Last season I was getting the blog up and going so this time around I'm trying out a new format. Instead of using numbers, I'll be using letter grade for the performance "report cards" at the bottom of the post. The report card is basically a ranking of all the contestants who performed tonight. Anyways, on with the show!
I'm still not entirely sure why they have comeback artists when there are already twenty people left on the show with only, what, six or seven weeks left in season. For the most part, this was a solid hour of music. Nothing was extremely mind blowing. There were a few pleasant surprises, and a few triumphant flops but it's live TV. What're you gonna do? Also, I don't know why but Carson Daley's voice and the way his lips move when he talks annoys me. That's about all I have to say about the show as a whole so here are my thoughts on the performances:
"How Deep is Your Love?"
Paxton is an example of a young performer who knows what he's doing. American Idol's final season tried to find someone like Paxton but...didn't. Paxton's a good singer, entertaining and still has that clam on top of his head. Sometimes it comes off as a bit much but he's smooth. B Side note, they should just have one of the judges talk every time a contestant performs. Pharrell said one thing, then Christina said the same thing, then Adam said the same thing and then Blake playfully imitated Paxton and said the same thing.
"I'm Not the Only One"
Where was he looking at the beginning? Could he literally just not see where the camera was? Jokes aside, I absolutely love the tone of his voice. Vocally, everything was there. The falsetto, the crazy range, the runs. His vocals were a bit overindulgent at times but they didn't sound bad. I'm really glad he didn't play with his guitar (and his glasses, for that matter) because Christina kind of forced him out of that little bubble he seems to always be constrained to (even though I've only seen one other of his performances). A-
"Georgia Rain"
Let me start off by saying I've never heard this song before. Usually when I hear songs I don't know, I'm not that into the performance on these types of shows. Katie's voice is so beautiful I threw that out the window. It took me about until halfway through when she started belting to legitimately care for the performance but when I did it was great. I live for her vibrato. B-
"Natural Woman"
"I don't know what just happened but I loved it." Kata has this bit of fire to her that draws me in. There's a certain rawness to her voice that I love, when she growls it sounds so natural. This performance was a little over the top. I get why she's doing it all. There's a gigantic cut happening on Wednesday so you need your voice to get heard. It all came off as a bit much at times, especially at the climax of the song. But her voice is insane. C
"Stay"
"What's this?" *asks while on camera with The Voice crew* He's a comeback artist so this song was perfect. "Not really sure how to feel about you" because I never paid attention to him before. He has a really nice voice but his breath control is all over the place and it was a bit distracting but the falsetto was solid and he seemed to have a connection to the material. His voice isn't the strongest but if America gives him some time to grow I think he has the potential for a big growth arc. C+
"Long Train Runnin'"
When Blake said "I think it's important you hit one chorus" I thought he was going to leave it there to throw shade at him. Joe has the potential to be an amazing singer but for some reason when he sings it sounds like he's forcing something that just isn't there yet. It can get there, it's just very...rough right now. The performance was also a lot. Like just trying to stuff everything into the two minutes he had up there but I liked the little dance he did at the end. C-
"Seven Spanish Angels"
He can beat box too? What isn't he capable of? I know this is a generalizing comparison but I think he's a step up from Barrett Baber last season. They have that same country-soul crossover in their voice but Adam has more power in his voice and takes it up a notch when he's performing. It just felt like a moment when he started with the chorus and there on. That growl, man? C'mon. A-
"Rise Up"
Tamar obviously has a great voice there was just something about this performance that left me feeling a little cold. Her voice is very strong but she seems to have little control of it. She can go high and low but there's a very narrow in between. The song would have had a little more of an impact and resonate if she toned down all the vocal acrobats. I think she really has a shot to go far because he voice is crazy. B
"I Never Promised You a Rose Garden"
I would love to hear her do a jazzy number after listening to the slowed down beginning to the song. For the rest of the song it kind of looked and sounded like she was doing a pretty good impersonation of Kellie Pickler. I feel bad because she really was about a half step under the last note she belted. She isn't particularly bad I just don't find her all that memorable. Receipt: Essentially all Christina said was "cool story bro." C-
BRYAN BAUTISTA (TEAM CHRISTINA)
"PillowTalk"
The key still sounded a little too high for him but he covered it up well, allowing the higher notes at the beginning to still feel somewhat natural then when he let it go with the higher notice towards the end the song soared. The entire performance he had his game face on, working the crowd until he hit that final chord and falsetto literally ending on a high note. B+
JUSTIN WHISNANT (TEAM BLAKE)
"Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)"
I don't feel particularly qualified to judge this performance because if you sat me down to tell me about your favorite country album, I'd give you a quarter to call someone who cares. For what it's worth, I think Justin executed what he was trying to deliver perfectly. His voice isn't that cookie cutter type of country, and it happens to actually be pretty strong. B-
ALISON PORTER (TEAM CHRISTINA)
"Cry Baby"
Wow. Her voice is crazy. She can hit the high notes, yes, but she has that type of grit and rawness that makes you feel something even if you're not watching her. I can say this because I hear the anger in her voice and instead of watching the first half of it I was typing it. Towards the end I had to look up and it only added another dimension as she allowed her voice to just soar like a madwoman. You could hear the frustration and pleading in her belting, it was beautifully insane to listen to. A-
01. Adam Wakefield A-
REPORT CARD:
12. Joe Moye C-
12. Joe Moye C-
11. Mary Sarah C-
10. Kata Day C
09. Nick Hagelin C+
08. Justin Whisnant B-
07. Katie Basden B-
06. Tamar Davis B
05. Paxton Ingram B
04. Bryan Bautista B+
03. Ryan Quinn A-
02. Alison Porter A-10. Kata Day C
09. Nick Hagelin C+
08. Justin Whisnant B-
07. Katie Basden B-
06. Tamar Davis B
05. Paxton Ingram B
04. Bryan Bautista B+
03. Ryan Quinn A-
01. Adam Wakefield A-
PREDICTIONS:
Team Blake: Adam Wakefield, Paxton Ingram, Katie Basden
Team Christina: Alison Porter, Ryan Quinn, Bryan Bautista
No comments:
Post a Comment