The Original High

Currently Listening To: Original High - Adam Lambert

I can't believe this - it has been six years since Adam Lambert wowed the American Idol audience - and he is now back with his third album.

His last album, Trespassing, was released three years ago in 2012 (three years!!) so it's good to hear new music from him.

Trespassing

Adam looks so handsome on the album cover! ♥

Cover aside, I must say that I'm really impressed with The Original High. It's a good mixture of dance and pop, with just the slightest touch of the Glambert. Definitely his best album so far (and one of the best I've heard this year). It's an excellent year for music!

Tracklist:
1. Ghost Town
2. The Original High
3. Another Lonely Night
4. Underground
5. There I Said It
6. Rumors (ft. Tove Lo)
7. Evil in the Night
8. Lucy (ft. Brian May of Queen)
9. Things I Didn't Say
10. The Light
11. Heavy Fire

Ratings: 9/10
Recommendations; Ghost Town, The Original High, Another Lonely Night, Underground, Evil in the Night, Heavy Fire

Bittersweet Endings

Currently Listening To: Take Care - Drake feat Rihanna

Right, so I'm recapping both The Voice and American Idol in one post since both shows will be coming to an end next week. Let's start off with -

The Voice

The Top 3 will be competing for the title next Tuesday, with the Top 3 being Josh, Christina and...Jake. Of all people! It's the Blake thing again. Poor Kristen and Kat, I think they've both been better and more consistent than Jake so it's such a waste. Especially Kristen since she gave her best performance this week with Jewel's Foolish Games. Kristen, Kat and not too surprisingly, Christina were the bottom three contestants, with Christina being saved via the Twitter Save - which shouldn't have been in play in the first place! Seriously, I don't care who was the third place contestant - but the bottom two should have gone out as voted by the audience instead of through Twitter manipulation.

I'm 100% behind Josh now because I think he is the most deserving based solely on talent and consistency. Christina had quite a few amazing performances but this week she underperformed - partly due to her inexperience and also Adam's unintentional bussing (or was it intentional?!). I mean, why Imogen Heap and fun's Some Nights?? Those were terrible song choices and it was made worse by her inconsistent singing. Based on those two performances alone she should have been eliminated along with Kat, leaving Kristen in third place instead. For the record, Kat sang a Sia song and Let It Go. Like wtf Adam, are you hell bent on killing your team's chances or something? The only bright side was that it was miles better than Majesty Rose's version.

Can't say Jake deserves a spot in the Top 3 either. As consistent as he may have been, his performances thus far neither stood out nor showed any creativity so...to be frank, he has no business in the Top 3. BUT, thanks to the Blake/country factor, it would have been pretty impossible to exclude him from the finale.

Anyways, TEAM JOSH FTW!

American Idol

I'm actually more pleased with the final two in American Idol than I am with the final three in The Voice. If you're still unaware, Jena and Caleb are the remaining contestants and I'm fine with either of them winning, to be honest. In fact, I would have been okay with Alex (the third place finisher) as the winner too.

What I'm worried about is the backlash against Caleb, no thanks to TPTB's manipulations (what is up with both show's determination to display dirty laundry to the American audience? It's so damn obvious with all the intentional/unintentional digs and snubs towards certain contestants). That and also his 'retard' fiasco. It does not bode well for him although I think he still does have loyal supporters. A lot of people think that he's cocky and rude, but I haven't really seen any negative behaviour from Caleb (aside from the lack of filter, which isn't exactly a crime). The odds of winning are higher for Jena, since she has been pretty consistent all this while and appears to have an interesting personality.

So...I can't make up my mind on who to support this time. Jena or Caleb? Leaning more towards Caleb because I find his vocal prowess incredible. His weak point would be marketability though. He hasn't been singing anything current since...Skyfall? That was one of his best, and it was ages ago. He hasn't been taking risks lately and his song choices have been snoozeworthy, so that will probably work against him.

Conclusion - Team Caleb FTW but I think Jena's gonna win.

A Fateful Trio

Finally down to the final 4 on American Idol.

Level of excitement? Almost non-existent.

Since it's the Top 4, each contestant had to sing three songs with three different themes:

Breakups
Makeups 
Dedications

...seriously? Who came up with those themes? How very vague and straightforward at the same time. Might as well just scratch the whole theme thing and ask contestants to sing whatever they feel like singing.

Frankly speaking, only one person failed to live up to the hype this week and that person is...

Alex with these songs:

First Song: "Alex Clare's Too Close"
You know, a few weeks ago I would have pegged Alex as a frontrunner. Right now though, I'm not so sure. There wasn't anything wrong with this song choice or his vocals, but nothing about it was fantastic either. I think the others stepped up their game, regardless of whether it was performed well or not while Alex just...rather faded away. I don't know, I can't feel his passion anymore and that's dangerous for him. 6/10

Second Song: "Jason Mraz's I'm Yours"
Well, that was underwhelming. And how predictable of him. Of course he'd sing I'm Yours, was just wondering if he'd be leaving that for the finale - if he makes it all the way through that is. Harry's comments were really harsh too. Talk about throwing him under the bus. Why didn't they say those things to him earlier? Then he would have tried to improve yes? But it's too late now. I think he's a contender for the bottom 2 this time around, if he wasn't already there last week. 4/10

Third Song: "Coldplay's Yellow"
Poor Alex. That makes 3 mediocre song choices in a row. First of all, that song needs an interesting arrangement in order to stand out in a singing competition. Secondly, the way he sang it was actually worse than the other songs. For the first time in ages, he sounded unsure of himself and it showed in his vocals. And what in the world, the judges were complimenting his performance. All of that combined together equals disaster. 5/10

Overall: 5/10

Next would be...

Jessica 

First Song: "Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone"
I really question Jessica's intentions to remain in the competition with this song choice. She does realize that Kelly Clarkson is the reason why she is even on this show in the first place right? What was she thinking?? It really doesn't help that her vocals were mild and shaky and pitchy at parts. And the judges were NOT being mean to her this time. Those were actually fair comments regarding the song choice. They didn't even complain about the less than stellar vocals. And that is coming from a bunch of people who apparently hates her guts! 6/10

Second Song: "Pink's So What"
What was up with that song choice?? Even though she sang it decently, that song was completely and absolutely unsuitable for a Top 4 performance. The judges were right - that song did nothing for her, and because of her song choices she'll most likely be the one going home this week. I'm giving her a generous rating due to the strong vocals only. 5/10

Third Song: "Lady Gaga's You and I"
Still not digging the song choice much but at least Jess performed the hell out of You and I. Her best performance since The Crow and the Butterfly from weeks ago. Still no stage presence whatsoever though, just a little bit more life in her eyes and a slight amount of swagger. No match for Haley Reinhart's version at all. 8/10

Overall: 6/10

Performing slightly better than Jessica was...

Caleb

First Song: "Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name"
I'm a huge fan of this song so I'm glad Caleb didn't ruin it since it's a pretty easy song to desecrate. The problem is with his delivery. When Blake did this song in Season 6, he owned it from start to finish. It made him stand out, and it made people pay attention to him. With Caleb however, it was just good singing and that was it. No originality whatsoever. I think these Idol hopefuls need to pay attention to their song selections, find out who sang it before and how well did they do before actually choosing the song and arrangement. A mere 6/10

Second Song: "Creedence Clearwater Revival's Travelin' Band'
Alright, it's getting harder for me to comment on Caleb. His vocals were strong and in tune as usual, and until now he is still the most consistent performer. Unfortunately I didn't feel at all interested in this CCR cover. Felt rather karaoke to me, albeit a very good karaoke. I guess I'm a little bored with his song choices. Whatever happened to that dude who gave us Edge of Glory and Skyfall? It's like he disappeared somewhere into old man's land. Time to shine dude, not the other way round. It's Top 4, wake up! 6/10

Third Song: "Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed"
Again there was nothing wrong with Caleb's performance, however I'm really wondering if he'll be able to pull through this week. No thanks to that scandalous interview from last week where he called his fans retarded. Like wtf was he thinking? His vocals were good as usual, but the song choice was straightforward and rather uninteresting. I disliked it as much as I disliked James Durbin's version from Season 10, which is kind of a compliment I guess.  7/10

Overall: 6/10

Which leaves us with...

Jena who stole the Top 4 crown tonight, singing:

First Song: "Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker"
Weird phrasing aside, I think Jena's taking up the rocker chick persona much better than Jessica or even Kat from The Voice. Heartbreaker, to me, was a really good performance that showed off Jena's lovely tone and her energy on stage. Out of all the other contestants, Jena has the best stage presence. Alex and Jessica's are non-existent (just like my excitement for this Top 4) while Caleb is kind of like a drama queen without the flair. So yeah, great song choice and good job on delivering it beyond expectations. 8/10

Second Song: "Lady Gaga's Bad Romance"
Very interesting arrangement but I wasn't feeling it. Despite the overwhelmingly positive responses from the judges, I couldn't sense actual excitement from them. Don't know if I'm the only who feels that way though, TPTB are supposedly pimping Jena. 6/10

Third Song: "Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling In Love"
Vocally, Can't Help Falling In Love was really, really beautiful. It was leaps and bounds ahead of everything and everyone else tonight. I loved the way she navigated her way through the song, with the ups and downs, the loud and the soft moments - combined together it was just pure magic. The only technically amazing performance from this week. (Now what did I say about her dark horse status before? I'm right!)  9/10

Overall: 8/10

Who should be bottom 2: Alex and Jessica
Who should go home: Alex

Let's give the contestants a big round of applause for choosing more unusual songs than The Voice contestants this week. And the previous weeks.

Edit with Results:
And so the journey ends for Jessica Meuse. Not a surprising outcome, but she was better than Alex this week. I guess what killed her in the end was her aloofness and lack of connection with songs. It's too late for improvement, and frankly speaking she hasn't improved THAT much (contrary to what her erstwhile supporters would like us to believe). Her fanbase wasn't as big as Alex's either.

Despite all that negativity from the judges (especially Keith Urban), I think Jess handled the situation quite well. J.Lo might not be her biggest fan and Jess may be aware of that, but honestly Ms. Lopez wasn't THAT cruel to her. You can kind of tell that the general public isn't that big a fan of her, so...Jess fanatics are overreacting in my opinion.

At any rate, good luck to Alex, Jena and Caleb for the finale.

Sweet Surrender

Currently Listening To: Lord Huron - Time to Run

Tonight is the night where American Idol front runners fell apart.
Well, almost fell apart at least.

Isn't it depressing when the person you like and support is faltering a bit while the others are kind of overtaking the said person. And just last week this person was doing so well.

Anyways. Let's start off this week's review with...

Sam
Sing by Ed Sheeran
Never heard the song before. As far as Sam goes, this was quite a decent performance. It may have been a boring and slightly uninspiring song choice, but he was pitch perfect and his buttery voice did wonders for him. 5/10

How to Save a Life by The Fray
While his first song was pitch perfect, the second one was a lot less so. The first verse was really...yikes. The rest of it was marginally better, but with another boring performance I don't really know what to say. Where did I go wrong? Everything, everywhere, everytime. 4/10

Final Rating: 4.5/10 (!!)

Caleb
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
A bad song choice, and very duly noted by Caleb too. This is the person (and the performance) who has disappointed me dearly this week. His vocals were completely off here. I lost count of the number of notes he missed. The pitchiest music I've heard in weeks, the only things worse are C.J. Harris's weekly performances and Bria Kelly's horrendous goat bleats. 2/10

Still of the Night by Whitesnake
...Keith and J.Lo were rocking out on their feet. Like head banging and everything. Sure, it was a much better performance than the Aerosmith one AND he was closing the night, but geez in no way was that better than any of his previous performances. Unwarranted -standing ovation-. If that counts as a standing ovation. 7/10

Final Rating: 4.5/10 (!!)

Jessica
Human by Christina Perri

Out of her two performances, I thought Human was the superior one. She sounded vulnerable and her tone was at least pleasant to listen to. Liked it, didn't love it. I think Christina Grimmie should sing this song for The Voice. It should suit her better than Jessica. 7/10

Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey
Seems like a lot of people liked this performance of Jessica's. I guess I'm in the minority cos I did not like it at all. Her voice didn't sound very  pleasant in my opinion and at times it was bordering on Bria Kelly territory (don't get me started on that girl). The 'big beauty queen' style did not suit her either. The only good thing I can say is...she had on a pretty red dress? I am one who is not getting the Jessica love, but I do feel sorry for her when she was waiting for the judges to comment. She looked so miserable I could almost cry for her. This time though the judges' comments weren't bad at all, seeing as I would have said MUCH worse things to her. In fact, I thought J.Lo's comment was actually good advise and Jessica should seriously take it. 5/10

Final Rating: 6/10

Alex
Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood
I liked it. He sounded like he was having fun, and his voice was excellent. Perfect song choice for him. 7/10

Say Something by A Great Big World (feat. Christina Aguilera)
Was that a moment? Definitely not, but that was one of the night's better performances among all. Sailing through to next round for sure. I think. Maybe. Perhaps. 8/10

Final Rating: 7.5/10

Jena
My Body by Young the Giant
I liked this performance of Jena's, though she did lose quite a few words when she was bouncing around. Those moments, I could barely hear her. The band was a bit too loud as well, so that kinda killed the mood for me. At any rate that was still an excellent vocal experience from Jena. 8/10

Valerie by The Zutons/Amy Winehouse
Another excellent showing from Jena. Valerie really showcased her unique tone and big range, so it's no surprise she's the best of the night. 8/10

Final Rating: 8/10

Who should be Bottom 2? Sam & Caleb
Who will be Bottom 2? Sam & Caleb with Sam going home.

I'll have to say that the song choices this week are excellent, most of the songs have never been performed on the American Idol stage before. Nor The Voice. Come to think of it, AI Season 13's song choices have been a lot better than The Voice's Season 6.

Edit with Results:

This week's results show revealed TPTB's desperation to keep a certain contestant on the show. Or so it would seem. Perhaps it was just desperate cry for attention.

This week's elimination of Sam introduced probably the worse twist ever on a reality TV show. For some inconceivable reason they made the final 5 contestants vote for whether they want the Top 5 to remain for another week while next week's show will eliminate 2 contestants at one go. And that'll only work if all contestants vote unanimously.

So it happens 3 contestants voted yes while 2 voted NO. I don't know who voted no, but according to Wikipedia:

"During interviews with the remaining contestants it was revealed that Jena and Alex voted no and Caleb, Jessica and Sam voted yes."

That's actually kind of interesting. I can understand why Sam, Jess and Caleb would vote Yes though. Caleb knew he had a bad week, and the other two have been in the bottom before (in Jess's case, EVERY week).

So, I am satisfied with the results this week but that totally horrendous attempt at manipulating the situation is a BIG, FAT NO.

Rock vs Country

Currently Listening To: Keane -  The Frog Prince

Finally we're down to the Top 6 of American Idol.
With the exception of C.J. and maybe Sam, I think we actually have a pretty decent Top 6.
It's still not much compared to last year's Top 3 but considering how this season has been I'd say that the end result is pretty satisfying. I've given up watching it on TV so I'm just watching the videos on Youtube, and (thankfully) bypassing the judges' comments. At least that'll make me a little less biased?

Moving on.
This week the contestants have to sing two songs each - one Country and one Rock & Roll.
It's quite a good theme as it gives the contestants a chance to sing a mixture of new and old songs. So how well did they do this week? Let's start off with...

C.J.
The Guess Who's American Woman and Zac Brown Band's Whatever It Is
Can somebody please tell me why has he been avoiding bottom 2 for the past...5..6 weeks? He started the song on the wrong pitch again. The rest of the song was slightly better, but in all seriousness - who in the world has been voting for him? Usually contestants like C.J. are eliminated quite early in the competition. What does his voters see in him? Why is he still here when even Dexter's gone? 3/10

So the first song was still acceptable (in C.J. standards) but the second one takes the cake for the worst Top 6 performance ever. That was like, watching him sing in the shower without the bathroom acoustics. At least he was kinda in tune. And that was still better Majesty's Let It Go. In hindsight, I think I still prefer C.J. over Lazaro (season 12 6th place finalist). It'll be mind-boggling if he survives this week. 3/10

Final Rating: 3/10

Alex
Neon Tree's Animal and Willie Nelson's Always On My Mind.
Um I don't know what to make of his song selections. His rendition of Animal was quite off pitch and nasally all over, so that's not good. Usually his reinventions are pretty spot on, but Animal just isn't one of them. So many rock songs out there and he chooses Animal? Seriously? 4/10

Always On My Mind was truckloads better. I had a problem with his look though. He looked constipated and uncomfortable in that suit and all I could think of was Elliot Yamin. Don't ask me why. These are the reasons why I can't rank him in the Top 3 tonight. In fact if not for his WGWG status I would be doubting his chances of survival. 6/10

Final Rating: 5/10

Sam
Imagine Dragon's It's Time and Shania Twain's You're Still the One
It's a good thing Sam's vocals are so strong because that performance was completely devoid of emotion. At least, that was the impression he gave to me. The unfortunate result was that bland, forgettable performance There were some bright moments in there but it's not good enough for even Top 12, let alone Top 6. 4/10

On the bright side, I thought You're Still the One was one of his best performances. A little conviction goes a long way. For Sam, that is. Solid vocals, but overall still very vanilla.  6/10

Final Rating: 5/10

Jessica
Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love and Dolly Parton's Jolene
I found Somebody to Love rather repetitive and although Jess sang well, I don't think that song did her much justice. Yes, it's the other way round. At this stage in the competition, the contestants NEED to choose songs that will draw people in to vote for them and honestly Jefferson Airplane isn't going to win her new votes. Unless the audience are big fans in the first place. Since she was in the bottom 2 last week, it's not a very wise decision on her part. 6/10

Now, her rock version of Jolene however was just brilliant. The way she sang it - I could feel the desperate plea to the judges in her voice. Not to mention her vocals were just perfect. I love this song, but I'll have to completely disagree with Keith on the arrangement. What was up with his attitude? It seems like he hates her even more than J.Lo does. In my opinion that rock arrangement was perfect for Jess, perfect for American Idol and a perfect way to prove the judges wrong. So yeah, thanks J.Lo for that kind comment even though she has been so hard on Jess for the past few weeks. At least she acknowledges improvement and good performance when she sees one. 9/10

Final Rating: 7.5/10

Jena
Heart's Barracuda and Carrie Underwood's So Small
What a way to start off the show! Barracuda was the perfect song for Jena to showcase her vocals and personality. She definitely caught everyone's attention even though she had the so-called death slot. Brilliant, energetic and memorable. 9/10

And then we have a Carrie Underwood song. Vocally I thought it was pretty strong but there were some moments where Jena's enunciation just got on my nerves so I couldn't fully enjoy the performance. Nevertheless, this dark horse is definitely shaping up to be THE contestant to beat. Yes, ahead of Caleb simply because she has shown a lot more improvement and made 'cool' song choices. Plus, she's female and not a WGWG so that gives her an edge of sorts as well. 7/10

Final Rating: 8/10

Caleb
The Black Crowe's Sting Me and Carrie Underwood's Undo It
You know what, Caleb is just...wow. In my eyes he is pretty much this season's Candice - very consistent and generally just kicking ass every week. This week is no different. What he did to that Black Crowe's song was just pure Caleb. To quote J.Lo, that was just pure rock and roll and awesome. Great vocals all the way through. And omg that wail - just perfect! 8/10

As for his second song - I know it's suppose to be the Country theme but Caleb pretty much just did his thing and rocked it. Another Carrie Underwood song. I'm not a fan of Carrie Underwood or her songs, so I'm kinda pleased with this arrangement. It was cool, and although I wish he could have made an effort to stick to the theme, I'm still pleased with the outcome. Keep it going! 9/10

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Who should go home? C.J.

Who will go home? Sam

Edit with Results:
C.J. is finally gone! *cheers* Long overdue.

Here Comes the Bus

Currently Listening To: Muse - Uprising

Another delayed review for American Idol.
Shows just how dedicated I am to this season huh?

But seriously, I didn't really have the time to watch it last week so I just skimmed through the performances in Youtube. Anyway this week the contestants picked songs for each other, so it was quite interesting. Not a bad week but it was nowhere near great either.

Rankings:

So Who Went Home Last Week? Dexter did.

He sang Muckalee Creek Water, whatever that is. It wasn't a bad song choice for him but at this stage he needed to stand out badly. However, he didn't and I guess that's why he was actually eliminated this week. There goes the country chances this year. 3/10

Jessica - Gunpowder and Lead
Something about her vocals was off. She wasn't pitchy or anything - I just can't place what went wrong with her performance. And while that may not have been her best performance, the judges' harsh and unnecessary criticisms were completely unwarranted. I guess Jess is this season's roadkill for TPTB. Why though? What did she do to make them hate her so much? At least with Haley (Reinhart), I could understand. She was a threat to their beloved country duo. But Jess? Who exactly is she a threat to? Caleb? Sam?? 4/10

C.J - Gravity
First time in weeks he actually sounded decent I think. What a shame cos it really destroyed Dexter's chances in the competition (and probably Jessica's as well. Sad.) 5/10

Sam - Sail Away
I have never heard the song before, and yet Sam managed to make me love it. That's a huge improvement for him I think. He sounded good, genuinely felt the song for once and looked slightly more comfortable on stage. 7/10

Alex - A Team
Oooh, the only Ed Sheeran song I like. That was a good one from Alex, though I guess he didn't quite stand out? He's not as consistent as Caleb, but he has been doing pretty okay for the past 4 weeks or so. 7/10

Caleb - Family Tree
I'm completely unfamiliar with this Kings of Leon song (OMG! Kings of Leon on American Idol? I didn't think that was possible wtf), but what the hell I thought Caleb totally rocked it. He actually sounded like Caleb Followill (another Caleb zomg) in some parts. Damn, is he consistently good or what? Seriously, he's the only contestant who seems to belong in this competition. 8/10

Jena - Creep
Is this the first Radiohead song in American Idol as well? I can't believe Caleb picked this song for Jena - I don't think it's good news for him cos she totally slayed it! The best cover ever of Creep by an amateur singer in a singing competition. Especially since this is American-Freaking-Mainstream-Idol. 9/10

And Idol-Cameraman? Please stop zooming in on Jennifer's face every bloody second. I only watched the full show on TV for a couple of performances and all I kept seeing was J.Lo. You got that right. Not the contestants, but J.Lo. Cut it out, you're making all of us watching at home hate her, and I actually enjoy her critiques okay?

That's all for this week, folks. Now I'm gonna go listen to some David Gray.

A Missed Week (Top 8 Redux)

Now Playing: Drake feat. Rihanna - Take Care

I totally forgot about American Idol this week!

So far I've only read reviews on the performances, and I can assure you that nobody was particularly impressive again.

Poor Malaya was eliminated from the competition after choosing to sing the anthem of death - "Through the Fire'. At the expense of C.J too!

How unfortunate for Malaya, she has improved so much while C.J hasn't. I'll update on the performances once I...have the mood to youtube them.

15/4/2014 update
I finally watched their performances and I've gotta say that I agree with the critics - last week wasn't a good week for any of the contestants other than Caleb and Jessica. Theme was 80's week (I guess that explains the disaster).

Rankings below:
Caleb (Faithfully) - That was good. Excellent vocals as always. 9/10
Jessica (Call Me) - I actually preferred her version over Haley's. Nice job. 8/10
Alex (Every Breath You Take) - Interesting arrangement with spot on vocals. 7.5/10
Sam (Time after Time) - Sounded great. Slightly more connected to the song and audience too. 7/10
Jena (I Love Rock and Roll) - I did not like it. Bland and uninteresting. 4/10
Dexter (Keep Your Hands to Yourself) - Did not like it, although he sounded reasonable enough. 3.5/10
Malaya (Through the Fire) - Horrible song choice plus pitch problems. Not good. 3/10
C.J. (Free Falling) - He was off pitch from the first note. What else to expect from him? Sigh. 2/10

As for duets, only Caleb and Jena's stood out to me.

That was a (The Voice) Battle Round worthy performance from both Caleb and Jena! And I wouldn't have known who to choose (leaning towards Caleb though). 

Vast Improvement

Currently Listening To: Yuna - Rescue

For the first time in weeks I wasn't disappointed with -most- of the contestants. That's a good thing, right? *obsessed*

This week they sang their audition songs, so we can see how far they've progressed from the first day until now, and if they are able to recreate the magic that got them this spot in the first place. 8 performances and 4 duets, let's see how they fared:

Malaya and Sam - Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz’s Lucky
Ouch I think that was easily one of the worst performances in S13. And that came from two of the better vocalists! What the hell man. 0/10

C.J. - The Allman Bros. Band’s Soulshine 
Alright, it was significantly better than last week, but he still wasn't hitting the right notes. Most of the time. If he survives this week then he is one lucky dude. 2/10

C.J. and Dexter - Darius Rucker’s Alright
You know, Dexter sounded decent actually but he's duetting with C.J. so...yeah. Boring song and boring duo. 3/10

Jena and Alex - Pink & Nate Ruess’ Just Give Me a Reason
As far as duets go, I think this was a pretty weird pairing. At any rate they sounded pretty good, with Alex sounding better than Jena. She did miss a couple of notes. 3/10

Sam - Ed Sheeran’s Lego House
I won't deny that he sounded pretty good, but something about those dead eyes stops me from enjoying his performances somehow. I don't usually mind guys like Sam much. However, with Sam I really feel like shaking him or whacking his head to...I don't know, wake him up? Snoozefest. 4/10

Jessica & Caleb - Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty’s Stop Dragging My Heart Around
Kudos to the rock couple! I'm not familiar with the song but that was a really good pairing. Both Jess and Caleb sang really well, and they actually connected with each other and the audience too. Good job to both. 6/10

Caleb - Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools
A rock version of Chain of Fools. Very interesting. I'm really loving Caleb's voice, but there were a few moments where he didn't quite hit the notes. Not his best performance. 7/10

Jessica - Blue Eyed Lie (Original Song)
Oh yes we have an original Meuse song here tonight. I don't know why but I didn't really enjoy it much. I mean she sang it well, and she does have some decent songwriting skills so...I guess it's the tone of her voice that kinda gets on my nerves. 7.5/10

Dexter - Brett Eldredge’s One Mississippi
He may have been singing a ballad but this is the best he has sounded for weeks. I guess I can cross him off the bottom 3 list for the time being? 8/10

Malaya - Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way
Well well colour me impressed! Excellent vocals this time. Oh my gosh, I think Malaya's the contestant who improved the most this season. Whoever it was that trained her to control her voice should be given a gold medal. And a hug! This week is the first time I genuinely enjoyed Malaya's performance and she totally slayed it. (But what's with the Aretha Franklin this week? It's not Aretha theme week!) 8/10

Jena - Adele's Rolling in the Deep
Now that was an interesting arrangement for Rolling in the Deep. I can't even begin to tell you how sick I am of that song. In other words, Jena actually did a good thing by totally rearranging the tune and making it her own, thus catching the attention of the audiences (and people like me). 8.5/10 

Alex - Fairytales (Original Song)
Alex definitely needs to be a songwriter. That was really good for someone who has no professional experience in song writing! Very impressive. Great vocals, great song, and I'm glad that he's finally got a chance to record and release it as a single (of sorts). 9/10

Who will end up in the bottom 3? Sam, CJ, Caleb/Malaya
Who will receive the least votes? CJ

Peace out.

Edit with Results:
Sam received the least votes! But he was saved by the judges. Did he deserve the save? Hell no.
Another interesting to note is that Malaya was in the Bottom 3 as well, just as I predicted. After that excellent performance? Wow. Not a good sign for her...

Livelier Times

Currently Listening To: Anna Kendrick - Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)

Apart from a few questionable song choices and terrible execution of said songs, this was actually a pretty good night for Season 13. I see improvement from most of the contestants this week. They're beginning to make riskier song selections and trying to put their own touch to it. 

From the worst to the best:

Majesty - Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine
I'm afraid I'll have to rank her at the very bottom this week. Initially I thought it was gonna be awesome, but Majesty unfortunately got steadily worse as the song progressed on, and the end was just disastrous. She can't sing high notes and yet she keeps choosing big songs! I don't understand. Where did that Majesty who sang Violet Hill go?? 0/10

CJ - If It Hadn't Been for Love by The Steel Drivers
What a great song choice, I'm inspired to listen to it again. Now if only CJ had sang it in tune, I would have given him a better grade.  He has a big problem with pitch. What's the point of having good tone and good range, if you can't utilize it to sing in tune? I don't think CJ has a good ear, Harry. It's been weeks, he should have at least improved a little! 2/10.

Dexter - Boondocks by Little Big Town
I guess he's trying to take the Scotty McCreery route with his steady choice of country songs, but he does not have the good looks nor the charm of the Season 10 champ. So what does that spell for Dexter? Probably bottom 3 each week until he gets eliminated. Why is that so? Because although he sings well, his song choices are pretty much snoozefests, and that will not encourage the public to vote for him. Consistent but boring. 3/10

Sam - Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's
To quote Keith, Sam's voice is like butter. Unfortunately, it is unsalted butter. So it's not entirely appealing to the masses. I mean seriously, the kid sings with this blank, empty look on his face. Even J.Lo was commenting on his lack of connection with the song. And it's true, there is nothing. Nothing on his face, nothing in his voice, nothing in his delivery that would make people FEEL for him. There was no emotion when he was standing there listening to the judges' feedback either. In conclusion, Sam is an emotionless robot and I don't know if that's gonna work out for him. 5/10

Malaya - Long and Winding Road by The Beatles
Honestly she has improved so much since the disastrous Top 13, but her high notes still needs a looooot of work. All in all I thought that was a pretty decent performance for Malaya, minus the caterwauling high notes. Will she get votes? Most probably since AI is determined to promote her anyways. 6/10

Jessica - Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
I really love the song Rhiannon, but I can't say I liked Jessica's rendition that much. I think Didi Benami and Haley Reinhart sang it better. However, it was still a good and solid performance from Jessica as the song fits her so well and unlike Sam, she seems to be learning to connect with the audience better. 6.5/10

Alex - Don't Speak by No Doubt
Now that was an interesting performance. An unexpected song choice from Alex as well. I liked his jazzy take on the No Doubt tune, though it seemed to take away a bit of the anguished emotions from the song. This performance felt like it belonged to Season 8 or 9 instead, and that's a good thing. 7/10

Jena - Bring Me to Life by Evanescence
Although there were a couple of bum notes, Jena as a whole gave a very convincing, impressive performance with Bring Me to Life. She really brought the stage to life, something that is sorely needed this season. On top of that she looked great and what better way to end the night than with a gorgeous young girl singing beautifully! 8/10

Caleb - Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin
OMG he totally gave me goosies! That was a fantastic performance from the resident Season 13 rocker, incredible vocals and excellent song choice (Led Zeppelin FTW!). And yes, hats off to Ricky Minor and his band for that awesome performance! 9/10

Bottom 3? MAJESTY, CJ, Dexter

Who should go home? MAJESTY. 

It has become a travesty to keep Majesty in the competition based on her performances so far and compared to the others. So disappointing.

Edit with Results:
For the third week in a row, I made the correct prediction - Majesty is gone.

As horrible as her exit performance was, I think she still sang more notes in tune than CJ.

I can't help but feel sad about it though, she had seemed so promising during her audition and the Hollywood rounds. It's such a shame to see her lose herself in the live shows and departed with barely a whimper. All the best to her Majesty.

Clarity And Then Some

Currently Listening To: fun, - We Are Young

I'm not sure if the themes for this season are suitable so far, I mean yes everyone is now choosing current songs but those songs don't really showcase much, especially if the contestants are adamant about just singing it straight on without doing anything interesting with it. The 'theme' this week is Billboard Top 10 songs from 2011 onwards, and here's how the contestants fared from the worst to the best:

MK - Perfect by Pink
Oh boy, I wish I could root for her but MK's performance was so devoid of life I wanted to lie down and sleep about a quarter way through. Vocally shaky, aesthetically empty and completely lacking in emotional connection. She's not gonna last for long now, is she? Very disappointing. 2/10

CJ - Invisible by Hunter Hayes
Um. So CJ is back in the bottom 3 for me. He did not do anything for me this week with his uninspiring song choice and lack of pitch. He's so much better than what he's doing right now. Harry was spot on about CJ going off pitch and being too sharp. And it's so...unnerving to see J.Lo trying to encourage him to do better. Another disappointment. 3/10

Dexter - Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
As expected from Dexter - a safe, country song delivered perfectly albeit rather monotonously. Harry was right in criticizing his safe song choices and his on point but boring delivery. 4/10

Sam -  We Are Young by fun.
I can't say that was a bad performance, but he desperately needs to stand out more. Being one of the better singers, and yet not catching anyone's attention? That's not good Sam. He has the potential so it's time to start choosing more interesting songs, and doing something unusual with it. 4.5/10

Jena - Clarity by Zedd
Ah the glowsticks. Talk about a gimmick? Quite a big fall from last week's No. 1 spot. Let's see...there was nothing special about her performance. Jacquie from The Voice sang it much better last season. Much, MUCH better, and that was one of her worse performances! Sorry Jena, please try to pick songs that show off your voice instead of just, karaoke-ing. 5/10

Jessica - Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People
Harry and his problem with questionable lyrics. Honestly I think he was nitpicking a little. Sure, the lyrics are...questionable but she knew what she was singing about and understood the implications. Lyrics aside, she actually sang Pumped Up Kicks well. She showcased her voice, hit all the notes and made the song 'Jessica'. I think Sam should learn a thing or two from her? 6/10

Malaya - When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars
It wasn't anything to get excited about but I'll have to admit that she sang it well, hit all the notes and actually sang from her heart. Though she was never anyone's man. So yeah, good job Malaya, do keep it up, you're finally living up to your potential. 6.5/10

Caleb - Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga
Well that was an interesting song choice. The judges were pretty harsh on him but I thought he did a pretty good job with one of the more boring Gaga songs. I would agree with the judges on lacking connection with the lyrics, otherwise it was a really solid performance. 7/10

Majesty - Wake Me Up by Avicii
Poor thing sounded and looked scared throughout the song, although it's a huge improvement from last week. Very apt lyrics. Vocally I thought she was great, the arrangement was perfect for her, however she kinda took a leaf out of MK's book and was totally lacking in confidence. I guess last week's disastrous song choice and her trip to the Bottom 3 really shook her up. And what J.Lo said to her was so accurate, here's hoping that Majesty will really think about what J.Lo said and regain her confidence. 7.5/10

Alex Preston - Story of My Life by One Direction
I really liked the way he ended the song! It's such a breath of fresh air to hear someone in this competition, sing with passion, and at the same time, in tune. What is this, I'm actually excited to hear someone who sounds like Lee Dewyze omg. Shows how low this season's standard is.  8/10

Bottom 3 Prediction? MK, CJ and Jena

Who will go home? MK.

You know, I really don't understand the so-called fans. First, they were so happy that Harry's joining the judging panel because apparently he will not hesitate to point out the contestants' flaws and bad choices. Now that he is a judge, and is actually being honest about their shortcomings, the fans are annoyed because he's too harsh and cold.

Seriously? Wasn't that what you wanted? Although he does come off as a bit snotty sometimes, his comments are usually accurate and I think that'll get the contestants to WAKE UP and DO SOMETHING to impress ALL the judges (Keith and J.Lo are too nice to be assholes to the contestants).

It's already the Top 10 but everyone is still sleeping their way through the competition. I really don't understand, there's so much potential. Unfortunately none of them seems to have the drive to succeed, or even to stand out in the crowd. Last year's girls were great, but all the boys were horrendous. In my opinion, this year's girls AND boys are both good. So what's going on? Maybe they're just too young...I think all of them are younger than me =/

Edit with Results:

As expected, MK is gone. Too bad, cause she really does have a lovely voice.
Hopefully she'll continue to improve?

Sound of Silence

I just couldn't resist blogging about AI even though I actually have other more important stuff to do! *smacks self* 

Anyway, this week's performances are so much better than last week's. A really big improvement for most, while some frontrunners tumbled down quite badly.

Ranking from the least impressive to the best of the night:

Majesty Rose - Let It Go by Idina Menzel (At least I THINK that's her name ;) )

Very current but...I could hardly hear her voice because the low notes were just too much for her. Well the high notes were too much for her too. That was totally fail karaoke! I think even I sound better than her on a bad day! Don't know what she was thinking when she picked that song! Do excuse the exclamation marks, I was just too shocked! -10/10

Ben Briley - Bennie and the Jets by Elton John

Very, VERY brave song choice after Haley Reinhart's slamdunk from Season 10. What the heck, he was even dressed like Elton John. So...he had a fail falsetto, he didn't sound too good on the low notes, and he was out of tune most of the time. Way to go Ben. Granted, that was still better than most of last week's performances. 2/10

Sam - Come Together by The Beatles

He was very bland again. And why that song? So many contestants have covered that and Sam didn't do anything with the song. Bad choice. 4/10

Jessica - Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

I love the song, I love the beginning but...girl has more bleat than Elliot Yamin. She sounded amazing when it was just her and the guitar. Unfortunately she lost it when the band started playing. Not a good end to the song. Very helpful and accurate feedback from Jen and Keith too. 6/10

Dexter - Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Oooh he had a haircut. Not that it's relevant but anyways he looks pretty clean and neat now. I think so far Dexter is the most consistent performer. Can't say there's much improvement from last week though... 6.5/10

MK - To Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan

Wow, that was surprisingly effective. Her voice sounded subtle yet lovely, by far her best vocals since Rush week. And she looked pretty amazing too. The only negative thing was that she still looked very uncomfortable on stage. Needs a lot of work in that aspect. 7/10

Caleb - Skyfall by Adele (NOT DAZEEM)

The award for the most interesting song choice of the night goes to Caleb. Kudos to Caleb for choosing an Adele song, and actually pulling it off. Ended with a lovely glory note too. 7/10

Malaya - I Am Changing by Jennifer Hudson

Still a little shaky at certain parts, but overall that was a really good performance, especially coming from Malaya. And she didn't mess up the last note! Finally a song choice that showcased her big voice. 8/10

Alex - Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová 

Another contestant who improved tremendously from last week. His version of Falling Slowly was almost on par with Kris Allen's (S8), and that is a huge compliment! 8/10

CJ - Can't You See by The Marshall Tucker Band

Vast improvement from the previous two weeks! For once he sounded focused and gritty, and most importantly, not sleepy so...good job.  9/10

Jena - Decode by Paramore

Where did that come from? Best performance of the season so far! Vocals on point, song choice perfect, great (and different) arrangement, plus she looked amazing. That should get her out of the bottom 3. If it doesn't...I have no idea what to say. 10/10

Who should be Bottom 3? Ben, Majesty and Sam

Who should go home? Ben

Damn, Harry was totally mocking Randy! Awesome.

Edit with Results:

Spot on this time - Ben has been eliminated from the competition.
Majesty and Sam were both in the bottom 3 as well. Sure looks like they're losing their frontrunner status eh?

So Uninspiring

Currently Listening To: Comeback Home - 2NE1

After this week's episode I think I've lost all interest in blogging about AI. Why, you may ask? Well, it's boring and contestants are just not bringing it. I don't even know why I'm still watching. If this continues on, I guess my blog will be dead again soon. But anyway here are my thoughts on the contestants this week, from the least impressive to the best (relatively speaking).

Alex - I Don't Want to Be by Gavin Degraw
Oh god. For a 'frontrunner' I thought that performance was horrible. It's Lee Dewyze all over again with the nasally tone and horrible song choice. 1/10

Ben - Turning Home by David Nail
Nails on a chalkboard. Screechy, whiny and out of tune. 1/10

MK - Drops of Jupiter by Train
Well that was very disappointing. Her voice was shaky, and she never quite connected with the song. Since she was in the bottom 3 last week, I think it's very likely she'll be gone soon, if not this week. Such a waste of lovely tone and voice. 1.5/10

Emily - Let's Get Loud by J.Lo herself
WTF song choice. Did her no favours. Her only saving grace was her decent sounding voice. 2/10

CJ - Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer
In retrospective I guess that wasn't so bad. Much better than last week. However, I'm sorry but he's just too boring. And yet he had seemed so promising during the Hollywood rounds! Geez. Won't be here for long either. 2.5/10

Malaya - Take Me to the King by Tamala Mann
She ended the song with a freaking scream wth. Although a marked improvement from last week, it is still mediocre at best. Come on judges, that last note was not beautiful even though she actually hit it. I know she's just sixteen, and she improved a bit, but that praise was undeserving. I'm weeping for all the 16 year old girls who didn't even make it to Hollywood rounds, really. 3/10

Jessica - White Flag by Dido
Unlike other reviewers I actually kinda liked this performance. Most probably because she was the only one who tried something different. I really don't get the hate for this. Maybe it was the bleating that turned people off? Oh well. She wasn't that bad, but it was nowhere near good either. 4.5/10

Sam - Just One by Blind Pilot
Another contestant with a bland song choice. Mix it up a little kiddo. Vocally okay. 5/10

Jena - Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall
I didn't think that was a good song choice, but her voice sounded pretty good. Still a lot of room for improvement. 5/10

Majesty - Fix You by Coldplay
Normally I hate this song, but Majesty made me like it. A bit screechy at moments, and she lost herself in those high notes. That's why she's in third place for me this week. 6/10

Dexter - Lucky Man by Montgomery Gentry
Like I said, he's the best country dude. It's no Scotty McCreery, but he's still better than the rest. 6/10

Caleb - Working Man by Rush
Surprisingly he gave the best performance of the week, and it still wasn't very good. 7/10


If you put all the lower half of the Top 12 contestants from the past 6 seasons together, they'll still be more consistent than this bunch. Yes, even Lazaro!

Conclusion - everyone sucked! Based on this week and last week's performance, nobody deserves to win this.

Who should be in the bottom 3: MK, Ben, CJ

Who will go home: MK

Peace out.

Results Edit: -
Emily is gone. No surprises there again. Too bad, she had -some- potential.

Beautiful Disaster

Currently Listening To: Breakers - Local Native

When I turned on the TV to watch American Idol tonight, I was not expecting disaster. Unfortunately, by the time I heard the first three contestants I was ready to run and hide. Thankfully it picked up the pace about halfway through because they definitely saved the best for last. Let's start with the reviews shall we? 

From the best to the worst:

Jessica Meuse
I thought Jessica was the best of the night. Hers was the only performance that kinda sorta lived up to the previous seasons, everyone else was rather subpar in my opinion. Her song choice was interesting as well - Shinedown's The Crow and the Butterfly. Imagine, Shinedown in American Idol! That's a first. I've never heard that song before but Jessica made me want to listen to it again. 9/10

Alex Preston
Jason Mraz's A Beautiful Mess was a good song choice for Alex. Again, I wasn't even aware of this song's existence so I have no idea what to compare his performance to. Anyhow he sounded a bit like Lee Dewyze to me, but with better vocals of course. Which is not a bad thing for this season. In fact that's pretty good because the other contestants are so mediocre I could cry. 8.5/10

Sam Woolf
You know what I really liked his version of Matchbox 20's Unwell. He may have sang it straight but at least he sounded good. Plus he's cute and adorable. What's not to love? Kid could go far in this, with his major competitor being Alex Preston, they're pretty much on the same level. 8.5/10

Caleb Johnson
Hell yeah Jack Black! Finally some rock and roll with Rival Son's Pressure and Time. There's something charismatic about this floppy haired rocker, I liked it. His performance breathed life into the otherwise mundane show. Perfect for closing the night. 8/10

Emily Piriz
So Emily chose to sing Glitter in the Air by Pink. Vocally I thought Emily sounded pretty, but something about her delivery felt empty. And she gave off this pageantry air. I think she needs to learn to work the crowd better. If she's in some other season I would have ranked her lower but since it's 2014...she's actually one of the better ones. Yikes. 7/10

Majesty Rose
I loved that she chose to sing Janelle Monay's Tightrope. It's just so...Majesty. That song fitted her like a glove, so she couldn't really go wrong with that. However she was pitchy intermittently, and that kind of ruined it for me. Then again that song is pretty difficult to sing so she gets a free pass.
7/10

Jena Irene
Shaky start, nice end. Jena's got a lovely, unique voice and an interesting singing style. She managed to make Coldplay's The Scientist her own, so that's a really good plus point. One of the more unusual performances of the night. 6.5/10

MK Nobilette
She sounded amazing and I love the tone of her voice, but MK's rendition of Allan Stone's Satisfaction was timid. Let's face it, timid is just not going to work out for American Idol. She needs spark.  I just can't imagine casual voters flocking to vote for her. 6/10

Dexter Roberts
Weird song choice. Out of all the country boys he was the best. His rendition of Aw Naw by Chris Young was neither good nor bad, so that puts him somewhere in the middle of the pack. 6/10

Ben Briley
Oh god. That was so country. I couldn't even recognize his song as Folsom Prison Blues. The pacing of the song was just crazy, I could barely keep up with it. As a result of that, he sounded rushed and breathless. I don't know if any hardcore country fans will be voting for that seeing as the voting bloc is more likely to vote for pop-country as oppose to...country. I'm actually wishing for some Scotty right now geez. 4/10

CJ Harris
Man he was disappointing. I was expecting something better from him. It sounded sleepy and lifeless. Once again I do not know the song, which was Darius Rucker's (who?) Radio. Just, bleh. Very not memorable. 2/10

Kristen O'Connor
For some reason I found her performance of Kelly Clarkson's Beautiful Disaster cheesy. Cheese. There's some good vocals in there somewhere, but was totally drowned by that blank, empty look on her face 0.5/10

Malaya Watson
What the heck was that? I can't believe I actually had hopes for this girl. She made a mess out of Bruno Mars' Runaway Baby, that's all. I can't even think of anything else to say about her. 0/10

And with that we have the Top 13 contestants of American Idol Season 13.

Who should be bottom 3? Malaya, Kristen and CJ

Who will go home? Malaya

All in all it was not a good start to the competition. I've been watching Idol since Season 4, and personally I think this was one of the weakest opening nights.

Thankfully the judges (Jen, Keith and Harry Connick Jr.) were actually pretty honest and helpful this time around. There was no over the top sugar coating, only mild praises to, you know, soften the blow of the barely concealed criticism. Compared to last year, this was like heaven to me! The judging last year was such a mess it hurts to even think about it now (damn you Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey). And it is even better with Randy Jackson gone. Here's hoping that they will maintain their honesty.

(By the way, Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry are the in-house coaches this year. So far they've been doing a good job. Randy the useless is one of the advisors too but as usual he has not been helpful to the contestants at all.)

Edit with Results:

Kristen is gone. Can't say that was unexpected.

American Idol Returns! (And my blog too!)

Currently Listening To: Don't Find Another Love - Tegan and Sara

I actually feel compelled enough to blog about American Idol this year after giving last year's a miss. Why? Well, I'm not sure. Maybe it's because I haven't been blogging for a looong, long time and this kind of gives me a very good reason to start blogging again. In hindsight, I should have blogged last year since Candice and Kree are both totally awesome singers and deserves more credit than they got last year and are getting right now!

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the Top 13 girls and boys of 2014:

(In no particular order)

CJ Harris

When I first heard him sing, I was charmed by the fact that he actually sounded good singing country. And do remember that I'm not exactly a big fan of country music so that's a very big compliment coming from me. Does he have the chance to win AI though? Errrrr let me get back to you on that once the live shows start since there are about a bazillion and one country singers or something on this season.

Kristen O'Connor

I'll admit that she sounds pretty okay, and she is visually appealing. However something about this girl feels bland. I don't know, maybe I'm just biased cause she's too pretty. Hah! At any rate she is a wildcard contestant so America did NOT choose her to be in the Top 13. The judges did. And we'll see how that goes.

Ben Briley

And we have our second country candidate! He's a good country singer, I'll give him that but I do prefer CJ. America seems to like him though. 

MK Nobillette

First openly gay contestant! That's what I've been reading about her all week long. Does that really matter? Perhaps the LGBT community will be voting for her? I actually like MK, thanks to her understated but heartfelt performances. I have no doubt that'll she will be in this competition for quite a while. 

Dexter Roberts

Good ole fashioned country singer. Lacking in the looks department though. With CJ and Ben, and maybe some of the other male contestants who might end up doing country, I really don't know how the vote splitting will help him. 

Malaya Watson

I think Malaya is the only vocal powerhouse this season? In terms of song choices I mean. Some of the other girls have pretty good vocal ranges but none of them seem inclined towards Malaya's genre. Could be a good thing, could be not. (I highly doubt a repeat of Candice Glover from her though. It is America after all.)

Alex Preston

For the time being he is more of a indie-folk rocker but I suspect country inclinations in the near future. A potential dark horse I think. He sounds decent, and he picks good songs (he sang Volcano though. Volcano aka Phillip x 2 sacred territory!). Maybe an Alex Lambert (Season 9)

Jena Irene

I've actually forgotten about Jena. Now thinking back, her audition was quite interesting. The judges had some comments about her singing style, but still liked it. Another dark horse maybe!

Caleb Johnson

Rock dude! He looks like Jack Black to me lol. I don't know what to think about him. Hmmm. Summary. He sounds okay. He sings alright. He is not memorable though. Yeah. Somewhere in the middle. Won't get far I think.

Majesty Rose

Reviewers seem to love this girl. Not sure why. She does sound rather promising I guess? If she chooses interesting songs she might get votes. Otherwise she'll be a Caroline Pennell. Talented frontrunner who gets lost among dark horses.

Sam Woolf

WGWG again! But this time I actually like this WGWG. Better vocals than say, Phillip x 2 but slightly less good looking. Maybe he'll be the next American Idol! He certainly has the potential. The potential to be a teenage girl's voting fantasy that is.

Jessica Meuse

Well, she was given a lot of exposure during Hollywood rounds, don't know how that'll work in her favour. Usually over-exposure is not a good sign. Strong vocally but lacking in likeability. Think Carly Smithson.

Emily Piriz

She has the pipes but I think she lacks vocal control. That and horrible song choices which makes her sound pageantry. Another pretty face to go along with Kristen. Remember Haley Scarnato from Season 6? Emily kind of reminds me of her. Not a good thing.

(Yes I am name dropping former contestants from American Idol and also The Voice! *proud to be an obsessive singing competition fanatic who remembers previous contestants relatively well*)

So here we are, Season 13 of American Idol.

Now how about some Fleet Foxes for theme nights! An indie-folk theme perhaps? Think about it producers!

On another note, The Voice starts this week! If I have the time I'll probably blog about it too.

Until then, rest well and good night!

Trespassing

Currently Listening To: Adam Lambert - Shady

First of all, congratulations to Adam Lambert for getting the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 with his second album Trespassing! It has been quite a while since a non-winner got a number one album, so good job Adam!

As for the album itself, I must say I'm quite impressed. I can't decide if it's better than For Your Entertainment, but it is definitely a good album.

Tracklisting

1. Trespassing

2. Cuckoo

3. Shady

4. Never Close Our Eyes

5. Kickin In

6. Naked Love

7. Pop That Lock

8. Better Than I Know Myself

9. Broken English

10. Underneath

11. Chokehold

12. Outlaws of Love

13. Runnin

14. Take Back

15. Nirvana

Most of the songs are ballads, and surprisingly I'm not particularly bothered about that? It's a good thing though, they're nice songs and some of them are even composed by Lambert himself. A job well done indeed, I'm so proud of him! <3

Overall: 8.5/10

Recommendations: Trespassing, Never Close Our Eyes, Shady, Pop That Lock, Underneath, Outlaws of Love, Runnin

Great Singers, Bad Choices

Currently Listening To: Keane - The Starting Line

We are down to the Top 3 and honestly this year we have a very solid Top 3. Unfortunately, the actual night itself was quite underwhelming. This bunch of contestants should have wowed us all but they didn't. They really didn't. I'm not saying they were bad, I'm just saying, for that amount of talent, they should have been a lot better.

Each contestant sang three songs; Judges' Choice, their Personal Choice and also Jimmy Iovine's.

I'm afraid Jessica was the least impressive performer tonight, in terms of song choices. Three sleepy ballads. I don't know what J.Lo was thinking, she chose Mariah Carey's My All and you know what? That is one difficult song to sing. It takes a lot of courage for anyone to choose that song at all, and J.Lo chose it for Jessica. On Top 3 night. Luckily Jessica did a pretty good job with the song, without missing a single note. Sure she didn't go for that high note but I don't care as long as the song sounded good. Her own choice, Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, was interesting. Sadly though, she didn't do anything interesting WITH the song. She hit -most- of the notes, but another ballad just isn't good enough. Jimmy could have done her a favour by choosing something more current, but noooo he just had to choose Jackson 5's I'll Be There. WHY?? Again, this is 2012 not 1950! Not a good choice, although vocally she was okay. The song choices really killed her chances. I'm sorry for Jessica, I hope her fans will be voting in full force.

As much as I hate to admit it, Phillip was a bit better than Jessica this week. Thanks to the song choices (except for his own). Steven's choice for him was The Four Seasons/Madcon's Beggin, and that was an excellent song choice. It suited him well and he made the song sound different rather than just singing it blindly. Was it a moment though? Hell no. Hated his own song selection, Matchbox 20's Disease. He could have and should have chosen something else. If I wanted him to stay I would have screamed but since I don't, whatever floats your boat Phil. And the third song...well, I've read a lot of rave reviews (including the judges' comments) for his rendition of Bob Seger's We Got Tonight. I don't get it though. Yeah it was a decent song choice and he sang it fair enough. But his higher register was just whack. I do value singing in tune more than connecting with a song emotionally. Nice dig there Steven, I sense some sarcasm although no one else did *shrugs* Singing in tune does matter people, how would you like it if the songs played on the radio everyday are sang out of tune? Will you still be listening? I sincerely doubt it. To me, Phil sounded like a mixture of Taylor Hicks, Chris Martin and Lee Dewyze. Not a good combination. In fact, a combination of all the voices I dislike. I'd be really surprised if he does leave tomorrow.

Joshua has been the most consistent contestant in the competition, and tonight was not different. His vocals were top notch for all three songs, and he sang every single song with a whole lot of passion and spirit. Randy picked I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James for Joshua, and he slayed it. Hell yeah man, another standing ovation. I know that's not really a good thing, the endless standing Os, but he definitely deserved that one (I know, that wasn't a current song either but he did stand out more with it than Jess). I wasn't really into his version of Imagine, thought that he could have sang it better. Still, it beats Disease and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing for a personal song choice. And he gave a pretty good explanation for his choice. The highlight of the night for me, was Mary J. Blige's No More Drama, sang by no other than our gospel-faithful Joshua Ledet. If I were the judges, I would have given him another standing O just for the heck of it.

Overall though, I think Jessica had the least comfortable night while Joshua came out on top again. Phillip was his usual so-so self. Who should win? Joshua definitely. But will he? That I really can't answer.

And for heaven's sake Phillip fans, stop bashing Jessica. Stop calling her awful, stop elevating Phil's status to 'great singer' (HE JUST ISN'T OKAY?) and then insisting that Jessica's a lousy one - just stop it. Almost every single comment I read against Jessica was for Phillip, wtf? I don't care if you fancy his singing or song choices or whatever, but calling Jessica atrocious is just low. Guess what? I think Phillip's singing voice in general is atrocious, never mind the emotional value of the song. (Ok fine I don't actually think his singing is atrocious but you get my point!) Screw it, if Phil makes it to the Top 2, I'll be crying for Jessica. Seriously.

Strange Themes

Currently Listening To: Keane - Sea Fog

I guess they ran out of good themes? I mean, California Dreamin'? Songs I Wish I Had Written? Hmmm okay. Not very interesting themes but they have to sing something I suppose.

Now about California...yeah, it ain't much of a theme and it shows.

Hollie...well she sang Journey's Faithfully, and honestly she didn't do that good. Don't know what the judges were going on and on about. Her voice was shaky, she didn't quite hit the high notes and she seemed to lack confidence. Not a good thing for tonight, since PHILLIP PHILLIPS is still in the competition. Will Hollie survive the next theme? We shall see...

Speaking of Phillip, man that song choice was whack. Have You Ever Seen the Rain was a really strange song choice for a competition like American Idol, but since it's Phillip who cares? Vocally it wasn't half bad I suppose, and because of that he will most likely survive elimination tomorrow.

And then we have Joshua. He sang Josh (another Josh? Oooh) Groban's You Raise Me Up, the only modern song choice for this theme (what's up with the contestants, seriously? It's 2012 y'all!). He was spot on vocally, as usual but I didn't quite feel the performance. Still a lot better than Phil and Hollie though.

Jessica oh Jessica, she sang Etta James. I don't know if any Etta James fans will be voting tonight, but I sure hope so because that was one hell of a performance, with the perfect amount of sass and vocal ability. Good job Jess! THAT WAS A HOT ONE TONIGHT! Still, I'm worried. It is 2012 after all, and 2012 Etta James is not. Please vote for Jessica if you want her to win!

Phillip and Joshua's Maroon 5 duet was amusing, mostly on Phillip's part cos he sounded just...ugh.
Hollie sounded good on her Eternal Flame duet with Jessica, I thought she sounded better than Jess actually. She also sounded good on the group performance, but out of that I don't think tonight is Hollie's best night. That's bad news for her fans unless they vote their asses off for her.

On another note, why are the song choices on Idol so...old? Almost every single song selected tonight are not contemporary music. It feels dated. And old. The Voice wins on that aspect.

Moving on to Round 2, which was better than the first, for everyone.

Unfortunately for Hollie, even with that decent rendition of Bonnie Rait's I Can't Make You Love Me I don't think that was good enough. She seemed lost, and was a bit swallowed up by the stage. Beautiful song choice though, I love that song. I agree with Randy about connecting with the song, she seemed way out of her depth. Based solely on this week, I'd say that she should go home but as whole, she is much better Phillip. I'm sorry Hollie, best of luck with the voters.

As for Phillip, now that was a really intriguing song choice. I liked that song, I really did but I still think that he needs to go home. It might be a shock elimination tomorrow, who knows? Maybe Phil WILL (finally!) go home. Or maybe Jess or Josh will be the ones going home. I don't know. They don't deserve to go home, but they might. DAMN YOU VOTERS just let Phil go, k?

Although I love Jessica and I think she was excellent as usual, I'm gonna put her at 2nd place tonight. Why? Well that was one crazy vocal, I won't deny it - the only people crazy enough to sing And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going are those who can sing exceptionally well. That person is Jessica Sanchez y'all! Finally a standing ovation for someone other than Joshua. However, I don't really like the song itself so that kinda spoils the whole thing. She better not be going, or I'll be throwing my shoes at the TV screen.

And yeah, Joshua is the best tonight for me for you. He really doesn't deserve to go home, his rendition of It’s A Mans Mans Mans World was incredible. No other word can describe it. The emotional connection, the vocals - everything was just perfect. Hands down the best performance of the night for me. 15 standing Os. Beat that!

Who should go home? Phillip

Who will go home? I DON'T KNOW DAMMIT

EDIT: Results

I knew it, Hollie is gone.

Congrats to Phil, Jess and Josh anyway.

60s British Invasion?

Currently Listening To: Haley Reinhart - Free

And it's another good night for American Idol, with the remaining 5 contestants singing British songs (define British songs, anyone?) and also songs from the 60s. The contestants (almost all of them anyway) are consistently striking home runs, so it has gotten even harder to rank them. Seriously man, I'm not exaggerating.

With the exception of one I suppose.

Honestly, I think Phillip Phillips has really overstayed his welcome. His performances this week definitely confirmed that for me. The first song was bland and rather uninspiring, and the second song...he mauled it. Like, seriously destroyed it. He sounded awful, and I have no clue why the judges were praising him. His studio recordings are pretty awesome but live, he just does not live up to this season's standards. I don't care how his studio recordings sound anymore, he shouldn't be robbing the other four contestants from their places in the competition. Please, let him be the one to leave tomorrow...

Moving on, we have Skylar Laine in fourth place this week. I love this girl, but she was definitely overpowered by the others this week. She was very energetic with the first song but vocally it was quite lacking, as she more or less mumbled her way through the song. I really liked her take on You Don't Have to Say You Love Me though, she sang it really well. Unfortunately it might have a been a bit too nasally, so...I don't know. It was good, but it wasn't good enough. On the bright side I thought she looked really pretty tonight! Here's hoping she'll be safe tomorrow...

Hollie Cavanaugh continued to improve this week, even with her usual diva song choices. Her first song, River Deep Mountain High, wasn't a half bad rendition but ya know what, Pia and the Glee cast sang it better. Just my opinion, I know she has quite a lot of fans. Bleeding Love on the hand, was excellent. Her best song in the competition I think. Very well sung, and for once, she didn't lose control of her voice. I would have picked her to leave after Phil, but I don't know, she has been getting better and I WAS a fan of hers at one point...

Jessica Sanchez takes the second spot for me again this week. Her first song, Proud Mary (I love that song btw!) was just so-so. I mean, she sang it well as usual, but it wasn't great. Not a good thing for Jess because Hollie chose a song with a similar feel and sang it better, in my opinion. Her second song however - holy #$%@, now that was what I would call a goosebump-inducing rendition of a song! And I can't stand that song - Joe Cocker's You Are So Beautiful - girl turned that song into something completely ethereal. Loved it, love her. If she leaves this week I'd be pissed. Seriously pissed.

And so, that leaves us with Joshua Ledet, who shines every single week. Talk about consistent! He got another standing ovation for his second song - his thirteenth standing O this season. 13 standing Os! Again, I felt like he didn't quite deserve the standing ovation (Jessica should have received one this week. What's wrong with the judges? Geezus!). To sum it up, both of his performances were stellar. Good job Josh. Now how are they going to market you if you end up the winner? Hmmm...

Undoubtedly the season with the best Top 5 4 ever. I don't really want Hollie to win though. I'm fine with the other three. Oh well, we shall see.

Who should go home? Phillip X 2

Who will go home? Please don't let it be anyone other than Philip X 2

Edit: Results

Sigh Skylar is gone. I knew it. Damn you Phillip!

Queen of All Trades

Currently Listening To: Glee Cast - Fat Bottomed Girls

So we're down to six contestants, and what better way to start the show than with a medley of Queen's hits?

Oh yes, it's Queen night on the American Idol stage and guess what? It rocked!

Seriously, I can't find fault with anyone of them (okay, maybe just one) but unfortunately, someone still has to go and this week it might be the end of the road for one of my favourite contestants ever. Anyway, this week the contestants sang two songs again, one song from Queen and another song of their own choice.

Round 1:


Phillip - Fat Bottomed Girls
Shit that was so out of tune. Fat Bottomed Girls was pretty awful, in my opinion. I don't know what to say about it except...I WISH YOU HAD STOPPED SINGING AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE PHILTIMES TWO!

Haley - Save Me
The beginning was pretty good, her voice sounded strong and there was some potential for something special but then she kinda lost her way towards the end? The title of the song is ominous though. Save Me? From the bottom 3 perhaps?

Jessica - Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody was good, but not good enough for the top six. There was something off about her voice for that song, she wasn't quite as powerful as usual. Not too good a performance Jess, we need more from you!

Elise - I Want It All
I think the theme gave Elise a great opportunity to climb right back up to the top 3. Although she sang that song well, I don't think it was quite the right song for her. On top of that, there's just something about her personality that turns me off. I don't know if it's her sulky faces, or her slightly condescending way of talking, I just don't fancy her as much as I did before...

Joshua - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Oh the Queen song was brilliant! It was fun, and it wasn't one of his gospel ballads. Very impressive, Joshua. I don't know about you, but if the Top 5 is four women against one man (Joshua), he probably deserves to win. Don't know if he'll actually win though...that might just be a challenge.

Skylar - The Show Must Go On
Well, that was very well sung! The Show Must Go On, I mean. Very powerful vocals by Miss Skylar Laine. Love her voice,  Good job girl I'm behind you 100%.

Round 2:


Phillip - The Stone by Dave Matthews
Okay so that wasn't so bad. I actually liked the song, and I'd probably listen to the studio version again and again but erm, yeah. Not for American Idol. Time to go home Phillip, you're the weakest vocalist left and this is a singing competition after all. The other 5 sang circles around this dude.

Skylar - Tattoos on this Town by Jason Aldean
Girl is a firecracker indeed. She's just so comfortable on the stage, and it shows. Not so sure about the song choice though, and she sounded a bit nasally at times, but overall still very good. Please pick better songs girl, I'd love to see you win this thing *waves Team Skylar banner*

Hollie - The Climb by Miley Cyrus
That was pretty good, a lot better than the previous weeks. Good job, she might actually have a chance of surviving with that song choice, otherwise she'd probably be gone...

Elise - Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix
Yeah, right back into the Top 3. That was the best she had sounded in weeks. I actually liked it. Unfortunately, the unknown song choice might put her in jeopardy. Steven was right, it does matter actually. Yeah she knocked it out of the park, but that doesn't mean she'll be getting a lot of votes.

Jessica - Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross
I loved it. Much better than the first song, and yet I love the original Bohemian Rhapsody. Maybe that's the reason why I wasn't too fond of her rendition. Honestly, I love Jessica and I think she's incredibly talented, but few of the other contestants overshadowed her tonight with the first theme. Not a good thing when it's so close to the finale. Please pleeeeease vote for Jessica! *waves Team Jessica banner*

Joshua - Ready For Love by India Arie
His first few notes gave me goosies. Scratch that, the whole song gave me goosies! For real yo! He was just that good. That was absolutely incredible, totally worthy of that standing ovation. The only standing ovation I approve of. I'm as speechless as Randy was, Joshua was just plain old WOW. Very difficult to accomplish with this bunch of contestants. GOOD JOB MY BOY! *waves Team Joshua banner enthusiastically.

Overall:
1. Joshua
2. Jessica
3. Elise
4. Skylar
5. Hollie
6. Phillip (It's time to go home buddy)

Best Top 6 ever, seriously. Love them all, Phillip too even though he kinda sucked with Fat Bottomed Girls this week.

Who should go home? Phillip

Who might go home instead? Jessica =(

Tough Cuts

Currently Listening To: Phillip Phillips - Give a Little More

Welcome to another edition of American Idol, where the 7 remaining contestants fight- I mean, sing to their deaths. Okay maybe not literally, just the death of their dreams and ambitions. With last week's -almost- elimination and the save used by the judges, the top 7 contestants had to sing two songs each this week, and how well did they fare? Very well actually. Extremely well. Honestly, I think all of them more or less deserves to be in the Top 5, but five of them will eventually have to leave, no matter what.

Based mostly on tonight's performances, and with a slight consideration of their previous performances, I guess the bottom two should be:

Elise Testone and Colton Dixon

Not to say they weren't good anything, it's just that the other five contestants were way better than them. Elise sang Alicia Keys' No One and Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye. The first song was definitely better than the second, I don't even have an opinion for that one. It was just...dull and bland throughout. Vocally she wasn't half bad but with those 2 boring song choices, it's time for her to go.

As for Colton...well, honestly I think he has a lot of potential but with the 'rock' version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and the strange arrangement for Earth, Wind and Fire's September...to be fair, Bad Romance was interesting and quite well sung, but his poor lower register really doesn't do him any favours for that song, and also his second song choice. It's a shame, his Love the Way You Lie performance from last week was pretty awesome.

And now, to rank the remaining 5:

Hollie - Rolling in the Deep (Adele)/Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)

If Colton stays in the competition then Hollie should go. I'll admit, she was a lot better compared to the previous weeks but her performances still lacks...soul somehow. Rolling in the Deep was quite good, Preacher Man not so much. Seriously. I'm only putting her in 5th place because of Rolling in the Deep and the improvement from last week. Otherwise, I would have placed her right at the bottom.

Phillip - U Got It Bad (Usher)/ In the Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett)
His second song saved his sorry ass for me this week. That Usher song...wow. It didn't sound anything like Usher, and definitely not in a good way. It was the usual Phillip style alt-rock kind of song, and it didn't work for me. Now, his second performance was interesting because he actually sounded different for once. That one worked for me, and that is why he's in fourth place this week. (If he hadn't sang that he would have been in sixth place)

Jessica - Fallin' (Alicia Keys)/ Try a Little Tenderness (Otis Redding)
I'm not sure if Jessica did enough to garner more votes this week. Sure, she sang two beautiful songs beautifully, but I don't know. I feel her more than I feel Hollie, but something is missing. I don't know what it is - it's definitely causing her votes (or maybe it's because she ain't sausage =_=. Anyway, Fallin' was a good song choice for her, and oh my god the second song, vocally she was stunning. Not enough WOW factor though. She really needs to have a WOW performance, and yet it is hard to WOW audiences when you're consistently good every week. Please vote for Jessica America! She deserves to be in the Top 3 at least.

Skylar - Born This Way (Lady Gaga)/ I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye)
I believe this girl has it in her to win the whole thing. Seriously. She's a vocal powerhouse, and she's country. Perfect for American audiences. I really liked both of her songs, I think she sang them extremely well. Very unusual arrangement for Born This Way, it actually suited the melody well. I Heard It Through the Grapevine was excellent also. Good job Skylar. I'm behind you 100%!


Joshua - I Believe (Fantasia Barrino)/ A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)
I couldn't decide between Skylar and Joshua, but after careful consideration of all their performances, I think Joshua sang it better, emotionally and vocally. I Believe was very solid, and A Change is Gonna Come was absolutely fabulous! Better than Adam Lambert's version of the song. He simply outclassed all of them with those 2 performances. It doesn't mean he'll be safe though, I don't think his fanbase is very big so....PLEASE VOTE FOR JOSHUA Y'ALL! He needs your votes and he deserves to be in the finals!

Vote wisely America.

P.S: Not sure if they'll be sending 2 contestants home tomorrow, so I'm just gonna go with one.

Who should go home: Elise Testone


Who will go home: I'm gonna make a random guess here and say....Hollie?

Edit - Results:

And Colton leaves the competition...hmmm not entirely shocked. It's the song choices buddy, and he admitted it. Oh well.