Thursday, March 21, 2013

American Idol: Season 12 Top 9 Perform

Hello Idol fans!  Another year, another Beatles night.  And each year we move further away from the 60s, the less people know about the Beatles.  That just scares me.  All of these songs that I've had memorized for years, these kids have never heard.  That said, they learned the songs and most sang them well.  So, it could be a drastically different results night than last week's.  But we'll see! Let's dive in.

  1. Kree Harrison - "With a Little Help From My Friends" - I was surprised to see Kree leading off the night, but she definitely set the tone.  As we always know, going first runs the chance of people forgetting you.  I don't think that will be a problem for Kree.  She had one of the best performances of the night, singing the Joe Cocker rendition of the Beatles classic.  Nothing else to say.  This girl is on fire (ugh, Alicia Keys had to write a song with that lyric and make it get stuck in my head for the rest of the day, didn't she?).  
  2. Burnell Taylor - "Let it Be" - I understand maybe never having heard an album track like "She's Leaving Home" (which Amber sang next), but come on.  EVERYONE knows "Let it Be" right?  It's still one of those go to songs at musical events where many artists get together and sing together.  Paul is always at the piano, and Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are out there with Bonnie Raitt singing the Beatles tune.  Paul Schaefer is out there conducting.  I'm not imagining this, right?  EVERYONE knows the song. (And yes, I realize if I mentioned any of those artists to Burnell, he'd be like, "WHO??")  Well, Burnell didn't know the song.  But, he still sang it will.  I still go back to not really being a fan of his voice or tone or whatever.  I think he'll be fine for this week, but he's not going to make it for the long haul.   
  3. Amber Holcomb - "She's Leaving Home" - One of Keith's 10 favorite Beatles songs (I did enjoy his running commentary throughout the night).  I didn't really get Nicki's feedback that she could tell Amber didn't want to be singing the song.  Maybe she knew some background info and exposed Amber for it.  I thought she did fine "emoting" throughout the performance and she did a good job.  The only thing that annoyed me were the liberties she took with the melody.  It was one note at a certain part of the song that she changed EVERY TIME to go higher instead of lower.  I think it took away more from the song than added to it, but that's just me.  
  4. Lazaro Arbos - "In My Life" - No need to even go into details here.  Like I said last week, he's out of his league.  I don't think it has anything to do with Jimmy's feedback.  I forget what the actual results showed, but I think Lazaro was pretty high on the list.  Has to be the sympathy vote at work.  We could have another Sanjaya on our hands in a few weeks.  But, if all was right with the world, he'd be going home tonight. 
  5. Candice Glover - "Come Together" - She's right up there with Kree.  She rocked the house, had a fun time doing it, and we had a fun time listening.  Candice and Kree are a notch above the rest.  And I include Angie and Amber in that "rest".  
  6. Paul Jolley - "Eleanor Rigby" - On first listen (And yes, that's the only time I listened), I thought Paul did a decent job with the song.  Sure, maybe it was a little dull at points.  I totally agree with the judges that this guy is not country.  And telling the world that he wants to be the next Carrie Underwood is not doing him any favors.  The crazy thing is, on certain notes, I heard a bit of David Cook!  But, if he wants to be singing "Before He Cheats" and "Cowboy Cassanova" then Paul and I are on two very very very different pages.  While I think the kid has talent, he could be in danger this week. 
  7. Angie Miller - "Yesterday" - Welcome to THE BEATLES: The Musical, starring Angie Miller as girl going through an emotional revelation!  I like Angie, and I want her to be really good.  American Idol wants her to be really good.  But, truthfully, she really hasn't impressed me since that Hollywood performance of her original song.  And last night, she definitely was definitely taking us to Broadway Church.  Maybe it was her interview saying that she did a lot of theater in high school, but I think I would have gathered that without the explanation.  Obviously, America loves her and will continue to vote for her.  But, she was not on the top of my list last night. 
  8. Devin Velez - "The Long and Winding Road" - I thought Devin did a very solid job.  Granted, it was another gooey slow tempo song.  Last week he did Carrie's "Temporary Home".  So, people might be getting the impression of him that this is the stuff he likes to sing and he's never going to try and bring the house down.  That could be problematic for him.  But, as for his voice.  It was very good.   
  9. Janelle Arthur - "I Will" - I have not been a fan of Janelle's, and I've made that clear.  So, I was shocked to see she'd be closing the show.  Apparently, I missed something.  The judges AND my wife thought she was really really good.  I was cringing through most of the performance.  Maybe, I was getting distracted my the constantly wavering arms trying to tell a story while she yodeled and what not.  I wouldn't say it was awful or anything, but I just couldn't get over the fact that they placed her in the anchor position.  Kree or Candice should have had that honor.  Oh well, maybe I'll listen again during the results show to see what I missed. 
Okay, so results time.  This always gets tough when I'm on a streak! (yes, I count 1 week of accuracy as a streak!)  So, let's see if I can bring the magic again.

Absolutely safe: Kree, Candice
Most likely safe: Janelle, Amber, Angie  
Should be going home: Lazarro
In danger of going home: Paul
People I forgot to mention: Devin, Burnell

Bottom 3: Paul, Lazarro, Burnell  Wildcard: Devin

Elimination Pick: Paul Jolley - I don't think he should be the one to leave, but I just don't think people are going to vote out Lazarro just yet.  We shall see!

Okay, that's all I have for today.  I'm happy to discuss the show in the comments, and I'll probably add thoughts on the results show to the comments tomorrow as well.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

11 comments:

Leslie said...

I’ve been watching, but not until the weekend. Last night, I was able to watch, and I was glad it was the Beatles. I needed that at the end of the day I had yesterday! I kinda felt like Keith every time a song started! It scares me, too, that they aren’t familiar with these songs. Agree as you said in a previous post that a girl should win this time or something is really wrong. These guys just aren’t that strong this year.

Kree and Candice were definitely the best of the night. Amber also did really well. I also think Angie has talent, but I didn’t like her rendition of Yesterday. Janelle was okay, but I wasn’t as thrilled as the judges either. Of the guys, I agree that Lazaro is out of his league, but my heart does go out to him even though I think he should go home this week. My least favorite was Devin. Didn’t like how he changed up that song. Paul started and ended too high, but the middle was okay. At least Burnell didn’t have really complicated lyrics to learn. lol

Mike V. said...

Welcome back, Leslie!

I said the same thing about Burnell to my wife last night. It's not like it's a hard song to learn the lyrics to! lol

Dialidol doesn't look like it has very accurate readings these days...but it has Janelle ranked last. I actually wouldn't be surprised if she got sent packing. lol But, I doubt it will go down that way!

http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/predictions.asp

But, it does show Angie has a sizeable lead on her fellow contestants. That wouldn't surprise me either due to the publicity and high praise she gets.

But, for the most part, sounds like we were on the same page. I'm not a big fan of Devin's in general. I thought he sang the song well...but I didn't like the song choice. "The Long and Winding Road" isn't one of my favorite Beatles songs...sorry Keith! lol

Mike V. said...

2 for 2! I wonder how long I can keep this going. lol Amber being in the bottom didn't really surprise me. I saw other reviewers put her there. I thought she sang pretty well though. These results shows have been pretty bizarre so far. Guess they're trying to mix it up from how they've done it in the past.

It really scares me that Lazarro wasn't in the bottom 3. It doesn't surprise me either, but it means he's going to be with us for awhile. Like I said...we're getting Sanjaya'd! I haven't looked at Vote For the Worst yet, but something tells me he's their guy!

Mike V. said...

Confirmed! lol

http://www.votefortheworst.com/

Leslie said...

Good job Mike! Not another Sanjaya! Please no!! I listen to jango.com at work, and a Sanjaya song popped up the other day. Actually scared me!

Kinda scared me to see Jessica again last night. Casey was sure in crazy Casey mode, but he always has fun.

Mike V. said...

Sympathy vote PLUS Vote For the Worst is a pretty lethal combo! lol

That's hysterical that you heard a Sanjaya song on Jango. Is that like Pandora where it plays music that it thinks you would enjoy based on an artist or song that you entered? If so, that's pretty scary that he came up!! :)

Yeah...I couldn't figure out if I enjoyed Jessica's performance with NeYo or not. But, I didn't fast forward so that's saying something I guess. lol Casey looked like a homless sumo wrester, but he definitely jazzed up a great song and it didn't sound too bad. lol

Leslie said...

LOL...A homeless sumo wrestler! So right!

Yeah, Jango works that way, but I think sometimes it tries to sneak one in on you that's nothing like your choices just to see if you're paying attention. :)

Mike V. said...

I think Sanjaya would qualifiy for something unlike anything anyone would listen to! lol

Yeah...Casey just looked bizarre. His beard looked like something one of the Dwarves in the Hobbit would have been sporting too. So a Homeless Sumo Wrestler Dwarf! lol

Leslie said...

LOL!!

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you're back Mike for another season of Idol, would miss not hearing your thoughts.
I'm not very impressed with the candidates this year, especially after last year. I can always pick the winner by this time in the process, but I'm stumped. I always ask the question "whose concert would I go to" and I'm just not sure I'd attend anyones at this point. OH Well, maybe it will get better.

Mike V. said...

Thanks Anonymous! I usually know who is going to win but for different reasons. It's usually the talented male musician of the bunch, but not necessarily the best singer. But this year, there really isn't one of those. I think Angie has a head start with a fanbase due to her publicity, but totally agree with Jimmy that she needs some serious adjustments to her act. She was totally broadway Wednesday night.

I think I would really enjoy a Kree concert. She's definitely my favorite this year. Whether that means she'll win or not, don't know. Candice is really good too as long as she keeps picking songs that resonate with the audience. I don't really see anyone else being in contention this year. But, we'll see.