Last night's top dog, hands-down winner was Joshua Ledet, who sang "I Wish". Josh was in a class by himself for vocals, performance and originality.
Our second spot went to Jessica Sanchez, who sang "I Will Always Love You". That's a big song, recorded by two very powerful icons, so it was a gutsy choice. Loved the acapella beginning, but she got too caught up in flamboyant runs and fake vibrato. She's got the power and the voice to just stand there and sing that song - sing the beautiful melody that Dolly Parton wrote without attempting flashy embellishments and everyone would be bowled over.
Deandre Brackensick was much better than usual; he avoided the constant falsetto and kept his hair in a ponytail so he didn't look like Cher doing the hair flip. Skylar Layne was also above the pack - she got three "beautifuls" from Stephen Tyler. Hollie Cavanaugh was the final contestant to make my "above average but didn't blow me away" rank.
This is the first Idol performance I can remember (and we've watched every season except #1) that I didn't think there were any really bad performances - just varying grades of forgettable. The low end of the spectrum, in my opinion, was Elise Testone (unfairly, because the judges forced her to switch songs and, I think, killed her chances in the process), Colton Dixon, and Heejun Han. The remaining contestants are just kind of a mediocre blur.
Dave disagrees with my rankings slightly - he's a much bigger Colton fan than I - but he agreed that there were a lot of "meh" performances, and sometimes the show really misses Simon Cowell's dissenting voice (though not his attitude) when the current judges say basically the same thing to every contestant.
Who are your favorites? And who earned your thumbs down?
Who are your favorites? And who earned your thumbs down?
I missed Joshua's so I can't comment. I agree 100% on Jessica and Elise. It was the best Han performance I think I've seen but I think he mumbles. Colton does nothing for me. I wouldn't say Phillip Phillips is the best but he is my favorite because he is so original.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with you about Deandre - he has rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning but he nailed that song last night. I notice he's got the hair pulled back again tonight - wonder if someone talked to him about over doing it.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love AI!!! My favorite at this point is PHILLIP...he's a good old GA boy and doesn't live too far from where I live. He and his family have been all over the local news. From what everyone says, this is a great family and loved by everyone in his hometown. I do think he has a unique style and he's cute enough for the young girls to vote for:) I also like Skylar...she's like a young Reba. I also like Joshua. I think Jessica has a tremendous voice but not sure the public will vote for her in the long run. Elise is my least favorite...she seems to have somewhat of an attitude. Wanted to thank you for commenting on my latest blog post. Come back to visit anytime!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love AI!!! My favorite at this point is PHILLIP...he's a good old GA boy and doesn't live too far from where I live. He and his family have been all over the local news. From what everyone says, this is a great family and loved by everyone in his hometown. I do think he has a unique style and he's cute enough for the young girls to vote for:) I also like Skylar...she's like a young Reba. I also like Joshua. I think Jessica has a tremendous voice but not sure the public will vote for her in the long run. Elise is my least favorite...she seems to have somewhat of an attitude. Wanted to thank you for commenting on my latest blog post. Come back to visit anytime!
ReplyDeleteI get caught up on all these type of shows when I go home. There's a Korean Idol, but I don't follow it closely.
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