It's All About the Girls! It's Ladies Night!

It's about time a girl wins this show! I'm ready to see the girls rock it out!
(P.S. I found some really cool photos showcasing the girls' outfits last week. If you like fashion and want to know more about some great looks, go to http://shopspotbyhayley.blogspot.com/)


Songs From The Year They Were Born

Candice: "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul in 1989 - 7
Candice has such a high level of musicality. She has a such a smooth voice and and can vocalize and create runs with such ease. I didn't think this was as up to par as her past performances but she really did a great job. I agree with Randy that the arrangement of the song made it feel more current than 1989.

Janelle: "When I Call Your Name" by Vince Gill in 1989 - 8
You can definitely tell that Janelle feels at home with her guitar and some old country music. And you can for sure hear her country twang when she sings. I like it. Again, I don't think this is her best performance, but I give her a lot of credit for having such confidence.

Kree: "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes in 1990 - 9
Not that Kree doesn't have fun and have personality on stage, but during this performance I could tell it more. I honestly don't know how to "critique" Kree anymore. She is so freaking good. Randy commented on her natural ability and her natural blues undertones, which you get from Kree in every performance.

Angie: "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders in 1994 - 7
I don't know if she was nervous because she was dedicating the song to those in Boston, but she sounded very off key to me. I also could point out where she was enunciating every single word where it didn't need to be SO precise. Definitely not my favorite performance by her by far.... but the judges gave it a standing ovation? So that's weird.

Amber: "Without You" by Mariah Carey (cover) in 1994 - 7
Boring!!!! And I also couldn't understand some of her words. She picked it up in the second half of the song, but it still wasn't my favorite. The last note sounded a little flat, too. I did not think it was as beautiful as Keith thought. I know everyone has not been impressed with Nicki this season, but I totally get where she is coming from when she was talking about the low notes and having no feeling at the beginning. I thought the same thing --> no emotion = boring.

Diva Songs

Candi G: "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston - 10
One of my all time favorite songs!!!! She brought me to tears. =) While I think that her best performance was "I Who Have Nothing" a few weeks ago, she killed it tonight. I feel like I've said this a million times but this sounded like her winning/final performance. Really, really good.

Jazelle: "Dumb Blonde" by Dolly Parton - 6
Of course Janelle would be singing Dolly. I think she tried to create a new arrangement so the song would sound current, but to me it just sounded weird. It was sort of rock, but had her country twang, and it was too soft and times and too strong at times. I don't know, I didn't like it. She sang it well for what she was working with, but I think the arrangement ruined it.

Hug Life: "Have You Ever Been in Love" by Celine Dion - 9.5
Kree got a standing ovation if that tells you how she did. Mariah brought up a good point. I knew the song sounded just a smidge off for my taste. It's because it didn't have that bluesy, soulful essence that Kree normally possesses, but she still rocked it.

A-Millz: "Halo" by Beyonce - 9
I am pleasantly surprised about how well Angie did with this song. She truly did sound like a diva pop-star. She put forth a lot of effort and it really turned out well in her favor. She had so many good "moments" in that song. The standing ovation was well deserved. This was the song where Angie could focus on her "clarity" (in the words of Mariah) and pronunciation.

Amberessence: "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" by Barbara Streisand - 8
The song itself bored me, but her performance was so good. It was so elegant and 1950-ish. It was so unlike her normal performances. She was stunning and the judges all loved her.

My votes are for Kree this week. Normally I would vote for two or three people, but I wasn't overly thrilled with anyone else's performances. Sorry girls!!!

Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages)

Do I See a Top 5 of Girls in the Near Future?

Can I just say that I am very, very upset that Burnell went home last week? That is unacceptable. America, you are dumb. Judges, you are dumber for not using the save. But I'm not here to blog about what should have happened. Let's find out how everyone did tonight.


Round One: Bacharach and David songs
Angie: Anyone Who Had a Heart - 7
How do you judge a song that you don't know?? I think she has an awesome voice, but the song seemed a little forced

Amber: I Say a Little Prayer - 6
For being an up-tempo-ish song, I don't feel that she put enough pep into it. Her stage presence was almost non-existent.
How the hell did Nicki love that????

Lazaro: (They Long to Be) Close to You - 1
I literally did not understand a single word in that song. That was awful. Just as awful as his outfit (green and grey print matching suit). The performance was: boring, slow, awful, pitiful.

Kree: What the World Needs Now - 8
She has an unfair advantage because this is a better known song, but the other contestants could have not picked stupid songs. Kree's performance is not as good as I had anticipated, but A. it is the best so far, and B. it did pick up in the middle of the song.

Janelle: I'll Never Fall in Love Again - 8.5
That by far was the most upbeat song tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't really critique her performance, I just think it was light, airy, and cute!

Candice: Don't Make Me Over - 9.5
This girl is freaking amazing. I've never heard that song before (like other contestants) but I wasn't bored (unlike other contestants). She made that song new and not old fashioned. Even though the song was slow, it wasn't boring. This was refreshing.

Seriously everything I thought, the judges thought the opposite (except with Candice!). I don't like it.

Round Two: Songs I Wish I Would Have Written
Angie: Love Came Down by Kari Jobe - 8
I think she has a beautiful voice, but sometimes seems like she is shouting. I'm not for sure if this is a Christian song or not, but it sounds like it, and it Angie sounds like she could make a Christian album. It just has that something about it that sets it apart from other music.

Amber: Love on Top by Beyonce - 8
This performance seemed fake to me. It was not my favorite.

Lazaro: Angels by Robbie Williams - 8
He finally acted like he knew what he was doing. It was good, but he can't even be compared to the girls.

Kree: Help Me Make It Through the Night by Kris Kristofferson - 10
Let her win right now. Right. Now. Whenever Kree performs it's like a guest performance from a current artist. Winner right here. There is no way this girl won't be in the Final Two. It was so beautiful.

Janelle: The Dance by Garth Brooks - 8
I really enjoyed her performance and voice, but a lot of her notes were kind of flat. Otherwise, it was great.

Candice: Lovesong by The Cure - 10
My God. I have no words for how wonderful that was. Keith bowed down to her, so that's cool. I think Mariah baptised her? This song really didn't sound like Candice, but holy cow, she made this song her own. She did some crazy high notes but added her signature deep voice. Best performance or the night, of the season, and probably of the show.

Clearly I'm voting for Candice and Kree.
You should too. And definitely not for Lazaro.

Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages)

Rockin' Their Way to the Top

It's been awhile since I've been able to blog and watch Idol at the same time! Seems like I'm starting this blogging project all over again.

This week I will rate the contestants on a 1-10 scale. I normally do this every week when I watch the show throughout the seasons. I am a little too addicted to this show....

Burnell: "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Aerosmith -- 8
I could tell that he was uncomfortable singing outside his genre. The judges commented on that as well. One piece of advice that makes total sense is to make it his own. He sang the original song, but he could have changed the arrangement to make it original to him.

Kree: "Piece of My Heart" by Janice Joplin -- 9
Kree can do no wrong. Period. I got the goosies. Whoop Whoop! The judges all thought she did "magnificent" too! Wonderful voice, wonderful performance!

Janelle: "You Make Me Right" by Billy Joel -- 7.5
I normally really like Janelle, but this week I felt a little bored. It was not a boring song, but compared to her past performances, I didn't like it as well. But all the judges liked it and thought she has been the one contestant that has progressed through each round.



Lazaro: "We Are the Champions" by Queen -- 5
Luckily he remembered all the words this time. I just thought it sounded like a mediocre karaoke song.

Candice: "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stone -- 10
Aside from her amazing vocals, that was the best performance of any of the contestants. She was so natural and fluid on stage that it seemed like she was at her own concert.

Amber: "What About Love" by Heart -- 9
I really liked it because while this is a rock song, she made it her own by making it R&B and adding a lot of runs and vocalizing more. She sort of turned it into a ballad which really worked for her. Nicki complimented her on her believability.

Angie: "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence -- 10
I LOVE her voice! I think at the beginning of the season, she got on my nerves. But each week I like her more and more. The judges didn't love it as much as I did saying she needs to feel the song. I thought she did, but what do I know?!

(Left to right: Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Angie Miller, Amber Holcomb, Janelle Arthur, Lazaro Arbos, and Kree Harrison)

 

 

My votes this week are for Kree, Candice and Angie. Who are you voting/did you vote for???

I want to know what you thought of the performances!!!

 



Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages) 



The Idols Take on The Beatles

First thought when I realized it was Beatles Week: "I hate Beatles Week!" I may be one of the few who do NOT like the Beatles. I do like some of their songs, but I like them with a modern twist. Hopefully that's what we'll see tonight!



Kree Harrison: "With a Little Help From My Friends"
Every time I hear Kree sing, it just sounds so effortless. This rendition was just marvelous. The judges commented on her "Kree-ness" and her confidence.

Burnell Taylor: "Let It Be"
Burnell has the most unique voice ever. It sounds a little weird with this song. Not weird, just unfamiliar. It turned out pretty good.
-caress, raspy, smart choices, genuine, consistent, recognizable, soulful. Just a few words the judges used to describe the performance.

Amber Holcomb: "She's Leaving Home"
The beginning was a little rough and too slow for me, but once she got into the swing of things I thought it was beautiful. I liked when she hit the high and long notes.
Pretty much Randy said the exact same thing I did.

Lazaro Arbos: "In My Life"
His performance wasn't boring by any means, but there really was nothing special about it.
The judges critiqued him on his tone/range and attitude/confidence. They weren't too harsh in my opinion, but it looked like Lazaro was just bust out crying. He did shed a few on stage, but I bet he goes backstage and just starts bawling.

Candice Glover: "Come Together"
It seemed like everyone loved it, but I thought she was kind of screaming the song instead of singing. Apparently I don't know what I'm talking about because the judges are just going on and on and on about how wonderful her big voice is.

Paul Jolley: "Eleanor Rigby"
I thought this performance was really good and I could hear this on the radio.
Again, I'm different than the judges. Nicki hated it and said it was forgettable. Randy said it was only good when he hit the sweet spot, but it was too safe.

Angie Miller: "Yesterday"
Wonderful. That's the only thing I can say. While her voice doesn't sound at all like Adele, that song sounds similar to what Adele's album, 19, sounded like. I loved it, 100%.
Randy compared her to Haley from Paramore and that so makes sense.

Devin Velez: "The Long and Winding Road"
Got the goosies! In the intro Devin said he wanted to tap into Brian McKnight, well I certainly felt that! That almost made my stomach hurt I liked it so much.
Basically, they judges loved it.

Janelle Arthur: "I Will"
Janelle kind of gets on my nerves, but I thought that was pretty good. She sounded so modern and added her own little country flare to it.
Go figure, Nicki is OBSESSED with Janelle. It will the a special day when she isn't obsessed with someone.

My votes will be for: Kree, Angie, and Devin.
Who are you voting for?!
I predict that Lazaro will be going home.
We will see the final results tomorrow night!

Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages)

Top 10: Songs of the Idols

I guess Wednesday's and Thursday's have not been a good time for me to sit and watch American Idol. I have not been able to see the show live in I don't know how long. This week I missed the performances because I went to watch the Columbia College Cougars play in Kansas City; a good choice on my part. Because no more basketball will interfere with the show, hopefully I will be able to watch and report again without having to wait a week to do so.

I still haven't see the show but have found another blog that actually has the performances on it! I think that is super exciting and I can't wait to find the time to watch them. ricky.org: Top 10 Performance Show

And here is a blog that showed the results: TV Line: Top 10 Results Recap

I am sad to see my fellow Missourian leave the show, but he definitely wasn't my favorite anyway.


Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

Meet the Top 10

During last night's show we were introduced to Season 12's Top 10.

We will be seeing Lazaro Arbos, Amber Holcomb, Paul Jolley, Curtis Finch, Jr., Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Devin Velez, and Kree Harrison next week and also during the summer tour.

Be sure to follow their official Idol Twitter handles:
@LazaroAI12
@AmberAI12
@PaulJolleyAI12
@CurtisAI12
@JanelleAI12
@CandiceAI12
@AngieAI12
@BurnellAI12
@DevinAI12
@KreeAI12

And sadly we have to say goodbye to Elijah Liu, Aubrey Cleland, Nick Boddington, Adriana Latonio, Breeana Steer, Cortez Shaw, Zoanette Johnson, Charlie Askew, Vincent Powell, and Teena Torres. Luckily one of these people will be lucky enough to go on the summer tour with the Top 10.

 

I'm not totally thrilled with the contestants that made it through, but most of my favorites got in and I think this will be a good season. I am going to go out on a limb and say that I think a girl will win this season. It's been 6 years since a girl has won, so it's long overdue. I would like to see Kree win. Seeing that the few past winners have been kind of folk-y, country-ish, and rock-ish. Kree has infused those three into one and I think that is just the perfect combo. But, we will see in 10 weeks who the winner is!

 

Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the contestants!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages)



The One that Counts: Road to the Top 10

Of course another week where I missed the girls night! I can't catch a break! I'm just too busy supporting my college basketball teams, ok? Their games cannot be DVRed and replayed like Idol can. =)

--But on with the show--

Elijah Liu: "Stay" by Rihanna
one word: boring.
The judges were not in love with the performance, but liked it a whole lot better than I did. His performance and singing was flat and just bland.

Cortez Shaw: "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars
Not the best performance, but he looks like he is having a ton of fun which really translates to the audience. Not as good as Mars' because it wasn't as raspy, but it was good nonetheless.
All of the judges agree that they really like him, but that was not the best song choice to suit his style.

Charlie Askew: "Mama" by Genesis
Ponytail???? This kid never ceases to amaze me, whether good or bad. I don't know that song, but I think he did good. He was very into it.
Well, obviously I don't know what is going on because the judges were just confused, didn't like it, and felt disconnected.

Nick Boddington: "I Just Want You to Know Who I Am" by the Goo Goo Dolls
I honestly didn't know what this song was when he first started singing, but I really liked it after he got into the chorus. Bravo! Sounded like a real-life, I-can-hear-this-on-the-radio song.
The judges all commented on the piano and how he was in a comfort zone. Some liked it, others didn't. For me, I did; I loved it.

Burnell Taylor: "I'm Here" from The Color Purple
From the first glance, Burnell looked like an 80's hip hop guy with his jean jacket. But, whoa, he has a super duper, soulful voice! That was so inspirational and really good!
The judges loved it and Keith gave him a standing O.

Top Row: Elijah Liu, Paul Jolley, Nick Boddington, Cortez Shaw

Middle Row: Devin Velez, Curtis Finch, Jr.

Bottom Row: Burnell Taylor, Vincent Powell, Lazaro Arbos, Charlie Askew

Paul Jolley: "I'm Just a Fool" by Christina Aguilera ft. Blake Shelton
I think that he has a good voice, but just like always he tried too hard. He said he wants to be the guy version of Taylor (Swift). I now dislike him on principle.
The judges were all over the place. Keith didn't think it was believable, Nicki loved it, Randy like the beginning and the low/soft voice and disliked the ending where it was too forced, and Mariah was just Mariah and didn't really say anything of importance and just rambled.

Lazaro Arbos: "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone
Oops, I was on the phone during this performance. From what I could hear, I was REALLY good.
Each of the judges loved it, and Randy even said, this early in the game, he is in it to win it.

Curtis Finch, Jr.: "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly
Nothing beats the original version. Curtis always brings his gospel background to every song he sings. If that's what you like, you'll love him. For me, it's a bit much.
Everyone loved it. Especially Nicki. She gave her two cents about needing the Lord and how Curtis has a calling.

Devin Velez: "It's Impossible (Somos Novios)" by Armando Manzanero
Even though I have no idea what the hell he is singing when he sings in Spanish, I could listen to it all the day long. Way good.
Nicki said it was muy bein and gordo... but actually not fat. Randy said he loves Devin's tone, and he NEVER says that. Overall, the judges loved it.

Vincent Powell: "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men
He sounds like he is the long lost Boy from Boyz II Men, sounds just like one of them. And did you hear that high note?
The judges didn't think it was so good, and said it wasn't his best performance and overdid it. =(

Tomorrow night we will see who goes to the next round, back to Hollywood. 5 will go, 5 will stay.

Until next time, xoxo
Comment your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the performances, too. Who do you like, dislike, or just want to "have their babies" like Nicki? I want to know!

Remember to follow @AmericanIdol on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

(photos pulled from American Idol Official Twitter and Facebook pages)