American Idol- Top 24 Part 2

Monday was the day of the big eclipse, which people literally freaked out and cried about over television. I thought we had one of those just a few years ago. Either way, there was no chance I would try to look at it. The Men's NCAA Championship game was also on Monday night, and after that was over, I watched a recording of another two hour episode of American Idol from Hawai'i.' While I was watching that late on Monday, I was aware that the Cubs were blowing an 8-0 lead out on the West Coast and would lose, so that was a bit disconcerting but I still ranked all the performances and now, nearly 48 hours later, I will try to remember my thoughts.

For this group, the mentor was Jelly Roll. A year ago, I would not have heard of him and if not for his appearance on Idol's Finale last season, I might not still know much about him. My mother seems to know about all his life and career though from prison to stardom. I will say that he sure knows how to talk and despite his appearance, could be a heck of a politician if he wanted to be. Many people will have been impressed by what they viewed as the sincerity he demonstrated while mentoring these kids.

All things considered, I thought the first group was better than the group that followed.

1. Odell Bunton Jr.- "Uptown Funk"

 

I cannot hear try to come name and not immediately think of Odell Beckham Jr. He was very impressive in the auditions and won a Platinum Ticket. He also has a ton of kids (although apparently with the same wife). Maybe Nick Cannon should be his mentor.

This was an interesting song choice. Odell has an extremely good voice and can probably knock it out of the park doing Gospel or R&B but instead picked a well-known pop song. Perhaps, it was not the best showcase for his voice, but he definitely put his own spin on it and proved he can work a stage also.

2. Elleigh Marie- "Forget You"

 

I thought I could forget all about this song (which also has an alternate title and version) and never have to hear it again. I am not sure why she chose this one for her one chance to win over America. She also looks a little bit younger than 20.

From what I recall, she was a bit off-key at parts. The narration of it is weird also. Is she singing it to the dude who cheated on her or to the other woman? Maybe it made more sense when Cee-Lo sang it. Maybe not.

3. Mackenzie Sol- "Jealous"

I was somewhat surprised when British transplant Mackenzie was chosen as the winner of the final "sing-off" in the last Hollywood episode against annoying Dutch reality star Ziggy. If anything, Ziggy would have made for better television and I envisioned he could have played the polarizing role Nutsa had last season. Also, Ziggy probably won that sing-off, but he did not get the chance to duplicate his sixth place finish from Dutch Idol eight years ago, or whatever it actually was.

Vocally, I thought Mackenzie was alright on this Nick Jonas song and might have done what he intended to do on the falsetto note but it was perhaps not quite exactly American Idol quality. I think Mackenzie is more of a TikTok star than a pop-star in the making, at least until TikTok gets banned.

4. Jennifer Jeffries- "Bruises"

During the auditions, I sort of had mixed feelings regarding the voice of 17 year old Jennifer. She is a very stylized singer and I cannot really think of anybody she sounds like.

For this performance, she debated whether or not she should put the guitar down for the first time, but ultimately she played it. I have to say thought, that I sort of "got" from a vocal standpoint for the first time. She probably does not have a lot of musical versatility and a lot of her performances may wind up sounding very similar, but there is a lot of substance to the grit of her voice. Jennifer will probably not win this show, but she is likely to get better as she gets older.

5. Emmy Russell- "Beautiful Things"

Her backstory is that her "Meemaw" is the country legend Loretta Lynn who passed away in 2022. Also, that Emmy is fighting extreme shyness, despite being around stages and audiences her entire life.

In truth, she sounds nothing like her famous grandmother and the coal miner's great-granddaughter should  not be mistaken for a country singer. Emmy has her own singer-songwriter vibe and I have been very impressed by the tone and purity of her voice. I do not think she would do very well if she tried to belt out a power ballad or sang an upbeat dance number, but what she does, she does very well, and I liked how she sounded on Monday's show.

 

6. Ajii- "Higher"

 

I believe the Brooklyn native Ajii is the first Pakastani-American semifinalist in Idol history. He also comes across as a very genuine guy who has been supportive of his fellow contestants.

His voice and persona also reminds me a bit of another New York, Christian Guardino from a couple seasons ago. I do not know this song that Ajii did but as he started off, I was very impressed by the soulful vocals. Then, it sort of went into a reggae thing that I did not like as much, but he proved he can entertain an audience.

7. Kennedy Reid- "Fancy"

This mortician from Indiana has a name that reminds me of a couple of my least favorite Democrat Senators from years gone by. I was doubtful that Kennedy Reid could get enough votes to break the Idol filibuster, but I may have underestimated her, wig and all.

This was a pretty impressive karaoke-like country performance of a well-known song. I sense that Kennedy pulled out all the stops for this opportunity, and it may be enough to send her to the Top 20.

8. Jack Blocker- "Rainbow"

His whole singing vibe reminds me of a cross between Kris Allen and Phillip Phillips, both of whom won Idol. Jack did not make out of the audition room with two yeses, until the "crew" supposedly intervened and he was given a ticket to Hollywood after all. Now, he is probably going to stick around for at least a couple more weeks.

People will have to get used to the crazy facial contortions he pulls out when emoting vocally. I think he sings decently enough and might be improving at this stage in the competition, although I do not really remember much about this particular song.

9. Roman Collins- "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You"

Roman definitely tried to appeal to older fans in the Idol audience, perhaps with an emphasis on African-Americans by singing this well-known oldie. He has gotten a lot of praise from the judges for being another gospel influenced type of singer. From what I remember, I did not really get the sense that he really "took it to church" on this song.

There is a fine line between being a very good wedding singer and someone who can score big on a singing television competition, and for me, Roman might be more of the former.

10. KBlocks- "Harleys In Hawaii"

I did not know Katy Perry had a song like this. Perhaps, I was better off not knowing. One thing is for sure, KBlocks is very unique (although the night before featured another KB)

She will clearly be a polarizing contestant. Some may love her style and her energy and others may just be very turned off by her whole thing. I might be somewhat in the middle. I tried to find some good things about her vocal performance but large parts of it just sounded very rough. She sort of resembles a young Whoopi Goldberg so maybe KBlocks could do something in the acting world. Being able to sing (for those who think she can) cannot hurt her future ambitions either, but I do not think she will be around for too much longer.

11. Mia Matthews- "Daddy's Hands"

I vaguely remember her, her younger sister, and their mother being a country trio on "The Voice" a few years ago. This year, both sisters tried out for Idol, with their momager close at hand, and made it to Hollywood, although Mia is now the only sibling remaining. 

She was another contestant this season who went for the emotional heartstrings by dedicating a performance to a deceased parent. Vocally, I thought it was kind of mid, as the young folks might say. Others may disagree with me. I believe my mother thought she was the best one in this group. For some reason, I just think she is talented but not quite someone I see as a country star. I actually think the idea of going back to a trio with her sister and mother could work out better.

12. Triston Harper- "God's Country"

One cannot help but be impressed by 15 year old Triston, even if you are not a country music fan. The young Alabama singer is going to be the first really prominent Idol contestant from a Native American background, although it is likely he is also part African-American. In any event, it is hard to see him as anything other than country, from his mature musical stylings to his humble background and earnest demeanor.

There is definitely a Scotty McCreery like chance that Triston will go very far this season. I was pretty impressed by his vocals on this Blake Shelton song, which I had never heard before. He will get a ton of votes for now, although I cannot really see him doing great if he attempts other genres.

Rankings: 

12. Elleigh Marie

11. KBlocks

(should be the two eliminated)

10. Roman Collins

 9. Mia Matthews

 8. Mackenzie Sol

 7. Kennedy Reid

 6. Jack Blocker

 5. Odell Bunton Jr.

 4. Ajii

 3. Triston Harper

 2. Jennifer Jeffries

 1. Emmy Russell

 Predicted Eliminations: 

Elleigh Marie and Roman Collins