American Idol 14: Top 6 Elimantion/Top 5 Arena Anthems
First of all, I have an extremely hard time wrapping my head around this theme...Arena Anthems. I understand what it literally means but based on the performances tonight, NO. There were a few that I would consider anthems but definitely only a few. Pretty much it just seemed like a free for all. As always, my ranking goes from least favorite to favorite.
Rayvon Owen - Go Your Own Way: Pains me to put you here but that was a horrible performance. The verse were inaudible and the choruses seemed out of sync. No more performances like this. Just no. The last note was a total afterthought. You didn't think about it or practice it. You just kind of made your way up there. Great that you can do that but it could been executed a lot better with planning.
Jax - Are You Gonna Be My Girl/Guy??: Yea. This performance seemed better than last week but I don't know if you have much more left in you. Your vocals are coming across very tired and it is almost as if you have run your course. I love that you have performance energy but I need that to transfer to vocal energy as well. The pronoun change was distracting for me LOL. I guess because I am used to hearing it one way but now the whole vowel structure changed. I can get over that.
Tyanna Jones - Party In The USA: Crazy song choice. I loved the idea that you wanted to stay current and be fresh but this is not the song for you. It came across very screechy at times in the chorus. I love your lower register so I wasn't mad at the verses but it was just all over the place once you hit the chorus until the end. Just didn't work for me.
Nick Fradiani - Harder To Breathe: One of my favorite songs. On paper, this is a winning combo. The execution was not perfect. Yes, there was a flub in the beginning but I felt like you never found your tonal center in the song. It was just a little around it throughout. I feel you pushing for the win but I know that you can do better.
Quentin Alexander - Shake It Off: Another great song choice. I think that your pitch suffered a bit especially in the beginning. There was no fire behind it but you still gave an okay vocal. When you hold out any note, try to think on top as opposed to right on it. It will help with pitch as well as breathing.
Quentin Alexander - Light My Fire: Nice song choice. I wanted more though. It was like you took it to a 7 but I wanted an 11. Your pitch was better but I needed you to want it more.
Tyanna Jones - Heaven: Great song. I loved it some of the melody changes that you made towards the end. I just didn't believe you. Your face didn't show it to me. It was like, "I'll do this if I have to". Good tone for the most part. Definitely work on breath support so that you can ground your pitch from note one.
Clark Beckham - Yesterday: Not a song that I would have picked for you but it worked to a degree. This was probably your most unsettled vocal to date. It lacked a foundation. But your vocal tone and musicality will take you far. You and Rayvon have that book on lock. No one can touch you guys when it comes to that aspect. Now just take it a step further and make it all come together for that magical moment.
Clark Beckham - Boyfriend: I wish that you had given this treatment to any other song. I am sure that you would have nabbed my top spot. There were awesome moments but when you add them up, they didn't quite equal stand out performance. I saw what you were trying to do but it just didn't come across. Still, undeniably, one of the best male vocalist to grace the Idol stage but I know that the WOW moment is just around the corner!
Nick Fradiani - Maggie May: Probably your best vocal to date. The song was right in your range. No signs of struggle. Just flat out singing. You even showed us a little falsetto, which I think is a first. Still, nothing spectacular but a very good performance.
Rayvon Owen - I'm Not The Only One: Great song choice for you. You mastered the ballad to mid tempo realm. You have a way of making us believe each and every note that you sing. One suggestion is to watch for heavily audible breathing. It can be a little distracting but not a huge deal. The tone and musicality that you possess make you AMAZING!!
Jax - White Flag: Yes. This is the Jax that I love. It was soft and vulnerable. I could read your soul through your voice and connection to the song. The rise and fall of the arrangement and your voice painted this amazing picture. Just simply beautiful. You left room for the song to breathe but it didn't feel awkward. FANTASTIC!!
Overall, a kind of "meh" night. Couple of great vocals but lots of missteps IMO. With Rayvon and Quentin being in the bottom 2, I knew that it would only go one way. Quentin seemed like he lost the fight and power. He was defeated before he walked out on stage. Rayvon still had some fight in him. He had something to prove. Beating out 4 contestants in the Twitter save is no easy feat. Kudos to him. As far as the next elimination, it is going to be tough. With no Twitter save, Rayvon could very easily be in trouble. I don't think that Tyanna did herself any favors by tonight's performances. Jax gave a stand out so I don't see her going anywhere. Nick was good but the important factor is that he showed improvement. Clark seems untouchable but I wouldn't be surprised if he landed in the bottom 3 for trying to create a moment but not really capturing it. Until next time.
Rayvon Owen - Go Your Own Way: Pains me to put you here but that was a horrible performance. The verse were inaudible and the choruses seemed out of sync. No more performances like this. Just no. The last note was a total afterthought. You didn't think about it or practice it. You just kind of made your way up there. Great that you can do that but it could been executed a lot better with planning.
Jax - Are You Gonna Be My Girl/Guy??: Yea. This performance seemed better than last week but I don't know if you have much more left in you. Your vocals are coming across very tired and it is almost as if you have run your course. I love that you have performance energy but I need that to transfer to vocal energy as well. The pronoun change was distracting for me LOL. I guess because I am used to hearing it one way but now the whole vowel structure changed. I can get over that.
Tyanna Jones - Party In The USA: Crazy song choice. I loved the idea that you wanted to stay current and be fresh but this is not the song for you. It came across very screechy at times in the chorus. I love your lower register so I wasn't mad at the verses but it was just all over the place once you hit the chorus until the end. Just didn't work for me.
Nick Fradiani - Harder To Breathe: One of my favorite songs. On paper, this is a winning combo. The execution was not perfect. Yes, there was a flub in the beginning but I felt like you never found your tonal center in the song. It was just a little around it throughout. I feel you pushing for the win but I know that you can do better.
Quentin Alexander - Shake It Off: Another great song choice. I think that your pitch suffered a bit especially in the beginning. There was no fire behind it but you still gave an okay vocal. When you hold out any note, try to think on top as opposed to right on it. It will help with pitch as well as breathing.
Quentin Alexander - Light My Fire: Nice song choice. I wanted more though. It was like you took it to a 7 but I wanted an 11. Your pitch was better but I needed you to want it more.
Tyanna Jones - Heaven: Great song. I loved it some of the melody changes that you made towards the end. I just didn't believe you. Your face didn't show it to me. It was like, "I'll do this if I have to". Good tone for the most part. Definitely work on breath support so that you can ground your pitch from note one.
Clark Beckham - Yesterday: Not a song that I would have picked for you but it worked to a degree. This was probably your most unsettled vocal to date. It lacked a foundation. But your vocal tone and musicality will take you far. You and Rayvon have that book on lock. No one can touch you guys when it comes to that aspect. Now just take it a step further and make it all come together for that magical moment.
Clark Beckham - Boyfriend: I wish that you had given this treatment to any other song. I am sure that you would have nabbed my top spot. There were awesome moments but when you add them up, they didn't quite equal stand out performance. I saw what you were trying to do but it just didn't come across. Still, undeniably, one of the best male vocalist to grace the Idol stage but I know that the WOW moment is just around the corner!
Nick Fradiani - Maggie May: Probably your best vocal to date. The song was right in your range. No signs of struggle. Just flat out singing. You even showed us a little falsetto, which I think is a first. Still, nothing spectacular but a very good performance.
Rayvon Owen - I'm Not The Only One: Great song choice for you. You mastered the ballad to mid tempo realm. You have a way of making us believe each and every note that you sing. One suggestion is to watch for heavily audible breathing. It can be a little distracting but not a huge deal. The tone and musicality that you possess make you AMAZING!!
Jax - White Flag: Yes. This is the Jax that I love. It was soft and vulnerable. I could read your soul through your voice and connection to the song. The rise and fall of the arrangement and your voice painted this amazing picture. Just simply beautiful. You left room for the song to breathe but it didn't feel awkward. FANTASTIC!!
Overall, a kind of "meh" night. Couple of great vocals but lots of missteps IMO. With Rayvon and Quentin being in the bottom 2, I knew that it would only go one way. Quentin seemed like he lost the fight and power. He was defeated before he walked out on stage. Rayvon still had some fight in him. He had something to prove. Beating out 4 contestants in the Twitter save is no easy feat. Kudos to him. As far as the next elimination, it is going to be tough. With no Twitter save, Rayvon could very easily be in trouble. I don't think that Tyanna did herself any favors by tonight's performances. Jax gave a stand out so I don't see her going anywhere. Nick was good but the important factor is that he showed improvement. Clark seems untouchable but I wouldn't be surprised if he landed in the bottom 3 for trying to create a moment but not really capturing it. Until next time.
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