Two big things happened: we got a great Disney night AND I correctly predicted the three eliminatees. Now is where it gets tough though, because we have 7 incredible singers left and only 5 will survive the next night. This is where it gets tricky.
10. Mike Parker- I don’t really know what happened with Mike tonight, as he seemed really off in his pitch and arrangement. I liked what the band was doing, but the vocal didn’t seem to meet their strengths. But I did appreciate Mike not trying to shoehorn a country song into Disney night when he could sing something more meaningful personally. May not have gone home on the biggest high, but I still enjoyed seeing his journey.
9. Lady K- Lady K sounded good, but on Disney night of all nights, missed lyrics are VERY noticeable. She missed a few words and in weird places, and I think it comes down to breath support and not being able to fully sing every word of the phrase without taking a breath. Either that or it was just a weird arrangement. Luckily, some of the pitch issues were fixed. But in a night where most people are delivering at the highest level, Lady K disappointed.
8. Noah Thompson- This was yet another performance that didn’t necessarily have anything wrong with it, but was just SO boring. I love the song, and I love Noah’s voice. But Noah did absolutely nothing new with it, which came across very “karaoke” and ultimately left me wishing he had gone for something a bit bolder.
7. Nicolina- Nicolina was a blast to watch. It’s hard to compare her performance with the rest because this was so different in style and presentation. But for Disney night, I think this was a great way to commit and show a different side while also delivering some great vocals. The last note was rough, but she had sold me to that point to where it didn’t matter much to me.
6. HunterGirl- HunterGirl finally showed a new side to herself and it paid off. It was elegant, soulful, and well sung. Her lower placement on this list is only because EVERYONE else showed up just as much as she did, so it was a pretty stacked night and anyone who ranks lower was still at their A-game.
5. Emyrson Flora- Emyrson was who I predicted to go home, but it’s a shame she went home on what I believe was one of her best live performances of the season. She had some great control, wasn’t too pitchy, and ultimately brought something really wonderful and new to that song. That being said, picking a song from Onward was probably not her best bet for gaining votes. But good on her for not worrying about that and picking the song that felt right to her. It was right.
4. Jay Copeland- Jay continues to grow as an artist, really bringing his all to every vocal nuance and rich texture of his. This was no exception. Not quite as mind-blowing as last week, but rarely any of these performances will quite top it. Stunning work.
3. Christian Guardino- Christian rocked “Circle of Life.” He may have gone so hard that he oversang a BIT at times, doing runs when he didn’t need to. But the runs he DID accomplish were some of the most impressive of the season. He’s a beast of a vocalist, and I think this finally set him back on track to where he was a few weeks ago.
2. Leah Marlene- Leah continues to tear the competition apart. She didn’t do much new with this song, but I don’t necessarily think she needed to, because it was beautiful and stunning and Leah can emote better than most singers I’ve seen in this show’s history. Her emotions alone elevate the songs she sings, which is a huge power that not even the finest vocal gymnasts can master. Another grade A work of hers.
1. Fritz Hager- Fritz did the most to reinvent his song, and it was a great rendition of one of the all-time great Disney songs, “Go the Distance.” He just isn’t missing, delivering at the highest level with each performance. Because this night was jam PACKED with excellent performances, I had a hard time picking my favorite, but when I look back at the entire night, Fritz did the most to stand out and make his performance unlike anything else I had heard. Fritz is an artist, and I’ll say right now, I think he’s the most likely to take the whole dang thing.
With such a great night of performances, I really don’t know who stands higher or lower in America’s voting. I have to imagine Jay may be in the shallowest water only because he’s the last of the “Judges’ saves” left, and the other 6 got voted through every opportunity they had. I think the country vote will really show up for Noah and HunterGirl, though I also think Mike going home could be an indicator that maybe I’m wrong. Fritz and Leah have been my frontrunners for the past few weeks, and I do believe one of them will win. This leaves Christian and Nicolina, two beasts with lots of fans and praises from the judges. Between the two, I think Nicolina has resonated just a tad more with viewers, despite Christian having higher peaks all season. I can’t believe I’m predicting it, but I do think Christian may just be the odd man out.
PREDICTIONS:
Going Into Top 5- Leah Marlene, Fritz Hager, Noah Thompson, HunterGirl, and Nicolina
Two big things happened: we got a great Disney night AND I correctly predicted the three eliminatees. Now is where it gets tough though, because we have 7 incredible singers left and only 5 will survive the next night. This is where it gets tricky.