Monday, March 30, 2015

American Idol Season 14: Did the Right 2 Go Home?

Two weeks ago, the judges used the save on Qaasim Middleton, the question is did they use the save at the right time and on the right person? Based on who went home last Wednesday, I don't think they did. My picks to go home were Daniel Seavey and Maddie Walker. Daniel is a great kid and he does have talent but he is not growing at the rate that his fellow contestants are. Maddie is progressing and she has a great voice, but the personality doesn't match.

This week we ended up losing Maddie and Adanna Duru, who to me, was a front runner in this competition. What Maddie lacked in personality and passion, Adanna made up for, ten fold. Adanna always emoted and sometimes she lost control with her voice, but I think that is more teachable than where Daniel and Maddie were in all of this. 

Daniel was actually the first one to discover that he made it through to next week. He sings You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall & Oates-- I did not love this song choice for him, and I felt like once again his vocals felt short and were weak for me. His voice cracked in a couple of places. He looks good on camera like Keith said, but honestly, I am going to be surprised if he continues to make it through. Harry said that he needs to throw the choreography away. 
Score: 6 out of 10 

Quentin Alexander sang In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins-- I loved this, I found the whole performance very intriguing; there was something quite haunting about it. Keith is right, Questin has so much artistry. Jenn said your cool factor was on 1000, the mood and the drama of it worked. Harry said you dig as deeply as you can into those lyrics, I would like you to switch it up to something uptempo. Keith said killer song choice for you, the weight and majesty of it suited you so well. You have so much artistry Quentin. 
Score: 9 out of 10 

Joey Cook sang Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper-- I felt like the performance was a little bit lazy for me. It was not as good as it usually is, and Joey seemed like she knew it was off. Harry said she seemed to be distracted and holding back. Keith found it to be inconsistent.
Score: 7 out of 10

Tyanna Jones said I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston-- I agree with Harry, I liked the arrangement. It seems to me that Tyanna lost a little bit of her confidence but she sounded great, and I think she would have sounded even better if she wasn't thinking about it so much. Keith said Tyanna takes on the Whitney song really well, he said he felt like she was worried a little bit. Jenn said you aren't gonna be perfect all the time and don't be so in your head. Harry told her to fight for it every time.
Score: 9 out of 10

Jax sang You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi-- Overall, I liked the performance, I felt like she kept true to the theme while also remaining true to herself. It seemed as if she got lost in the middle of the performance but she ended on a strong note. Jenn liked the 80's punk attitude and was reminded of Jax when they first met her. Harry thinks her originality brought her here and her intrigue has kept her here. He liked the beginning and end. Keith warned her not to be afraid to change the arrangement.
Score: 8 out of 10

Nick Fradiani sang Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson-- I love Nick, he's one of my favorite voice in the competition, but he needs to have that breakout performance. Harry said he likes how much humility that Nick has. Keith told him to make sure he is smiling and just calm down. Jenn said she got caught up in the song in the end because he really started singing to them.
Score: 9 out of 10

Clark Beckham sang Every Breath You Take by The Police-- I love the fact that Boy George wanted him to take the song down and he didn't. He stuck to his guns and committed to what he felt was right for him, and he completely nailed it. The performance was touching, the bridge sounded amazing. The judges were all sitting there hanging on every word. Keith said you took me on a journey melodically and emotionally. Jenn said the performance felt really good and it was so beautiful.
Score: 9 out of 10

Qaasim Middleton sang Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer-- I thought this was Qaasim's best vocal to date, so he might stick around. Jenn liked that he was a bit more reserved this week. Harry said your greatest strength is your ability to perform. He said you have to forfeit the performing sometimes in order to give a better vocal. Keith said give us something more vulnerable because your voice has a beautiful quality.
Score: 7 out of 10

Rayvon Owen sang Everybody Want to Rule the World by Tears for Fears-- I liked parts of the performance, but there were some weak spots. The judges called him out and rightfully so. Harry said it was one of his stronger interpretations, but he could do without the default falsetto. I agree, for some reason, Rayvon feels like he has to add it in every week. Jenn tells him to take a risk and go outside his comfort zone because she believes it is the only way he will grow.
Score: 7 out of 10

Daniel, Joey, Qaasim, and Rayvon could be in some trouble on Wednesday. 

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