The 2010 People's Choice Awards were on tonight and as expected, The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner Carrie Underwood has added yet another award to her collection. Based on the online voting process Carrie won the award for Favorite Country Artist. She was up against Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift and managed to come out on the top of the heap!
Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd Runner Up Chris Daughtry was in the category of Favorite Rock Band, but he ended up losing to Paramore. Season Three finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was in the category of Favorite R&B Artist but she was up against the biggest superstar of all-time, who of course ended up getting the most votes, Mariah Carey.
And in another instance where there was no competition, in the category for Favorite Competition Show it's no surprise at all that American Idol, still the highest rated show on TV, was clearly the People's Choice and the winner.
As we get closer to the start of the ninth season of American Idol we can look forward to meeting an entirely new group of finalists who will hope to someday be the people's choice. We can look forward to Ellen Degeneres joining as a judge and seeing if any of the music will make an impact on the charts this year. And as a matter of fact, the winner of the People's Choice award for Favorite Talk Show was the Ellen Degeneres Show!
Speaking of having high hopes of having chart impact, Season Five Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Katherine McPhee is releasing a new album today called Unbroken. In her new video for the single Had It All she's almost unrecognizable from the finalist who stood next to Taylor Hicks when he won the crown as she has dyed her hair blond! Will the music buying public know it's even her? Next week we'll be able to see how well it sells to debut on the Billboard albums chart.
Also coming up this Monday January 11th is the premier of something new and completely different from Season Three Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. She will be starring in her own reality show on VH1. I can't wait to see it and see if she can get some more singles or albums back on the charts as a result of this kind of promotion.
Showing posts with label Taylor Swift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taylor Swift. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
2009 Year End Charts
The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2009 is Fearless by Taylor Swift. None of the Miss American Idol finalists managed to get into the top 10 on the year end albums chart, but it's somewhat of a surprise to see who got closest...
Coming in all the way up at #13 is the debut album from Season Seven Miss American Idol winner, David Cook! Who would have thought that his album that failed to generate any hit singles would end up selling this well and staying on the chart for so many weeks?
Further down at #33 for the year is the fun and hit packed release by Season One Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted. The second album by Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd Runner Up Chris Daughtry, Leave This Town, lands at #37 while the debut from Season Seven Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, David Archuleta, ends up at #59 for the year.
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner, Carrie Underwood, places two albums on the year end chart with Carnival Ride still going strong at #60 and her latest release, Play On, coming in at #73 after only a few weeks on the chart during the year.
Rounding out the top 200 albums of 2009, we find Jennifer Hudson's album at #103, Chris Daughtry's first album sticking around at #130, and the album with the super fun hit single, The Best Days of Your Life, Kellie Pickler coming in at #152.
The Top 5 singles for 2009 are only by three artists! The Black Eyed Peas come in at #1 with Boom Boom Pow, Lady Gaga takes both #2 and #3 with Poker Face and Just Dance and then the Black Eyed Peas return at #4 with I Gotta Feeling. Taylor Swift manages to squeeze in at #5 with Love Story.
The American Idol finalist who makes the highest showing on the year end singles chart is Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson at #23 with her #1 smash My Life Would Suck Without You.
Also landing in the top 100 songs of the year is Season Six Miss American Idol winner Jordin Sparks at #57 with Battlefield, Chris Daughtry at #63 with No Surprise and then Kelly Clarkson comes back at #91 and #95 with her follow up singles, I Do Not Hook Up and Already Gone.
With all of this Miss American Idol success on the albums and singles charts, they also did very well on the Billboard 2009 Top Artists of the Year chart: #14 - Kelly Clarkson, #33 - David Cook, #35 - Carrie Underwood and #37 - Daughtry.
Coming in all the way up at #13 is the debut album from Season Seven Miss American Idol winner, David Cook! Who would have thought that his album that failed to generate any hit singles would end up selling this well and staying on the chart for so many weeks?
Further down at #33 for the year is the fun and hit packed release by Season One Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted. The second album by Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd Runner Up Chris Daughtry, Leave This Town, lands at #37 while the debut from Season Seven Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, David Archuleta, ends up at #59 for the year.
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner, Carrie Underwood, places two albums on the year end chart with Carnival Ride still going strong at #60 and her latest release, Play On, coming in at #73 after only a few weeks on the chart during the year.
Rounding out the top 200 albums of 2009, we find Jennifer Hudson's album at #103, Chris Daughtry's first album sticking around at #130, and the album with the super fun hit single, The Best Days of Your Life, Kellie Pickler coming in at #152.
The Top 5 singles for 2009 are only by three artists! The Black Eyed Peas come in at #1 with Boom Boom Pow, Lady Gaga takes both #2 and #3 with Poker Face and Just Dance and then the Black Eyed Peas return at #4 with I Gotta Feeling. Taylor Swift manages to squeeze in at #5 with Love Story.
The American Idol finalist who makes the highest showing on the year end singles chart is Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson at #23 with her #1 smash My Life Would Suck Without You.
Also landing in the top 100 songs of the year is Season Six Miss American Idol winner Jordin Sparks at #57 with Battlefield, Chris Daughtry at #63 with No Surprise and then Kelly Clarkson comes back at #91 and #95 with her follow up singles, I Do Not Hook Up and Already Gone.
With all of this Miss American Idol success on the albums and singles charts, they also did very well on the Billboard 2009 Top Artists of the Year chart: #14 - Kelly Clarkson, #33 - David Cook, #35 - Carrie Underwood and #37 - Daughtry.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Idol Grammy Nominations
The Grammy nominations were just announced this week and there will be no new Miss American Idol names added to the list of winners this year. Both the Season Seven Miss American Idol winner and first runner up, David Cook and David Archuleta were completely overlooked.
There were only a small handful of American Idol related nominees this year and they are both previous winners. Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson could be adding a third Grammy to her collection if she wins this year for Best Pop Vocal Album for her fun and catchy collection All I Ever Wanted. This is a category where she has won before for her 2005 album Breakaway.
And of course, the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner Carrie Underwood is getting recognized once again by the Academy. For the fourth year in a row she is up for the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She's won it three years in a row, but this year her competition is from that teenage award winning dynamo Taylor Swift so the streak could be broken. Also, she's up against Martina McBride for her performance of I Just Call You Mine which is one of my favorite songs. Carrie is nominated for Just A Dream which is a totally award worthy song, so she has a good chance of overcoming the competition again this year.
Carrie is also nominated for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for her duet of I Told You So with Randy Travis. If she wins in these two categories her total Grammy wins will be at six! But let's not get ahead of ourselves....
There were only a small handful of American Idol related nominees this year and they are both previous winners. Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson could be adding a third Grammy to her collection if she wins this year for Best Pop Vocal Album for her fun and catchy collection All I Ever Wanted. This is a category where she has won before for her 2005 album Breakaway.
And of course, the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner Carrie Underwood is getting recognized once again by the Academy. For the fourth year in a row she is up for the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She's won it three years in a row, but this year her competition is from that teenage award winning dynamo Taylor Swift so the streak could be broken. Also, she's up against Martina McBride for her performance of I Just Call You Mine which is one of my favorite songs. Carrie is nominated for Just A Dream which is a totally award worthy song, so she has a good chance of overcoming the competition again this year.
Carrie is also nominated for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for her duet of I Told You So with Randy Travis. If she wins in these two categories her total Grammy wins will be at six! But let's not get ahead of ourselves....
Monday, November 30, 2009
Personal Top 10 of 2009
What are your Top 10 songs of 2009? I'd love for you to share them with me. Here's mine:
Obsessed - Mariah Carey : She's the biggest pop superstar of all time who has set the standard for what all Miss American Idol finalists strive to achieve. Mariah has been in the music business for 19 years now and she can still crank out the hits that are getting huge sales and airplay along side the current crop of new artists who will be forgotten by this time next year. The single for Obsessed sold over a million copies and became yet another catchy sing along smash for Mimi.
Fire Burnin - Sean Kingston : With an urgent and exciting beat Fire Burnin demanded airplay on the dance floor all year long. It is undeniably fun and entertaining and the perfect example of what a great pop song should be.
I Know You Want Me - Pitbull : Having all the entertainment value of Fire Burnin, I Know You Want Me also became required music for every dance party. While the lyrics are somewhat suggestive, it was easy to overlook them as they were sung in Spanish so one could easily claim they did not realize what they were singing along with. Regardless, it was obvious that a good time was being had by all when this song was being played.
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum : The country radio airwaves were dominated all year with three smash hits from Lady Antebellum's debut album. But it wasn't until the first single from their second album, Need You Now, came out that they would hit the top 5 of the Billboard HOT 100. This song is a wonderful introduction of Lady Antebellum to the mainstream pop audience. Who cannot relate the the longing expressed in the lyrics, "It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now"? And it's a wonderful song to do a two step with while holding a special someone close to you.
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift : She became the best selling artist of the year by releasing catching songs like You Belong With Me that fans young and old can relate to. It also helps that when you play it loud while driving in your car you can sing along to it and have a blast!
Battlefield - Jordin Sparks : The Season Six Miss American Idol winner released another collection of great songs in 2009 including the title track and first single, Battlefield. It's a fantastic song that allows Jordin to command the stage and belt out power anthem notes that showcase her full vocal range. It became another top 10 hit for her proving that she is continuing to be a player in the tough game called the music business.
Love Sex Magic - Ciara : Teaming up with Justin Timberlake, Ciara released this infectiously catchy dance groove. Just try to hold back from shaking your hips and moving to the music when this jam is playing.
Just Dance - Lady Gaga : Just Dance was the first of a string of hits that has made Lady Gaga the heir apparent to the title of Best New Artist of the Year. She brings a unique brand of performance art to everything that she does, while at the same time ensuring that the music is fun, catchy and accessible to a mainstream pop audience. This song made us want to see what she was going to do next and we were not disappointed.
My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson : The Season One Miss American Idol winner became the first Idol finalist to hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with a song that wasn't their American Idol finale single. My Life Would Suck Without You burst onto the scene early in 2009 and has stayed stuck in our heads ever since. It's the perfect example of what the fans want to hear from Kelly.
I Told You So - Carrie Underwood : Only the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four Winner Carrie Underwood could take an old country ballad and make it sound fresh for a new generation. Her fantastic vocals elevated the song, originally recorded by Randy Travis, to a new and vibrant place. Randy himself stated that her vocals are much better suited for the song than his.
Obsessed - Mariah Carey : She's the biggest pop superstar of all time who has set the standard for what all Miss American Idol finalists strive to achieve. Mariah has been in the music business for 19 years now and she can still crank out the hits that are getting huge sales and airplay along side the current crop of new artists who will be forgotten by this time next year. The single for Obsessed sold over a million copies and became yet another catchy sing along smash for Mimi.
Fire Burnin - Sean Kingston : With an urgent and exciting beat Fire Burnin demanded airplay on the dance floor all year long. It is undeniably fun and entertaining and the perfect example of what a great pop song should be.
I Know You Want Me - Pitbull : Having all the entertainment value of Fire Burnin, I Know You Want Me also became required music for every dance party. While the lyrics are somewhat suggestive, it was easy to overlook them as they were sung in Spanish so one could easily claim they did not realize what they were singing along with. Regardless, it was obvious that a good time was being had by all when this song was being played.
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum : The country radio airwaves were dominated all year with three smash hits from Lady Antebellum's debut album. But it wasn't until the first single from their second album, Need You Now, came out that they would hit the top 5 of the Billboard HOT 100. This song is a wonderful introduction of Lady Antebellum to the mainstream pop audience. Who cannot relate the the longing expressed in the lyrics, "It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now"? And it's a wonderful song to do a two step with while holding a special someone close to you.
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift : She became the best selling artist of the year by releasing catching songs like You Belong With Me that fans young and old can relate to. It also helps that when you play it loud while driving in your car you can sing along to it and have a blast!
Battlefield - Jordin Sparks : The Season Six Miss American Idol winner released another collection of great songs in 2009 including the title track and first single, Battlefield. It's a fantastic song that allows Jordin to command the stage and belt out power anthem notes that showcase her full vocal range. It became another top 10 hit for her proving that she is continuing to be a player in the tough game called the music business.
Love Sex Magic - Ciara : Teaming up with Justin Timberlake, Ciara released this infectiously catchy dance groove. Just try to hold back from shaking your hips and moving to the music when this jam is playing.
Just Dance - Lady Gaga : Just Dance was the first of a string of hits that has made Lady Gaga the heir apparent to the title of Best New Artist of the Year. She brings a unique brand of performance art to everything that she does, while at the same time ensuring that the music is fun, catchy and accessible to a mainstream pop audience. This song made us want to see what she was going to do next and we were not disappointed.
My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson : The Season One Miss American Idol winner became the first Idol finalist to hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with a song that wasn't their American Idol finale single. My Life Would Suck Without You burst onto the scene early in 2009 and has stayed stuck in our heads ever since. It's the perfect example of what the fans want to hear from Kelly.
I Told You So - Carrie Underwood : Only the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four Winner Carrie Underwood could take an old country ballad and make it sound fresh for a new generation. Her fantastic vocals elevated the song, originally recorded by Randy Travis, to a new and vibrant place. Randy himself stated that her vocals are much better suited for the song than his.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
American Music Awards 2009
Overall the 2009 American Music Awards was quite a lot of musical entertainment. There were hot performances by the biggest hitmakers of the year including Lady Gaga and the Black-Eyed Peas.
Miss American Idol Season Five 3rd runner up Chris Daughtry performed, but he ended up going home empty handed. Even the Supreme Miss American Idol Season Four winner Carrie Underwood, who provided one of the best performances of the night of her current smash hit Cowboy Casanova, had to allow the reigning artist of the year, Taylor Swift, to accept the award for favorite Country Female Vocalist. After Carrie has won it for the past three years, it's acceptable for her to pass the torch to the young woman who would be nothing if she hadn't blazed the trail for her in the first place. One of these days it would be nice if Taylor thanked Carrie when she's up there accepting an award for paving the way and making country music popular with young people again.
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson was also on stage performing her latest hit, but they truly saved the best for last when Season Eight Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Adam Lambert gave the first live performance ever of his new single For Your Entertainment. He gave us all the glam we've come to expect from him with his energetic and showstopping over the top vocal extravaganza. His new album is in stores tomorrow. The perfect holiday gift!!!
Season Eight Miss American Idol winner Kris Allen did not perform, but he was there to present an award. His new album hit stores last week, so we'll see how many copies it sold and where it's gonna land on the charts very soon.
Miss American Idol Season Five 3rd runner up Chris Daughtry performed, but he ended up going home empty handed. Even the Supreme Miss American Idol Season Four winner Carrie Underwood, who provided one of the best performances of the night of her current smash hit Cowboy Casanova, had to allow the reigning artist of the year, Taylor Swift, to accept the award for favorite Country Female Vocalist. After Carrie has won it for the past three years, it's acceptable for her to pass the torch to the young woman who would be nothing if she hadn't blazed the trail for her in the first place. One of these days it would be nice if Taylor thanked Carrie when she's up there accepting an award for paving the way and making country music popular with young people again.
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson was also on stage performing her latest hit, but they truly saved the best for last when Season Eight Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Adam Lambert gave the first live performance ever of his new single For Your Entertainment. He gave us all the glam we've come to expect from him with his energetic and showstopping over the top vocal extravaganza. His new album is in stores tomorrow. The perfect holiday gift!!!
Season Eight Miss American Idol winner Kris Allen did not perform, but he was there to present an award. His new album hit stores last week, so we'll see how many copies it sold and where it's gonna land on the charts very soon.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Carrie Underwood back at #1
Carrie Underwood's "Play On" bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, shifting 318,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It's the country star and former "American Idol" champ's second album to top the Billboard 200, after her sophomore set "Carnival Ride" bowed in the penthouse with 527,000 in 2007. Underwood's debut effort, "Some Hearts," started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2005 and at No. 1 on Top Country Albums with 315,000.
"Play On's" 318,000 sum is also the largest sales week for an album by a woman in 2009.
This debut at #1 arrives on the same day that the Season Four Miss American Idol winner co-hosts the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley. She performed her smash hit Cowboy Casanova which has been the #1 video on CMT's Top 20 countdown for three weeks now.
The big winner at the CMA's turned out to be the young woman who has been following in Carrie's footsteps all year. 19 year old Taylor Swift ended up winning the awards for Female Vocalist of the Year as well as Entertainer of the Year. Just like Carrie did earlier this year at the ACM's, Taylor ended up snagging the biggest prize of the night from the old boys club.
The next big award show of the season will be the American Music Awards Sun. Nov. 22nd. Once again Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry are the only Miss American Idol finalists who managed to get any nominations. Neither of last years top two, David Cook or David Archuleta, have made a ripple in the music awards season so far. The glaring omission from the 2009 American Music Awards nominations is Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. She had a huge #1 smash early in the year with My Life Would Suck Without You and it is certainly deserving of recognition.
This year's top two, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, are right at the beginning of their opportunity for ongoing success in the music world with new albums coming out this month. We'll just have to wait and see what happens....
It's the country star and former "American Idol" champ's second album to top the Billboard 200, after her sophomore set "Carnival Ride" bowed in the penthouse with 527,000 in 2007. Underwood's debut effort, "Some Hearts," started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2005 and at No. 1 on Top Country Albums with 315,000.
"Play On's" 318,000 sum is also the largest sales week for an album by a woman in 2009.
This debut at #1 arrives on the same day that the Season Four Miss American Idol winner co-hosts the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley. She performed her smash hit Cowboy Casanova which has been the #1 video on CMT's Top 20 countdown for three weeks now.
The big winner at the CMA's turned out to be the young woman who has been following in Carrie's footsteps all year. 19 year old Taylor Swift ended up winning the awards for Female Vocalist of the Year as well as Entertainer of the Year. Just like Carrie did earlier this year at the ACM's, Taylor ended up snagging the biggest prize of the night from the old boys club.
The next big award show of the season will be the American Music Awards Sun. Nov. 22nd. Once again Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry are the only Miss American Idol finalists who managed to get any nominations. Neither of last years top two, David Cook or David Archuleta, have made a ripple in the music awards season so far. The glaring omission from the 2009 American Music Awards nominations is Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. She had a huge #1 smash early in the year with My Life Would Suck Without You and it is certainly deserving of recognition.
This year's top two, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, are right at the beginning of their opportunity for ongoing success in the music world with new albums coming out this month. We'll just have to wait and see what happens....
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Idol ACTION this week
Season Six Miss American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is still at #25 on the Billboard HOT 100 with her latest single Battlefield. It's continuing to make sales and airplay gains so it should get some more upward action in the coming weeks.
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has dropped out of the top 40 with her second single, I Do Not Hook Up, and is starting to work the third single from her album, All I Ever Wanted. It's getting more recognition for sounding like Beyonce's Halo, than sales and airplay at this point, but let's keep watching for Already Gone to have some chart impact in the coming weeks.
Apart from her recent chart performance Kelly Clarkson is doing much better these days with the announcement that she will be a featured performer on the VH1 Divas concert coming up on September 17th. She'll be joining a fresh young group of Divas for the concert including Leona Lewis, Adele, and Miley Cyrus. It's not really the group of legendary Divas the concert has had in the past, but if you can't get Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Diana Ross, it's a pretty good line-up. It looks like the current chart-topping female vocalists Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift weren't available. Personally, I think the Divas concert would be amazing with a set list of all Miss American Idol finalists: Kimberly Locke, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, The Supreme Miss American Idol - Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, and Jordin Sparks. It would be great to throw in two of the best Divas of all, Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert!
On the Billboard Album chart it came as no surprise that Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd runner up, Chris Daughtry, made a very impressive debut at #1 with his second album called Leave This Town. His first album was the best selling album for all of 2007 and this new one started out with one week sales of 269,000. The new album by Jordin Sparks will be making it's debut on the charts very soon, so we'll see how she compares....
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has dropped out of the top 40 with her second single, I Do Not Hook Up, and is starting to work the third single from her album, All I Ever Wanted. It's getting more recognition for sounding like Beyonce's Halo, than sales and airplay at this point, but let's keep watching for Already Gone to have some chart impact in the coming weeks.
Apart from her recent chart performance Kelly Clarkson is doing much better these days with the announcement that she will be a featured performer on the VH1 Divas concert coming up on September 17th. She'll be joining a fresh young group of Divas for the concert including Leona Lewis, Adele, and Miley Cyrus. It's not really the group of legendary Divas the concert has had in the past, but if you can't get Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Diana Ross, it's a pretty good line-up. It looks like the current chart-topping female vocalists Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift weren't available. Personally, I think the Divas concert would be amazing with a set list of all Miss American Idol finalists: Kimberly Locke, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, The Supreme Miss American Idol - Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, and Jordin Sparks. It would be great to throw in two of the best Divas of all, Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert!
On the Billboard Album chart it came as no surprise that Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd runner up, Chris Daughtry, made a very impressive debut at #1 with his second album called Leave This Town. His first album was the best selling album for all of 2007 and this new one started out with one week sales of 269,000. The new album by Jordin Sparks will be making it's debut on the charts very soon, so we'll see how she compares....
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The competition begins....
Only three of the next 12 finalists will be moving forward. Here's what they did to win you over...
Jackie Tohn got the competition started with her version of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation. She may think she's an amazing performer with the style and charisma of the King of Rock n Roll, but she didn't show it tonight. Her vocals were scratchy and weak and were not a good fit for the song at all. The performance was like Katy Perry's at the Grammy Awards this year, but even worse. Jackie needed huge pieces of fruit on stage to distract us from her dreadful outfit. We definitely will not be seeing her again.
Ricky Braddy went in a completely different direction with his rendition of Leon Russell's A Song For You. He's a nice looking young man who didn't feel the need to resort to any gimmicks in the form of a crazy costume or wacky stage antics. He took this vocally challenging ballad and he demonstrated how it's done. It was packed with genuine emotion and big notes highlighting his broad vocal range. We should see more of him.
Alexis Grace attempted to win us over by taking on the first top 10 song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). It was a very strong attempt as this little white girl got up there in her little black dress and belted out vocals worthy of this 1967 classic song. We should see more of her.
Brent Keith chose to stick with what he knows best by singing a fun country song called Hick Town. He's got a great look and sound for country music world, but he didn't show off his vocal range with this effort. He went for the fans who want to get up and line dance and two-step and there's quite a few of them out there so we very well may be seeing more of him.
Stevie Wright stayed with the country theme by choosing a song by teen chart topper Taylor Swift. It was a sweet little uptempo tale of teen love, but just like Taylor, Stevie doesn't have much of an impressive vocal range. Taylor manages to sell millions of albums despite her weak vocal abilities, but on this show Stevie failed to make a choice that impressed. We should not be seeing more of her.
Anoop Desai took on the #1 smash from 1999 by Monica, Angel of Mine. This song was actually a very good match for his impressive range. But the song itself is somewhat forgettable. Monica managed to have a hit with it as she was riding the wave of success of even bigger #1 smash hits, The Boy Is Mine and The First Night. Anoop wasn't following up any bigger hits, so this was his only chance to leave his mark. That means we might not being seeing more of him.
Casey Carlson did her best to make the 1981 hit by The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic her own. She's a very attractive young woman and we know from the auditions that she has a good voice, but nothing about it worked. She had no opportunity to show off her vocal range at all. It's sad, but we will not be seeing more of her.
Michael Sarver sang the 2005 hit song by Gavin DeGraw, I Don't Want To Be. The song is a real crowd pleaser, but Michael's vocals were kinda bland. He did not get the opportunity to really impress us with his singing. He did, though, have more time to show off his winning personality. If we see more of him it's going to be based solely on his nice personality.
Ann Marie Boskovich took on the Queen of Soul as well with Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha was successfully having a string of hits in 1967 but Ann Marie isn't likely to experience the same thing in this year or in any year. She has a nice voice, but the song was bigger than she can handle. This young contestant doesn't have the personality or the soul to pull it off. Being attractive isn't enough. We will not be seeing more of her.
Stephen Fowler reached back to 1980 to sing the dance groove of Michael Jackson's huge #1 smash Rock With You. This song is a classic jam, but Stephen failed to breath any life into it. He has a good voice that he simply did not use at it's best with this song. We will not be seeing more of him.
Tatiana Del Toro took on the first #1 song by Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You from 1986. She did her best to pull back the drama from Hollywood Week and just let her vocal abilities shine through. The fact is that she actually can hit many of the notes required in a song like this. She has some real talent in there and she's not going to let anything stop her from making the best of this rare opportunity. We will be seeing more of her.
Danny Gokey learned a lesson last year when Mariah Carey was a guest mentor for the finalists last year: Boys can cover her songs better than girls. He took on her #1 hit anthem from 1994, Hero. You could feel that he genuinely connects with the spirit of the song to believe in yourself while he sang every note. He is definitely marketing himself very well. He knows how to pick a song, sing it and tell the story of his life with every appearance he makes. We will definitely be seeing more of him.
Only three of these 12 finalists are moving on in the competition. Here are my predictions:
Danny Gokey will be the top boy vote getter and Tatiana Del Toro will be the top girl. Michael Sarver will then come out ahead of the others to stay in the game.
Jackie Tohn got the competition started with her version of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation. She may think she's an amazing performer with the style and charisma of the King of Rock n Roll, but she didn't show it tonight. Her vocals were scratchy and weak and were not a good fit for the song at all. The performance was like Katy Perry's at the Grammy Awards this year, but even worse. Jackie needed huge pieces of fruit on stage to distract us from her dreadful outfit. We definitely will not be seeing her again.
Ricky Braddy went in a completely different direction with his rendition of Leon Russell's A Song For You. He's a nice looking young man who didn't feel the need to resort to any gimmicks in the form of a crazy costume or wacky stage antics. He took this vocally challenging ballad and he demonstrated how it's done. It was packed with genuine emotion and big notes highlighting his broad vocal range. We should see more of him.
Alexis Grace attempted to win us over by taking on the first top 10 song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). It was a very strong attempt as this little white girl got up there in her little black dress and belted out vocals worthy of this 1967 classic song. We should see more of her.
Brent Keith chose to stick with what he knows best by singing a fun country song called Hick Town. He's got a great look and sound for country music world, but he didn't show off his vocal range with this effort. He went for the fans who want to get up and line dance and two-step and there's quite a few of them out there so we very well may be seeing more of him.
Stevie Wright stayed with the country theme by choosing a song by teen chart topper Taylor Swift. It was a sweet little uptempo tale of teen love, but just like Taylor, Stevie doesn't have much of an impressive vocal range. Taylor manages to sell millions of albums despite her weak vocal abilities, but on this show Stevie failed to make a choice that impressed. We should not be seeing more of her.
Anoop Desai took on the #1 smash from 1999 by Monica, Angel of Mine. This song was actually a very good match for his impressive range. But the song itself is somewhat forgettable. Monica managed to have a hit with it as she was riding the wave of success of even bigger #1 smash hits, The Boy Is Mine and The First Night. Anoop wasn't following up any bigger hits, so this was his only chance to leave his mark. That means we might not being seeing more of him.
Casey Carlson did her best to make the 1981 hit by The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic her own. She's a very attractive young woman and we know from the auditions that she has a good voice, but nothing about it worked. She had no opportunity to show off her vocal range at all. It's sad, but we will not be seeing more of her.
Michael Sarver sang the 2005 hit song by Gavin DeGraw, I Don't Want To Be. The song is a real crowd pleaser, but Michael's vocals were kinda bland. He did not get the opportunity to really impress us with his singing. He did, though, have more time to show off his winning personality. If we see more of him it's going to be based solely on his nice personality.
Ann Marie Boskovich took on the Queen of Soul as well with Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha was successfully having a string of hits in 1967 but Ann Marie isn't likely to experience the same thing in this year or in any year. She has a nice voice, but the song was bigger than she can handle. This young contestant doesn't have the personality or the soul to pull it off. Being attractive isn't enough. We will not be seeing more of her.
Stephen Fowler reached back to 1980 to sing the dance groove of Michael Jackson's huge #1 smash Rock With You. This song is a classic jam, but Stephen failed to breath any life into it. He has a good voice that he simply did not use at it's best with this song. We will not be seeing more of him.
Tatiana Del Toro took on the first #1 song by Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You from 1986. She did her best to pull back the drama from Hollywood Week and just let her vocal abilities shine through. The fact is that she actually can hit many of the notes required in a song like this. She has some real talent in there and she's not going to let anything stop her from making the best of this rare opportunity. We will be seeing more of her.
Danny Gokey learned a lesson last year when Mariah Carey was a guest mentor for the finalists last year: Boys can cover her songs better than girls. He took on her #1 hit anthem from 1994, Hero. You could feel that he genuinely connects with the spirit of the song to believe in yourself while he sang every note. He is definitely marketing himself very well. He knows how to pick a song, sing it and tell the story of his life with every appearance he makes. We will definitely be seeing more of him.
Only three of these 12 finalists are moving on in the competition. Here are my predictions:
Danny Gokey will be the top boy vote getter and Tatiana Del Toro will be the top girl. Michael Sarver will then come out ahead of the others to stay in the game.
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