American Idol- Top 14

On Monday evening, American Idol went "live" for the first time, as the Top 20 returned to the studio. As has been the case the past few years, contestants were either told they were "safe" or in the "danger zone." As far as I can recall, none of this was specifically mentioned during the three hour Sunday broadcast. There was then clarity, the Top 10 vote-getters were automatically in the Finals while the remaining 10 would sing to earn four wildcard slots from the judges... er producers, but presented to America as the judges.

 

Anyways, I watched a recording of this two hour show late on Monday and made my rankings then, but did not have time to do a blog. I was also too busy to write this up yesterday, so here I am late on Wednesday night, trying to remember exactly what my thoughts were two nights ago. At least, this will probably make me keep things short.

 

On Sunday, I had predicted whom the Top 14 vote-getters would be, and wish I knew about the Top 10 thing. So, before the singing started, I went into my Sunday rankings and determined new predictions for 10. Here are my Sunday night rankings, with what my "pre-show" predictions were:

 

 

Rankings:

 

20. Josh King (danger)

19. Baylee Littrell (safe)

18. Mattie Pruitt (danger)

17. Drew Ryn (danger)

16. Amanda Barise (danger)

15. Zaylie Windsor (danger)

14. Canaan James Hill (danger)

13. Che (danger)

12. Desmond Roberts (danger)

11. Thunderstorm Artis (safe)

 

10. Olivier Bergeron (danger)

 9. Isaiah Misailegalu (safe)

 8. Slater Nally (safe)

 7. John Foster (safe)

 6. Filo (safe)

 5. Kolbi Jordan (safe)

 4. Breanna Nix (safe)

 3. Victor Solomon (danger)

 2. Jamal Roberts (safe)

 1. Gabby Samone (safe)

 

1,  Kolbi Jordan- "I'm Every Woman"

 

The night before (or whenever it was recorded, Kolbi had to wait until the end of the show to know she was safe. Tonight, she got good news very early, as she was deservedly voted in to what would become the Top 14.

 

Her take on Chaka Khan's anthem was impressive but this is a song that has been done a lot throughout Idol history. While Kolbi has a big, booming voice and brings lots of personality to her performances, it did not really seem like it would be extremely memorable at the end of the night.

 

2. Isaiah Misailegalu- "Sleepwalker"

 

I have found "Samoan Silkk" to be a very good singer since his first audition and was a bit surprised that America did not vote him in, especially considering he was the only Asian-Pacific contestant in the Top 20.

 

My sense was that Isaiah was perhaps surprised or a bit deflated by getting this news and having to "sing for his life."  I do not know the song he did, but he seemed a little off his game at first, and then sort of righted the ship at the end. Would Idol producers feel they needed a less hyped version of recent champion Iam Tongi?

 

3. Drew Ryn- "Million Reasons"

Headed into the Top 20 show, I had considered Drew to be one of the best singers of the bunch. Then, I felt she had an off night in terms of song choice, vocal performance, and demeanor and with Idol being as tough a competition as it is, I was not surprised to see her in danger.

 

This performance of a Lady Gaga song I felt was much better. Dramatically, Drew started off singing from a seated position on the floor before eventually making it on to her two feet. From what I remember, she stayed completely in tune and reminded me why I had liked her. She would need others on the AI team to like her more now though.

 

4. Thunderstorm Artis- "I Love You"

 

While I had him ranked 11th out of a very strong group of 20, I was not at all surprised he had enough votes to make it further. on Monday, T-Storm took the stage without a guitar and with a sort of different look including a sparkly suit and I believe it was also the first time her wore glasses.

 
I do not know this Billie Elish song. Frankly, all her stuff sounds the same to me. From what I recall, Thunderstorm sang it well, as he always does. It seemed perhaps more like something he would have done on "The Voice" for whatever reason. At this point, that is really all I remember.

 

5. Olivier Bergeron- "It's Not My Time"

 

Unlike the last singer, Olivier dressed down from his Sunday Easter outfit. I mentioned on that night that I liked the tone of his voice and his somewhat rocker styler, I would have had him just making a Top 10, but I was not surprised he did not.

 

The dude has really been presented as being immensely intense about this whole thing as his way out of a tough life and all that. I have to say that I thought this performance was a big step down for him. Again, the emotions of it all might have gotten the best of him as I thought he was off vocally at first before showing a little more promise at the end. 

 

6. Filo- "Skyfall"

 

Frankly, he looks better with his hair in a bun. Filo had a good night on Easter and I expected a lot of older Idol voters would gravitate to him, and also perhaps those who appreciated someone who did not give an overly religious performance.

 

On Monday, I thought Filo was even better perhaps. His voice soared on this Adele number and you can tell how committed he is to working a stage. I do not expect Filo to really ever do much on the pop charts, but he definitely has what it takes to entertain large audiences of people who are perhaps his mother's age.

 

7. John Foster- "Neon Moon"

 

No surprise here. John easily deserved to be in the Finals and I had little doubt that country fans and others would put him there, especially after an emotional performance of a self-penned song about the sudden death of a female friend. After singing it, John caught himself crying and then apparently was embarrassed enough to blurt out an expletive. In a way, that was probably a good way to show off his human side, because the 18 year old just seems amazingly poised and perhaps a bit too scripted.

 

Vocally though, he is the real deal, at least in the particular lane he is trying to compete in. John came across as the kind of young country singer that might have been on all kinds of awards shows in the late '80s and early '90s. It is not my kind of music, but he really knows how to sing it.

 

8. Josh King- "Never Gonna Give You Up"

 

Out of everyone who sang on Sunday, I ranked Josh, who seems like a nice enough guy, dead last. Obviously, America was not about to vote him in as one of their ten favorites.

 

On Monday night, Josh had his harmonica on hand and decided to "Rickroll" us all with the legendary Rick Astley classic. I was not overly impressed to say the least. I have heard this particular song sung better live by cheesy '80s parody bands. This was probably a crazy and memorable experience for young Josh, but this had to be the end of the road for Idol, right?

 

9. Mattie Pruitt- "In The Stars"

 

This was the first surprise of the night to me as far as her result.  I had the youngest contestant ranked pretty low and did not think she would get enough votes to get into the Top 14, let alone a Top 10. The fact that Mattie did would probably be very bad news for someone like her fellow teenager Zaylie.

 

A piano was quickly rolled out for Mattie to "sing in celebration" and to start off, I thought she had sounded as good as she had in the voting rounds thus far. Then, though, the parts of her voice that I cannot help but find slightly grating surfaced again. She is very lucky to have gotten this far already.

 

10. Canaan James Hill- "Stand"

 

CJH has a big talent, but I have not been as into him as the show would like me to be. I ranked him a fairly low 14th place heading into this and thought that other African-American singers, who also went gospel that night would do better, perhaps because they sang in better time slots. Alas though, Canaan made it through. He has people. This is going to be bad news later on  for someone like Victor and maybe even Gabby. In thinking about this, it occurred to me that Canaan probably has so many followers on TikTok that are helping him and that can make a huge difference at this part of the competition. I had not even been thinking about that.

 

I have heard this gospel song before, done at a political convention in the past, although I really do not remember offhand which party. Out of everything he has sung in the voting rounds so far, I thought this was maybe Canaan's best.

 

11. Che- "Jealous Guy"

I ranked the British Mr. Chesterman 13th out of 20 the night before. I did not think he would be voted in. I was correct there.

 

Interesting song choice for Che to do this John Lennon solo number. From what I recall, it worked for him and he sang it quite nicely. I just do not know if it was really going to have a huge impact on America watching at home or the judge/Idol powers that be that would decide his fate.

 

12. Baylee Littrell- "All Of Me"

 

While I thought the Backstreet Offspring was improved over his Hawai'i attempt, I still had him as low as 19th place. However, I thought the ways of the Nepo Force would actually have him be among the Top 10 vote finishers. I should be pleased by the fact that he was not.

 

I feel for Baylee. He sort of looks unhappy throughout this entire process. He grew up the child of a multi-millionaire, so it may be hard for many to understand why, but perhaps that is just his personality. I really do not think he should have been on this stage. I could draw comparisons to the young NBA career of Second Round draft pick Bronny Janes, but it is not like Brian Littrell was ever LeBron on the microphone.

 

Anyways, I thought this was Baylee's best vocal. One can certainly make the case that he has improved both times since his first live performance for America. Still though, he is not nearly on par vocally with everyone else this season, with the exception of Josh.

 

13. Desmond Roberts- "Titanium"

 

I had him 12th on Easter and did not think he would get enough votes. That was indeed the case. Considering the very strong roster this season of black male singers, this was a tough position for Desmond to be in, regardless of how talented he may be.

 

Then, he sang a Sia song on piano and I have to give it up. I thought it was extremely good. Lionel Richie told hm he needs to be more "simple" in his performances but I disagree. What I have liked about Desmond, who might have some gravitas on all of this as a music teacher, is that he is so versatile musically. It seems like all of his performances, even going back to Hollywood Week, have been different stylistically and he is at least credible in all of those genres. This was definitely his best though. Would it be enough?

 

14. Breanna Nix- "The Show Must Go On"

 

Apparently, Emerson's mother has to bat down a rumor already that she has been signed to a record label and is quitting the show. I expect her to be on for a very long time this season. Perhaps, she may name future kids Lake and Palmer. I had her ranked very highly from the night before and would not at all be surprised if she had the highest total of votes.

 

On Monday night, Breanna seemed much more comfortable in front of the cameras and seemed to be having a good time. Her choice to a Queen song was also a bit of a departure from the religious oriented stuff she has been doing and I believe she had on black nailpolish and everything.

 

Clearly excited about making it through, Breanna may not have had her best performance on what was technically just an exhibition. This can be a powerful and emotional ballad, but as Breanna was walking around the audience and engaging with them, it seemed like she did not sing all the lyrics at times directly into the microphone. Still though, it was very good.

 

15. Zaylie Windors- "Still Into You"

 

I had her ranked 15th and though that maybe she could get voted into a Top 14, but not a Top 10. That is what happened.

 

The guitar playing teenager has a different musical vibe than anyone else this season that I thought could appeal to people if she gained some more Idol experience, but on this Paramore song, I thought Zaylie fell short. She was definitely disappointed with the result and the comments from the judges after the performance, (I believe it was Carrie) pretty much made it clear they would not be putting her forward. (If not for Mattie making it through, I think Zaylie might have been picked for a wildcard) and you can see the disappointment in Zaylie's face. Live television can be tough.

 

16. Jamal Roberts- "Try A Little Tenderness"

 

There should be definite relief among fans of Idol merit that Jamal had enough votes to advance.  I believe he has consistently been the best male singer and thought he would get the votes, but could not be certain.

 

There is definitely a theme though to Jamal's performances. He seems to be opting for the same jacket sans shirt outfit each week and keeps picking songs in which he begins by demonstrating his smooth R&B vocals and then ramping up into some very impressive and intense shouting and footwork. It is a good trick, but he cannot do it every week, can he? This particular Otis Redding song is like the pinnacle for that kind of performance, so I guess it is good he got it out of the way. It was another great job.

 

17. Slater Nally- "This Ain't It"

 

I had him ranked eighth the night before and was very confident he would be voted in. That is what happened, as was the case with fellow country teenager John, whom I feel like I have had ranked closely along with Slater each time thus far. They are competing for the same kind of vote, but are very different in terms of musical style, personality on camera, and the fact that John would be considered the more conventional better looking of the two. Somehow, I have a feeling both will wind up in the Final Four and whether he will deserve it or not, Slater might possibly be a strong bet to eventually win.

 

I do not know this song by Jason Isbell but it seemed to be very much up Slater's alley. He was out there jamming with the Idol band and playing electric guitar and singing quite credibly. When he is singing at least, Slater does seem to have a ton of confidence and I think he is pretty different than all the young country dudes that have been on Idol in recent years. As he was happily walking to the safety couches, he apparently took a nasty fall that luckily for him was not seen on camera.

 

18. Victor Solomon- "Staying Alive"

When there are three contestants left backstage, you can be certain the next person is going to be in "danger" and the other two will be dramatically paired against each other shortly. I thought Victor's gospel number was great on Sunday but was not surprised he did not have the votes, especially since Canaan and Jamal got into the Top Ten.

This was really interesting in a few ways. Victor did country in Hawai'i, then gospel on Easter, and now was doing disco to try to get a wildcard. I mentioned in the last entry that there was not an obviously gay contestant this year, but sort of maybe wondered a bit regarding Victor on Monday during this performance. It would also explain some of his fashion choices. In any event, Victor worked the stage on this well-known Bee Gee's song and then managed to turn it into gospel towards the end anyway. I thought it was really good, though not as good as the night before.

 

19. Gabby Samone- "Don't Rain On My Parade"

 

So, here we were. Gabby and Amanda. I had Gabby ranked at the very top the night before. (She is also my parents' favorite thus far.)  It may not have been the biggest shock ever if she fell short of the votes, but I was very happy she got in. I really want to see what else she would do on the Idol stage.

 

Perhaps, I did not expect a Broadway-ish Barbra Streisand tribute, That is not exactly my musical cup of tea but Gabby still worked it out, as Randy Jackson might have said back in the day. She is immensely talented and apparently is a fan of Barbra as well as Celine Dion, whom she has also covered. Come to think of it, she also did a Broadway song the night before. These factors are leading me to believe she probably is not going to get into the Final Four, but she will have appeal to a lot of older voters, black and white alike.

 

20. Amanda Barise- "Ain't No Way"

 

So, the African-American Gabby sang a Barbra Streisand showtune and Amanda with her extensive experience in musical theater did Aretha Franklin.

 

Amanda has been hyped up by the show as one of the season's best singers. I have not necessarily felt the same. I had her ranked a very mediocre 16th the previous night and was nor surprised she would not get enough votes.

 

This was well crafted by the producers though. Amanda brought her A game on "Ain't No Way" and if I was seeing her for the first time, I would have definitely gotten the hype. She brought out all sorts of vocal tricks and as far as television drama goes, this worked immensely. I thought she sounded great and they might as well have told her right then and there that she was going to the Top 14.

 

Rankings for all from worst to best:

 

20. Josh King

19. Zaylie Windsor

18. Olivier Bergeron

17. Baylee Littrell

16. Mattie Pruitt (already safe)

15. Isaiah Misailegalu

14. Thunderstorm Artis (already safe)

13. Canaan James Hill (already Safe)

12. Victor Solomon

11. Che

10. Slater Nally (already safe)

 9. John Foster (already safe)

 8. Breanna Nix (already safe)

 7. Kolbi Jordan (already safe)

 6.  Filo (already safe)

 5. Gabby Samone (already safe)

 4. Drew Ryn

 3. Desmond Roberts

 2. Jamal Roberts (already safe)

 1. Amanda Barise

 

Who should have been selected as wildcards: Amanda Barise, Desmond Roberts, Drew Ryn, Che

 

During the final commercial break, I predicted what the judges would announce. I felt fairly confident that Amanda and Desmond would get what they deserved from their performances that evening. In past seasons, Idol needed to do a bit of DEI in order to make the Top 14 a bit less white. This season, that would not really be necessary,. African-Americans were already well-represented in the Top 10, but in what feels like an Idol development, there are no Latinos, and Isaiah the only possibility for an Asian-American. Also, while the disparity between males and females was not as wide as I thought it might be, I believed Idol would choose at least two additional females to round up the Top 14.

 

Perhaps hoping for the best, I thought they might choose Drew, whom I believe was deserving. The final spot was harder to predict, I thought it would go to a guy "underdog" and started thinking about Che, making it the exact four I would have chosen.  Then, it hit me, that it would probably be Olivier.

 

Who was selected as wildcards: Amanda Barise, Desmond Roberts, Che, Josh King

 

They were not announced in that particular order, but obviously, that was a great result for Amanda and Desmond. I thought Che deserved it also, but not over Drew, who would have brought about a more even gender balance.

 

What really got me agitated though was picking Josh. Why? Why? Why? My prediction of Olivier, who also did not deserve it based on Monday night, would have been easier to accept. For crying out loud, even Baylee deserved it more than Josh. For two nights in a row, and all performances overall, I had Josh ranked dead last.  Reality television is not always fair. I would rather that spot have gone to anyone, as we said goodbye to the eliminated six including folks like Zaylie and Victor who were just too similar to some of the others who were voted into the Top 10.

 

We get a glimpse of Baylee hugging Olivier. They are both off the show now but seem to have gotten close. Both of the guys, in their early 20s, certainly grew up differently. Maybe Baylee's family can help Olivier out a bit.

 

Next week, Idol will be on Sunday and Monday evenings again. I will have to find time to watch both and eventually blog about them. It is a strong group, at least 12 of them. I do not really think Josh or Mattie should be there, but I also note that Mattie was voted directly into America's Top Ten.

 

Looking ahead, I have a feeling the final four could come down to Slater, John, Jamal, and Breanna. Good luck to everyone.