Tonight was brutal, as six of the 20 singers were cut during the very first live “American Idol” of the season.
But the good news is the top 14 is a pretty solid group of singers, with a decent blend of country, R&B, rock, pop and singer-songwriters. The judges — Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan — did a good job again paring down the pool of singers to the most promising artists.
America voted the top 10 and they were largely deserving. Among the early favorites to win this all include pop/rock man Fritz Hager, quirky singer-songwriter Leah Marlene, and country crooner Dan Marshall. I’m not sure she will get near the top but one of my favorite singers overall is Emyrson Flora, while I also adore HunterGirl’s country presence.
With only two hours and 20 performances, “Idol” streamlined the proceedings. They had everyone on stage to save time between live performances. They also had a single judge make comments for just the songs performed by the 10 singers who didn’t get enough votes to automatically move forward.
My predictive qualities were poor, even by my mediocre standards. On Sunday night, I only properly selected two of the six singers who got cut: pop singers Cadence Baker and Jacob Moran. Cadence was decidedly unmemorable, while I found Jacob’s voice less than appealing. Cameron Whitcomb, who I thought would make it through, probably lost the judges a bit with his earlier inability to follow advice. Both Sage and Elli Rowe faced too much female competition despite being very talented. Katyrah Love was overshadowed by Lady K.
Only one of the four remaining Black performers were voted into the top 10 so the judges added two more: early judge favorite Jay Copeland and Mike Parker, a Luke Bryan favorite. The other two the judges selected were Allegra Miles, a talented songwriter who couldn’t be denied, and Tristen Gressette, the only rocker left.
The top 10 vote getters of the top 20 are:
- Ava Maybee (”Cuz I Love You” Lizzo) - A pop/rock performer with a deep voice, Ava jumps from Demi Lovato Sunday night to Lizzo Monday. She has such a full-throated voice and showcases that well again.
- Christian Guardino (”Creep” Radiohead) - After a surprisingly effective “Imagine” Sunday night, he goes a bit over-the-top on this cover. But it’s his style to just bellow so from that perspective, it’s what you would expect from him. He said he relates to that song and feels every word of it.
- Lady K (”Bust Your Windows” Jazmine Sullivan) - Following “Before He Cheats” a week ago, she opts for another cheating song. She has fun with this one.
- HunterGirl (”Vice” Miranda Lambert) - After a superb original Sunday, she covers one of her idols and does it with the proper panache. She has all the makings of a future country star.
- Dan Marshall (”Stuck On You” Lionel Richie) - I haven’t particularly loved him but he actually emotes this one well. There is no doubt he draws a particular “Idol” voter who loves male country singers on the show and could very well land in the top 5 even if his vocals are just meh. Lionel says he knocked it out of the park.
- Leah Marlene (”Wish Her to the Well” original) - She brings back the beret but the glasses are gone - for good? She is just a vibrant presence and a true singer songwriter.
- Nicolina Bozzo (”She Used To Be Mine” Sara Barreilles) - I thought her “Edge of Seventeen” was a whiff but the voters felt differently. She reprises her audition song as Leah did. It’s a smart move. She is able to showcase her big emotive voice in front of a live audience.
- Noah Thompson (”Cover Me Up” Jason Isbell) - No surprise that the other male country singer made it through. He is arguably more interesting than Dan. It’ll be interesting to see who makes it further. He is a natural performer and sells this one.
- Emyrson Flora (“Love in the Dark” Adele) - She reprises a song she sang in Hollywood. She has one of the most interesting voices in the competition and is just mesmerizing. One of my personal top 3.
- Fritz Hager (”Golden” Harry Styles) - He is well positioned for the top 5 and could win the entire competition. He has that type of broad appeal, confidence and star quality.
The four judges’ picks:
- Allegra Miles (“Tainted” original song) - After a disappointing outing with Tom Petty Sunday, she came back with her own song and sang for her life with heart and conviction. She is super talented so she got the edge over the likes of Sage and Elli Rowe.
- Tristen Gressell (“Are You Gonna Go My Way” Lenny Kravitz) - His vocals are just okay but he makes up for it with his showmanship. He is the only hard rocker in the competition so I understand why they chose him.
- Jay Copeland (”Believer” Imagine Dragons) - The Platinum ticket holder didn’t get the votes. His falsetto is just so so but he brings the requisite intensity. He is missing something but it’s hard to identify why because he has the look and the voice to do well. Luke was all praise. There was no doubt the judges would save him and they did. Lionel chose him.
- Mike Parker (“Bed on Fire” Teddy Swims) - He has such a quality voice and he really sold this “sing for your life” performance. Luke lauds his song choice. Not surprisingly, Luke picks him.
The six who didn’t make the cut:
- Cameron Whitcomb (”If It Hadn’t Been For Love” The Steeldrivers) - The man who loves to backflip offers an even more restrained performance following the Black Sabbath cover yesterday and it still works. Katy noted that he actually sang his best ever. Unfortunately, he fell short with the judges.
- Katyrah Love (”Through the Fire” Chaka Khan) - She is a good singer but her Bishop Briggs cover Sunday didn’t really resonate. She did a bit better this time around. But there was no way she was going to make it.
- Cadence Baker (”I’m Your Baby Tonight” Whitney Houston) - She has some pitch issues with this very difficult song but she puts her heart into it. Unfortunately, she lacks any real star quality. Katy says she looks and sounds good and the song fit her well.
- Jacob Moran (”Rise” Katy Perry ) - He is one of my least favorite performers. He reprises his audition song. He looks super nervous but his vocals aren’t half bad. The judges do like him so I’m sure they seriously considered him for one of the judges’ picks.
- Elli Rowe (”All I Want” Kodaline ) - She is definitely a victim of too many good female singers of comparable, if not better, worth. HunterGirl, for instance, is just a wee bit better. She is still a worthy top 20 competitor and this pretty performance proved it. Lionel says that was her best performance but implied that it probably wasn’t enough to get one of the judges’ picks. And he was right.
- Sage (“Brown Eyed Lover” Allen Stone) - I’m a bit surprised she missed the top 10 after her excellent “Rhiannon” Sunday, but there may be one too many similar singers in the top 20. This was another excellent, polished performance. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t pick her.
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