Season 11's American Idol Top 6 Perform

This week our favorite Top 6 American Idol singers performed songs from Queen as well as songs that meant a lot to them. The competition is getting stiffer week after week and this is what I thought about tonight's performances:

Round 1:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Top notes were all flat and agree with J.Lo that she needed to rock out more. When she sang the big parts she sounded great.. just needs to work on consistency!

Skylar Laine sings "The Show Must Go On" - I love her! She needed to show off her high notes and she truly nailed it! She has such great range, perfect pitch and excellent emotion!

Joshua Ledet sings "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Great vocals! I love the attitude, the timing, the melodic choices and the style! Flawless and very classy!

Elise Testone sings "I Want It All" - Shakey introduction...but after she warmed up she really opened up. Some of her notes were just incredible. I agree with the judges that she was truly in her element with this song choice!

Phillip Phillips sings "Fat Bottomed Girls" - The popping vein on his forehead is really distracting.. Anyway, this was a great song choice for him but I'm honestly bored with this dude. I enjoy the character behind his voice but feel like we have seen and heard everything.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "Save Me" - I didn't really believe her performance. Her voice is absolutely beautiful but she lacked the confidence and emotion that you need to be a great performer. She was good but maybe not good enough.


Round 2:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross - So beautiful, so believable and so well done! This was a safe and easy song choice for her because it was right in her element. It was very tender and not over the top. Jessica saved herself from her last performance. =)

Skylar Laine sings "Tattoos On This Town" by Jason Aldean - I love when she plays the guitar! It was also a safe song choice, but it was great to hear her sing a country song because she just sings it well. I also loved that she showcased her range some more.

Joshua Ledet sings "Ready To Love" by india.aire - Beautiful song choice and wonderful, emotional delivery! I wish he wouldn't scream in every song but he gave us an awesome ending! That run at the end was phenomenal but do the judges have to give him a standing ovation EVERY time?!

Elise Testone sings "Bold As Love" by Jimmy Hendrix - Awesome job! I love her runs! She is so musically sophisticated, gave us great style, an awesome scat and just truly, in J.Lo's words, "slayed" that song. And I don't agree with Randy AT ALL! She did great!

Phillip Phillips sings "#41" by Dave Matthews Band - Very obscure and kinda kitschy. I loved the instrumentation and felt like he sounded great. However, if you close your eyes it sounds too much like Dave Matthews.. He might not be safe this week.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus - Her first standing ovation from the judges! This song fits her like a glove! Those top notes were perfect and she did a great job holding back and pushing forward when it was needed. Nice job!


Tonight's performances were awesome, but I truly missed watching the coaching sessions with Jimmy Iovine. Its fascinating to watch their transformations in the studio and I love hearing what Jimmy has to say about each performer. I also didn't like that the songs and performers were not introduced before each performance. What was up with that!? It left me wondering what the songs were called and I actually had to google some of the more obscure choices! All in all, the performances were really solid and its anyone's game at this point.

My predictions:
Top 3 - Jessica, Skylar and Joshua
Bottom 3 - Hollie, Elise and Phillip

Elise should be safe and we might say goodbye to Hollie or Phillip.. What do you all think!?

American Idol Season 11 - Top 8 Perform

It's 80s night for Season 11's American Idol Top 8 performers! This week the singers were mentored by Jimmy Iovine and No Doubt's frontwoman Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal. Here is a recap of this week's performances:

1- DeAndre Brackensick sings "I Like It" by Debarge - I am not a huge DeAndre fan, but can admit that this was one of his strongest performances. I enjoyed listening to him sing with his real voice as opposed to his falsetto. Stage presence and pitch are getting a lot better, too. He is definitely responding well to the vocal coaching that he is getting backstage. Still not my favorite, but can respect his growth!

2- Elise Testone sings "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner - Elise's vocals are always solid; she is a consistent performer with undeniable talent. This week, however, she failed to deliver anything special. As the competition gets tougher every week, these singers are going to need to dig deep and perform creatively. The key change was iffy and the melodic choices were not as strong as the ones she has made in the past. Sorry, Elise - you may be in trouble!

3- Phillip Phillips sings "That's All" by Genesis - Great song choice and yet another solid performance to add to his track record. It was a little screamy for my taste but I totally loved the arrangement of the tune. Not sure if Phillip is an American Idol, but definitely an artist that I am starting to respect. This guy is crawling his way to the top!

4- Joshua Ledet sings "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red-  This was a perfect song choice for him. I especially enjoyed the adlib towards the end of the song. It not only showcased his powerhouse vocals but demonstrated his amazing melodic choices. Very natural, very heartfelt and overall, awesome job!

5- Jessica Sanchez sings "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston - Jessica needs a little help when it comes to properly executing uptempo songs. Her voice is big, bright and powerful, however she needs a lesson or two on rhythm and time feel. Some of her lower notes in the verses got lost and lacked the necessary breath support and execution. However, this young diva is very talented and will most likely be safe.

6- Hollie Cavanagh sings "What A Feeling" from Flashdance - Another awful outfit choice, by the way. BUT anyway, the verses needed a little bit more support as her lower notes were a little shakey. Her voice is undoubtedly strong and beautiful, but she needs to relax and allow herself to connect to her performances. I also agree with Steven.. her pitch was all over the place. She is a loud, slightly robotic Diva in Training. Relax, girly!

7- Colton Dixon sings "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper - I truly enjoyed Colton's rendition of this classic 80s tune. The 80s was such an awesome decade and he did a wonderful time transforming this 80s anthem into a modern, rock song. Vocally, I felt like he could have pushed the dynamics and given us a little bit more of that power and adlib towards the end. Great stage presence, too!

8- Skylar Laine sings "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Celine Dion - Beautiful tone and control. It was wonderful to hear Skylar perform a ballad with such emotion and conviction. That key change showcased her range beautifully. This was the exact performance that she needed to have! Great job girl!

Tonight did not showcase the group's talents to their fullest potential. Perhaps its the pressure, the fatigue and the uncertainty that comes with a competition of this caliber. I felt like Skylar and DeAndre really put their best feet forward. Phillip and Colton continued to be solid and will glide through another week of safety. Jessica and Joshua performed a beautiful duet and will continue to be at the top. And finally, Elise and Hollie are who will most likely be in trouble.

What do you think???

American Idol Season 11 - Goodbye Heejun Han

So tonight on Season 11's American Idol we said goodbye to resident funny man, Heejun Han. Last night's performance was solid but apparently not special enough for America to keep him in the race. Here is a video of him singing "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway:




I feel as though America made the right decision. Although his voice is naturally beautiful, his immaturity and lack of experience could not compare to the many powerhouses that we have this season. Heejun's raw talent, however, is really lovely and with the right coaching and branding, he could actually have a great musical career. More than likely, Heejun will fizzle and become yet another Idol parody such as Sanjaya from Season 6.

Next week the competition will get even tougher as the Top 8 finalists continue to sing for their lives.

Who do you think will go home next?

Season 11's American Idol Top 10 - Performance Recap

Tonight we watched Season 11's American Idols sing through Billy Joel's songbook. The Top 10 honed their performance skills under the mentorship of the show's favorite critic, Jimmy Iovine and hiphop mogul, Diddy.

Tommy Hilfiger also made a guest performance as the show's new Image Specialist. I love that they brought him onboard and agree that when you look great, you feel great and sound great. Here is what I thought of this week's American Idol Top 10 performances:

1- DeAndre Brackensick  sings "Only the Good Die Young" - This performance seemed like a glorified karaoke number. Although the arrangement was somewhat boring, I appreciated the improvements in his stage presence. He appeared a lot less nervous and more laid back. At times his vibrato was slightly overbearing. Overall, I find him to be one of the weakest singers in the competition.

2- Erika Van Pelt sings "New York State of Mind" - Best makeover of the night! Erika has one of my favorite voices. She has soul, depth and delivers beautiful phrasing. She really knows how to hold back and build up when it is appropriate. Her mic technique is that of a true professional. Unfortunately, her polished performance can come across to others as playing it safe. It's going to be difficult for her to compete with the other teen belters in the show if she does not figure out a way to impress the lamen.

3- Joshua Ledet sings "She's Got A Way" - His intro was a little shakey in pitch, but it was nice to hear him sing with dynamics. Before this week, mp-mf were non-existant in his performances.. it was a whole lot of ff and fff going on. I loved the song because it showed great range and control. However, I agreed with J.Lo about him needing to connect more to the lyrics.

4- Skylar Laine sings "Shameless" - There is no doubt that this girl has a great country sound. Sadly, she had a couple of bum notes. In the beginning, it took way too long to build up into her sweet spot. When she opened up, she began to sound better but then came across a little too screamy. I agree with Randy: it was pretty good, but not the best.

5- Elise Testone sings "Vienna" - What a solid intro! She gave us wonderful storytelling, excellent melodic variation and showcased really cool vocal flips in and out of head voice, while teasing us with her growls. She killed that run at the end! Her ending was harmonically difficult and demonstrated serious musical chops.  Elise and Erika are the most sophisticated vocalists in this competition. Finally, maybe someone who is actually seasoned and educated can win this whole thing?

6- Phillip Phillips sings "Movin' Out" - I can really appreciate this dude's authenticity. His artistry is as if Dave Matthews and Adam Duritz had a child. He has a killer time feel and sweet melodic interpretation. Vocally, I would have liked to see him grow, but maybe he doesn't need to. Maybe he can with this whole thing with his cool vocal style and musical arrangements.

7- Hollie Cavanagh sings "Honesty" - This week, Hollie did much better with the dynamic contrast. Sadly, she was consistently sharp on many of her power notes- perhaps due to pushing. She resembles a young Celine Dion, even the diction is very "er." The ending completely lacked the proper breath support in order to execute those runs in her head voice. I usually love her performances, but this week was a miss for me.

8- Heejun Han sings "My Life" - Heejun totally copied Billy Joel's diction during the verses. He fell flat on almost all of his sustained notes. His facial expressions were strange and his stage presence was hokey and uncomfortable. He may think he is funny, but not in a good way. His performance was like a skit off of SNL. Humor will not mask mediocrity. It was simply horrifying.

9- Jessica Sanchez sings "Everybody Has A Dream" - Her voice reminds me of Jennifer Hudson, it has the darkness in her low register and the wide, powerful vibrato during sustained notes. This week she held back in her performance very well, and did not oversing. She showcased excellent range and wrapped us around her little finger yet again. SO good!

10- Colton Dixon sings "Piano Man" - Perfect song choice, excellent vocal delivery. Beautiful yodel and a wonderful buildup into an effective key change. I respect his voice and musicality. My favorite performance of him yet!

Now that American Idol has narrowed it down to their Top 10 favorite singers, its going to get harder and harder for America to vote. For the girls, it's a battle of Teen Belters vs Seasoned Performers. For the boys, its the Rockers vs the Balladeers. In my opinion, Heejun and DeAndre need to go. However, America may not appreciate the sophistication of Erika and Elise and the teen female demographic might prolong the boys' livelihood in this competition.

Who do you think is in trouble this week???

Season 11: American Idol Top 12 Finalists Compete

Here is a recap and vocal review of Season 11's American Idol Top 12. Tonight we had the chance to watch our singers perform songs from the year they were born. Some of them were born in the 90s which makes me feel old. This is what I thought:

1- Phllip Phillips - Boring. I know he is sick and all, but I was bored! Sorry!

2- Jessica Sanchez - Terrible song choice, too much vibrato and completely lacked accuracy of syncopated rhythms. She'll stay because she's so good.

3- HeeJun Han - The poor dude has awful diction and the worst microphone technique ever! His personality is cute, but not enough to be an Idol!

4- Elise Testone - Finally, you showed us a soft and vulnerable side. Perfect song choice that showcased wonderful tones and phrasing, but got too loud too soon. Hold back, girl- there's tons of beauty in your voice when you keep it soft and build up slowly.

5- Deandre Brackensick - I felt like I was in the 70's when he started. His phrasing, his facial expressions and even his outfit made the performance so cheesy! He has a great voice but it was cheesy CHEESY!

6- Shannon Magrane - Yes!! You did it, girl! You relaxed, emotionally connected and gave us a great performance! The voice was in control and the dynamic contrast was very effective into building up the song! Wonderful job for proving yourself this week!

7- Colton Dixon - Great voice but also boring! He is going to need to step out of his comfort zone in order to stand out!

8- Erika Van Pelt - Great vocal mix and technique, effective key change and interesting ending! She reminds me of Kelly and could surprisingly win this thing!

9- Skylar Laine - She is such a firecracker - has killer stage presence and style! I can't believe how much potential she has for her age!

10 - Joshua Ledet - I did not like the song choice, but it showcased impeccable range and control. Not sure that it deserved the standing ovation, but strong enough to continue.

11- Hollie Cavanagh - The notes just soared above her so effortlessly. Loved the song choice and the key fit her voice perfectly. She almost didn't get that last note but did a great job closing the show!

Tonight we also witnessed this season's first controversy. I was creeped out by the way the producers decided to address the disqualification of Jermaine Jones. Additionally, I was upset that we were not presented with a Jeremy Rosado comeback performance in its place! What a waste of a spot as I was never a big fan of this "gentle giant."

Looking forward to tomorrow's elimination round. I predict HeeJun and Deandre are in trouble. We shall wait and see... =)