A Whole Lotta Talent

Currently Listening To: Jun K. - Alive

I don't even know how to start this week's review because...there wasn't a single bad performance today and it's incredibly difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that one of them will be leaving the competition tomorrow.

Unfortunately, no matter what someone WILL have to go tomorrow and I think that someone should be...

Deandre - Sometimes I Cry by Eric Benet
Honestly, I'm a big fan of Deandre. I love his voice, I love his falsetto but unfortunately one can't sing in falsetto all the time because it just won't do, not with this year's talent pool. Deandre sang exceptionally well but the song choice was a bit...disconnected from the audience. And he didn't quite connect with it either. I don't think teenagers would be inclined to vote for an Eric Benet song, no matter how well it was sung.

Hollie - Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood
Another one who didn't inspire me with her song choice. I mean come on, you're singing Jesus Take the Wheel, a song that's suppose to be inspiring AND it is also a former Idol winner's song so...what are you suppose to do with it? Knock it out of the park! Hollie didn't do that. And she went off pitch a few times. If Deandre is staying then I think she should be going home.

Colton - Everything by Lifehouse
There was nothing wrong with his performance, it's just that...it lacked something. Something really big. And on top of that, I don't quite like the tone of his voice. It's kind of whiny, and it gets on my nerves. I definitely won't be listening to any of his studio recordings, thanks to the tone of his voice.

Skylar - Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert
Hmmmm a difficult performance to place. It wasn't half bad, Skylar delivered the song with a lot of spirit, but the vocals could have been better. She nearly went out of breath a couple of times, and was a bit screechy too. Nevertheless, still a solid performance. Still very consistent. Might be a little forgettable though...

Heejun - A Song For You by Donnie Hathaway
AI's resident balladeer is back. He really loves ballads doesn't he? Vocally it was much better than last week, and better than quite a few of the other contestants too. Too bad about his diction though, he really REALLY needs to work on his pronunciation (or maybe he should just sing one of 2AM's ballads ROFL). Other than that, it was a pretty solid performance in my opinion. Does he deserve to stay over Hollie and Skylar? I really don't know. Maybe, but I like all of them equally so...it's difficult...

Joshua - Without You by Mariah Carey
Before this, if you had told me that a guy could sing Mariah so well, I would have laughed my head off. Joshua...wow. I definitely wasn't laughing when I was watching his performance. Very, very impressive vocals! He was almost perfect, if not for what I thought was a dull song choice for a a great night like this.

Phillip - Still Rainin' by Johnny Lang
I loved his performance, seriously. Just perfect for him. In fact, every single song that he has chosen so far really complemented the tone of his voice. I like the tone of his voice as much as I like Heejun's. His biggest problem is that his song choices are all pretty much the same, and the way he delivers his performances is more or less the same too. Now I don't mind that too much (since that's the reason why I like him) but the audience might not think the same way. Maybe, just maybe. But why bother when he'll be safe anyway? He's a dude and he's cute!

Jessica - Sweet Dreams by Beyonce
I loved the song arrangement. Very nicely done, Jessica. Vocally perfect, only losing to Elise in terms of spunk I suppose? She sang beautifully, the harp worked extremely well with the arrangement and it gave the whole song an oriental-ish feel. Loved it loved it loved it!

Elise - Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin
I still prefer Adam's version of it, but Elise was wonderful as well! Excellent song choice, and a great way to end the show. With a very loud BANG. Everyone else chose what I would call, 'safe' songs but Elise...well Elise chose to rock the stage. And she did. A much better rocker than Colton and Phillip put together.

I really don't know who deserves to go home this week! All of them were relatively good, including the bottom trio of Deandre, Hollie and Colton. Not a single bad performance! They were all above average, and you know what that's what this show is all about! Makes it slightly more difficult for voters though.

Who should go home this week: Deandre

Who will be going home this week: Heejun/Deandre/Hollie

Some food for thought: Colton should totally sing Laura Marling. Heejun should definitely do some 2AM ballads. Phil should take a leaf out of Heejun's book and sing any old ballad. And Hollie? Please just stay away from them big old ballads.

EDIT - Results:

Sigh Heejun is out of the competition. Even though I think it's fair enough for him to leave at this stage, I will still miss him. All the best Heejun, have fun on the tour.