The Season 11 Top 12 finalists opened the show with a very fun group performance of the Bruno Mars track Runaway Baby. It was great to see Colton, Deandre, Skylar and Hollie out there showing off what they can do.
Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison.
The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....
Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.
Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.
Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.
Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.
Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!
Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.
Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb
Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.
Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!
He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.
Showing posts with label Chaka Khan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaka Khan. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Top 10 sing R&B Soul
Hit making R&B superstar, Usher, shared his musical words of wisdom with the top 10 finalists this week.
Siobhan Magnus did her best to work her magic on Chaka Khan's Through The Fire. Her vocals were just as strong as usual, but there was a noticeable difference in her confidence. It looks like even the most talented finalists get worried about performing first.
Casey James brought his usual good guy persona to Sam & Dave's Hold On! I'm A Comin' that hit #21 in 1966. It looks like Casey is going to do pretty much the same thing every week. It appears he has no interest in growing as an artist.
Michael Lynche introduced the audience to the India Arie track Ready For Love. It was sweet and sensitive to the point of being quite boring, but the vocals were clear and strong. People may be interested in hearing this song again...
Didi Benami stood center stage in a glittery gown to perform Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted that hit #7 in 1966. She looked quite beautiful clearly showing that she has no interest in being pigeonholed in one musical category. She wants to take risks and try different things and she doesn't care what people think. Her voice is strong and she showed it off well tonight.
Tim Urban actually hit some good notes in his performance of Anita Baker's #8 hit from 1986, Sweet Love. So in this case, in combination with his adorable good looks there are sure to be numerous fans who are very pleased out there.
Andrew Garcia is so stuck in trying to recreate his past glory that he thought sucking the life out of Chris Brown's fun dance floor jam Forever that peaked at #2 in 2008 would win us over. His drippy acoustic version completely fell flat with weak vocals and no personality.
Katie Stevens tried to keep herself out of the bottom three this week by taking on Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools that hit #2 in 1967. She looked cute, fresh and young and sounded pretty good, but she still hasn't really lived up to her potential yet.
Lee Dewyze showed some unexpected vocal range with his version of the 1971 #3 hit Treat Her Like A Lady by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Now keep in my that there was only some vocal range, most of it was still his tired old generic rock guy rasping. Being merely good should not pass for something earth shattering...
Crystal Bowersox showed everyone what it means to keep growing as an artist with her fantastic version of the classic #1 smash by Gladys Knight and the Pips from 1973, Midnight Train To Georgia. She sat at the piano instead of using her guitar and her voice was even better than usual. She looked fabulous in her stilettos as well!
Aaron Kelly can sing Bill Withers #3 hit from 1971 Ain't No Sunshine all he wants, but he's still a pixie little kid trying to be taken seriously. His voice simply isn't good enough to overcome his shortcomings.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly. This week should finally be the time when Andrew Garcia goes home.
Siobhan Magnus did her best to work her magic on Chaka Khan's Through The Fire. Her vocals were just as strong as usual, but there was a noticeable difference in her confidence. It looks like even the most talented finalists get worried about performing first.
Casey James brought his usual good guy persona to Sam & Dave's Hold On! I'm A Comin' that hit #21 in 1966. It looks like Casey is going to do pretty much the same thing every week. It appears he has no interest in growing as an artist.
Michael Lynche introduced the audience to the India Arie track Ready For Love. It was sweet and sensitive to the point of being quite boring, but the vocals were clear and strong. People may be interested in hearing this song again...
Didi Benami stood center stage in a glittery gown to perform Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted that hit #7 in 1966. She looked quite beautiful clearly showing that she has no interest in being pigeonholed in one musical category. She wants to take risks and try different things and she doesn't care what people think. Her voice is strong and she showed it off well tonight.
Tim Urban actually hit some good notes in his performance of Anita Baker's #8 hit from 1986, Sweet Love. So in this case, in combination with his adorable good looks there are sure to be numerous fans who are very pleased out there.
Andrew Garcia is so stuck in trying to recreate his past glory that he thought sucking the life out of Chris Brown's fun dance floor jam Forever that peaked at #2 in 2008 would win us over. His drippy acoustic version completely fell flat with weak vocals and no personality.
Katie Stevens tried to keep herself out of the bottom three this week by taking on Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools that hit #2 in 1967. She looked cute, fresh and young and sounded pretty good, but she still hasn't really lived up to her potential yet.
Lee Dewyze showed some unexpected vocal range with his version of the 1971 #3 hit Treat Her Like A Lady by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Now keep in my that there was only some vocal range, most of it was still his tired old generic rock guy rasping. Being merely good should not pass for something earth shattering...
Crystal Bowersox showed everyone what it means to keep growing as an artist with her fantastic version of the classic #1 smash by Gladys Knight and the Pips from 1973, Midnight Train To Georgia. She sat at the piano instead of using her guitar and her voice was even better than usual. She looked fabulous in her stilettos as well!
Aaron Kelly can sing Bill Withers #3 hit from 1971 Ain't No Sunshine all he wants, but he's still a pixie little kid trying to be taken seriously. His voice simply isn't good enough to overcome his shortcomings.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly. This week should finally be the time when Andrew Garcia goes home.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Top 7 sing DISCO!!!
With no celebrity mentor to introduce and seemingly in an effort to try and get all the performances done on time the disco party got started immediately:
Lil Rounds has an outstanding voice and a great look and style. Every week she has demonstrated that she has a natural vocal talent. Unfortunately, she has not found a way to showcase that talent with her unique and personal stamp. Tonight she sang the anthem I'm Every Woman, that Chaka Khan took to #21 in 1978 and Lil once again transformed herself into just another disco diva rather than a spotlight superstar. And I didn't put this prediction in writing, but at the lunch table last Thursday I successfully predicted her song selection for tonight's theme!
While the disco era had already reached its end at the start of the 1980's, the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, was still having big hits like She Works Hard For The Money that hit #3 in 1983. Kris Allen sat with his guitar and rearranged this song into a Latin flavored festival of fun. This risky interpretation totally worked. He showed that he isn't going to be lazy and rely on his good looks to coast through the competition. Even though he doesn't have the greatest voice in the world, he's showing off that he does have some impressive talent behind that pretty face.
Earth Wind and Fire took September to #8 in 1978. What a nightmare that Danny Gokey decided to take on this fantastic song and add his dreadful vocals to it. Making it even worse was having to watch the awkward and clumsy train wreck happen on stage as he fumbled from one side to the other.
In 1979 when Donna Summer spent three weeks at #1 with Hot Stuff, it was always regarded as her successful fusion of rock and disco. Alison Iraheta took that hard rock spirit one step further and blew the roof off the American Idol stage. She stayed true to her personal style and showed off her great raspy vocals while dressed in a fabulous glittery ensemble.
Yvonne Elliman's version of If I Can't Have You, that spent one week at #1 in 1978 came from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that completely defined the disco era. Adam Lambert threw the original BeeGees production out the window and gave us yet another outstanding and exceptional performance. He stood in a spotlight center stage and performed it as a vulnerable ballad. Every lyric was an expression of raw emotion. Every note was clear and pure. And to top off all of that, he looked incredibly handsome and polished like an American Idol winner.
Matt Giraud was the lowest vote getter last week and he shouldn't even be here tonight. But since the judges had some kind of aneurysm and decided to save him we had to suffer through his sloppy version of the BeeGees huge smash, Stayin Alive, that spent four weeks at #1 in 1977. His vocals were just as flat and bland as we would expect them to be. His dance moves were silly and unoriginal. Matt has already peaked in this competition. He has nothing new or interesting to show us.
Donna Summer hit #2 in 1979 with Dim All The Lights. Anoop Desai completely butchered the arrangement of the song by slowing it down from the uptempo original. His vocals were done as though he was singing a lullaby. Anoop once again showed that he has absolutely no stage presence whatsoever. This was just as bland and boring as usual. Not even his pink sweater could save the audience from falling asleep.
Where are the judges coming from as they continue to shower praise on Danny Gokey and save Matt Giraud? Who do they think is going to buy their albums? Don't they remember Taylor Hicks? The best performances of the night came from Allison and Kris while Adam is continuing his rise apart from all of the others. That leaves Danny, Matt and Anoop who are repeatedly failing to impress me. Sadly, Lil also seems to be using up her chances not to her advantage. My prediction for the bottom three is Matt, Anoop and Lil. With two people going home this week, it should be Matt and Anoop.
Lil Rounds has an outstanding voice and a great look and style. Every week she has demonstrated that she has a natural vocal talent. Unfortunately, she has not found a way to showcase that talent with her unique and personal stamp. Tonight she sang the anthem I'm Every Woman, that Chaka Khan took to #21 in 1978 and Lil once again transformed herself into just another disco diva rather than a spotlight superstar. And I didn't put this prediction in writing, but at the lunch table last Thursday I successfully predicted her song selection for tonight's theme!
While the disco era had already reached its end at the start of the 1980's, the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, was still having big hits like She Works Hard For The Money that hit #3 in 1983. Kris Allen sat with his guitar and rearranged this song into a Latin flavored festival of fun. This risky interpretation totally worked. He showed that he isn't going to be lazy and rely on his good looks to coast through the competition. Even though he doesn't have the greatest voice in the world, he's showing off that he does have some impressive talent behind that pretty face.
Earth Wind and Fire took September to #8 in 1978. What a nightmare that Danny Gokey decided to take on this fantastic song and add his dreadful vocals to it. Making it even worse was having to watch the awkward and clumsy train wreck happen on stage as he fumbled from one side to the other.
In 1979 when Donna Summer spent three weeks at #1 with Hot Stuff, it was always regarded as her successful fusion of rock and disco. Alison Iraheta took that hard rock spirit one step further and blew the roof off the American Idol stage. She stayed true to her personal style and showed off her great raspy vocals while dressed in a fabulous glittery ensemble.
Yvonne Elliman's version of If I Can't Have You, that spent one week at #1 in 1978 came from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that completely defined the disco era. Adam Lambert threw the original BeeGees production out the window and gave us yet another outstanding and exceptional performance. He stood in a spotlight center stage and performed it as a vulnerable ballad. Every lyric was an expression of raw emotion. Every note was clear and pure. And to top off all of that, he looked incredibly handsome and polished like an American Idol winner.
Matt Giraud was the lowest vote getter last week and he shouldn't even be here tonight. But since the judges had some kind of aneurysm and decided to save him we had to suffer through his sloppy version of the BeeGees huge smash, Stayin Alive, that spent four weeks at #1 in 1977. His vocals were just as flat and bland as we would expect them to be. His dance moves were silly and unoriginal. Matt has already peaked in this competition. He has nothing new or interesting to show us.
Donna Summer hit #2 in 1979 with Dim All The Lights. Anoop Desai completely butchered the arrangement of the song by slowing it down from the uptempo original. His vocals were done as though he was singing a lullaby. Anoop once again showed that he has absolutely no stage presence whatsoever. This was just as bland and boring as usual. Not even his pink sweater could save the audience from falling asleep.
Where are the judges coming from as they continue to shower praise on Danny Gokey and save Matt Giraud? Who do they think is going to buy their albums? Don't they remember Taylor Hicks? The best performances of the night came from Allison and Kris while Adam is continuing his rise apart from all of the others. That leaves Danny, Matt and Anoop who are repeatedly failing to impress me. Sadly, Lil also seems to be using up her chances not to her advantage. My prediction for the bottom three is Matt, Anoop and Lil. With two people going home this week, it should be Matt and Anoop.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
WILD CARD round!
This is the last chance make it or break it opportunity to make it to the TOP 12 of season 8. Here's what the lucky contenders did to try and impress the judges:
Jesse Langseth hoped that she would be hearing something good after singing the Chaka Khan top 5 hit from 1974, Tell Me Something Good. She has the personality and style to shine best when performing live on stage. Really, she would be best playing in a coffee shop or a dive bar. I don' t think the judges are going to think she's big enough for the American Idol stage.
Matt Giraud did his best to get the lovin of the judges with his rendition of the Jackson 5's Who's Lovin You. He worked it by trying to be a blue eyed soul crooner, but he lacked the energy to really breath any life into the performance. Ultimately, he lacks the impressive and effortless vocal range to really stand out.
Megan Joy Corkrey got up there and did her swivel hips moves while singing KT Tunstell's Black Horse and The Cherry Tree. It was a very good choice that illustrates her quirky image and shows more of what she will bring in weeks to come. She has a very good chance of making the cut.
Von Smith tried to rise to the occasion with the top 10 hit from 1976 by Elton John, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. It started out very slow and bland, but he saved it all for the end where he hit the big notes for the climactic finish. It's sad. So sad. It's a sad sad situation that this probably won't be enough to push him into the next round.
Jasmine Murray hoped that by singing the song that first introduced the world to #1 hitmaker and Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Christina Aguilera, the judges would see who she really is inside. It wasn't exactly the song that showcased her as a contemporary chart topper, but it clearly demonstrated that she has an impressive vocal range. She may be getting more chances to show off her stuff.
Ricky Braddy sang the song that Stevie Wonder took all the way to #1 in 1972, Superstition. It's clear that he has a good voice and he did his best to show that he has the stage presence and showmanship to go along with it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he has it all. It's not likely that he will be moving on.
You gotta wonder why Tatiana Del Toro decided to sing Whitney Houston's 1985 #1 hit Saving All My Love For You again. She just did it a few weeks ago, albeit pretty well, but it didn't impress the viewers to vote for her back then. While it was just as good this time around it's not likely to make the judges think she can do anything else in coming weeks.
Anoop Desai did his best to impress with the 1988 #1 hit by Bobby Brown, My Prerogative. While he also has a good voice along with a genuine and sincere personality, this song pointed out quite clearly how completely uncool he is. It was vocally bland and the showmanship was very unconvincing. This should be his last chance.
Overall, I don't think this group of lucky 8 finalists did what they had to do to make the best argument for a shot in the top 12.
Here's what the judges decided:
Jasmine Murray got the good news that she has made it into the top 12. Ricky Braddy will not. Megan Joy Corkrey will also be taking her place in the top 12 while Tatiana Del Toro once again did not make the cut. Jesse Langseth also did not. Neither did Von Smith. With just Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai remaining the very lucky twist was revealed that they have both made it into the TOP 13!!!
So here are the finalists who have made it to the next round of competition:
Scott MacIntyre
Adam Lambert
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey
Jasmine Murray
Alexis Grace
Kris Allen
Jorge Nunez
Michael Sarver
Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud
Megan Joy Corkrey
Anoop Desai
My prediction is that Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds and Adam Lambert are going to be headed all the way up to the top three and one of them will be crowned the Season 8 Miss American Idol!
Jesse Langseth hoped that she would be hearing something good after singing the Chaka Khan top 5 hit from 1974, Tell Me Something Good. She has the personality and style to shine best when performing live on stage. Really, she would be best playing in a coffee shop or a dive bar. I don' t think the judges are going to think she's big enough for the American Idol stage.
Matt Giraud did his best to get the lovin of the judges with his rendition of the Jackson 5's Who's Lovin You. He worked it by trying to be a blue eyed soul crooner, but he lacked the energy to really breath any life into the performance. Ultimately, he lacks the impressive and effortless vocal range to really stand out.
Megan Joy Corkrey got up there and did her swivel hips moves while singing KT Tunstell's Black Horse and The Cherry Tree. It was a very good choice that illustrates her quirky image and shows more of what she will bring in weeks to come. She has a very good chance of making the cut.
Von Smith tried to rise to the occasion with the top 10 hit from 1976 by Elton John, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. It started out very slow and bland, but he saved it all for the end where he hit the big notes for the climactic finish. It's sad. So sad. It's a sad sad situation that this probably won't be enough to push him into the next round.
Jasmine Murray hoped that by singing the song that first introduced the world to #1 hitmaker and Grammy winner for Best New Artist, Christina Aguilera, the judges would see who she really is inside. It wasn't exactly the song that showcased her as a contemporary chart topper, but it clearly demonstrated that she has an impressive vocal range. She may be getting more chances to show off her stuff.
Ricky Braddy sang the song that Stevie Wonder took all the way to #1 in 1972, Superstition. It's clear that he has a good voice and he did his best to show that he has the stage presence and showmanship to go along with it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he has it all. It's not likely that he will be moving on.
You gotta wonder why Tatiana Del Toro decided to sing Whitney Houston's 1985 #1 hit Saving All My Love For You again. She just did it a few weeks ago, albeit pretty well, but it didn't impress the viewers to vote for her back then. While it was just as good this time around it's not likely to make the judges think she can do anything else in coming weeks.
Anoop Desai did his best to impress with the 1988 #1 hit by Bobby Brown, My Prerogative. While he also has a good voice along with a genuine and sincere personality, this song pointed out quite clearly how completely uncool he is. It was vocally bland and the showmanship was very unconvincing. This should be his last chance.
Overall, I don't think this group of lucky 8 finalists did what they had to do to make the best argument for a shot in the top 12.
Here's what the judges decided:
Jasmine Murray got the good news that she has made it into the top 12. Ricky Braddy will not. Megan Joy Corkrey will also be taking her place in the top 12 while Tatiana Del Toro once again did not make the cut. Jesse Langseth also did not. Neither did Von Smith. With just Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai remaining the very lucky twist was revealed that they have both made it into the TOP 13!!!
So here are the finalists who have made it to the next round of competition:
Scott MacIntyre
Adam Lambert
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey
Jasmine Murray
Alexis Grace
Kris Allen
Jorge Nunez
Michael Sarver
Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud
Megan Joy Corkrey
Anoop Desai
My prediction is that Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds and Adam Lambert are going to be headed all the way up to the top three and one of them will be crowned the Season 8 Miss American Idol!
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