Down to Seven. Or Eight.

Monday Night was Judges Choice where the judges pick three options and the Idolist decides on the one they want. I like this. The judges used their judgment in terms of what kinds of songs will best help the Idolist to compete but the ultimate decision belongs to the Idolist. It simulates the real world where, if they get a record deal, they will get presented with songs and then will have to decide which ones best represent the artist they are wanting to portray[1].

And by the way, the song choices were consistently spot on.

Let’s have a look at how I graded the Idolists on Sunday night In order of performance.

• A – Superior
• B – Good, often meaning positive moments out-weighed negative ones
• C – Meh, nothing memorable or distinctive
• D – Ugh
• F – A Gots-to-Go Situation

Zachariah Smith (Wanted Dead or Alive Bon Jovi chosen by Lionel) More classic rock karaoke. D

Haven Madison (Only Exception Paramore chosen by Katy) Finally, an age and message-appropriate song choice (good job Katy!) by Haven. But her performance put me to sleep. C

We´Ani (I Have Nothing Whitney chosen by Luke) OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG A++++++++++++++++++

I loved her interaction with the vocal coaches (shoutout to Adriana McPhee, mother of Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee). We´Ani didn’t want to tackle Whitney – that’s wisdom – but the vocal coaches said, uh, her voice was perfect for Whitney. Perfect for Whitney. Professional vocal coaches[2] said that. Let that sink in.

Oliver Steele (High and Dry Radiohead chosen by Katy) I loved the out-of-the-box song choice, which he interpreted brilliantly. It gave me the vibe of a change-of-pace song at a concert that changed the energy in a very compelling and captivating way. He’s a very talented artist. A

Warren Peay (Colder Weather Zac Brown Band chosen by Lionel) Solid if unoriginal performance. B

IAM Tongi (What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong chosen by Luke) This was his safest, most predictable, and least interesting performance. I also have never liked the song so maybe I’m negatively biased. The uptempo change at the end was clever, though. B

Marybeth Byrd (Wasted on You Morgan Wallen chosen by Lionel) She seems like a lovely woman and a great person to be friends with. Unfortunately, this isn’t a lovely person/great friend contest. C+

Tyson Venegas (Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi chosen by Katy) I don’t know. I can see that Katy picked this song to see if there is an emotional side to Tyson along with his sweet side. And he sang it perfectly. Just too perfectly. It felt paint-by-numbers to me. I just didn’t get real emotion from him. B-

Megan Danielle (Go Rest High On That Mountain Vince Gill chosen by Luke) Megan has such a unique quality to her voice. And she sings with such passion and conviction. I find her captivating. And she’s only going to get better as she matures. B+

Colin Stough (It’s Been Awhile Staind chosen by Katy) Dude. I like this post-grunge rocker version of Colin better than Country Colin. Great song choice, Katy!! He earned his place in the Glory Spot. A-

The results (Tom – Dim the Lights!)

Haven is in????

ZACHARIAH IS IN????? ^%$##^)&)#@

Say goodbye to Marybeth, Tyson, and Oliver. But wait!!!

Oliver is saved (at least for a week) and justice is served. He is the most talented White Guy With Guitar.

My Girl We´Ani remains safe for now. I await the pain of not hearing her name being called to the Top Whatever. That pain is inevitable because Idol.

Next week we get Alanis and Ed Sheeran as guest mentors/judges? That should be awesome.

See you next week. Speaking of Idol guests, if you are looking for some good Idol-related music to listen to, check out Adam Lambert’s excellent interpretation of some of his favorite songs High Drama.

P. S. I am not a Chayce Beckham fan. And I found it curious that he was put on so early into the program. But 85 million Spotify streams of his single 23 are nothing to be dismissive of. So congrats to him on his gold record.

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[1] Although as a new artist spending somebody else’s money to make a record, their freedom to choose is very limited.

[2] Some of the best in the business – and by the business I mean the industry. All of Idol’s music production team are top shelf pros.