Blah, Blah, Blah! The Top 12 Boys...

Wow, what not a good way to start off Season 9.  There is no way they can keep calling this the "Best Talent We've Seen Yet" after the past two nights.  None of these people come close to the talent we saw last year.  Are any of them viable recording artists? Or are we in a season like 6 where only the winner comes out on top?

Todrick Hall "Since U Been Gone"
(The boys videos aren't working, so...)
Todrick took a hugely popular song and rearranged it to a song that nobody could recognize.  (Not to mention it was recorded by the most popular and successful Idol...) His vocals were a little all over the place, but he had great stage presence.  I'm interested to see what else he will do this season.


Aaron Kelly "Here Comes Goodbye"
I'm not sure what the judges were talking about here.  His vocals were consistently underpitch.  It's a shame he's on now, and I know I've said this before, but the poor kid's voice hasn't finished changing.  It's going to sound completely different in 5 years.  I felt like I could hear this performance at any karaoke competition at any Midwestern fair.


Jermaine Sellers "Get Here"
I think Jermaine may have a chance, along with Todrick, to be the first viable African-American male artist (since Ruben) to come out of American Idol.  He was a little overblown, but if he follows the judges advice and picks some neo-soul songs, he could have some amazing performances with that voice.


Tim Urban "Apologize"
I didn't know it was legal to let Zac Efron compete...that's really all I have to say about Tim.


Joe Munoz "You and I"
I really like this guy!  His voice is well-controlled and OMG! he stayed on pitch through the whole song!  (It saddens me that when watching a SINGING COMPETITION the singers cannot consistently sing on the correct pitches...and pitchy is NOT a musical term :( ) Anyways, he was good. And I disagree that this wasn't a good song choice.  I think it showed off his voice well.  I liked the little Latin vibe he gave to it, too.  It would be cool to hear him sing in Spanish. He could be this seasons' Kris Allen...(I spied a guitar in his clip package AND he sang Man In The Mirror...)


Tyler Grady "American Woman"
I just am not feeling this guy.  I didn't really get a sense of his voice with that performance.  Can he sing? I don't know.  And where would he fit on modern radio?


Lee Dewyze "Chasing Cars"
Is it too soon since David Cook's season to have a clone?  I like Lee's voice and his Midwestern boyish charm.  But that song didn't showcase him enough.  And he's too much like David Cook.  Let's hope they give him a Cookified makeover too...


John Park "God Bless The Child"
Um, John...you are basically on a TV show, setting you up to be a viable recording artist, and you pick this song?!  Where would you hear this on the radio?  You have a beautiful voice.  Pick something that's going to let you be the R&B artist lurking inside. Even Michael Buble is cooler than that...


Michael Lynche "This Love"
Wow, more about the baby?  We haven't heard enough?  Anyway, this was ok...he's a boring singer.


Alex Lambert "What A Wonderful World"
Alex is awkwardly adorable.  He's soooo young!  But he can sing!  He picked a great song to show that off.  It's going to be an uncomfortable ride watching him, but if he grows and gets more confident, what a story that will be!


Casey James "Heaven"
I just don't get it with this guy.  Yes, he's disarmingly charming.  He's cute, but not as !!!!!!!ELEVENTY!!!111 Hot as Kara makes him out to be.  He has a decent voice.  I have to give him props for making it through that performance...the judges were so unfair in their behavior with him.  I can't imagine them being allowed to treat a female contestant the same way.


Andrew Garcia "Sugar, We're Goin Down"
This was an interesting arrangement.  But no doubt, Andrew can sing.  He and Todrick are going to make this season interesting, at least...I'm still reserving judgement until I hear what kind of an artist he really would be...


Underwhelming, all of it....sad, so sad...

Here We Go!! Top 12 Girls...

What an unimpressive night...why do the girls always disappoint on this show? (Not looking at you Kelly Clarkson or Allison Iraheta :) )  Nerves and anxiety totally got the better of all 12 of these girls.  Alright, here we go...

Paige Miles "All Right Now"
It's hard to do a song justice that's already been done on the show.  This song was David Cook's second week song, the one that established him as the resident rocker.  Paige did a'ight as Randy would say.  I like her tone.  We've barely gotten to hear her sing up until this point, so I think she did herself justice, given she was nervous as hell. She got a little shouty, but showed off her big voice.  I think she's safe.


Ashley Rodriguez "Happy"
Ugh I do not like this song.  There are much better Leona Lewis songs if she wants to be labeled a wannabe...I don't get anything original off of her.  She hit some really bunky notes.  If she sticks around she definitely needs to follow the judges advice and figure out a way to stand out.


Janell Wheeler "What About Love"
This song was way too big for her.  All of these skinny blondes look and sound alike. I don't see how they won't cancel each other out, unless they have a stand apart performance.  This was not that, at all.


Lilly Scott "Fixing A Hole"
I was a little worried when she picked a Beatles song, but this was a good choice.  It's not a crazy famous Beatles song, so she could make it her own...and she did.  I like her voice. I think she stands out from the other blondes with guitars.  She needs to watch her lower range.  She doesn't feel comfortable down there.


Katelyn Epperly "Oh, Darling"
Holy too much make-up, Batman!  She looks terrible!  Is she going for the rock n roll flapper look?  I don't get it?  I liked the song.  I like her voice.  We haven't gotten to hear much from her, so I think this was a good first effort on the big stage.  I wish she could've pulled out her A Fine Frenzy cover and play the piano...


Haeley Vaughn "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
Oh, Haeley...you're so cute....and you can't sing...poor thing...Simon says they want to find a Taylor Swift this season? Well, I think they found her.  And I think she's not gonna make it past this week.  That was a mess.  An off-pitch, shrill, breathy mess.



Lacey Brown "Landslide"
Oh, my! Another hot mess!  And I liked Lacey in Hollywood.  Her voice is so unique.  She needed a jazzy song to stand out, not Stevie Nicks. I see how they made her have a sing-off with Megan Joy last year.  They are very similar. I have a feeling it's bye, bye Lacey...



Michelle Delamor "Fallen"
Girl totally showed up Ashely Rodriguez tonight.  She has a much better tone and control.  I thought she did the song justice.  I mean, no one can sing Alicia Keys like Alicia Keys, so....but, how skinny is this girl.  Eat a sandwich, please!



Didi Benami "The Way I Am"
Seriously a copycat performance.  If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't know this wasn't Ingrid Michaelson.  Or Janell Wheeler (other than the fact that Didi can stay in key much better than Janell).  Boring.



Siobhan Magnus "Wicked Game"
What the hell was that?!  So they obviously did have the rights to this for Adam, and he never used them, so instead we get this?  She has find to herself, or she's gone.  Seriously a strange little girl.  She has a good voice, and a big voice, of which they are lacking this season. Her range is giant.  And to the stylists, this was the best you could do?



Crystal Bowersox "Hand In My Pocket"
Not a most original choice, but she handled it well.  Simon's right with the coffee house analogy...she needs to project bigger.  And thank God for teeth whiteners!  She's just a cool chick. She really sounds like the love child of Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge.



Katie Stevens, "Feeling Good"
I love Adam Lambert's cover of this.  I jam out to it all the time.  It's so theatrical, and has a driving beat...I know it's a cover of the Muse version, which I also love, so it's different from what Katie did.  But what's most different is that he sang it well.  Katie, did not.  She was sharp, and pageanty. It started out very throaty.  Nope, didn't like it.  She's blown her frontrunner status, now hasn't she?


Ok, boys, you better bring it tonight, or this season is just, well...sigh

American Idol Season 9 Top 24

Although this blog is supposed to be about my journey through the life of a struggling musician/actor, I've been tossing around writing my own recaps for AI Season 9.  So, as I come up on some fairly big auditions (for me anyway), I thought I toss in some recaps.

Last night, the Season 9 Top 24 was named.  Here are my thoughts...

Girls:

Ashley Rodriguez, 22
Audition Song: "If I Ain't Got You" Alicia Keys
I can't quite put my finger on why I don't like this girl.  She's just a little too polished, maybe.  She also is very generic.

Ashley and her Berklee band, Blaque Lyte (that spelling is annoying)


She also looks too much like Jordin Sparks.


Crystal Bowersox, 24
Audition Song: "Piece Of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
This girl has talent.  Why she chose American Idol, I have no idea, but I'm sure she will make this season interesting.  I know they will clean her up a little, hopefully give her a teeth whitening treatment, cuz man, are those brown front teeth distracting!  She's different from the little jazzy, emotionally fragile girls they chose.

If she performs like this on the show, she'll go far! (and I love her boots)


Didi Benami, 23
Audition Song: "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
The love child of Megan Joy and Brooke White.  Emotionally fragile, jazzy, beautiful, and blonde.  She's been getting a lot of producer pimping...we'll see how she handles this...A little controversy that she has ties to a frequent Kara co-writer...a few peeps are calling her a plant...

This is the only pre-Idol video I could find, so not sure how she sings outside the pressure of Idol...




Haeley Vaughn, 16
Audition song: "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood

She's cute, she wants to be a black country superstar...she knows who she is, which is unusual for someone that young, and we all know how well that worked out for Allison Iraheta (buy her album, Just Like You).  The problem with Haeley, she sings more like Taylor Swift...that's not gonna work on AI.

Here's her 1st Hollywood song.  Not surprising she doesn't have many vids up...


Janell Wheeler, 24
Audition Song: "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals
I don't like her.  I don't like her voice, I don't like her image, I don't like her boyfriend, Tim Tebow.

This could be on Gokey's album...inspirational shlock...


Katelyn Epperly, 19
Audition Song: "Syrup and Honey" by Duffy
She couldn't come up with a better backstory than "My parent's are getting divorced"?  Her voice is unremarkable.



Katie Stevens, 17
Audition Song: "At Last" by Etta James
Another one who has everyone's backstory...I have a sick grandma...Being touted as a wonderkind...She has a big voice...I won't write her off until I actually see her perform.

She could be Diana DeGarmo 2.0.


Lacey Brown, 24
Audition Song: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
LOVE HER!!!! I can't believe they picked Megan Joy over her last year!  Her voice is so unique.  She has very unusual phrasing.  I can't wait to see what she does on the show.

Skip to 1:40 to hear her sing.


Lilly Scott, 20
Audition Song: not aired
I love this girl too!  Her voice is outstanding.  Not much else to say.



Michelle Delamor, 22
Audition Song: not aired
Not sure what to think of this girl, since we haven't heard her sing a note...cannon fodder?

I assume this is her...she can sing...sounds a lot like Ashely Rodriguez...


Paige Miles, 24
Audition Song: not aired
Another one that they have barely shown...seems to have a strong alto...



Siobhan Magnus, 19
Audition Song: not aired
This girl needs a stylist bad!  She's cute and has a strong rock belt.

Hopefully her voice has grown since she played Belle...


Guys:

Aaron Kelly, 16
Audition Song: "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
Oh, Aaron Kelly...If only they'd told you to come back in two years once your voice finished changing.  As of  right now, you have absolutely no chance of winning this...you are not Archuleta 2.0, as much as they want you to be...



Alex Lambert, 19
Audition Song: not aired
Oh, you of the glittery last name, you are cannon fodder...with your ukelele.  Sorry, that's already been done by Mr. Castro...



Andrew Garcia, 24
Audition Song: "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5
Already controversial, a bit Gokey-like, but he seems more genuine, in his reactions and in his musician-ship...but at this point in the season last year, Gokey was still tolerable to me...so we'll see...His youtube vids are fun.

I love this girl he's singing with too...




Casey James, 27
Audition Song: "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer
Um, he stripped in his audition, has numerous drunk driving convictions, and is total frau-bait.  He is talented, but looks like a mash-up of Bo Bice and Bucky Covington...I'm sure he'll make the tour...



Jermaine Sellers, 26
Audition Song: "One of Us" by Joan Osbourne
He was on BET's Sunday's Best, has a tendency to oversing, but this could be his chance to make it big in the gospel world...hey, it worked for Mandisa...



Joe Munoz, 20
Audition Song: not aired
This season's Who?  They've shown nothing of him...didn't even know he existed til they named him to the top 24...cannon fodder? Or Kris Allen?

If this is him, why were they keeping him a secret?  A lot of melisma, but in there is a good voice...if this is him...


John Park, 21
Audition Song: "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" by Donny Hathaway
LOVE HIM!!! A true, pure baritone.  He's cute.  Already, call me a ParkBench already...I hope he's not Anoop 2.0 and burns out...



Lee DeWyze, 23
Audition Song: "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
Could be David Cook, could be gone next week...He seems like a good ol' Midwestern boy.  That's a easy way to charm the audience.  Worked well for Cookie and Kris Allen...



Micheal Lynche, 26
Audition Song: "Unchained Melody" by The Everly Brothers
I could go either way...he seems like a nice guy, kinda boring...His wife had a baby while he was in Hollywood, which guys in Iraq and Afganistan do all the time, except they are in a war, not trying to get on a reality tv show...



Tim Urban, 20
Audition Song:  not aired
Didn't originally make the Top 24, but because Chris Golightly made a big mistake, he gets to be on the show...I didn't like his David Cook cover, his vocals seem weak, but I can see the teen girls loving him...



Todrick Hall, 24
Audition Song: Original song by Todrick
Oh Todrick, of your child-scamming, back-flipping, and Oprah pic ways.  You self-professed non-trained dancer...we'll see, sir, we'll see...



I guess this is from the musical he wrote...


From his other musical "CinderellaROCK".


Tyler Grady, 20
Audition Song: "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
He's got a 70's vibe that fits in well with what Adam Lambert started last season.  He already has a frau fan group, The Grady Bunch, gross.  Poor, poor Tyler...



When it comes down to it, I vote for who's album I would buy.  It's gonna be a season, that's for sure...