‘Bout to hand out more grades, boys and girls. I didn’t review my grades from last week so as not to be biased by them. As you will see, I was more generous this week, especially during the second half of the (very long[1]) show.
Coach Jelly Roll’s Group
Jack Blocker Jim Croce You Don’t Mess Around with Jim. It wasn’t bad, but there was nothing to commend about it either, except maybe his energy. I hated the cheesy high note at the end. C+
Mia Matthews Lainey Wilson Wildflowers and Wild Horses. That was a solid, confident performance. Good song choice. She had some pitch issues. I see and hear some potential. B
Mackenzie Sol Lady Gaga I’ll Never Love Again. He wants to have a music career. I wanted to play in the NBA. I wasn’t good enough. Neither is he. Serious pitch issues. I’d fail him, but I’ll give credit for his obvious desire. D
Roman Collins Marvin Sapp Never Would Have Made It. Can I get an amen? And deacons, please pass the offering plate. We’ve had gospel-style singers on Idol before, but I don’t recall one who gave a Sunday morning church choir solo performance. That was awesome. A+
Kennedy Reid The Judds Love Can Build a Bridge. I like her quiet voice but don’t like her loud (screechy) voice. I wish she had stayed in the quiet lane, but it’s an unspoken Idol rule that you must sing loud at some point, even during a quiet song. And can anybody sing on key tonight? Her pitch was all over the place. It makes me wonder if they can’t hear themselves or if it’s inexperience on a big stage. C-
Ajii Audioslave Like a Stone. Bad and loud karaoke. And Chris Cornell (RIP) may not be one of those voices you want to cover. F
Jennifer Jeffries Matt Maeson Grave Digger. I LOVE the grit and soul in her voice, but she hasn’t figured out what to do with it yet as a stage performer. I loved that she didn’t go for a big note. C+
Emmy Russell Want You (original song). [Ed. Note: I am ready to give up on this season. Are there any good Idolists? Also, I am not going to mention pitch problems again. It’s a plague that all the Idolists seem to be suffering from.] The weakness of her voice and performance – nerves? – it left me unsure how good her original song was. I didn’t feel it because I didn’t feel her. C-
Triston Harper H-O-P-E (original song). W-O-W. W-O-W. W-O-W. That got my full attention. I had goosebumps. This kid – 15? Seriously??? – is the real deal. A+
Odell Bunton, Jr. Teddy Swims The Door. Great vocal performance. Great stage performance. Great song choice. Now I can see how he won a Platinum Ticket. He must be a favorite of the judges and Evil Genius Producers (EGPs), seeing as he got The Glory Spot for the first half of the show[2] and was allowed to sing a Teddy Swim song in front of musical guest Teddy Swim! A
[Ed. Note: Triston and Odell had no pitch problems.]
Coach Tori Kelly Group
Kayko Over You (original song) Whoa. That was a star turn. Great original song. Great performance. A
Jordan Anthony Billie Eilish when the party’s over. I get that the EGPs like a good-looking guy with an inspirational backstory. I get that he will get a lot of votes. I heard how much the judges loved him. He didn’t do anything for me. And Billie Eilish isn’t someone who should be covered without extraordinary vocal talent. C
Quintavious Tori Kelly Hollow. Quintavious gives me David Ruffin[3] vibes, but he needs to turn down the dial. He’s a wonderful singer with a terrific voice, but I would have enjoyed his performance more if he started mellower and then built up to the big finish. B
Kaibrienne girl I am now (original song). No, I’m not crying. Something got in my eye. That’s all. OK, so that was a real, raw, tender, emotional HUMAN performance, and it was beautiful. I’ve seen artists struggle with their emotions in live performances when their song hit them a certain way. It’s usually the most memorable moment of their show. A
Nya Ray Charles Georgia on My Mind. Nya has a beautiful voice, but it was cruise-shippy at the start. She got better at the end, but it never felt like she connected to the song’s lyrics. B
Jayna Elise Mariah My All. Quintavious, take note. THAT’S how you start with the burner on low and build to a raging fire. She WORKED that stage, too. I felt like I was at her concert. And I’m not unhappy that she violated my ban on singing Mariah. I hope she stays around and eventually sings Toni Braxton’s Unbreak My Heart. A-
Abi Carter My Chemical Romance Welcome to the Black Parade. Another pretty, tender, emotive performance (see Keibrienne, above). With her own version, she out-emo’ed an emo band. B+
Will Mosely Drake White Makin’ Me Look Good Again. Dang. He is good. Really good. I got nothing else to add. A
McKenna Faith Breinholt Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now. No, I’m not crying! OK, maybe a little. She took a JONI MITCHELL CLASSIC and, as we like to say, made it her own. Yes, Lionel. I was already thinking that Joni needs to hear this. An unfamiliar rendition of a familiar song. Stunning. A+
Julia Gagnon Fantasia I Believe. It was just OK for me, dawg. Sometimes, in The Glory Spot, other Idolists before you steal the glory. B
I always worry about the voting since “America” generally dismisses my Missing Mean Judge perspectives, but I am apprehensive about the voting after a LONG show. The talent in Group 2 was much better than Group 1, but I’m educated-guessing that fewer voters were awake to watch.
Shoutout to guest performer Lauren Spencer-Smith, whose work I was unfamiliar with. I did not watch the COVID season of Idol won by Just Sam, so I missed Lauren, but I will catch up on her brief Idol run on the YouTubes and her current music. I was impressed.
See you soon.
[1] Three hours. Seriously?
[2] Three-hour show? Seriously?
[3] Temptations lead singer for their early hits like My Girl and I Wish It Would Rain.
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