Johnny D’s Review of the Top 13 Performance show

This post consists of two parts.  The first part is essentially the notes I was taking as each performer was on stage singing. It’s pretty much a train of thought with little editing (spell check). 

The second part is what I call the summation. I transpose the grades I gave with a short commentary. 

The third part I share my voting for the night via the DialIdol software and there is also an update of the top and bottom 4 according to DialIdol’s scoring formula. 

Lauren Alaina - She's only 15 years old?  I think that girl was born with a microphone in her hand.  I think that Stephen and J. Lo have heard the criticism that they are soft on the contestants.  They found something to complain about but I really don't see it.  She's ready for prime time right now.  Screw the judges, I giver her 10/10

Casey Abrams - Starts seated with a rasp to his voice. Just like Joe, he stands up and suddenly his voice is brimming with strength. I like his take on "I get by with a little help from my friends" and I certainly appreciate how polished his performance is.  I Hope to see Casey grow as an artist.   Casey is ready for the road.  He surely could do a one man show in Vegas, let's hope he grows into a pop star on this show.  Taylor Hicks won with a similar strategy, we may be watching our Idol here.

Durbin - I think the name is from the ancient Egyptian word duubiin whose literal translation is "You can't stop me".  What a great performance.  He's becoming very likeable.  No reason to compare him to OTT dressed up singers. He's pure.  A man singing from his masculine side, no gimmicks, no Karaoke, just taking control. Score: 10/10

Haley - Very likeable. it's not my cup of tea, but if she knocked on my door in that dress I'd drink tea all night if she liked. Score: 8/10

Jacob Lusk - When I look at this boy, his physical appearance reminds me for some reason of Seal.  I've mentioned it to a couple friends and they don't see it. Oh well, too many mushrooms in my previous life i guess.  What a great choice of a song, one of the best songs of it's kind in the last twenty years.  I'm Going to have to vote for Jacob.  On the negative side, I found myself comparing his performance to R. Kelly's.  I think he could have done even better that's why I'm rating him 9/10

Thia - Sally, the green room attendant backstage during Thia's performance: "ok guys, don't let Thia know how badly that stunk".  I hated it from beginning to end. I've heard this by Michael and you can't erase that from your memory.   Yet, I'm reminded, she is way better than the teenaged girl from last year(Katie Stevens).  It is a good crop of singers this year!!

Pia: Too many glory notes for my taste. She is the best girl performer so far.  I don’t see that ending anytime soon.  Usually I’m fearful to predict too much success for the pretty female contestants.  Pia is doing a great job in not alienating the 40 something female voters by focusing attention on her desire to make her Daddy proud.  I think Pia is very real and very sweet. I really hope she does well this year.

Stephano: Perhaps the most likeable kid of the whole bunch.  I'm thinking of a cross between John Leguizamo and Nicholas Turturro. Stefano, and his producers really came up with a great arrangement, The music and the feel was great but if not for Stefano's vocals I think it would have failed completely.   Stefano should be proud of himself.  

Scotty: He knows what he's doing. 

Naima - WOW.  Great PERFORMANCE. Naima unleashed her exotic side on us and she chose a great song to showcase it.  Great presentation. She deserved to close the show tonight.  Creativity is what it's all about.

Summation:

Durbin---10/10...Showed some real versatility
Pia---10/10...very very good
Casey---10/10...Great Joe Cocker imitation
Lauren---9/10...Very polished performance
Jacob---8/10...great singer
Stefano---8/10...really showing us something. I hope he sticks around to develop
Scotty---8/10...I think even Garth Brooks would have liked that performance. Voice was a little weak in the middle though. Give him another chance at it and I bet he'd knock it out of the park.
Naima---8/10... Much better than I expected, but, if she had been the lead off singer, would she have been memorable?
Karen---8/10...Pretty Girl, nice voice, forgettable performance.
Haley---7/10...What did she sing? I forget. Did you see that dress?  wowza
Paul---7/10...with tonight's performance in mind I'd like to recommend a song for Paul from the epic film Pinocchio... and it goes a little something like this ... hit it........I've got no strings /To hold me down /To make me fret/ or make me frown/ I had strings/ But now I'm free/ There are no strings on me
Ashton...7/10 What song did she sing... I forget.. point and match
Thia...5/10 It just didn't work for me dude.

It's Midnight eastern time. 
I've been voting since about 10:30pm
Votes
-----
Casey - 139
Haley - 113
Durbin - 113
Stefano - 113

Status- Dialidol.com score data

top 4...Scotty - 16 / James - 7 / Jacob - 6.5 / Pia - 6.3

bottom 4...Karen - 2.6 / Thia - 2.2 / Casey - 2.1 / Paul - 1.6

 

BuzzNet Tags: American Idol,Idol,Top 13

American Idol round of 13 Spoilers

Joes Place Blog has posted a list of the songs, and performance order for tonight’s show.

1. Lauren Alaina – Any Man of Mine (Shania Twain)

2. Casey Abrams – With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker)

3. Ashton Jones – When You Tell Me That You Love Me (Diana Ross)

4. Paul McDonald – Come Pick Me Up (Ryan Adams)

5. Pia Toscano – All By Myself (Celine Dion)

6. James Durbin – Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney)

7. Haley Reinhart – Blue (LeAnn Rimes)

8. Jacob Lusk – I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly) – With Gospel Singers!

9. Thia Megia – Smile (Michael Jackson)

10. Stefano Langone – Lately (Stevie Wonder)

11. Karen Rodriguez – I Could Fall In Love (Selena)

12. Scotty McCreery – The River (Garth Brooks)

13. Naima Adedapo – Umbrella (Rihanna)

What is more interesting is that there is a review of the show posted there by someone who was in the theater for the show.  You can read it for yourself at joesplace.

BuzzNet Tags: American Idol,Song Spoilers,Performances

Idol Taping show to Iron out Kinks and complete the show in 120 Minutes.

I read an article today on TVGuide.com that confirms that Idol’s performance show on March 9 will be taped rather than televised live.  This will be the first time that that a performance show consisting of finalists will not be aired live.  “According to sources close to the show” this week (and possibly next week) the show is being taped to assure that all 13 performances and the judges remarks fit neatly into the two hour time slot. 

The show’s new musical director Ray Chew spoke to viewers complaints that the band seemed to drown out the singers in several spots in last weeks two performance shows.  Chew explains that a factor in this problem is that a lot of the contestants are inexperienced in using their microphone.  The situation is something that the show is going to pay closer attention to this week. 

It’s nice to see the show acknowledge that there is need to address the audio problem.  Hopefully it will not be an issue any more this season.  Concerning taping the performances or airing them live, I don’t think it makes a bit of difference. 

Idols Top 13 Coronation gets Highest Thursday ratings in 4 years.

Last nights show was watched by 25 million viewers.  The show earned a 8.1 rating amongst viewers aged 18 to 49.  Last night Idol was almost completely up against shows airing repeats since the February ratings sweeps ended last week.  The one show that aired an original episode was Rules of Engagement from CBS.  Rules was viewed by 8.3 million and earned a rating of 2.3. 

Source: Ew.com

Tone Deaf American Idol–Genesis

I’ve been watching Idol regularly for two solid years now.  In those two years on practically all performance and results nights I’ve both watched the show and shared my opinion, either on a now defunct Yahoo 360 blog independently, or on USAToday.com’s Idol Chatter blog.  About two days ago I decided that I wanted to start a blog of my own.  Not to Live blog the show and not necessarily to recap ever performance from performance night.  What I will do on this blog is share opinions that I have about the current season, past Idols and maybe some of the recording industry opinions that come to me as time goes by.
I’m hoping that some few Idol fans will find my blog and it would please me to no end if I could have a few comments and perhaps the beginnings of a conversation here.  If you have a Gmail or Google account I’d be flattered if you’d follow my blog.  If you are an acquaintance of mine, please let me know if you read something here and liked it.
What follows are several questions that you may be asking. 

Why did I choose the name “Tone Deaf”

I’m not a singer, I’m not always sure if someone is “on key” or singing correctly.  I simply know what I like.  I’m not an expert just an interested fan that enjoys discussing and debating. 

John, where’d you get the cool logo?

You like that huh?  Well I made it myself with a little help from Photoshop and a tutorial that I found here.  The Idea for the name came to me as I was thinking about just how many Idol blogs are out there and how they seem to have all the really cool names.  It just came to me while chatting with a friend online.  I give her half the credit. I think it aptly sums up me and what I offer.  Opinions on the show and the performers yet with no expertise expected.

John, I've read all of your posts, you thought Megan was top six in talent in 2009?

yes I did, and two years later I stand by that opinion.  If you remember the 7th and 6th eliminations that year were Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds on the same show.  While I agree more now than I did back then that Megan deserved to be cut exactly when she did, if not even earlier I believe she had more talent than everyone eliminated from 12th to 6th. 

John, how dare you criticize Adam and Kris?  They are both so dreamy and above your evil words.

Yes, I was critical of both those two guys and still am to this day.  Not so much Kris, I really like the artist Kris Allen is becoming and even more importantly I have an admiration for the man he’s shown us that he is.  I don’t believe that Kris has been slighted by record companies since he left Idol.  Concerning Adam; I think Adam is a very talented singer.  I think that he’s quite the narcissist and I think he’s used to manipulating people.  I think that he stirs up trouble then stands back with his hands up and exclaims that he doesn’t know why people are making a big deal. All of that said, Adam is a great talent and while he is manipulative has yet to do anything that is harmful to anyone else.  I hear that he’s in the process of “trying” to write songs for a follow up CD. As I’m willing to do I’m going to predict that you and I will be seriously underwhelmed by his writing ability.  Of course, if he’s co-writing that throws my prediction out the window. He’ll get the best out of whoever he’s working with.  Writers like giving material to great singers. It gives them a good chance of making a ton. 

John, what is Idol Chatter?

Idol chatter is a blog on the USA Today website.  The blog itself is written by Brian Mansfield but more importantly there’s a community there of 30 to 50 regular visitors that post comments.  The regulars there are very knowledgeable of Idol history and there are several users that are very interesting.  We have a resident music historian, we have a close friend of Sarah Palin who has great Alaska pictures if you get to know him. There’s a girl there named IdolMom that will charm your socks off but who is a sucker for any cute boy under 20 trying to sing.  The discussion get’s pretty heavy but we’re actually all very friendly.  If you want to take a look I highly recommend it (click here for Idol Chatter).  If you do stop in at Idol Chatter and take a look, be sure to check the forums section.  There should be a contest or two to get involved with there.  By the way, I post there as JDeSab, come look me up.

Quick Notes on Idol 2009 Final 4 show

Kris Allen - Finally showed how weak he truly is as a singer.  Perhaps his fans will keep him alive.  He can't perform well unless he is able to tweak the arrangement and tone it down to fit himself.  That is a commendable talent, but if you're looking for the best singer among the contestants remaining, he has to go.  If you want to keep the cutest dudes then Kris will be in the finals.

Danny Gokey - Danny showed tonight that he has not grown as a singer throughout this competition. Back in the beginning we all knew that Danny was one of the best singers.  Well, aside from Kris he's the weakest of the remaining contestants, since he also does not possess the talent that Kris has of bending a song to his strengths, I could make a convincing argument that it's Danny's time to go home.  I hope that is not the case but I do think he is no better than the third best singer and would be expecting him to go home next week. 

Allison.  While I think she was the second best tonight it is totally possible that Allison will be going home.  It seems that she has the weakest fan base remaining.  It's a shame because I truly believe she is the second best singer remaining and also that she will be commercially the most successful of the four remaining singers in the competition.

Adam - A good performance as we always expect from him.  I am now convinced that we are witnessing the next Meatloaf of singers.  He will have a few big hits but his career will be filled with songs that are well done but just never catch on with the masses.

in the end... i will not be surprised if any one of these three go home, Kris, Danny, Allison.  I'm rooting the most for Allison and my second favorite remaining is Danny.

Idol round of 7–part II–April 21, 2009

Lil – Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman

I agree with what judge Kara had to say. We’d been waiting for Lil to take on a song like a Chaka Khan song and we thought when we’d hear it that she’d wow us. While I would have to give her that it was a good performance, after all the merely good performances it would seem that Lil really doesn’t know how to use that great voice she is blessed with. Now at seven contestants left she is clearly not among the better ones. Myself, I couldn’t stop wishing she sounded more like Whitney. Also, as she was in roughly the middle of her performance, the thought struck me, the back-up singers should not be the best part of the performance. Lil’s in trouble.

Kris – She Works Hard For The Money

Early in this contest I thought Kris was not deserving to continue on. I’ve come to see the light and I now agree with the masses. This kid is talented. I do believe that if this song were to be cut as a single today it would be deserving of major airplay. Kris is a player!

Danny – September

Danny’s performance was good. It always is. Danny has a fantastic voice and he’s definitely in control of it. Danny since the first week was my pick to win the whole thing. He has a nice background story and I was touched by his close friendship with Jalil who didn’t make the cut to get out of Hollywood week. That being said Danny at this stage of the competition is missing a bit of star power. I am still rooting for him to make the final three. But at this time with Adam, Kris, and Allison all with the pedal to the floor he may be out as early as this week. I believe though that he will make it this week but watch out for trouble in the round of five for Danny.

Allison – Hot Stuff

I loved her performance. She started out slow and kind of seductive then she goes to belting it out. She presented a true rocker version of a disco song. In the time since the show aired I’ve seen some criticism of Allison that she is a bit limited in that she seems to turn songs to rock. Well, I have yet to see criticism of Kris for turning every song he does to something that he feels will suit his style and for that matter we don’t see much criticism of Anoop turning songs to his “crooner” style. Allison will be ripped off if she doesn’t make the top three.

Adam – If I Can’t Have You

Similar to his performance with Tracks of my Tears Adam turns this song into a sensitive ballad and he shows his great ability once more. When someone does something similar for a second time someone should mention it. None of the judges do. Adam is effectively manipulating his image and the judges. On top of that he has the best voice on the show. There’s no stopping him.

Matt Giraud – Stayin Alive

I believe that Matt is the fifth best singer left in this competition. At one time I had him as high as top three. Something has gone wrong recently for Matt. I think he’s trying too hard actually. It was a good performance but after being eliminated and saved last week I don’t think he did well enough to keep himself out of hot water with the voters. I fear he’s headed for the bottom three again. I think there’s a good chance he’ll be gone again.

Anoop –

Anoop finally takes on a big singing note in this song for the first time since I believe the round of 13. This time he pulls it off well. I can’t remember as I type this what song he sang.. he truly sounds the same every week. If a bookie had been nearby at the start of the show I’d have put all my money on anoop turning a disco song to a ballad. I’d have won too. Thank god for Simon. He gave it to Anoop straight and let him know it was ordinary and boring.

Bottom three.

Anoop, Matt, Lil

Eliminated

Anoop and Lil (Matt has a real shot at being eliminated with anoop staying)

My rankings.

Kris, Allison, Adam, Danny, Matt, Anoop, Lil

p.s. Last Tuesday after the performance show I had written that my final four prediction was Adam, Danny, Allison, and Matt.

My updated prediction is Adam, Allison, Kris, and Danny.