This is becoming quite an impressive show, mainly due to the remaining talent and some smart production which produces lost of emotions without taking years of viewing time with back stories. The emotions are all current and mostly due to exceptionally good performances.
The three judges I have sort of got used to. I respect them all and they talk sense - indeed, a lot more sense than I remember Britney, Mariah and Nicki providing in total on the X Factor USA and judges on earlier Idol shows. The heavy religion does grate a bit but it's meant well.
This week each contestant gets to perform with either Jason Mraz, Elle King, Shaggy, Brett Young or Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
Walter Burroughs
He gets Jason Mraz and gets out a bit in the shade. Walker's cool but just a bit average in my view. He has a cheerful face and you can't help liking the guy and wishing him well but you do have to remember who else is in this competition. He's not going to win so now might be a good time to let him go. Having said that, going first means he may benefit and survive as people tend to vote to keep and then seldom take it away.
Kate Barnette sings with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. I know her and didn't realise she was still performing and certainly didn't know what she looked like. A big star in her day and she still sounds good now.
"Growing up, I wasn't allowed to listen to certain types of music" has to be one of the classic quotes of the whole series from Kate. She lacks the edge of Pat Benatar and seemed to be thinking about what she was doing just a bit much. She just held back for too long. A nice job but she's not a winner either.
Riley Thomson and Brett Young
This young girl comes on on her own at the start and looks fabulous. She sounds excellent too. That worked well and for her first ever duet that was impressive. I don't know this Brett fellow. He's a pretty run-of-the-mill Country-style singer, of which there's a lot across the Pond. This should keep her in the running, though, and she is a clear challenge to some of the favourites.
Uché and Shaggy
Uché comes straight out and gets on with the job and is the first of the contestants who clearly takes a lead in these performances. It's like he's as big an act as Shaggy. I could imagine that he may well be so in the not too distant future. He's this year's Adam Lambert. Shaggy sort of follows on with him. I am not sure the forgettable song makes that much impact but the crowd love them and he should easily fly through to the Top 14.
Madison VanDenBerg sings with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. She is a confident singer. It's a great song and that worked pretty well for her. It was the better of the two duets we've seen with Pat. She has the judges' support too but I am yet to be convinced. I expect she'll make it through but after that?
Shawn Robinson sings with Elle King. Now I know the song xs and os but I didn't remember the girl Elle at all. She does not seem a good match for Shawn and she's chosen Proud Mary for him which he doesn't seem too happy about either. All in all you feel he's got the short straw here and, whilst she may actually have had some sense chosing the track as it did suit his voice, it wasn't very impressive at all. He recovers from a mis-timed line well which is to his credit but I feel this is definitely the end of his time on American Idol.
Ashley Hess is with Jason Mraz. I am warming to this girl. She's been a little in the background and hasn't got the obvious 'star quality' but she is still a bit special. She has actually re-worked this song herself and that is cool. Especially as she's to do it with the guy! It works really well and puts this girl on very much the ladder. It's like she took the lead in that performance and she ought to get another chance.
Bumbly sings with Shaggy. They do look cool together. Her Latin voice is needed in this competition. It's a really good performance and they're well-matched. Nice to watch. I'm just not really sure that she was strong enough to go further. It'll be a close call. I would give her the chance.
Lacy Kaye Booth and Brett Young.
Wow. These two really are good together. You can feel the emotion and Lacy is very, very good at putting the lyrics across. One advantage that she has over Riley is that may know what she's singing about. Another is her voice. Riley is straight Country, delightful but just that. Lacy has a special quality and she's showing what she can do more each week. I'd prefer that she didn't wear so much make-up but that doesn't affect what we hear coming from her mouth.
Lionel says " this will be big for you."
Katy says " I don't want to play favourites but . . ."
Yup. Lacy's through.
Laine Hardy and Elle King
I just wish I didn't hear "Take a load of fanny" as the Band's lyric for The Weight as the weight of Elle sits with legs apart and a skin tight leopard-print all-over thing covering some parts of her ample frame. These two people do not match. Nevertheless Laine does a pretty reasonable job of the track and I'd like to think he did enough. I also feel that this song desperately needs the ...aaaannd.... bits to make it work.
OK. I thought the decisions were down to public votes but, no, it seems that the judges still control who goes and who stays. Three of the 10 go.
It's farewell to Bumbly, Kate and Shawn.
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