AMERICAN IDOL TOP 13
FINALISTS STRUGGLE TO GENERATE SPARKS
Like irons, stoves, and certain people, the first week of American Idol’s countdown to the finish took a while to warm up. Three pretty bad opening performances had judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban struggling to drop niceties in order to not get a screaming, feverish crowd booing incessantly. But, slowly but surely, the overall quality started to improve. It never reached a brilliant crescendo, but it came close. I just wasn’t expecting to be underwhelmed; with a theme that could’ve been a gimme—“This Is Me”, which host Ryan Seacrest described as “the one song that defines them as a person”—most of the Top 13 contestants struggled to hit high notes and bring real energy to avoid sounding like so-so karaoke acts. A number of favorites took steps back (or at least suffered hiccups), but one early favorite cemented her status and another fairly-unsung competitor took a big step forward, at least in my eyes.
*Oh, and each contestant, some time prior this week, was asked to present five random facts about themselves in twenty seconds. Some made it, some didn’t, and some were halfway through brushing their teeth.*
Anyway, the performers:
Dexter Roberts
Fun Facts: He’s been bucked off a horse, and he’s broken a finger
An early favorite thanks to his inherently country style and radio-ready vibes, Dexter took a noticeable step backward opening the show with Chris Young’s hillbilly hit “Aw Naw”.. Nothing sounds bad quite like bad country. Warned last week to do something to stand out against a crowded landscape of wannabe honytonk stars, Dexter cleaned himself up a bit but then stumbled with a his so-so rendition that sounded like someone even more wannabe than an Idol performer. It was serviceable, and it won’t scare away his country-blooded fans, but Dexter needs to be above karaoke. Grade: C+
Fortune Forecast: Dexter’s sailed easily this far on his country vibes and strong voice. I doubt he’ll be heading home so soon, but he proved forgettable singing first on a forgettable night, so it’s not the way he’d choose to start out. He’d be a shock in the Bottom 3, but he could very well be heading there.
Fun Facts: She’s 5’2, she’s afraid of dogs, she’s plays a lot of instruments, she can’t see at all without her glasses, and she loves Everybody
This 16-year-old survived last week when a lot of other young’uns didn’t, but one of this season’s most vocally-talented contestants induced cringes with a hideously-karaoke rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby”. Malaya might have the flat-out best vocal range of any contestant this year, but she also has the most energy, and she over-used the latter and underused the former. Without any big notes or melody to put her voice into, Malaya collapsed in a performance that was forgettable as soon as she sang it. Though they admitted something was off, the judges were surprisingly polite to a performer they could’ve shredded. Grade: C-
Fortune Forecast: Far from the most polished performer, Malaya did herself absolutely no favors with a bad karaoke performance that didn’t show off that voice. I think Malaya ’s destined for the Bottom 3.
Kristen O’Connor
Her best friends are quadruplets, she loves swing dancing, and she’s really bad at all sports
The first of last week’s Wild Card winners to perform tonight, Kristen came in, in my opinion, as the contestant who needed the biggest performance tonight. She’s sweet but slightly bland, with a quasi-Girl-Next-Door vibe and a honeyed voice, but no real hook. Singing schmaltzy love ballads isn’t usually the way to go, and I called her rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Beautiful Disaster” ‘blah’. No, I won’t say Kristen is a beautiful disaster, but I don’t think she’s a real contender. Grade: C
Fortune Forecast: In danger. Kristen seems like a nice girl, but, despite a decent voice, she’s not very dynamic. I called her the weak link in my results show recap last week, and she didn’t change my mind. She’ll be lucky to move on.
Ben Briley
He can name every capital, he loves Tennessee
Skydiving seems an appropriate outlet for this season’s contestant who’s most likely to go on to have a sponsorship by Red Bull. Country/soul/rock man Briley turned a classic on its head by singing Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” as something more akin to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Fortune Forecast: Ben seems like a really likeable, laid-back kind of guy, and people have been voting for him for weeks. He’s safe.
CJ Harris
He hates climbing high things, he hates icy roads in winter, he loves deer, he hates people with bad attitudes, and he’s very religious
Be careful when Thou Singest Darius Rucker songs, because the man has an incredible voice! The uber-likeable CJ Harris, another Wild Card who made it through last week, took on the former Hootie & The Blowfish front man’s “Radio”, which is a likeable song, but very safe and very typical for this kind of show. And it was typical. CJ has a nice voice, but he’s very much in his safe zone each week. He looked like he was having fun, but the word karaoke came to my mind again. Grade: B-
Fortune Forecast: Iffy. CJ's memorable, but, despite having a decent voice and a great personality, he rarely stands out as a performer, which is going to come back to bite him in this competition, and probably soon.
MK Nobilette
She’s a mediocre snowboarder, she’s a great soccer goalkeeper, she loves the song “Single Ladies”, she wishes she was a dancer, and her MK-9 is her favorite thing in the world
MK tried something new this week by turning things up a notch, wearing noticeable makeup and singing a song with more personality, this one “Satisfaction” by Alan Stone. The judges and the crowd loved it, BUT...MK’s likeable and she’s a ground-breaking contestant who sounds great singing ballads, but she has neither the personality nor the big voice to sing songs that are real energy songs, which this was. My first thought when she began singing was her voice has a nice tone, followed by oh no, this was a bad idea. But the judges liked it, so…. Grade: C
Fortune Forecast: Safe for now, as her personality and style keep winning her points with the judges, but no one’s going to mistake her for one of this season’s real talents.
Majesty Rose
She was born on a leap year, she’s left-handed, she’s a long-boarder, she loves ballet, and she likes to make her hair bigger
I missed Majesty Rose last week, so this was the first time since auditions I’d seen a full performance of hers, and boy, am I glad I saw it. Her “Tight Rope” by Janelle Monae seemed more like “Tight Rope” by Majesty Rose, an upbeat, fun number that was a much-needed tonic from the blandness of the previous contestants. While her style is mostly pretty light and fun, she showed she most certainly has an above-average voice and impressive confidence. My primary thought during her performance was: she’s the first one tonight who’s seemed like a pro. Grade: B+
Fortune Forecast: Safe. Majesty’s already one of the favorites, and she’s sitting pretty as one of the standouts on an average night.
Her hair’s actually brown, she’s best friends with her brother, her favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz, her eyes are sometimes green and blue, and she’s really short
The third Wild Card contender, Jena Irene will never be mistaken for anybody else on the show because of the crackling, metallic quality of her voice. It’s an interesting sound that burns the ears at first, but once you’re used to it, you can see how intriguing it is. She picked a good song for it, too, covering Coldplay’s flowing but slightly boring ballad “The Scientist”; her live-wire vocals kept it from slipping off into sleepiness. It could’ve been even better if she’d chased down a few more big notes, but that voice gets its hooks in. Grade: A-
Fortune Forecast: Based on this performance, safe, but after only making it in as a Wild Card after a sterling performance in the Top 15 girls, I’m worried that enough people don’t remember/appreciate her.
Alex Preston
He loves extreme sports, he’s a hopeless romantic, he writes poetry, and he loves coffee
The good thing about Alex Preston is that his gentle, acoustic sounds are always refreshing on a show that’s too often filled with people straining to over-sing love ballads or powerhouse hits; the drawback is that his performances can become boring. I thought his rendition of Jason Mraz’s “A Beautiful Mess” did just that, and so did Harry Connick Jr, who got heavy boos for saying so. Alex did air out his voice for the longest note we’ve yet heard from him, but I think he needs to pick up the tempo in coming weeks. Grade: B
Fortune Forecast: Safe for now. His performances are just on this side of boring, but he’s so obviously-talented and unique, he can go far if he ups his game just a little.
Jessica Meuse
She uses lots of hand sanitizer, she’s obsessed with the supernatural, she loves ponies, she has lots of animals and she didn’t do so great in band class
Pink-haired and nose-pierced and riding lots of air time through auditions and Hollywood, Jessica is already one of the most recognizable contestants this season, so if she finds her groove, she could go a long way. She took a fine first step singing “The Crow and the Butterfly” a song by Shinedown, which showed her raspy, accented voice to be comparable to those of Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt (not bad company to have). Her experience as a musician really showed: it definitely wasn’t karaoke, and she didn’t over or under-sell her performance. The judges loved it. Grade: B+
Fortune Forecast: Safe.
Emily Piriz
She went to Chef camp when she was younger, her eyes change colors depending on her environment and her outfit, and she can do a cool whistle
Rocking gray eyes on this night—apparently because her outfit was gray—Emily Piriz took a big step forward by doing something other than the “Ooh La La” song that kept offending Harry Connick Jr. The judges thought her rendition of Pink’s “Glitter in the Air” lacked Pink’s edgy quality, but, for me, it was easily the night’s best performance. She showed a very strong, clear voice, and nailed a few high notes. Grade: A-
Fortune Forecast: Safe. I didn’t expect her to get this far, but after winning unanimous praise from the judges singing a strong ballad by Pink, she ought to cruise.
Sam Woolf
He’s afraid of spiders, he wears size-10 shoes, he stepped on a sea urchin once, he broke his ankle falling down the stairs once, and his middle name is Joseph
Sam Woolf might be the best, most polished 17-year-old singer you could possibly find on American Idol, and therein lay his downfall last night—he’s so refined, he doesn’t have the energy of, say, Matchbox 20. Singing that band’s classic ‘Unwell’, he sounded great, but his over-refined style hurt him when he reached the chorus and there was no spurt of energy or real change in tempo. The song should really pick up, and his didn’t. It was solid, and the girls obviously love him, but the judges all echoed my sentiment—it was too perfect, put some energy into it. Grade: B-
Fortune Forecast: Safe. With no other guy grabbing the Cute Guy votes from tween girls, Sam’s got a monopoly on that market, not to mention he’s a fine singer and a down-to-earth guy. No problems here.
Caleb Johnson
He’s been chased by a cow, he ran cross-country in high school, and he loves biscuits and gravy
Unlike Sam, Caleb can never be criticized for not having enough energy in a performance. For the second straight week he came out like it was his own personal rock concert, whipping the mic stand and howling his way through Rival Sons’ “Pressure And Time”. Caleb’s ready for the big-time, and his energy and enthusiasm were awesome on a night when most contestants were holding back, but I’m anxious to see him put his considerable voice and passion into something a little more mellow, to show some diversity. Grade: B+
Fortune Forecast: Safe. He’s the only guy getting Rocker votes this year, and if he made it after bursting off the stage to open last week’s show, he’ll make it after wowing the judges and invigorating the crowd closing it this week.
Ultimately, all of the performances could have been a little better, but Majesty cemented her position as a favorite, Caleb and Jessica proved they’ve gotten hoopla for good reason, Emily and Jena took big steps forward, and most of the others showed what they need to work on. It was a tough night for some of the best-liked contestants, though, but I’m not sure if we’ll see that mirrored in the results Thursday night. My least favorite performances on the night came from Malaya, MK and Kristen, thought I'm worried Jena
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