I might as well do this blog write-up tonight. I figured it would take too long to watch a recording and pause to make the commentary. I watched tonight's three hour episode, beginning "live", then took a couple of breaks and finished at about 10:40 pm. I am hoping to finish this all by midnight.
Let me begin by saying this was an extremely impressive episode musically. Every single one of the 20 contestant performances were at least "good." Up until nearly the end of the show, I would categorize them all as at least "very good." Maybe it is not such a great idea to have the kids sing in Hawai'i in an outdoor concert when they are basically on vacation mode. They seemed much more focused and on their game tonight (or whenever this was pre-recorded) on the new Big Stage of Idol, which looks a lot like the old one, but I take it is now in a different building.
There was one performance I thought was pretty subpar. That was the one given by last season's winner Noah Thompson and runner-up HunterGirl. The song they did, which is lousy to begin with, is the same one that was Noah's "winners single" at the end of last season. Now, they have having him release it as a duet with HunterGirl. Clearly, Idol wanted her to win and are basically trying to put them off as co-winners. My sense is that Noah did not seem too happy about the whole thing on stage and there was not too much chemistry between the two former contestants.
Twenty singers sang on Sunday's broadcast and six did not get the chance. I did not do too good on my predictions there, but I recognized this season would be harder than ever to predict. Tonight, and into tomorrow morning, voters will select their Top 10 and Monday night's live broadcast will feature all the other 10 also singing and the judges will pick two additional to make a Top 12. Nobody should be surprised if they make it a Top 13 or a Top 14. In any event, there will be a lot of kids who will be eliminated tomorrow night who deserved to go further based on their performances tonight.
Let us begin with Group A from last Sunday and my rankings along with predictions included:
13. Lucy Love
12. Zachariah Smith (predicted elimination)
11. Elise Kristine (predicted elimination)
10. Haven Madison
9. Warren Peay
8. Matt Wilson (predicted elimination)
7. Oliver Steele
6. PJAE
5. Nailyah Serenity
4. Mariah Faith
3. Kaeyra
2. Emma Busse
1. Iam Tongi
1. Zachariah Smith- "I Want To Know What Love Is"
I guess America liked the Little Richard shtick last week after all. In writing about Amory, Mississippi, I must not have realized that is a town that was devastated by the recent tornadoes.
This song by Foreigner is a very good one and it fit Zachariah's musical theater style. It is something you could picture in "Rock of Ages." It was still a bit cheesy but I liked it vocally a lot better than last week. Kicking off a marathon show as the first performer is not optimal though for a contestant trying to get enough votes, especially with the potential of having to split a home state with another contestant.
2. Matt Wilson- "Say You Won't Let Go"
Right off the bat, I am 0 for 2 on my Group A predictions, but at least Matt deserved to advance. I do not know this song and about four hours later, I really do not remember much about it. I thought that Matt sounded good on it but nothing extraordinary. He is a very likable person and easy to root for, but also a bit bland and runs the risk of getting lost in the shuffle.
3. Nailyah Serenity- "Baby Love"
No, not The Supremes' song but some one I had never heard of. Since Nailyah is a psychic, I assume she knew she made it through and would be able to tell us the eventual winner of the season as well.
Stylistically. this was very different than last week's "Loving You" and I thought Nailyah gave another strong performance and showed that she could fit in the contemporary music world. At times, it felt like she was putting a bit too much of an effect on her voice.
4. Warren Peay- "Up There Down Here"
I had forgotten that Warren is a worship leader in his church. Tonight, we learned he turned to religion after having a a bit of a drinking problem in his youth. I am pretty sure he also played guitar on the song. The church aspect could be worth a lot of voter support.
From what I recall, his voice sounded good but can also be a bit tinny at times. He does not really seem like a traditional country singer. Also, it looks like his mustache is growing its own mustache. After the performance, Seacrest came out with a fake beard on his face. In the Simon Cowell era of Idol, we might have definitely heard a comment about that not being the host's first beard.
5. Kaeyra- "Bruises"
The Chicago area native paid homage to her family's Polish roots and the large ethnic group that exists in the region.
Busting out a piano that I do not know if she actually played that much, Kaeyra was so impressive vocally. She has the voice,stage presence, and confidence to go very far on this show and beyond. Hopefully, she will get the chance. The competition is fierce this season, especially among the females.
6. Mariah Faith- "Cry To Me"
Mariah comes across as very genuine in her video packages. Tonight, we learned that she has an African-American grandfather who wears a cowboy hat. That could be helpful with a couple demographics and maybe some will think it is now acceptable for her to have dreadlocks.
This was a good song choice for her. Many may remember this oldie from the movie "Dirty Dancing." She comes across as more of a blues singer than a true country singer. If she advances, that might be a smarter option to try to differentiate herself from a couple other girls. I thought the beginning of this performance was great, but she had some iffy moments towards the end.
7. Iam Tongi- "The Winner Takes It All"
It is definitely not a surprise that Iam has made it and based on the number of video views he had gotten, may be favored to "win it all."
I swear, when he first started playing his guitar, it sounded like he was about to perform the song "Open Arms." I wish that he would have done Journey instead of ABBA. I think it could have been a moment. I was distracted by how much the two songs sound alike musically.
After what seemed like a bit of an awkward start, Iam sounded great as usual. His tone is superb and he does not make vocal mistakes. Much of that might have to do with the fact that he never really tries to belt. It has to be said, that as good as Iam is, it has already felt like we have heard him do these type of tunes before. Can he attempt something more uptempo?
8. Haven Madison- "Mean Girls"
In Hawai'i, I thought Hannah was just ok during more of a youthful somewhat dancey performance. Tonight, she sang a ballad and it was more in her wheelhouse. I think the message behind the song will cause the teenage contestant to make a connection with some other young girls watching. I do not know if this is a worship song, but she made it sound like one, in the tradition of her father, whom I take it must be a pretty big deal in the Christian Contemporary Music world.
In spite of sounding very good for most of the song, she did go somewhat off kilter on a couple of higher notes.
9. Oliver Steele- "Too Soon"
Much of Oliver's backstory has been about his father's health struggles and tonight we learn that his old man has had a bit of a setback recently. He was the first contestant to perform an original song during the voting round of the competition.
To me, this was easily Oliver's best performance. While he does not have a huge voice, he sounded very connected and "current" with his own material. He has made it to the Top 20, but we will find out tomorrow if he is seen as having enough personality to compete with some of the others.
10. Lucy Love- "Boulders"
Last week, I thought that as talented as Lucy is, her attempt at a Tina Turner impersonation was a huge mistake and I did not like her vocals much at all. Still, I expected she would probably get another chance.
Tonight was so different and so much better for her. Singing an original song about struggles in her life, she was inspiring and on her game. Her voice is not a perfect one in regards to hitting every note but I think this was far more of what people would expect and it should get her a lot of votes.
So, that was it for Group A. I expected Elise Kristine who had to perform first last week and had an iffy performance to be passed over and she was. I thought PJAE had a good voice, despite singing a weird song, and deserved to go forward, but that was not to be. It may be that the Idol viewing audience is pretty conservative culturally and did not take a liking to his style. Without a doubt, Emma Busse got a bit robbed because she can sing some pretty impressive notes, but is competing as a Canadian and might have been a bit forgettable.
Tonight, Idol went back to including the names, hometowns, and occupations of the contestants, as they have seemingly always done. I noticed that in Hawai'i, those things were absent from the screen, for whatever reason.
Also, to clear up an error of mine from last week, one of the backup singers is not named Hathaway. I must have gotten mixed up there. I think her last name is instead Withers, but no idea if any relation to Bill.
Moving on to Group B and the episode that aired last Monday:
13. Dawson Wayne (predicted elimination)
12. Hannah Nicolaisen (predicted elimination)
11. Colin Stough
10. Malik Heard
9. Elijah McCormick
8. Olivia Stoli (predicted elimination)
7. Paige Anne
6. Marybeth Byrd
5. Megan Danielle
4. Nutsa
3. Michael Williams
2. Tyson Venegas
1. We Ani
11. Hannah Nicolaisen- "Somebody To Love"
Idol voters gave her another chance after sounding hoarse and a bit subpart in Hawai'i. We were told she had been "very sick" that week and according to published reports, she had Covid right before and had to delay her arrival in the Aloha State. It is a good thing for her that she was able to make it in time. I noticed that Noah Cyrus did not hug her during their mentoring session.
Taking on a well known Queen song, Hannah gave an impressive performance, not the first or last of the evening by someone I thought either deserved to leave or predicted would. In her case, it was both. She cannot belt like some of the other ladies of this season, but at least she can remain in the conversation with them. Maybe there are a lot of Danish-American Idol fans, or maybe, at least on a self-conscious level, conservatives these days are willing to bend over backwards to support a cisgender female athlete.
12. Olivia Soli- "I Surrender"
Last week, it was Mariah Carey. Tonight it was Celine Dion, who did perhaps the most recently best known version of this power ballad. While it was a total guess, my official prediction was that Olivia, who hails from Los Angeles, not a typical Idol hotbed, would go home. I am glad I was wrong.
She sang that thing. Olivia was fearless and hit every note. I do not know many other singers who could have taken this one on and done any better. It might have been "old fashioned" but you have to give her massive props. The Top 20 will have both an Oliver Steele and an Olivia Soli.
13. Marybeth Byrd- "People Pleaser"
I sort of have mixed feelings about this performance. It was very good to be sure as Marybeth performed an original song but I felt her voice was maybe a bit weak in parts. The judges absolutely loved it though and praised her for her artistry. Out of all the females in the competition, MbB seems to have the most traditional country voice. The fact that a couple others may do country but also bring something else to the table could prove to be significant.
14. Michael Williams- "Lose You To Love Me"
Some will debate whether it was a good idea for Michael to cut his hair and stop using a razor. If nothing else, he looks less now like Tom Cruise. He will appeal more to a certain breed of Idol Cougars (and some of their daughters) more than any of the other dudes this season I guess.
Vocally, he sounded good once again as he attempted a Selena Gomez song I had never heard of. His style is very much a throwback soft-rock sort of vibe reminiscent of say Air Supply or Savage Garden. That is not a horrible thing in my opinion. He will probably always sound competent as long as he stays in the competition, but might find it harder to have a "moment."
15. Paige Anne- "Say Something"
Good for Paige Anne for sticking around. The judges had sent her packing, but she got another chance, and is now on a quest to outdo Jon Peter Lewis as Idaho's most successful participant. Also, while I do not know if she is Mormon, the LDS might think she is one of them and thus vote heavily. She is admittedly a superfan of David Archuleta after all (aka "The Macaw" on "The Masked Singer" who along with Sarah Palin was one of the two voices I was able to recognize nearly instantly on that show.)
Paige (if I can use just one name) is young and can definitely belt out some big notes. This is sort of a boring song to begin with though in my view and she changed the arrangement to make it even more boring.
16. Nutsa- "Un-Break My Heart"
However polarizing the young woman from the nation of Georgia might be, America wants to see and hear her some more and I am definitely ok with that. Normally, a young woman from Eastern Europe who came to America in search of fame and fortune would have to marry Donald Trump to get to where Nutsa may wind up.
Last week, it was recommended to Nutsa that she tone down the twerking and whatnot a bit and just sing a ballad while wearing a non-sequiny gown. That is what she proceeded to do and she did it very well. Clearly, she has been working very hard at this music stuff internationally for a very long time. In return, can the USA enter someone in the Eurovision contest?
As good as Nutsa sounded, some notes were not perfect and you can detect just a bit of an accent at times. I definitely hope she makes it through though.
17. Tyson Venegas- "180"
I see this young Canadian as having a lot of potential to win a lot of votes from Americans. While I think there were some issues with his vocal in parts, it was still a very impressive debut for the 17 year old on an original song. If there is a chance for people to buy this song online, I think it might sell pretty well.
Playing piano, Tyson took on the fast-paced cadence of a Jason Mraz type singer. There seemed to be a lot of messages in the song that will speak to young people. I believe he referenced the very current concern of gun violence as well. On some high notes, he got a bit overexcited once again but I think voters might find that more endearing than anything else.
18. Megan Danielle- "Holy Water"
I think this might actually be a legit Christian song and Megan definitely delivered. While she will be categorized as a would be country artist, she has such an impressive and soulful tone to her voice that she is likely to appeal to a much wider audience. Singing CCM music might even be her best bet for the future. Some singers on the evening might have technically nailed all aspects of their performance a bit better, but she definitely made an impact and one that should concern some of her female competition.
19. Colin Stough- "Pretty Heart"
While I thought he was impressive in the audition rounds, he seemed a bit out of his league in Hawai'i and while tonight's performance was far from horrible, he again seemed out of his league. I think Colin realizes as much too and he is the only one who really received any serious criticism from the judges.
Colin is sharing a state and even a town with Zachariah which could be a problem math-wise for both of them despite having extremely different styles and personalities. While Colin definitely needs more time to work on his singing and confidence, the fact of the matter is that he is probably the only pure male country singer (and one who plays guitar at that) on this season, and that is the kind of artist profile that does very well on ABC's Idol. He is certainly the most reminscient of last year's winner Noah Thompson.
20. We Ani- "Skyfall"
Having ranked her first in her group last week, I am definitely glad she made it through and would have been surprised had she not. With Group B though, truly no result would have shocked me.
Once again, We scored big. I do not find this particular song to be that exciting, but she sang the heck out of it and once again demonstrated her musical versatility. I think she will be around for at least a few more weeks and that is a good thing.
To put a close to Group B, the show said goodbye to Dawson Wayne, who seems like a talented guy, but just may have been on the wrong show and the wrong season. I had him ranked last and expected him to be cut. Something tells me that he will not be too distraught by that. Malik Heard and Elijah McCormick also left. The latter had won the "Platinum Ticket" in the auditions, but failed to show that he was superior to the others. The biggest problem for him though from his Hawai'i episode was having to sing first. It also has to be mentioned that both Malik and Elijah are African-American and had to split the non We Ani portion of that demographic. All three of the African-American singers in Group A did advance (and I guess you might also have to count Mariah somewhat as well.)
Now, there are (not counting Mariah) there are four black singers in the Top 20 and I think it will be difficult for more than two of them to make it and thus at least one will probably be selected as a wildcard Finalist. There are also two Asian-Pacific Islander males in the Top 20 but everyone else seems to be white. I do not think there has been an Latino or Latina finalist since Alejandro Aranda. It is going to be a very white season in total, even though most of the racial minorities that do advance will be considered the front-runners.
Finally, while I do not believe anything was ever confirmed directly on the air this season in regards to them, with the elimination of some of the kids from tonight, there does not seem to be an obvious L or G representative (not to mention the B or T or the Q plus) in the Top 20. It would seem to be the first time that has happened in several years. There probably is at least someone in this group of 20 that qualifies , but it is less obvious, at least if somebody has not attempted to delve into their Instagram accounts. The current Idol voting population might indeed be leaning to the right more than ever.
Here are my rankings from Worst to Best and I will include predictions as to whom will make the Top 10. Once again, this was a very strong show across the board and even those who will rank low on this list might be worthy of advancing.
The fact that there are 12 females and 8 males seems significant. The girls this year on a whole are definitely better but it will be interesting to see if the show intervenes to bring about more of a gender balance.
20. Colin Stough
19. Matt Wilson
18. Warren Peay
17. Marybeth Byrd (predict to make Top 10)
16. Zachariah Smith
15. Paige Anne
14. Mariah Faith
13. Haven Madison (predict to make Top 10)
12. Michael Williams (predict to make Top 10)
11. Tyson Venegas (predict to make Top 10)
10. Iam Tongi (predict to make Top 10)
9. Hannah Nicolaisen
8. Nailyah Serenity
7. Nutsa (predict to make Top 10)
6. Lucy Love (predict to make Top 10)
5. Megan Danielle (predict to make Top 10)
4. Oliver Steele
3. Kaeyra (predict to make Top 10)
2. We Ani (predict to make Top 10)
1. Olivia Soli
Tomorrow night (posting on Tuesday), I will judge all 20 performances and note which two singers most deserve to be selected by the judges based on that performance. Looking at my current predictions though, I have seven females and just three males. Six are white, two are black, and two are Asian-Pacific. If somehow, all 10 predictions would be true, I think the judges will try to put Matt and Nailyah in the Top 12. I also think Idol will not be able to stop itself and will try to add Mariah somehow and maybe even someone else too such as one of Colin, Oliver, or Warren. Apologies in advance to Olivia for what might be an unfortunate evening.
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