American Idol: Season 23, 14 Rock Out and Become 12

Carrie Underwood opened the show with a killer rendition of Alone by Heart just like she sang twenty years ago! 

Filo sang With a Little Help from My Friends by Joe Cocker-- Loved this rendition, masterful is the word I'd use I think. What a great song choice, he continues to just knock it out of the park. Carrie felt like he took an iconic song and make it his own. Luke said he could not say anything bad about that performance. 

Mattie Pruitt sang Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin-- She is lucky that she has such a great voice and still delivered the rasp because that song lacked the emotion it really needed. You have to have experienced "life" to sing that song. James Taylor (who mentored the contestants this week) said typically a woman, not a teenager sings that song. 

John Foster sang Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley-- This could have been super cheese or karaoke but it wasn't! He made an American Classic his own. Carrie said it was believable and he made the song his own. 

Desmond Roberts sang Jesus is Love by The Commodores-- I think Desmond is so talented but I think the song, was very challenging, and unfortunately, and Luke noted it, there were a lot of pitchy moments. I want him to stay in the competition, but this might be it for him. 

Jamal Roberts sang Shout by The Isley Brothers-- Jamal brings us to a party every time he takes the stage. This was inspired, genuine, and energetic. Carrie said it was the perfect song choice, Luke called it "smart", and Lionel called the performance "professional". 

Amanda Barise sang I Can't Help It by Michael Jackson-- I don't think this was the right song choice for her. I think she needed to sing more of a power ballad, especially since she has been vulnerable in this competition. The judges all thought she nailed it. 

Canaan James Hill sang Mary Don't You Weep by Aretha Franklin-- Great song choice, solid performance. The judges suggest he should try something out of his wheelhouse or box, and I don't know that I agree with that. I like that Canaan knows who he is. Carrie said she wants to see him do something unexpected at some point. 

Josh King sang The Longest Time by Billy Joel-- Another solid song choice suited to his style. This was awesome, I loved James Taylor's feedback. Carrie makes the comment that he knows who he is and what a great song choice that was (this reinforces what I was saying about Canaan). Luke called him charming and endearing. Lionel encouraged him to push himself because he has the talent. 

Thunderstorm Artis sang Fire and Rain by James Taylor-- In theory, it was a good song choice. His voice sounded a little hoarse. Unsure if maybe he was dealing with being sick. The way he changed up the song to suit his style was really cool, and James Taylor complimented him on that. Luke said it had hints of James Taylor but a lot of him. I agree. He should stick around in the competition, but he needs to sharpen the vocals. 

Gabby Samone sang Saving All My Love by Whitney Houston-- Wow! She has turned me into a mega fan. I loved this performance. She sounded amazing. She did not copy Whitney. That was the ultimate tribute. Lionel called it phenomenal. 

Breanna Nix sang Open Arms by Journey-- This was a big improvement over Queen last week. I agree with the judges in that she might be overcomplicating things and overthinking. The performance started great and towards the end it started to get away from her. 

Kolbi Jordan sang You're All I Need to Get By by Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye-- She was back in full force this week after a mediocre couple of weeks. This was a strong choice and told a lot about who she is as an artist. Luke felt everything was there and noted her confidence; he said you've arrived. Carrie said we are spoiled on this show, there is so much talent. 

Che Chesterman sang It's a Man's World by James Brown-- Hmmm, I liked this performance but I didn't love it. I have heard many great renditions of this song and this was good not great. Carrie mentioned something like this as well, that she wanted him to rock out and take it to the next level. I agree, couldn't agree more. 

Slater Nalley sang Your Song by Elton John-- It was cool for him to do a country version of this song. He's unique, definitely an old soul. Carrie said it was a great song choice and I liked seeing you get emotional with James Taylor. Luke said the fact that you're 18 and this cool, makes me mad. The vibe of that song puts you in the right light, you have the maturity to deliver that at your age. Lionel urged people to vote. 

Desmond and Amanda were sent home. 

I am thinking Breanna and Che could be next to go, maybe even Thunderstorm. The Top 10 are announced tonight and Fantasia mentors. 

American Idol Season 23: We're Down to 14!

These were my predictions-- 

Caanan James Hill
**Desmond Roberts
Filo
**Josh King
Thunderstorm Artis
John Foster
Mattie Pruitt
Breanna Nix
*Victor Solomon
*Isaiah Misailegalu
Gabby Samone
Slater Nalley
Jamal Roberts
Kolbi Jordan

The * are the ones I was wrong about that did not make it. 
** Are Judge's Saves. 

**Amanda Barise and **Che made the Top 14. 

These six were eliminated: 

Olivier Bergeron
Baylee Littrell
Isaiah Misailegalu
Drew Ryn
Victor Solomon
Zaylie Windsor

Notable performances: 

Filo gave a stunning rendition of Skyfall by Adele. It was definitely "Top 14" worthy.

John Foster was in amazing voice singing Neon Moon by Brooks & Dunn. 

Some many have thought Josh King was cheesy singing Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley but I think this performance saved his life.  

Mattie Pruitt is going to be a dark horse in this competition, mark my words, she sounded stunning on the piano singing In the Stars by Idol Alum Benson Boone.

Caanan continued to "take us to church" singing Stand by Donnie McClurkin, I feel like he will be a finalist. 

Che's selection of Jealous Guy by John Lennon was appropriate and punched his ticket to the Top 14.

Also notable, Baylie Littrell put together arguably his strongest performance, he sang All of Me by John Legend. He worked on vocals and stage presence. Unfortunately, it was enough to propel him to the next round, but I feel like if there had been one more "save" to give out, it would have gone to him. I am curious to see what he'll do next. 

Desmond Roberts sang Titanium by Sia and proved why he never should have had to be a Judges Save in the first place. He is arguably the most musical member of this year's Idol class. 

Try a Little Tenderness was Jamal Roberts' choice, and it was so perfect. Once again, he made the song his own, and it was solid and proof he needs to be here. 

Don't Rain On My Parade was perhaps a self indulgent choice for Gabby Samone, but I will give it to her, the timing could not have been better. And she talked the talk but she also walked the walk. Amazing performance, she's converted me, I'm a believer. 

Amanda Barise sang her butt off on Ain't No Way by Aretha Franklin and girl single handedly saved herself in this competition. 

These were misses for me.... 

Kolbi Jordan's song choice of I'm Every Woman by Chaka Kahn was cliche and a little off. I don't see her sticking around for the duration. 

Isaiah's song choice of Sleepwalker by Sammy Johnson was sleepy, and someone who could have moved on got left behind on a weak song choice. 

Drew Ryn sang A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga. I am a HUGE fan of Drew, but this competition sucked out her confidence and level headedness, and after sitting down on the job, she was sent packing. 

Olivier Bergeron sang It's Not my Time, the song said it all. The vocal fell flat. 

Thank goodness we did not vote after these performances because Brianna Nix who made it through for her performance of Up to the Mountain, arguably one of my fave performances on Sunday night sang Show Must Go On by Queen. Let's just say the performance was a mess, and the band completely drowned her out. 

Zaylie Windsor was totally off pitch and seemed nervous singing Into You by Paramore. 

Victor Solomon's rendition of Staying Alive did not help him stay in the competition. The arrangement was a mess and sadly so was the outfit. 

These were neutral performances, the song choices could have been better: 

Thunderstorm Artis sang I Love You by Billie Eilish, he seemed out of his element without his guitar. 

Slater Nalley sang This Ain't It by Jason Isbell, great artist, but this song did nothing for him. 

And Once Again, The Top 14 Are: 

Kolbi Jordan
Thunderstorm Artis
Filo
John Foster
Mattie Pruitt
Caanan James Hill
Brianna Nix
Jamal Roberts
Slater Nalley
Gabby Samone
Josh King – WILDCARD
CHÉ Chesterman – WILDCARD
Desmond Roberts – WILDCARD
Amanda Barise – WILDCARD

 

 

American Idol Season 23: The Top 24 Become The Top 20, Who will make the top 14?

Caanan James Hill sang Better Days Are Coming-- The epitome of what this whole night of performances is all about. He sounded amazing as always. 

Drew Ryn sang Yellow by Coldplay-- Unsure how this is a religious or faith based song. She seemed nervous on this performance. 

Desmond Roberts sang Worship by John Batiste-- That was such an impressive performance. So amazing, everything about that was at another level. Carrie mentioned how it switched gears a lot and I totally agree. 

Filo sang Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel-- This was a masterclass, great performance by Filo. 

Josh King sang You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker-- Loved this performance, he is coming in to his own in this competition. 

Thunderstorm Artis sang Reckless Love by Cory Asbury-- I loved the message of the song, and his performance was solid. He definitely has an identifiable style. 

Amanda Barise sang If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys-- Loved how she made it her own, but I was a little lost with the relevance. 

John Foster sang Tell That Angel I Love Her (Original Song)-- This was such a beautiful performance and really stood out. 

Mattie Pruitt sang Rescue by Lauren Daigle-- I loved the rasp in her voice, at the end of 16, she has such maturity. I see her in this competition for a while. 

Olivier Bergeron sang Stay by Mikky Ekko-- I liked this performance, but he seems like he is too in his shell or holding back. I'm unsure he will advance. 

Kyana Fanene and Grayson Torrance are both eliminated. 

Breanna Nix sang Up To The Mountain by Patty Griffin-- What an amazing performance, this girl has the goods for sure. 

Victor Solomon sang For Every Mountain by Kurt Carr-- There is something about how Victor performs, he customizes everything to himself and delivers with so much passion and conviction.

Baylee Littrell sang Gone Without Goodbye-- I feel like this is one of the first times I really heard Baylee. He was obviously connected to this song (his dad wrote and recorded it). Huge improvement over last week. 

Isaiah Misailegalu sang Give You Blue by Allen Stone-- Loved this so much, he was so in the zone, it was the perfect song choice with the perfect vocal. 

Gabby Samone sang I Am Changing from Dreamgirls-- I wanted to not like her, but she has turned in a string of solid performances that are undeniable. She's a keeper. 

Slater Nalley sang Soulshine by The Allman Brothers-- One of my faves in the competition, this was a great song choice that complimented Slater so well. 

Zaylie Windsor sang Silver Spring by Fleetwood Mac-- This was a miss for me, I don't see her making it to the top 14, there wasn't enough confidence in the delivery. 

Jamal Roberts sang Forever by Jason Nelson-- Jamal took this performance to another level. This was one of the strongest performances of the night, probably of the season. Luke said, you've got the magic, and he called it current yet old school. 

Che sang Redemption Song by Bob Marley-- This is one of my favorite songs. Che interpreted it so beautifully. 

And the final spot goes to Platinum ticket winner Kolbi Jordan. 

Kolbi sang Amazing Grace-- I had major doubts about Kolbi advancing after last week. I genuinely thought her performance and vocal was a mess. It was very shouty. This performance was redemption though. She did great. 

MKY (Mikey Jimenez) and Penny Samar are eliminated. I wanted Mikey to stick around longer because he was really giving me Ritchie Valens and Frankie J vibes. I believe we will see more from him. 

My picks for the Top 14 (in no particular order)--

Caanan James Hill 
Desmond Roberts
Filo 
Josh King 
Thunderstorm Artis
John Foster
Mattie Pruitt 
Breanna Nix 
Victor Solomon
Isaiah Misailegalu
Gabby Samone
Slater Nalley
Jamal Roberts
Kolbi Jordan

 

   

American Idol Season 23: Top 24

 

Top 24 will go to 20, who is going home? All my predictions. 

Females:

*Amanda Barise – Instagram
Breanna Nix – Instagram
Drew Ryn – Instagram
Gabby Samone – Instagram
*Grayson Torrence – Instagram On the bubble, but I loved her song choice of Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine
*Kolbi Jordan (Platinum Ticket awarded at a Tennessee Titans game) – Instagram
Kyana Fanene – Instagram
Mattie Pruitt – Instagram
*Penny Samar – Instagram
*Zaylie Windsor – Instagram

* Ladies I think could go home. 

Males

*Baylee Littrell – Instagram on the bubble, love him, but Happy was a wrong song choice for him. He thrives on his own music, I see him as an Indie artist. I'd prefer to see another lady go before him. 
Canaan – Instagram
Che Chesterman – Instagram
Desmond Roberts – Instagram
Filo (Platinum Ticket awarded by Carrie and Ryan NY Rockin Eve) – Instagram
Isaiah “Makk” Misailegalu – Instagram
Jamal Roberts – Instagram
John Foster – Instagram
Josh King – Instagram
MKY (Mikey Jimenez) – Instagram
*Olivier Bergeron – Instagram
Slater Nalley – Instagram
Thunderstorm Artis – Instagram
Victor Solomon – Instagram

* Guy who could go... 

Overall, the guys are stronger this year. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/americanidol

The Voice Season 27: Last Dance, Last Chance on Knockouts

Team Legend: Nell Simmons sang Sweet Thing by Chaka Kahn vs. Renzo sang Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish-- Nell was amazing, to me, she is definitely live show worthy and has proven her growth in every round. Renzo is interesting for sure, this song choice was odd, and I think it matched his eccentricity. It's a toss up, but I think I would choose Nell. The coaches had amazing things to say about Nell and Renzo. Kelsea said Nell sounded sexy and strong. Adam called Renzo a unicorn and said he will be shocked if he doesn't make it to the end. John chose Renzo. I am shocked no one stole Nell. 

Team Buble: Adam David sang Unaware by Allen Stone vs. Carlos Santiago sang You Are the Reason by Callum Scott-- I felt like these two were pretty evenly matched, my personal preference is Adam. I think Carlos should be on Broadway, he has a great voice. Michael chose Adam. 

Team Kelsea: Hailey Wright sang I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart by Patsy Montana vs. Jaelen Johnston sang Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan-- These are two that I love in this competition. They are facing off again! I think Jaelen grew since the last round. This was a great song choice. I feel like, on the flipside, Hailey was a little pitchy and didn't grow as much. I'd go with Jaelen. Michael and Adam both felt like Hailey won this, I'm a little shocked! However, it didn't matter, Kelsea chose Jaelen. He's going to be a star in my opinion. 

Team Legend: Jacquelyn George sang Too Little Too Late by Jojo vs. Olivia Kuper Harris sang Last Dance by Donna Summer-- Loved both song choices. I think Olivia is a more polished performer but Jacquelyn improved to me, and she has great range. Olivia's performance was so strong and had lots of attitude and intention. I think I would have to choose Olivia. Adam said Olivia blew away his expectations. Kelsea loved Jacquelyn's song choice and was wowed by Olivia's strong and sexy vocal. John said Olivia's performance was confident and chose Olivia. 

Team Buble: Jadyn Cree sang Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne vs. Kameron Jaso sang Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur-- I was not particularly invested in this pairing. I know Michael has really liked/ pushed for Jayden since the beginning. I think ultimately, she gave the strong performance here. Michael chose Jayden.  

Team Adam: Conor James sang Forever Young by Alphaville vs. Darius Jay sang American Boy by Estelle-- This was so underwhelming! I really wanted to LOVE both of these performances. The song choices were bizarre. Michael did not like Conor's song choice. John feels Conor should be in the finale but felt Darius was more compelling today. Adam chose Conor and Kelsea stole Darius. 

Here's a look at who is left: 

(* are my picks)

Team Adam:
*Britton Moore, 21
*Conor James, 28
Ethan Eckenroad, 26
*Kolby Cordell, 32
Lucia Flores Wiseman, 22

Team Buble: 
Adam David, 34 
*Angie Rey, 25
*Barry Jean Fontenot, 31
Jayden Cree, 23
Kaiya Hamilton, 26

Team Kelsea: 
Alanna Lynnise, 21
Darius J, 35
*Iris Herrera, 19
*Jaelen Johnston, 21
Tinika Wyatt, 50

Team Legend: 
Ari Camille, 21
*BD.ii, 31
*Bryson Battle, 21 
*Olivia Kuper Harris, 34 
Renzo, 33

 

The Voice Season 27: It's Getting Harder to Breathe with these Knockouts...

Team Buble: Divighn sang Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5 vs. Kaiya Hamilton sang Here by Aleesia Cara-- These two are well matched and both should move forward. I am fan of Harder to Breathe, but I have to say, hearing Divighn singing it, I felt like I was hearing it for the first time. I loved the sharpness of his words and the performance as a whole. He worked the stage as well which is difficult to do while keeping up the vocal. Kaiya took on this song so well, this is a tough one, and she navigated it with ease and sounded amazing. She's probably one of the most technically gifted singers in this competition. Adam recognized his song and loved what Divighn did with it. He said Kaiya sang her butt off. Kelsea said Kaiya ebbed and flowed with the song, and it sounded different to her than the original which she said was Kaiya's artistry coming through. She said Songs About Jane is one of her fave albums and complimented Divighn on his performance.  Michael chose Kaiya.. thinking about it, this was the best choice to move forward. 

Team Legend: Bryson Battle sang Ain't No Way by Aretha Franklin vs. Tatum Scott sang Stick Season by Noah Kahn-- I am in awe of Bryson's technical abilities as a vocalist. He is just stunning. I loved how he seamlessly kept moving from is falsetto to his full voice. I don't know many that do that as effortlessly. Tatum, as Kelsea noted, gave what was her personal best performance of the competition, she was just up against a beast in Bryson, but she's clearly gifted as a vocalist. Adam said that what they were doing could not have been more different yet there was no clear cut winner. Kelsea said Bryson feels like one of the greats. Michael said he is thankful to be able to witness these amazing performances. John chose Bryson. 

Montaged Performance: 
Team Kelsea: Alanna Lynise sang I'll Never Love Again by Lady Gaga vs. Page McKenzie (we did not see her performance). Kelsea chose Alanna. 

Team Adam: Ari Camille sang Love Like This by Faith Evans vs. Britton Moore sang Free by Zac Brown Band-- Two cool and stylized performances. I like Ari, I've always liked that grit in her voice. It got away from her at times but she ended well. Britton was a revelation, he's grown a lot and could be a front runner based on that performance. Kelsea said Britton your voice is like self auto tuned, and Ari your energy, you came to life. Michael said you're both only 21 years old. Britton, you have youthful beauty and a gorgeous tone. Britton won that. John said Ari, that was your best performance, and Britton, that was pitch perfect. You both earned the right to not leave the competition. Adam said you both did what needed to be done. Adam chose Britton and John stole Ari (she returned to Team Legend).