Thursday, February 26, 2009

American Idol 8 - Top 36 Group 2

It's a new week so it's time for another recap of last night's American Idol performances. We're one week later than last week because of President Obama's address to Congress on Tuesday. Either way, we still get two shows this week. It's another week of songs from the Billboard Top 100 from any year, apparently. So the contestants have a wide selection of songs to pick from. One thing I am definitely liking this year over last is the choice of contemporary songs in the semi-final round. That was sorely lacking last season and it's nice they've done an about-change in season eight. As for this week, I am liking a few changes they have made since the last performance show. The parents/friends are in the audience instead of up on the balcony - so we aren't getting any overly excessive chatter once the performances have concluded. Also, there weren't nearly as many camera flaws or production errors. It appears they have most, if not all of their ducks in a row. So, on with the review!

Jasmine Murray - "Love Song" : I do enjoy her choice in this contemporary song, especially one that allowed Sara Bareilles to become a break-out star. As for Jasmine, it doesn't start out all that great. In using Randy's term, it was very pitchy in spots. It seemed to get better as the performance moved along but yet I don't believe this was the right song choice for her. It was just an okay performance; certainly did not blow me away. As she's proven during her audition and in Hollywood week, she can sing. She just needs to pick the right song that really shows off her vocal ability. "Love Song" doesn't allow Jasmine to do that. I will say this, her stage presence is very good and she appeared very confident.

Matt Giraud - "Viva La Vida" : Up next we have Michigan's very own Matt Giraud, so you know I am rooting for him to do well. I am a bit worried, however, because he picks such a well-known contemporary song that was one of the top songs for the year in 2008. I don't know if it's exactly the kind of song that shows off Matt's vocal abilities. In fact, I think it may be too big of a song for him. He's trying to do too much with the song; trying to deliver an epic and memorable performance. Honestly, it falls short for me. Like the judges, I find him most appealing when he's behind a piano doing the more soulful stuff. Why haven't we seen any contestants playing instruments in the semi-finals anyways? They were allowed to last season - so why not now? Anyways, I am rather disappointed for Matt.

Jeanine Vailes - "This Love" : Another of those contestants that we know absolutely nothing about! It was Ricky last week and now Jeanine this week. Well, we do know she's a bartender. Big whoop. She's 28 and apparently she's been waiting all her life for an opportunity like this. Let's see if she can deliver. Nope; not gonna happen. I think Maroon 5 is a fabulous group, but this is the wrong song for Jeanine. She just blew her big shot at a music career. Back to being a bartender, I'm afraid. It's a train wreck right from the start. She's all over with the notes and towards the end, she wasn't either above or below the actual notes. I think she was trying to do way too much with the song in the later half. It just doesn't sound good at all. Oh well, at least she has great looking legs!

Nick Mitchell - "And I am Telling You" : This guy is an absolute clown, but I have to admit, he's hilarious. The whole banter between him and Simon during Nick's audition was hysterical. Plus, when he's not being comedic, he can actually sing. He has a good singing voice somewhere behind the hysterics. I am actually hoping the real Nick Mitchell shows up and not Normund Gentle - because this is where things get serious and a person needs to show off how well they can sing. Ah well, he doesn't follow my advice and he's doing the Normund routine. Even though this is a competition to find America's next break-out music star, Nick is kind of refreshing. Although this isn't the right show for him (try "America's Got Talent" instead), he certainly is a memorable figure and makes the show interesting whenever he happens to be on. Again, very funny stuff.

Allison Iraheta - "Alone" : She is very young; not even 17 yet! She doesn't seem all that confident in herself and appears to be quite nervous. And ouch, right off the bat she's picking the classic Heart song that has been covered countless number of time's on the Idol stage. So I am definitely nervous for her. Will her performance even be comparable to Carrie Underwood's or Gina Glocksen's? I don't necessarily believe it was as good as Carrie's version (and honestly, who's ever will?), but it was still very good. She may not seem all that confident during interviews, but on that stage, she's a powerful singer. Now that is how to do a performance during the semi-finals. Allison has the best performance of the night so far and she should earn a spot in this season's top 12.

Kris Allen - "Man in the Mirror" : Uh oh; not another Michael Jackson song! It didn't work out very well for Stephen Fowler last week; we'll see if it's any different for Kris this week. He's another contestant we don't know much about so he'll definitely have to kick it into high gear and sing for his life, otherwise he has no shot. I really didn't care how the song starts - and it's not really Kris's fault for that because that is how the song is. He has a few pitch problems here and there but his performance improves as the song moves along. Despite the interesting song choice, Kris doesn't do that badly with it. I just wish the song would've been a lot stronger in the beginning, otherwise Kris would've had more of a fighting chance. I wasn't blown away by it, but it ends up being the best male vocal so far.

Megan Joy Corkrey - "Put Your Records On" : I really like her and hope she does well. I agree with Paula's assessment that she looks great on camera. She has a very unique sound to her and I am absolutely digging this song choice for Megan. I would agree that her stage presence does need work; she's fidgety and does some odd twists. However, her singing isn't bad. Again, it's not spectacular vocal-wise but she did a decent job with it. The song fits her vocal abilities but some of the notes, especially in the higher range were off at times. But I thought she provided one of the more shining moments during the show than what we've seen so far.

Matt Breitzke - "If You Can Only See" : I think the contestant's have been picking great songs; yet in most cases, they are not the right songs for them, per se. It was another example of that for Matt. I really enjoy this Tonic song but Matt's rendition was pretty bland. I just wasn't jumping up and down with it and although he can sing, as we've seen during Hollywood week, it just didn't live up to its potential. He should've chosen a song that shows off more of his vocal prowess. I would agree with the judges that he hit all of the right notes in the song, however, the song doesn't have a real big range to it. It also would've helped if was a higher energy song, too. Would've helped his chances in advancing to the top 12 some.

Jesse Langseth - "Bette Davis Eyes" : Prior to the episode where the top 36 were chosen, we didn't know much about Jesse. However, at least we know more of her history than we do for Jeanine and Kris. It appears she has been singing for awhile and is waiting for a big break. Maybe Idol will help her out. When I first heard her performance of "Bette Davis Eyes," I wasn't all that impressed. However, after listening back to it a couple of different times, it's grown on me. Like we've seen many times so far in group two, I wasn't blown away by it but vocally it was quite good and it definitely had its moments. Again, could she have picked a song that had more of a range? Yes, but she did quite well with what she chose.

Kai Kalama - "What Becomes of a Broken Hearted" : So after all of the contemporary songs the contestant's have chosen so far during the performance night, Kai's pick is the song with the oldest track record. As Paula said, he seems to like the older songs more, which might be why he performs them the most. However, he says he's a contemporary guy, but we probably won't be able to see that side from him after this performance. He definitely comes across as an old fashioned guy. Again, I am not blown away by it. It's just average and I'm actually bored. He could've picked a Bee Gees song or something with a little more energy - if he wants to sway towards the throw-back songs. Another disappointment from someone with high potential.

Mishavonna Henson - "Drops of Jupiter" : Back on the contemporary train (no pun intended) and Mishavonna picks a good one. However, it's not a good choice for her performance. It's not really a vocally powerful song and the performance becomes rather bland to me. I mean, she can definitely sing and I feel quite bad for her because she has been in the Idol competition for two year's running and it's going to fall short for her again. I liked it more once it picked up tempo half-way through but still not as spectacular as I was hoping. Again, if she could've chosen a song more fitting to her style, she'd definitely be a lock for a spot into the top 12, if not the wildcard. I still believe she's going to fall well short of contention.

Adam Lambert - "Satisfaction" : You know, I haven't been a big fan of Adam thus far in the competition. I thought he's been too dramatic, over-the-top and yes, too theatrical. However, I think the tide is beginning to turn and he became more likable for me tonight. "Satisfaction" is definitely a high-energy song and it'll get everyone up off their feet. During the performance, he's a little shouty at times but he's certainly having a good time on stage. I agree with Kara in that he has a phenominal vocal range - you don't see many guys who can sing with such an amazing falsetto. No surprise here; he's a shoo-in for top male vocal in group two.

So, who sang the best and the worst during the top 36 - group two performance night? Well, here's how I rank them:

Top Six Male Performers:
1.) Adam Lambert
2.) Kris Allen
3.) Matt Giraud
4.) Matt Breitzke
5.) Kai Kalama
6.) Nick Mitchell

Top Six Female Performers:
1.) Allison Iraheta
2.) Megan Joy Corkery
3.) Jesse Langseth
4.) Mishavonna Henson
5.) Jasmine Murray
6.) Jeanine Vailes

Who'll be advancing to the top 12? Here are my picks:

M - Adam Lambert
F - Allison Iraheta
M - Matt Giraud

Be sure to enjoy tonight's results! Despite the corny group performances, it's always a high intensity show. See you again next week!

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