It’s the top 13 y’all! Well, I know it’s a new day in AI land when I was jonesing for this episode on Tuesday night, only to discover that I would have to wait until Wednesday. Why do they torture us so?

Once again, I have to hand it to the format adjustments they have made. The road to the top 13 has successfully weeded out those who really didn’t have a chance to succeed and get to #1 week after week, while letting us get to know many of those who are in the top 13 and who we will be rooting for week after week. Yes, there were some who went home last week that I liked, but I already can’t remember their names, and that has to count for something.

So here we go - I’m writing it as I see it, and as always, before I hear anything that the judges have to say about any of it. I’ve been pleased to note that last week my thoughts were very similar to those of mister Harry connick Jr, and that is great company for this season, that’s for sure.

“This Is Me” is the theme - hmmm…  This is really putting the song choice under the microscope.

Dexter: “Aw Naw” - This was like big and rich without the big or rich. Well, maybe the big. Kinda boring, not particularly inspired. I like rockabilly pop country at some level, but this was too karaoke for me.

Malaya: “Runaway Baby” - Well so far the contestants are 0/2 on song selection. This is not a song for a female to sing - this seemed like a “sleepover lipsync” jam session. Not good. Too much for her to handle.

Kristen: “Beautiful Disaster” - So she does pick Kelly Clarkson, but she picks the least known, unhummable song she ever recorded, from the album that everyone told her not to make. Hmmm. This is me indeed. So far I am not impressed with how the nerves are impacting these performers.

So Harry thinks there is something going on with the sound mix which is why the first three have been performing out of tune. Quite possible. But I think it’s more nervous energy and lack of experience.

Ben: “Folsom Prison Blues” - He’s the first one so far to seem to sing within himself, and to actually seem to embody the notion of “This is Me” - My only complaint is that a baseball cap isn’t great for lighting to see facial expressions and whatnot. But this was fast, furious, and fun.

I don’t think I can hear Ryan keep saying “Head on over to the lounge” week after week. They need to rename it or give Ryan more ways to say it.

CJ: “Radio” - I haven’t heard this song before, but Hootie sure has taken a page from Everclear’s book - isn’t this just a countrified version of “AM Radio?” This one was slightly better than Big and Poor from before, but it was still not that great. He needed to enunciate in that rapid-fire chorus. I still like this guy in that I love the offspeed pitch of his style and what he’s passionate about.

How great is it that all of Randy Jackson’s bits are overshadowed by the applause in the house as the vocalist is getting ready to perform...

MK: “Satisfaction” - But not the one where you can’t get no. I actually like her voice a lot, but she has absolutely nothing going on in the face. She is not connected with her voice and body. But I liked the song and I liked it in general.

Majesty: “Tightrope” - Everything that Malaya was trying to capture by choosing “Runaway Baby”, Majesty has achieved and then some with this song pick. She stayed within herself, nailed the vocal, kicked tail and took names. Fantastic.

Jena: “The Scientist” - I like Jena, though I feel like she is vowel-challenged. Some of her choices for replacement don’t seem to be linked to accent or region, and they seem like a affectation that doesn’t seem authentic at times. But man can she belt. 

Alex: “A Beautiful Mess” - Great pick for him. He is a diamond in the rough, what a clean and pure voice in the midst of a quirky artist hipster-nerd frame. Did lose the pitch a bit at the end for sure. He’s like a Bob Dylan with Art Garfunkel’s voice.

Jessica: “The Crow and the Butterfly” - Maybe I’m just a sucker for Leather Tuscadero, but I really like her voice and this song selection. The first verse had a lot of drama and interest, but by the end of the chorus, the Leather Tuscadero was wearing off a little bit. Didn’t go to the “next place.”

Emily: “Glitter in the Air” - She sounds great, very old school. She is calm and gets to the high notes with ease. Beautiful I thought.

“Don’t forget where the Yang is.” - Keith Urban, country australian sage

Sam: “Unwell” - I almost feel like Sam and Alex should join forces and become the Simon and Garfunkel of the next generation. He’s great, but he isn’t doing anything revolutionary with this song, it’s not turning into a moment the way that Emily, Jena, Majesty or even Jessica did. Boring, but OMGoodness he’s cute.

Caleb: “Pressure in Time” - Well there’s some band in CA that’s going to have some increased download traffic on iTunes… Still wishing he had picked “paradise by the dashboard light” instead. This is a great song for his rocker-ness, but it’s more a song about the guitar hook than it was the melody. But wow, what an ending. He’s a confident rocker.

So who’s going home? Or what about the bottom three? My money on bottom three is Malaya, Kristen and CJ - none of them did enough to escape their wildcard status…

I have to admit, I’m still not exactly sure how this top 15 gets down from 10 to how ever many - I guess I’ll find out tomorrow night. They keep saying 13, so somehow that means that 10 and 10 get to 13 total. The one thing I do know is that 5 of these guys who are psyched to sing tonight won’t get to, and that the ten that do will be voted in or out afterwards.

So here are the top ten that made the cut, and one by one I will give you my reactions to their performances, written down before I’ve heard how Keith, JLo or Harry have said their peace.

Caleb: “Stay With Me” - Meatloaf has been resurrected, and he’s in better voice and less sweaty. I was so thankful for that breakdown, because without it the uptempo jam was starting to get a bit stale. We were at his concert tonight. Fun!

Early side note - so far I am really unimpressed with the calling of cameras for the last two nights. What is going on? The timing seems way off, too many low light cuts to ppl in the audience, and then when judges are calling out for cuts, they aren’t happening. The moves away from the vocalists seem to be at inopportune times. Crazy.

C.J.: “Shelter” - I see what what Chris Daughtry was saying about the guitar, his rhythm choices didn’t immediately match the groove of the song and it wasn’t until the bass and drums and keys kicked in that I could feel it in the pocket. To be honest, this didn’t work for me. Not that he was bad, but just that this version of rasp did not get to me emotionally, though I can certainly see how it might have for others.

Emmanuel: “The Best of My Love” - Not unlike CJ, but for totally different reasons, this kind of performance is an acquired taste. He ran out of gas after the breakdown and was a bit flat on the long notes. But he owned the stage, not that anyone expected him not to do so. The short jacket and the constant cuts of him from the rear were not helpful. Not for me.

more side notes:
Great quote from Harry: “You’re a great singer - so don’t forget to sing.”
I didn’t like Jennifer giving Emmanuel a second song to audition with. But I’m glad that there’s enough freedom in the environment to let something like that happen.

Sam: “Babylon” - This was a great pick for who he is and what he conveys as a potential artist, though I think strategically it might not be a good pick in the category of “memorable performance.” But with his One Direction John Mayer vibe going on, he should be okay.

George: “Grenade” - That one suffered from a bit of a “one note crunch” syndrome - there was too much time spent in that one area where this song lived, and it was too much like he was squeezing out the last bit of orange juice from the rind, and it was painful. Needs levels.

Dexter: “This Old Boy” - He just sings so easy and good, this guy might even make me like country more than Scotty McCreary did. He’s another one that I will really enjoy seeing how he fares in different genres through the competition.

Honorary “you did your thing” shouted twice by JLo, the ghost of Randy Jackson is trying to get back on that judges panel….

Alex: “Volcano” - In general I do like him a lot, but also in general this song choice did not feature the best parts of his quirkiness - I hope he gets past this round, because he is such an interesting individual.

After hearing the judges rave about Alex, the only thing I can figure is that whatever he was selling in the room was well received but didn’t break through the cameras to get to us. If that remains a trend that could be dangerous for him in voting…

Malcolm: “Coming From Where I’m From” - I can tell that he’s good, but I’m distracted a bit by the repetitive gesture of his off-mic hand. And then I think he really lost the key in the middle. This song choice did nothing for me personally, and he kinda meandered about the stage, seemed purposeless, lacked storytelling.

JLo: “I shoulda got goosies on that” - now it sounds like she’s channeling Paula…

Ben: “Soulshine” - As Ben steps into his guitar solo, now I hear the ghost of Simon Cowell saying that this “is a singing competition” - at least the solo was short… I thought he was completely fine and passable in this genre. He didn’t exactly get through to me, but I know he will to many.

Spencer: “Love Don’t Die” -  Zoolander has arrived! he is ridiculously good looking, but since his occupation listed is “worship leader”, I guess I am required by law not to mock him too much… I love this song, and he did well, though he just needed a place to go “up and above” after the bridge. But I loved the energy and I think he’s so totally hot right now. Spencer.

So… who were your favorites? 

It’s Rush Week on American Idol 2014!

First a bit of background. As you may know, I like to use this blog to talk about American Idol. Last year was a low point in the show for sure. Last year’s one bright spot was when Harry Connick Jr. took Randy Jackson to task when he was mentoring the show one week. He worked his way up to the judges’ table, and must have been a good enough fit, because he has basically stepped in as the voice of reason this year.

They have removed most of the schtick involving the talentless who audition, leaving the judges only having to navigate the in-betweeners, which they do with grace and clarity. Gone is any remnant of the need for Simon Cowell and what he brought, because with Harry, you have all the same musical expertise without any of the forked tongue. Looking forward to Harry’s “in the moment” live responses to individual performances. And so, since I’m looking forward to it, I guess I can’t help myself but to share it with whoever wants to read about it. Here goes!

Here are my thoughts on tonight’s Rush Week for the ladies…

First curve ball - we’re only going to see the top ten of the top fifteen. And in walks Randy Jackson. Well, I knew that the first couple weeks of shows were probably too good to be true. But we do start with a video piece about the mentoring moment with Randy.

What’s this? Non-denominational spiritual advisors for American Idol?!?!?! I have clearly missed my calling! Very interesting decision not only to have them, but to highlight their existence on the show. And Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert, so it all evens out in the end I guess.

Here are my thoughts on those who did perform, my comments uttered as always, before I have heard what the judges have to say.

Majesty: “Happy” - the energy of this is great, it’s a hot song for sure, but the breakdown doesn’t exactly show off much about her. There was energy, but not passion. The song is more to credit for that than her performance.

Kristen: “Turning Tables” - Great voice, pretty surprising. The first verse was a little shaky, but she came alive.

As this is going on, I do think that the fact that the judges are “selecting” the top ten to sing is making for a pretty milquetoast feedback loop - what are they going to say, “you stink and we’re sorry we picked you instead of the others?”

Briana: “Warrior” - I thought this was good, but she’s a little “dead in the eyes” - which is unfortunate, because she has very big eyes. I was also honestly distracted by the intensity of the “mom watching” that was happening.

Jena: “Paint it Black” - Ann Wilson is back. This is a great choice for what her voice does. She’s a true female rocker, with a killer belt. Wow. This is the kind of voice I would love to hear in the genre shifting of american idol.

Hey Harry: Jena didn’t know what she was singing when she sang “Paint it Black” because Mick Jagger didn’t know what he was singing when he did it the first time either.

Bria: “Wrong side of a love song” - This seemed desperate to me, but not in the good way. (Is there a good way to be desperate? Nevermind.) She pushed a ton. Not good enough, probably the judges’ first misstep.

Marrialle: “Roar” - I think that this is a good performer who made a very bad song choice. Only on the last chorus when she added a harmony to the lead melody line did it even remotely feel like something special.

Jessica: “Drink a Beer” - I think what she lacks in vocal control getting through the nerves she makes up for in story-telling ability and clear understanding of how to allow for vulnerability in her performance. Always good to see Leather Tuscadero making a comeback…

Emily: “Paris (Ooh La La)” - She has a great voice, and I think the main problem with the lyric of the song and whether or not it’s appropriate for her to sing, was that the lyric regarding shaving is fairly bizarre all on its own. She should get past this performance and really wow us in the near future.

MK: “All Of Me” - MK, KD you are not… yet… I think this was a very ambitious choice for a song, because John Legend disguises how difficult his songs are within his seemingly easy-going attack. Without getting too obviously political, she could go on in the competition, though I’m not sure she’s got the best voice.

There’s a break in the action now, as we find out that Ben is the one who will go on into tomorrow night’s competition, though I guess even then he may not get a shot unless the judges allow for it.

Malaya: “Hard Times” - There’s something about this girl that really makes me smile. That brought the house down, all the way to the last note. She’s fantastic, and my personal favorite.

So there you go - what did you think of the first “live” show? (portions of this program pre-recorded...)