2/24 Show Discussion *Spoilers*

[liedenfrost]

The Top Twelve Boys: February 24, 2010

In the hands of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, the acoustic guitar is a soulful instrument that personifies passion. That's not the case for several contestants here. Most aren’t very good at it, so I’m guessing they use it as a security blanket.

1. Aaron Kelly. Rascal Flatts Here Comes Goodbye is not a good composition. I didn’t like the performance much either. After Martina McBride, Gary LeVox has the best pipes in country music; a beautiful tenor with exquisite tone and texture. Aaron is not there yet. His sixteen year old pipes are not strong enough to support a Rascal Flatts power ballad but you gotta give him props. Unlike others, he threw caution to the wind, pick a romantic and ranging power ballad and refused to back down. Even at the limit of his upper register, he persevered. So while I didn’t like the song, didn’t like the performance, and think he’s vocally under-developed and unpolished, I still ranked him first. Why? He is the only male contestant to disappear inside a lyric. Second, you couldn’t build a better model for the American Idol demographic. He’s got the teen/tween vote locked up; he’s every mother’s son; he’s polite, speaks well; is courteous, humble, respectful, non-threatening, and sensitive. And, he sings well. There are contestants who do it better (e.g., Siobhan Magnus can caress a lyric better than any of her competitors), but unless there are skeletons we’ve yet to see, or, the judges decide otherwise, this is your next American Idol.
2. Lee Dewyze. This kid is an enigma. His voice is complex, textured, and layered, with a strong post-grunge influence. But AI is a visual interactive experience that requires you not only have a good voice but know how to use it. The latter is his Achille's heel. He doesn’t have a clue how to best utilize this wonderful instrument. Worse, he either has no soul or is unable to project it; he’s not musical and is a boring performer. I hate to admit this, since I’m not a Kara fan, but she’s right. This is not a good song for Lee. You can’t muscle a delicate and spiritual love song like Chasing Cars (the phrase is metaphorical; he’s actually chasing the girl he loves). Don’t know how they do it but once ultra-sensitive lead singers like Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Chris Lightbody (Snow Patrol) fingerprint a song, it’s immune to adaptation.
3. Alex Lambert. There’s not much to pick from here so I’m going with the voice I’d like to hear on radio. Alex is blessed with a million dollar instrument. Unfortunately, he’s in the same predicament as Lee; he doesn’t have a clue what to do with it. This was an awful and amateurish interpretation of James Morrison’s brilliant Wonderful World. Alex is a project, (no understanding of music) but if mentored by an astute and savvy A&R team like 19 Entertainment could blossom into something really special.
4. Casey James. I don’t know how I feel about this kid. In a different situation, I would predict good things for him. But I’m on the fence right now. Sure, he’s pretty, but longevity on AI requires a combination of attributes. The trouble with pretty is this: while it can take you deep into the competition, it can't win you the competition. The pretty face also needs to be a good singer (e.g., Kris Allen) and more important, a good person (e.g., Kris Allen). It was obvious from the start that Kris was 1) a good singer, and, 2) a righteous dude (real and authentic). Casey may yet prove to be one or both of these but right now, he’s neither. I got nothing from this performance, and, perhaps I wasn't supposed to.
5. Todrick Hall. The judges panned this performance but I won’t. No, it was not a good vocal outing but it was unique; a bold and clever adaptation of Kelly Clarkson’s Since You Been Gone. I can’t believe the judges didn’t get it; this was a classic and obvious Mary J. Blige arrangement (R&B 101). Unfortunately, Todrick just didn’t have the pipes or musical acumen to pull it off.
6. Andrew Garcia. Fall Out Boy’s music is a difficult listen with a full band; and Andrew’s acoustic version only made it worse. Horrible song choice. He has nothing in common with Fall Out Boy, and if he does; if that's who he really is; he won’t last very long.
7. Michael Lynche. The irony! Why would a huge bulking dude who could play full back for several NFL teams pick a song by Maroon 5? Didn’t get it. This was an awkward and boring performance. This is only the first week but I think Michael and Andrew are already over-exposed.
8. Jermaine Sellers. I didn’t think it was possible to over-sing a soft slow ballad like Get Here. I was wrong. Too much artistic liberty; too many vocal calisthenics. A very difficult listen. Worse, he’s one of the most unlikable contestants I’ve ever seen on American Idol.
9. Joe Munoz. Seems like a good guy but way out of his depth on American Idol. I like Joe but not this tepid performance.
10. Tim Urban. Another good kid out of his depth on American Idol. He is not a good singer. There’s no other way to put it.
11. Tyler Grady. At the start, I kept screaming for Ricky Minor and the Band to get it right. In the end it didn’t matter. A reincarnate Jimi Hendrix couldn’t save this performance. I like Tyler but his was an awful cover of a Guess Who classic. If retro, he would have fared better with Ian Curtis’ (Joy Division) up tempo Transmission or Mick Jagger’s (Rolling Stones) rollicking Satisfaction. If he takes the judges advice and picks something contemporary next week, he should change it up and go full blast; e.g., something wild and crazy; e.g., Scissors Sisters’ I Don’t Feel Like Dancing, Buckcherry’s Ridin, or Cold War Kids Hang Me Out To Dry. I picked these songs because the lead singers are just as eclectic, built like Tyler, and dance like Tyler.
12. John Parks. Another bad cover of a beautiful and timeless classic. I'm diehard. I like this show, so I'll watch come what may. I wouldn't be surprised if AI lost the ratings battle again. This was not a good night for American Idol. Not much fun and very little entertainment.

[Magnum]

I liked Todrick's cover, it was different.

[razorbacker]

Perhaps the single worst night top to bottom in the history of this show. These guys are proving that a girl will win.

[OriginalSinner]

What a bad night. Only Joe saved it for me. And Tyler.

[BuckeyeAddict]

I found my favorite contestant this season! Mr. Casey James. Yes, very nice to look at and also to hear. I enjoyed him quite a bit. But was it because he was so much better by comparison, or is he really that good?

I actually preferred the performance snippets we saw from Hollywood Week. He seemed to be a little more grittier and bluesy. But "Heaven" was the only performance I saw last night that I thought was good. Joe Munoz's performance was distant 2nd best. The rest were OK at best. I sure hope this was just a bad week for the top 24 - soon to be top 20.

[libgirl2]

I actually preferred the performance snippets we saw from Hollywood Week. He seemed to be a little more grittier and bluesy.

I expected more of that... he is good, but I wanted some blues....

[fan*addict]

I found my favorite contestant this season! Mr. Casey James. Yes, very nice to look at and also to hear. I enjoyed him quite a bit. But was it because he was so much better by comparison, or is he really that good?

I actually preferred the performance snippets we saw from Hollywood Week. He seemed to be a little more grittier and bluesy. But "Heaven" was the only performance I saw last night that I thought was good. Joe Munoz's performance was distant 2nd best. The rest were OK at best. I sure hope this was just a bad week for the top 24 - soon to be top 20.

I am hoping he gets to stick around, I think he is mature enough to take the "criticisms" and be constructive wit them and improve, the fact that he is "eye candy" is a bonus!

Kara needs to lay off the "schmoozing" as this may end up reflected in the Populus vote!

[TopCatDC]

Here's how I handicap the guys field from last night. The letter grade is how well I thought they sang. Their placement is where I think they will fall in terms of fan excitement.

1. Casey James – “Heaven” by Bryan Adams B+
Forget the beekcake discussion at the judges table. Casey sang well, and showed exactly who he is as an artist. He made a connection with the audience. In other words, he ticked each of the required boxes for an AI performance. Add to that he got major backstory in the audition plus good exposure in Hollywood, and that puts Casey easily at the top of the pack.

2. Andrew Garcia – “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fallout Boy B-
Andrew has the biggest hype of all the guys coming in to the live show. He could stand there and juggle beach balls, and still probably make it through semi-finals. But he sang well, if not quite reaching the artistic levels that the judges expected. But if we're grading on a curve, that still vaults him ahead of most of the other guys. I think Andrew is safe for quite a while.

3. Michael Lynche – “This Love” by Maroon Five B-
A competent cover by another super-hyped contestant. Simon was right, Michael was more warm-up act than headliner. But in this group that's high praise.

4. Aaron Kelly – “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascall Flatts C+
This country power ballad may have been a size too big for the growing teenager, but he got close enough that you could see that he has talent and knows where his place in the industry will be. Although he was absent from our TV screens during Hollywood week, he had a nice edit for his audtion, so we've been looking forward to his first appearance. Barring a disaster, he should make it through to the finals.

5. Jermaine Sellers – “Get Here” C-
Jermaine chose a song that says little about where he fits into contemporary music, and then oversang the heck out it. Off key. Jermaine "the church singer" has goodwill coming from his audition. But during Hollywood his cluelessness showed through when he blamed the band for flubbing his song. Ryan tried to rectify that last night, but I think all he did was remind the folks at home of that low point. So while Jermaine probably has enough goodwill to pass on next week, he is spending that capital fast. He will have to step it up next week.

6. Lee Dewyze – “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol B-
Lee has got his growly rocker style down cold - a little too cold. Hopefully he can show us some additional sides in the coming weeks. Our only glimpse of Lee previously was a few bars of his audition, so he really needed to do well tonight. He did well enough since most of the "competition" sucked.

7. Joe Munoz – “You and I” by Jason Mraz B
Confident singing and an easy stage presence made Joe's Mraz cover one of the few highlights of the night. And he needed to sing well because he has had no exposure whatsoever to date. But like Siobhan Magnus in the girl's group, he brought a solid performance on the night he needed it most. I'm sure he won some fans and if he keeps singing like this he will quickly move up list.

8. Tyler Grady – “American Woman” by the Guess Who C-
Tyler had an interesting audition with his 70's rocker vibe and two broken wrists. There was a lot of anticipation as to what he would do tonight. Unfortunately, he barely came up to 70's garage band standards. Worst of all, he seemed to lose rocker cred, apearing to be a pretender. (And not in the good Chrissie Hynde kind of way.)

9. John Park – “God Bless the Child” D
I had high hopes for John Park, but this was a song gone wrong in so many different ways. He may squeak by on our expectations, but another turkey like this and he is gone.

10. Todrick Hall - “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson D+
Todrick is swimming across a lot of cross currents right now, and with this song I think they are going to wash him right out to sea. It was an overreaching, off key at times take on the Clarkson number. But give him points for changing it up. Now take away points for making it completely unrecognizable. Now give him points for a great audition where he made up his own song about the judges. Now take away points for his "diva edit" in Hollywood where he trash talked his fellow Idol hopefuls. Finally take away points for "stealing money from kids" scandal that clouds the musical he wrote an directed. TH has fallen far from where we found him in that first audition.

11. Alex Lambert – “Wonderful World” by James Morrison C
Alex is in the danger zone. Not so much for his competent but lackluster Morrison tune, but because he was given no pre-show exposure at all. He had to start from scratch. And while Munoz sang well enough to overcome a similar obstacale, I don't think Alex has. As the judges said, he has a wonderful tone to his voice. But he is done in by his total lack of experience (he said this was the third time he has ever sung in front of people?????)

12. Tim Urban – “Apologize” by OneRepublic D-
Tim only came in to the competition last week; everyone else had already picked thier songs and were working hard on presentation. He really needed someone to throw him a rope. Instead, the producers handed him an anvil. He has had no exposure. Not even his family knew he was a Top 24 contestant until last Wednesday. He changed his song at the last minute. Idol put him in the "death slot", first. And then he butchered his song. Hopefully audiences will take pity on him and give him at least one more week to get his bearings. But I think the producers plan is to sacrifice him this week, so they can let a chosen one have another week to establish themselves.

[Arielflies]

The only two out of the bunch that I could tolerate were the young Aaron with his folk-country vibe and Casey with his sexy folk vibe. I didn't hear anything "amazing" from any of them, but those two caught my attention.

[famita]

It's a shame that the judges don't offer a class on what song to sing! Give them instances/songs to choose.