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.

The Voice - Gateway to the Live Rounds

The Voice continues to be more exciting than American Idol, but I'm not sure if the energy level will be the same moving into the live rounds.

Anyways, let's get right into the remaining 9 contestants who joins Team Blake's contestants in the Top 12 of The Voice Season 6.

Team Shakira

Tess Boyer

Oh yes, I'm so glad Tess is still in the competition! She basically went through the earlier rounds as cannon fodder but prevailed over the so-called frontrunners. Personally I think she is one of the best girls in the competition, seeing as she has the looks, the voice and also charisma. Here's hoping she won't disappoint in the live rounds!

Dani Moz

Dani's audition wasn't shown and she wasn't featured much in the Battle Rounds, so I can't say that I remember her performances. BUT over the last 2 weeks, she has proven to be one hell of a singer and her rendition of Edge of Glory for the play-offs rightfully earned her a spot in the Top 12. Plus, she kinda looks like Daryl Hannah.

Kristen Merlin

I think it's safe enough for me to say that none of Shakira's final contestants were pimped nor overly-hyped, and that is especially true for Kristen. She impressed me during her audition, and then after that she just kinda disappeared. None of her battle rounds were shown, so I had actually forgotten about her until the playoffs. Well, she didn't disappoint! Thank you Shakira for making the correct decisions.

Eliminated from Team Shakira - Deja Hall, Patrick Thompson.

Team Adam

Delvin Choice

Delvin isn't a  bad singer, but he hasn't been very impressive. Not sure about his chances in the live rounds. Then again, the other Team Adam contestants were even worse than him so deserves this more than they do.

Christina Grimmie

The Youtube sensation who didn't quite live up to the hype. Still, she is one of the better singers left in Adam's team and she has that tween/teen appeal. I really don't think Adam is going to be able to replicate his success from the previous season, what with a bland R&B singer and a not-quite-so-interesting pop artist. At most he'll only be able to rely on...

Kat Perkins

Arguably one of the best singers left in the competition, Kat is Adam's only bright hope for the live stage so I think she has a lot to live up to. All of her performances were shown (from her audition right up to the playoffs), and she more or  less nailed all of it. And I don't know if that's going to be a good thing for her since expectations will be VERY high. Best of luck to Kat.

Eliminated from Team Adam - Morgan Waller, Jake Barker

Team Usher

T.J. Wilkins

Okay, T.J. is by no means a bad singer but I don't think he has what it takes to be a star on the big stage. Above average voice yes, stage presence not so great. Honestly, Team Usher is starting to look like it's at a disadvantage.

Bria Kelly

Seriously, I can't stand Bria's voice and tone. In terms of goat bleat, she is actually worse than Jessica Meuse (Jess is bad enough). I wish she'd sing at normal levels all the time because her idea of high notes is 'SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM BLEAT'. Do. Not. Like. Either Usher teaches her to control her voice or she'll be going home VERY soon once she hits the main stage. Talk about overhyped.

Josh Kaufman

I present to you Josh, otherwise known as Usher's only chance at winning The Voice title. A four-chair turn who never failed to disappoint, Josh is probably the only contestant left on Usher's team that has some kind of chance at winning. Good vocals, good song choices, and I hope he'll continue making the right decisions.

Eliminated from Team Usher - Melissa Jimenez, Stevie Jo (a travesty! He should have been Top 3 instead of Bria or T.J.!)

Bad decisions aside, I'm looking forward to the live shows next week.

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.

The Voice - Playoffs (First Round)

Currently Listening To: Paramore - Decode

And so we've reached The Playoff Rounds of The Voice Season 6.

Most of the contestants that caught my attention in the audition rounds are no longer in the competition (Ria, Alaska & Madi, Emily B, etc.). But I'm not particularly upset because those who still remain are mostly amazing and will probably sing circles around the American Idol S13 hopefuls (with the exception of maybe Alex and Caleb).

As of now, only Blake has chosen his top 3 representatives:

Jake Worthington

I'm happy to see Jake still in the competition. He may be the country dude and he's not quite the looker, but I enjoyed his performances and he actually has a really good voice. In fact, he is what Dexter from AI should have been. All the best to Jake.

Sissaundra Lewis

Okay, so Sissaundra may be one of the best singers in the competition, however she tends to oversing plus she's not really the kind of singer audiences would vote for. In other words I have no idea how well she will fare in the live rounds.

Audra McLaughlin

Audra is a bit of a dark horse, I think. I don't remember her audition, and her battle round performances were pretty bleh in my opinion, but what she sang for the Playoffs definitely gave her quite a boost. She has really powerful country voice, with an amazing range. If she (or her coach) chooses good songs, she may be able to stick around the Top 12 for some time.

Contestants eliminated from Team Blake:

Madily Paige

Poor, poor Madilyn. She was paired with Bria Kelly during the Playoffs on Usher's team and naturally Bria won. (Although personally I thought Madilyn sounded more in control than Bria. I guess big pipes trump small pipes. As expected)

So Blake stole her, and was then promptly eliminated when she chose to sing (or was forced to sing) Zedd's Clarity. I mean, come on! Why that song? It's not an easy song to sing, let alone for an important moment like playoffs. What a waste.

Just take a look at this and you'll know why she was eliminated so harshly. That was a performance worthy of American Idol *cough*.

Ryan Whyte Maloney

Granted, Ryan wasn't that bad a singer but in no way was he primed for the Top 12.

His performance, though wasn't horrible, was nothing to shout about. At least he didn't falter as badly as Madilyn?








Now Blake's team has 2 good female singers (and one of them a country singer too) and one cherubic country boy, and usually that's a good thing. But, the other coaches have yet to make their decisions, so I can't say that Blake looks like he is set to win this shindig again.

Stay tuned for more on the other teams!

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?