For a year that was hyped to be the year of the lady, the men sure stepped up to the plate tonight, and a lot of them knocked it out of the park. They had more personality, more presence, and they chose better songs. I was actually able to pick out six guys this week that I like and think should move on to the next round as opposed to the ladies where I found it really difficult to do that.
(I will put a number in front of each commentary, this is the order in which they performed)
Top 6 (for tonight/ for now):
11 Casey James was in great form tonight; when I heard he was singing "Heaven" by Bryan Adams, I knew he made a great song choice. Randy said loved your song choice, and love your swagger. Kara said you are eye candy, but you are also ear candy, and if you didn't look this good I would still like you because you can sing. Simon called the performance honest, sincere, and likable, and also said it was absolutely the right song choice.
02 Aaron Kelly, for a 16 year old, he really impressed me; his voice is strong and all he lacks is self confidence which I think he can work on. "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts was a great song for him to choose because it really showcased his vocal abilities. Simon said he needs to believe in himself and why he is there and to have self confidence because that's what it's all about. Ellen loved his humility.
07 Lee DeWyze sang "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol which I thought was a good jam for him to sing. I thought I was going insane after this performance because all the judges were bashing him-- Ellen said she thought it was forced. Randy thought it was too pop and he should have sang some Kings of Leon. Kara said there were times where he changed it up too much to find the sweet spot in his voice. And then, Simon, the voice of reason spoke and called it the best performance of the night so far and called him a natural singer with a great voice. Simon says he fought for him and he is not giving up on him because he believes in him.
05Joe Munoz tackled the stylistically difficult Jason Mraz and his song "You and I Both". The performance overall wasn't great, but his voice was. I loved how he didn't deviate too much from the melody of the song. Simon said he didn't show enough star potential, but Ellen commented that he looked very comfortable on the stage.
10 Alex Lambert really does sound like English singer James Morrison and so it is fitting that he chose to sing his song "Wonderful World". Simon said Alex looked extremely uncomfortable on stage and said he has to work on getting it together cause he has a great voice. Kara said he has a great tone to his voice and great potential. I agree with Kara he just needs to calm his nerves before he performs and believe in himself. Ellen said he has all of it, he just needs confidence.
12 Andrew Garcia tried a really weird version of "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy which kinda confused me. He was way too serious in the performance which was Simon's exact comment. Kara thought it was a strange risk, Randy didn't like the arrangement, and Simon said it's a shame because he has a fantastic recording voice.
The Bottom 6:
04 Tim Urban is someone I thought deserved a hug following his performance. I felt bad for him because the song by One Republic, "Apologize" was all wrong for him. He didn't have the time to prepare that all the other contestants did because he was added after Chris Golightly was disqualified. I agree that he needs to work on his vocals because they were really weak. Simon said it just wasn't good enough which is why he wasn't originally chosen. Kara said his vocals were buried under the beat, and Ellen hopes he gets another chance (so do I).
06 Tyler Grady's version of "American Woman" should have been a little more contemporary than it was, perhaps channeling Lenny Kravitz a little more than it did. Simon wants him to change things up a little more, Ellen wants him to work on his vocals, and Kara said he needs to do more than just try and live the 70's.
09 Michael Lynche sang "This Love" by Maroon 5 which I found to be an odd choice for him. I will admit that he has a great personality, and as Randy said, he did bring the energy up during his performance. Simon said he was like a support act, and he is better than that, and he told Michael that when he watches it back, he will regret it.
08 John Park may be one of the most likable contestants this year; he has a great personality. His rendition of "God Bless the Child" was all wrong, and I found it odd that he chose that because I think it suits a woman's voice better. Simon said it left him flat and he didn't get it. He said there needed to be more emotion; I agree. John said this song meant a lot to him and he needed to do a better job of communicating that. I do not agree with Kara saying it was indulgent, but I do agree with her saying it was "loungy". Ellen said that he sounded good but she wishes it was a different song because she likes him so much.
03 Jermaine Sellers pushed too much, Ellen said, following his performance of "Get Here" by Oleta Adams. Randy said that he tried to do too much with the song, and Kara commented that the runs need to be more meaningful. Simon said it was so over the top that it just didn't work.
01 Worst performance of the night goes to Todrick Hall who sang an unrecognizable version of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You Been Gone". The arrangement was atrocious and the vocals were not that great; I do think he is a good performer/ actor. Randy said you never want to obliterate a song to the point that you don't know what it is, and that is exactly what he did. Simon said he came across as a dancer who is trying to sing rather than a singer who can dance, and he proceeded to call the performance stupid.
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