American Idol- Top 8

Ok. Here we go again with another American Idol Season 21 recap. In a few weeks, this will be over. I am not getting paid to blog about this and I seriously do not think there is anybody else on the internet who is getting as in-depth. I am not posting photos or video links though because that seems like it would take a lot of extra effort. I am considering researching though as how to put the accent mark over the e in We.

I watched a recording of Monday's show, sort of late on Monday, and formulating my rankings immediately after each performance and before anything could be said by the incredibly annoying judges. Katy Perry is getting a ton of bad press this season and I can definitely understand why. She might currently be a more unpopular judge than Clarence Thomas. It would be far greater if more people were actually watching the show. I happen to hope though that out of the two, Justice Thomas is the one who sticks around for as many more seasons as possible.

Now, it is sort of late on Tuesday and I will be going from memory. The format for last night was the same as what they did for the first time last season. The kids all pick from three songs that they are told the judges picked for them. We can assume perhaps they actually have free reign and are not simply told what to sing. Then, they guess who picked their song. (I tended to be more correct than the contestants were on the guessing), and whichever song they picked earns a point for the judge. At the end of the live coast to coast voting, the Bottom Three are revealed and the "winning" judge gets to save someone.

There were some great performances last night and some so-so ones. Nothing was too bad. Most of the songs chosen were emotional ballad types. Political and geographical divides continue to weigh heavily on my mind, perhaps too much, in formulating predictions for how this season will turn out.

1. Zachariah Smith- "Wanted Dead Or Alive"

It is all the same. Only the names have changed. In this case, Zachariah is the second contestant in consecutive nights to sing something off Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" album.

This is what he does best. Once again, it was a full on '80s Tribute. Zachariah sings very well on stage and knows how to entertain a crowd. Many people in the future might definitely pay to see them. As I have said before, they are unlikely to want to buy any original music by him. I just know he is itching to sing "Eye Of The Tiger" before this season is over, probably in a sparkly tiger jacket.

2. Haven Madison- "The Only Exception"

This show has some very good hair and makeup people. Haven sounded very pleasant (would it be wrong to use a "Safe Haven" pun?) on this Paramore song, that is frankly kind of boring. I do not really recall a ton about this. She sounded good but I do not think people would have been blown away.

3.We Ani- "I Have Nothing"

She says she knows this famous Whitney Houston ballad like the "back of my hand" but questions if she should do it because she smartly knows it has been done to death on television singing competitions. Ultimately though, she made the right decision. If you can score with this song, it would be a reality tv crime not to do it.

I happen to thin that Tessanne Chin, several years back on "The Voice" gave the best version of this song I have ever heard, but We may be right there with her. She really is an amazing singer When people sing this, they sort of cruise through the verses a bit, just to get to the big chorus where they unleash the power. On Monday,.We's take on the verses where she was singing more softly was just superb and then she proved she could nail the big notes as well.

After last night, it is more obvious than ever that there are two singers who are just head and shoulders about the others remaining, and We is one of them.

4. Oliver Steele- "High And Dry"

Oliver was given the choice between this song, which I did not know, and two John Mayer songs, I do not really know either. The joke was they were the same two John Mayer songs, once of which was chosen last year, offered up by Luke Bryant and Lionel Richie. That gave Katy Perry a moment to correct the contestant and say that no,she did not pick John Mayer's song because of their past romantic history that everyone should be aware of.

Oliver studied the show well,because he caught on right away (though it would have been funny if Katy did pick one of those songs) and chose to go with the non-Mayer option. The vocals were ok for me. He did not seem to have any issues staying on key.  I recall it being a bit low-key coffee shop, which I assume is the appeal of Oliver to may of his fans. He pretty much gifted a point to Katy though by picking this song. If she won the judges' contest, she would get a chance to repay the favor.

5. Warren Peay- "Colder Weather"

He had the option of singing "Freebird" and did not do so. When you are a singer or a band and are asked to do "Freebird", I thought it was pretty much mandatory.

Anyways, this was probably the right choice. I do not know this song and cannot recall how it went but I remember that Warren perhaps sounded as he good as he had all season.I cannot understand though why someone who otherwise looks like him is embracing the stupid ripped jeans look.

6. Iam Tongi- "What A Wonderful World"

At first, Iam was going to sing and play "More Than Words" by Exreme and I was interested in how that would work out. Instead though, he was persuaded to sing this Louis Armstrong classic. He pointed out that back home in Hawai'i , this song is best known by the ukelele playing Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (thank you cut and paste), a very large singer who sadly died young, and whom many compare Iam to vocally.

 

As usual, Iam's voice was in fine form. I do not think it was his best though. He cannot do wrong in terms of his singing, but the performances feel more and more predictable. Iam just comes across though as a fun-loving guy who everyone probably loves being around (though I do with he would wear socks for once) and thus, nobody is ever going to give him any constructive criticism.

 

7. Marybeth Byrd- "Wasted On You"

Ms. Byrd continued her trend of wearing feathery outfits. I have no doubt the Idol experience is a pressure cooker for these young contestants, and Marybeth really seems to be going through some stuff.

In additional to being an amateur vocal critics, I am also just an amateur psychologist and something seems to be going on with her. It was clear by the lyrics of her original song and the way I have felt she has seemed a bit "off"and disconnected throughout the live performances this season (even going back to Hollywood Week as I recall.) Like all the others, she has a good voice, but I did not think it was on great display on this performance. Either she is a really good actress and was getting into the moody meaning behind the song, or she really is struggling due to something that is going unsaid. For me, it seemed a bit uncomfortable to watch. The judges gave her massive praise for her vocals and vulnerability. What might have been more uncomfortable is how much past winner Chayce Beckham was sweating when he debuted his new song on the stage.

8. Tyson Venegas- "Someone You Loved"

 

I recall that young Tyson was given the choice between three really good songs that were all similar heartbreak ballads. Maybe he should have gone with Bruno Mars. At the moment, I cannot recall what the third song was.

Tyson has so much potential and I wanted him to do well with this song by Lewis Capaldi. He just happened to veer off key at several point and seemed to be rhetorically hanging on for dear life trying to right the ship. If this were not a competition, one could be more likely to say that he did a great job, but I just cannot favorably compare him to the others who did not have pitch issues.

9. Megan Danielle- "Go Rest High On That Mountain"

This was quite a segment. Megan was given a chance to sing a song she had done at her grandfather's funeral. She said she had been avoiding even listening to it since but felt like it was fate for her to sing it on stage, although she was worried about breaking down.

The contesatnt We has a captivating voice and performance skills. Megan is also very compelling in different ways. She has had a series of very strong performances and this felt like a real "moment." I think that no matter what kind of music might be your favorite, there is no way not to appreciate the way Megan sounds when she sings. She scored major points here.

Afterwards, she was pretty emotional in a way that felt completely genuine and I think she also scored points with may viewers even when incorrectly guessing Lionel Richie chose the song, saying that he had always reminded her of her "Papa."

10. Colin Stough- "It's Been A While"

He is going to be tough to get rid of. On Sunday night, I thought he was a bit ordinary. On Monday, I thought he stepped it up in regards to his voice and his emotional connection. Colin,who is only 18, says this song from 2001 reminded him of getting up early and going off to work. That must have been like a few months ago. He seems to intentionally be positioning himself as a "blue collar champion" this season. Who says kids do not understand politics? That narrative has worked at least a couple times before in Idol history.

I saw today how some anti-Colin people are already bending over backwards going through the Mississippi teenager's social media, to I suppose even when he was 12 or 13 to find examples of him doing or saying something considered "racist" or holding up hunting trophies. This sort of thing cost a contestant named Caleb Kennedy a couple years back and he was forced to quit the show. I thought he got a raw deal at the time, but since then, he was involved in a fatal DUI accident.

(Completely unrelated but cannot go unsaid, it was extremely sad when the very talented Willie Spence died in a car accident during the off-season. He had just taken part on the special duet show last season. Also, it was sad to hear of the passing of former finalist C.J. Harris. I believe Willie is the only deceased past Idol contestant the show has ever made mention of,)

 

Here are my rankings:

 

10. Marybeth Byrd

 9. Tyson Venegas

 8. Oliver Steele

 7. Haven Madison

 6. Iam Tongi

 5. Colin Stough

 4. Warren Peay

 3. Zachariah Smith

 2. Megan Danielle

 1. We Ani

Who should have been the Bottom Three: Marybeth Byrd, Tyson Venegas, Oliver Steele

Who I predicted would be the Bottom Three: Marybeth Byrd, Tyson Venegas, Oliver Steele

Who was the Bottom Three: Marybeth Byrd, Tyson Venegas, Oliver Steele

Seriously, I got all of them right. America also agreed with me. That almost never happens.

Katy Perry won the contest though, conveniently by one point, which I seem to think is exactly what happened last season. The whole bit about Luke's unintentional (or maybe intentional) reference to "tying Katy up" when on for too long and parents probably had to find a way to avoid answering questions from their kids about what that was all about (or maybe vice versa.)

So, this was her call. I thought for sure she (or the producers) would save Marybeth Byrd whose performance they practically drooled over. This is in spite of the fact that I had Oliver Steele as the least worst of the three in regards to his vocals on Monday. If anything I thought she would save 17 year old Tyson before mid-twenties Oliver.

Lo and behold, Katy saved Oliver Steele. In theory, I should feel vindicated by that, but it just seemed wrong in some ways. Ms. Perry may have once sung about kissing a girl and liking it, but instead she saved a white guy who plays guitar. He may be gone after the next show, even though his ailing father may be in the audience.

I think Tyson will leave the show grateful for the experience. He is still Canadian though. Maybe they can hold a parade for him there. I really hope Marybeth is ok. Perhaps, she will find peace away from the Idol bubble. If she made it to the Finale, she would have had no choice but to sing Sia's "Bird Set Free."

So, back to politics. There are now eight left. I do not know exactly who the final four will be, but I do know it is far easier for guys to win on Idol than girls. Thus far, the girls are easily more deserving however once again.

We have a very divided country between Red States and Blue States. There is one contestant of each gender that seems most likely to appeal to one portion of the country, both politically and geographically.

Blue States: We and Iam 

Red States: Megan and Colin

Girl power!

Next Sunday,  Canadian Alanis Morrisette will mentor and guest judge as the kids will sing her songs. Joining her at the table will be the very British Ed Sheeran. "Isn't It Ironic, he will be filling in for Lionel, who along with Katy will be in London for the Coronation and the very event that Sheerhan and other British singers said no to. This is quite a well-timed cultural exchange. The only thing that would have made it funnier was if Meghan Markle was the one filling in for Katy.