talk about pia just switch it up a little, and stefano a little disapointing but not worse performance of the night (for me it would be thia even though she did really well)
overall best night so far
katuray: I thought James wasn't cocky at all. He's confident but not cocky. But there's a thin line and he maybe walking into it that's why people get mixed reactions towards his actions/statements.
Anonymous: Like it or not, there will be comparisons to past contestants, especially to the songs that were performed really well. Granted, some people didn't watch other seasons, but on my end I did and I tend to compare just because I saw and I remember the other performances of the song.
As for the ranking, that's relative. You find Lauren boring, I didn't. You didn't think Stefano was the worst, I did.
I mean, if you would rank the performances, how would do it? Thia as the worst? James as the best? And where is Lauren and Jacob in the mix just because you find them boring and overrated respectively? I personally don't like Jacob and although it was a bit overrated, I thought his performance was good. Thus, a #6 ranking.
I voted for Haley! I hope she stays. And I'm glad to see that you enjoyed Paul's performance this week. I knew you would for some reason because it seems the only reason you didn't like him was cuz of his quirky moving. Funny thing is, that's one of the main reasons I loooove him. Haha. But yeah. I really hope Haley doesn't go home tonight! Idk who I want to go home... probably Naima.
As for Pia, I'm getting really sick of the ballads. I mean her voice is amaaazing but all she does is the same thing every week and it's getting old. I'm sure a lot of other people are with me. If she doesn't spice it up a bit soon she may be in trouble!
Anonymous: I like the sensitive Paul and not the other one who moves around aimlessly on stage. I mean, I enjoyed Jason Castro. He's quirky but his movements didn't offend me one bit. Haha.
As for Pia, I'll give her a pass this week just because her rendition of the song was phenomenal. What I don't get is Pia getting some flak for doing ballads every week when Scotty does country every single week, Casey does his incessant growling every single week, and Lauren does uptempo songs - when will she ever sing something that will showcase her voice more? Sure, it's not boring, but it'll get old as well.
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