12. Hannah Everhart- I didn’t like this performance. She ended a whole half-step higher than the music. For non musicians, that means that she was singing the wrong notes in the end. And it showed. She has a confidence and stage presence, but I think she lacks control. This was a disappointing performance, but after that Hollywood week drama with Claudia Conway, I lost a little respect for her. She probably means well, but I haven’t been a fan of hers since that Claudia duet where she basically walked away when she was paired up with someone.
11. Hunter Metts- Chandelier is my favorite pop song. Trent Harmon’s performance of Chandelier on American Idol is my one of my favorite Idol performances of all time. The song shouldn’t be done again on the show, and despite Hunter trying a new take on it, this just wasn’t it. It wasn’t showcasing his voice, it felt like he was holding back, and it ultimately failed to make any impression on me. At least it was better than Hannah’s.
10. Liahona Olayan- Like Hannah, I kinda lost a bit of respect for Liahona after the duet Hollywood round when she totally shut off. I think she has improved since, but I still don’t think I’m really a fan of what she’s doing in terms of her style in this competition. It’s fun, but it doesn’t showcase enough of the actual voice itself, and I worry it won’t read to audiences at home as well as it did live and in person for the judges.
9. Colin Jamieson- Colin had the biggest 180 of the night. I didn’t like his solo (but stay tuned for the next blog, because I LOVED his duet). His solo was a little all over the place. Fun and playful, but a tad messy in vocals, and when he brought the guitar into it, he seemed a bit distracted. Luckily (as I said) he really stepped it up with that duet.
8. Madison Watkins- Madison has a great stage presence, but I worry there are simply better voices in this competition (and we’ll get to that duet soon). Her song was a smart choice being that Justin Bieber is a popular choice. I just think she did good but not great enough to truly stand out in this round. But there were far worse performances tonight, so she’s still in the clear I think.
7. Chayce Beckham- This performance was…good. Chayce has an interesting quality to his voice. I just worry that it’s a bit too “same old, been there done that” type vocal. I want to see him do something new, because it’s getting a tad stale. That being said, his vocal quality itself is really interesting, and I did still think this was stronger than his duet.
6. Caleb Kennedy- I didn’t hate this. I’m not a huge country fan, but Caleb did pick a great song for his voice with this song. I don’t think he’s as strong as some other Idol country stars, but he’s probably my favorite strictly country voice THIS season (but with Cecil and Hannah, is the bar really that high?)…my only thing is…LOSE THE HAT. It shades his eyes. Show your eyes dude!
5. Ava August- Ava had a GREAT showing in this round. I think her take on “Drivers License” was unique and showed a real quality to the star she could be. But stay tuned for my comments about the duet, where she REALLY transformed into a true star overnight.
4. Beane- I love Beane. I know people didn’t love his Dua Lipa song, but I thought he actually did something really interesting with it. I did notice some pitch issues, which felt out of character for Beane, but his actual style and his stage presence are enough to solidify him as a serious contender. He is an artist, and I am really amazed whenever he performs, regardless of how good the vocal is.
3. Jason Warrior- My GOD this was good. Jason kinda came out of nowhere. He had a good showing at his audition, a great showing at his Hollywood week performance, but he truly emerged as a star tonight. I think this may even put him in top 10 contention. This was excellent.
2. Mary Jo Young- Mary Jo was my second favorite solo of the night. She seemed SO confident. I think it’s interesting seeing some people with no experience really crack under pressure, yet Mary Jo embraced it and almost did BETTER with this added pressure. She stepped it up when she needed to, and she emerges as an even bigger contender after this performance. I loved it.
1. Casey Bishop- Casey is a rockstar. Literally. I hope the voters are digging the rock vibe, because I think Casey (especially given her age) completely won the night for me and continues to stand out as one of the show’s best vocalists. This was impeccably good.
Check out my next blog for the duet rankings and my thoughts on their overall chances of advancing to the top 16.
GROUP TWO SOLOS: