By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, March 5, 2015
Nothing too shocking happened tonight. I think the ladies that are considered potential winners (Jax, Tyanna Jones, Sarina-Joi Crowe) continued to impress. Everyone else is just trying to keep up.
Four are out: Shannon Berthiaume, Shi Scott, Lovey James and Katherine Winston.
I correctly predicted three out of four. I thought Alexis Gomez would go home but admittedly, she did do better last week vocally. She took Lovey's spot and was by far the worst singer of the night. She completely bombed and yet was given the pimp spot. That doesn't happen too often. She must have been better during the dress rehearsal.
There is word that a wild-card round will let a few of these women have a shot at a 13th spot. That will be up to the judges, I presume. I hope they give either Lovey or Katherine another chance if need be.
In summary, Shannon is simply out of her depth. Shi is all looks and a limited voice. Lovey picked a bad song for herself last week. Katherine, despite a lovely voice, looks like a bundle of nerves on stage.
My easy favorites tonight were Sarina and Tyanna. The worst was Alexis. My rankings: 1. Sarina 2. Tyanna 3. Loren 4. Jax 5. Adanna 6. Maddie 7. Joey 8. Alexis
Tyanna Jones ("Rockin' Robin" Michael Jackson) - She is so spirited and brings verve and soul to a very lighthearted, age appropriate song. Keith: "The perfect song." HCJ: "It was subtle. It was strong. The biggest question I have in my mind: what can't you sing?"
Grade: A/A-minus
Chances of going to the top 12: Excellent
Loren Lott ("I Wanna Be Where You Are" Michael Jackson) - A lot of positive energy, decent pitch, good performance. JLo: "You really made me smile. You really have something." HCJ: "There's been a high high bar set so far with everyone we've seen make it this far. Based on what I saw, I think you may have nudged that bar higher." Keith: "This Motown catalog is the luckiest for everybody."
Grade: B-plus/A-minus
Chances of going to the top 12: Good
Maddie Walker ("I'll Be There" Jackson 5) - She has a pretty voice and a pretty face but no personality. She's like a stiff pageant singer up there. I don't get it. HCJ: "When you hold those notes, you're dead on but sometimes you're sharp. Think about dynamic range." Keith: "There were some runs in that song you didn't do. They weren't you. You looked a bit nervous. Think about what you're singing and stop thinking of execution. You'll ease into that song." JLo: "It's a difficult song to sing. You did a good job even with the nerves."
Grade: B
Chances of going to the top 12: Okay.
Joey Cook ("Shop Around" The Miracles) - She is who she is. I suspect you like her or not. She does give consistently studied, quirky takes on songs. It's amusing to watch to a degree. But she isn't my cup of tea. Keith: "You make it your own." JLo: "You're so unique." HCJ: "You're so stylized the way you present yourself... I wonder if people will wonder about that hyper stylization."
Grade: B/B-minus
Chances of going to the top 12: I am really not sure
Sarina Joi-Crowe ("You've Really Got a Hold On Me" Miracles)- She is special. On the live stage, she just shines. She connects with the TV audience and sings with maturity and assurance and in this case, a little bit of longing and a little bit of coy sexiness. JLo: "You are probably the best singer here. YOu're super special, super gifted." HCJ: "You have a world class smile... My issue is intonation. You were consistently flat. It's purely discipline." Keith: "The tone of your voice was beautiful."
Grade: A/A-minus
Chances of going to the top 12: Duh!
Adanna Duru ("Hello" Lionel Richie) - She added even more drama to an intrinsically cheesy dramatic song. She does an okay job and the whole "I love you" near the end works fairly well. HCJ: "I give you an A-plus for singing those lyrics. On the flip side, intonation. You know what that means? Singing in tune. The whole thing was out of tune." JLo: "I like that. I didn't love it."
Grade: B-plus
Chances of going through: Maybe
Jax ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell) - She loves jazzing songs up and this is very slinky and stripped down. Keith: "You have such strong artistry." JLo: "You're already one of the favorites in the competition. You have to be careful. Yes, you want to take it so far. That song didn't work for me in that way." HCJ: "Unbelievable charisma. You have to sing songs that will get you through. It's a great song but that arrangement was dull."
Grade: B-plus/A-minus
Chances of going through: solid
Alexis Gomez ("I Can't Help Myself" Four Tops) - She just proved why it should have been Lovey James! She was off key, off pitch, off everything. She moved around the stage well but somehow, this was dang awful. JLo: "It was out of key, it even bothered me." (And she has a higher tolerance for intonation that HCJ.) HJC: "You deserve to be here. But what's really important, generally speaking, you have to figure out how to control yourself emotionally. You have to settle down and do your thing." Keith: "I like the bare feet. Good call. Song choice will be everything. That was not a good song choice."
Grade: D-plus/C-minus
Chances of going through: Pimp spot might help her but not good
The ratings for last night's episode were disappointing. And the show has tended to do worse on Thursdays. "Survivor" beat "Idol" 9.77 million vs. 8.89 million and beat "Idol" among 18-49 year olds 2.3 to 2.1. ABC's "The Middle" actually beat "Idol" in the 18-49 demo at 2.2 but drew slightly fewer viewers at 8.2 million. A clip show of "The Voice" almost beat "Idol" at 8.6 million and tied in 18-49 demo at 2.1. That was what I call obnoxious (or shrewd) counter-programming on the part of NBC, knocking at least 0.5 off of "Idol's 18-49 rating.
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