One of the problems with watching this series a day or two late is that it is almost impossible to avoid reading the results before seeing the show! I tried very hard but there it was on some headlines and my heart sank. Jax gets eliminated and, as it happens, it is at the start of the show so I'm not actually giving much away telling you that now. I feel so sorry for her, having had to rehearse the whole set of three songs and goodness knows what else only to be kicked off at the start. Bad production, folks; you need to change that.
It is so disappointing, though, as she seemed to me the only fresh artist in the last few of this Season and I genuinely could see Jax performing on huge stages and selling lots of albums to real big fans for some time.
As it is, let's hope Simon signs her up with SYCO and gets her well promoted. She may then actually do better than whoever wins.
So, it's between boring old Clark, wobbling a bit and never quite finding his comfort slot, or Nick, with his 90s revival stuff and strong but not exactly memorable performances. I'll let you judge for yourselves from their three performances shown here which is what occupied practically the whole Finale show.
To be honest, neither is going to have a massive impact on the charts over here and, I suspect, not much over the longer term there unless some exceptional writer comes along and pens some particularly fine tunes or they bring back Payola.
Rayvon starts with a track that is sort of what we're getting used to hearing from him but he doesn't do this as well as some he has performed in the past. It's certainly not bad but not quite as good as I think he needs at this vital stage.
Clark did not have a great week last week but is still here and this time gets the U2 classic to perform. Once more I am hearing some lazy phrasing and not ideally placed notes. It is like he has reached a peak a few weeks ago and is either now trying too hard and losing it or just not picking the right songs to stay well within what he can do well.
He gets compliments from the judges but i felt the crowd were a little less warm. If you listen again to the judges they say it was 'pretty good' and 'I like what you did but you need to listen to the lyrics' and 'your voice is good but...' Make of that what you will.
Easily the best of the guys so far, could Nick be heading for the Final? I would never have thought that at the outset but he is consistently good, in tune and confident. A good choice once more, although this got a bit tedious after a while and ended poorly. Still, that's the song's fault not so much his. He made a good job of the main part and gets much better reviews from the panel than Rayvon and Scott. Nice guy. I see him as the runner-up now. Not a memorable runner-up but he'll get some hits and sales out of all this.
Really good performance by Jax. She just owns the stage and although My Generation wasn't the track I'd have picked for her, she did really well with it and surely has to be the winner of this whole show? Very impressed and knocks all the others into a very cocked hat. Brilliant.
Nick's second number is a sort of rock and country sounding Back Home that has never graced UK charts yet. I swear that there's a banjo in there somewhere. A jolly sort of number with a simple catchy line or two but nothing spectacular. It won't do him any harm, though. Depends what Scott does but he may even pick up some calls from Texas.
I see this as Scott's last chance really. Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay is such a classic song and, as Scott once was at the start of all this, it is exactly his sort of track. He just needs to take it gently, feel the lyrics and get the message across just like Otis did and he may make the Top 3. Unfortunately, he doesn't. It's a mess and not an attractive sound at all. Scott really has lost it, I'm afraid. he has become tedious and not even nice to watch. Pity, as I would have had him as the winner once upon a time.
Nice job, Rayvon. In complete contrast to Scott. This guy has scarped through each week for some time and may have to again but I do hope he makes it this time. That was a nice version of an interesting track for him.
Simply fabulous. Jax is really showing the others just how good she is and just how diverse she can be. You cannot get much further away from The Who than Evanescence. Brilliant choice and she can get away with just sitting there, a little vulnerable, playing the piano and there was a backing track I didn't notice it. Jennifer thinks she's amazing. Harry is clearly impressed too. Keith doesn't get a look-in. Well done, whatever. I'm sure he would have been very complimentary as well!
Better, Clark. Just standing there in a smart suit and singing a track from a modern film, '50 Shades Of Grey', this will earn him some much-needed votes. Whether they'll be enough to knock Rayvon off at last I don't know. At the end the song gets rather messy and I am still not convinced about his note selection. he would be so much better just delivering the song's message gently and in tune and with some real emotion.
Another excellent choice by Rayvon and he doesn't ruin the lyrics or notes by inclusing lots of decoration where it isn't needed. A good track to finish his entry request for the Top 3. Now, will it be granted? He deserves to be there in my opinion. Jennifer was looking for more emotion but Harry reckoned he had that and also complimented him on the arrangement, saying that was 'smart'. More than he said to Clark.
This is a judges' choice for her but I don't quite see why they chose this. It's OK but doen't do a great deal for me and I would say that Rayvon takes this last round. Jax still takes the whole day, though. She made as good a job of that as I think she could and my guess is that she can just do whatever anyone throws at her, which is quite an achievement. Jennifer says that they chose that because they thought it suited her but they felt that she was passing the attention to the guitarist and almost hiding behind him. That's not her style but if she wasn't that cool with the number I can well imagine it being a reasonable move to make. She'll still make it through.
Here's Nick chasing the Big Country vote now, and that's not a bad move at all. A good choice by the judges for him. they're on his side I reckon! A good, measured performance. he could have ruined it by going too fast or too loud but he controlled it nicely. Lots of good feedback there and he damn well should make it through. the question is: who won't get through to the Top 3 Finale?
It turns out that it was Rayvon's last day after all as he loses the votes this week. So it is Jax, Nick and Clark in the Finale.
This week Clark, Jax, Nick, Rayvon and Tyanna show their colours to win this competition. One will go home and leave a Final Four to move on next week and also have the Homecoming events.
I'm not enjoying this. It could be Clark's pooerest performance and the style and song simply don't seem to be the sort of thing he should be doing. the screaming and general approach may show a much-needed animation in someone who has been a bit robotic on occasion but it all seemed a bit over the top and possibly shots in the wrong direction.
Having said that all the initial indications are that Clark will make the Top 4. No doubt. At least that's what I thought at the start of writing this!
Another stunning performance from this girl. The cracked voice work well with this track. Just watch the moment when she decides to get up from the piano - you can almost feel the excitement that she gathers up and then shares with the audience. She is so talented and I am so impressed. Harry asks whether she was horse and she admits that she was but she gets praise for not just continuing through but almost bringing more character to a good track anyway.
Nick makes it through to sing again. Well done, Nick. He has an earthy originality about him and I can see where he gets a good number of his votes from. Territory that perhaps Clarkwanted to steal but now, I suspect, can't.
This track does just go on a bit but it does give Nick a chance to show everyone how good-looking he is and, as Harry points out, that was easily the most 'comfortable' that he'd been. A good time to get things right.
I don't like the very short hair style which only seems to emphasis the eyebrows but what's that got to do with singing? Nothing. so never mind.
As if you hadn't already guessed, Rayvon and Tyanna are the bottom two. Again and again for Rayvon but he ought to survive again too with Tyanna really having let herself down last week. Rayvon does need to do well, though, and you can hear him putting everything except the kitchen sink into this performance of the Lady Antebellum song. He's good but I do worry that he is trying too hard. We've really yet to hear him just do whatever comes naturally. I fear we may not get the chance as, even if he makes it this week to the last 5,he needs something very special if he is going to beat Nick or Clark. The judges say the same thing about pushing the lyrics and emotions a bit too much.
Oh dear. This is dreadful. The makeover team must have been on holiday when it came to her turn. But never mind her appearance; her voice is all over the place at the start and, whilst she makes some effort to get back on track, something isn't right. She starts dancing but then stops. The judges' sum-up make it fairly obvious that they must know the result. I can't see how they can but as it happens they are right and it's farewell Tyanna. Not a surprise or a loss at all.
This is where Clark falls down the popularity charts. Very pitchy, unusually for him but worrying as he is in a different zone and , despite the classy bits later, it doesn't get rescued. This is sould without much sould I'm afraid. A pity, as I had thought this would be where he closed the gap with Jax for the win.
Not on the video is an argument where Clark does not come across well. That will not have helped him either, showing a pompous side. He's not going to win now and I can even see him going home next week if Rayvon pulls his socks up.
Lovely. In complete contrast we have Jax in the mist with a beautiful version of the Christina Peri song. When she drops to her needs she perfectly interpreted the lyrics and it was a performance that you just stay with until the end. At one point I was wondering if the mist was going to take her over! A good job. Well done, young lady.
Here comes Rayvon! We'll ignore the fact that it's a Justin Bieber song but, like it or not, you have to respect the guy for the performance this time. He holds back for a change. soemone does need to teach him about breathing next to the microphone but he did a very good job tonight here and, with Clark's not doing well, I wonder whether he might not have just pulled himself into the Top 3 after all!
Impressed. Not as impressed as I am with Jax by quite a long distance but impressed nevertheless.
Good move, Nick. With Clark stumbling, he is now going for the Country vote. No-one else is so why not? There's usually enough in Texas to win the damn thing so if he can pull a few thousand of those in he'll be there next week.
Nice mixture of styles here. A fairly flat, uneventful performance but it worked for all that.
Jennifer has him as the star of the night. Didn't expect that. Keith says that will storm up the iTunes chart. Maybe judges shouldn't make these predictions that can so easiliy be proven wrong. I would predict Jax by a long way.
Two songs each tonight from the seven who have survived from last week, one of whom will go as the Top 6 are decided. Qaasim is the one missing tonight.
Tyanna still sounds a bit amateur to me and is very wobbly tonight. This ought to be right up her street but that high 'why' is really quite painful to listen to. She has made the Top 6 but I am not sure she should have done.
I think I've heard enough of Stevie Wonder songs and this isn't one of either his best or one that shows Clark off particularly well. For all that, the guy is looking increasingly like a winner and he's made the Top 6 easily.
This is quite impressive. Jax is so confident and, once more, shows us just how well she can interpret the Janice Joplin number. She was, once again, made up well and not too frightening for the voters. I can see her making the finale with Clark and she is the more interesting of the two.
What a great song choice for Nick. Well done whoever was responsible for that Tom petty classic. He has made the last 6 and deservedly so. Nice track which suits him very well. His supporters will like it and should keep him in for another week in comparison to Tyanna and Rayvon.
Are You Going My Way? A Good performance by Quentin and he's done well to get this far. I don't know how well that'll go down with the voters out there. Solid and in tune but, after a while, nothing spectacular. despite the makeover team's excellent work.
In complete contrast, Joey sings My Funny Valentine and whilst she is normally pitch perfect and just delivers each time, on this occasion, and actually quite an important one as it will be her or Rayvon going home, she just picked a key that didn't quite work. So unusual but very risky. A talent, for sure, but I ahve always queried whether this is the right show for her.
You can't deny that Rayvon puts everything into this and it does suit him so much better than several previous efforts. That was one of his best performances and he seems to be getting better each week. I reckon he might win through with that.
This version of Moon River was not up to his previous standards at all. Distinct wobbles here and there and that wasn't so good. He's fine and will be there next week but he needs to be a bit careful.
Better this second time, but the first slow bit and very last note would be enough for me to say that she is coming to the end of her AI run.
Another good song choice for Nick. Safely into the Top 6 and I think he'll make the Top 5 without too much trouble. He has a great ability to add power to his voice when he needs it and every note was spot on. Excellent.
So many cool second songs this week. This is quite unexpected and a strange, moody transition for the Paul Simon song.
Anyone doing Beat It must be brave and Jax is proving throughout this series that she will take on almost anything and turn it into an entertaining performance. This is pretty good and she's obviously having fun. I reckon that will go down very well with her fans and she'll be safely into the Top 5.
Another very good choice and this sees Rayvon through. It was in tune and he is beginning to look familiar as he stays true to image with the hat and the black shirt. I don't know how long he'll survive, having hit the bottom two twice now, but I wish him well. He may be in competition with Tyanna next time.
I like this song a lot and Joey tries hard but I think she realises that it isn't going to work half way through when she looks to one side very very briefly and, despite an excellent recovery, possibly realises that Rayvon's choice was the better one for the voters this year.
It is indeed her turn to go and so we move towards the final with just six. I don't recall the very young chap Daniel going. Obviously he has at some stage but I simply don't remember writing about it. The way the show is organised, it is not until the end that you realise that so-and-so hasn't been asked to perform and, without a performance, there's no video evidence of their departure. One week they're singing, the next week they're gone.
Jax sings Lady Gaga's Poker Face. She is competent but is neither sufficiently outrageous nor engaging to keep my attention. The audience are not so sure either from what little we can tell. She does make the effort to make songs her own and that she deserves credit for. I still want to hear what she can really do. She could make a big difference but hasn't yet.
Nick puts on a strong performance and reminds me of the guy who just won The Voice UK. he is on his last chance, age-wise, for this sort of competition and this must make him feel good to have got this far. I think he is more professional and in tune than several of the others still remaining and may make the last few. It was good but, like Jax, not sufficiently engaging or memorable. Of the two, though, Jax would be the better bet for a longer-term star.
Quentin sings a song that's new to me. Latch is neither one thing nor the other. I suppose it's current and that's in his favour but it seems to float from one key to another and is definitely not anything inspirational that would make me annoyed to have missed it. His falsetto bits are not that great either. The staging is sound but it just seems so average to me. Harry liked it and the judges generally give him a good review. Clearly I am not getting it on my small screen. Too much thinking about the show and not enough natural performance. He could be at risk after that.
Joey Cook is getting the full benefit of the makeover people these days. This was the first performance this week that captured me. She is also very competent and quite different, like Jax. Of the two she has done the better song this week. It was a little similar to the Miley Cyrus original. Not a problem as it is a very well-written song anyway.
Clark has done really well so far and, once again, it is an exquisitely tempered performance. A great voice and presence but there is something about him that makes him look uncomfortable on the stage. Sure, he can make the albums but I am not so sure about the stage shows. Jennifer hits the nail on the head by saying that the style and image have to fit. In other words, they don't. He is 'uncool'. He will almost certainly make the Final but he won't win unless something changes to make him stand out. All the judges say something similar. If he could have done it, though, I feel he would have done already. He is just a little too sweet perhaps. But then plenty of very 'sweet' guys have won in the past and beaten the interesting ones.
Tyanna has also benefitted from the makeover team's work. This starts well but ends a bit tediously having not really gone anywhere in the middle. She's a nice girl and can sing reasonably well. I do feel that Adunna should have had her spot and quite how Maddy Walker went in preference to Tyanna still frustrates me. She isn't a contender in my book, I'm afraid. Nice enough voice and that was not a bad performance but will anyone be inspired to vote? I don't know. Depends how bad the others are, I guess.
I keep forgetting the format of this show. Tyanna has, of course, made it to the Top 7. She was the last certain to make it. It is now between Rayvon and Qaasim. Rayvon is first up with a good song, Set Fire To The Rain is well known but I wasn't very impressed. He has a good tone and range and is pretty competent but he is a bit forgettable. Nice fellow, of course, but I don't know where he is going to fit if he proceeds further. Harry wants to know what is his 'gravy'. We get a glory to God response which is neither here nor there.
So this is the one special contender that the judges used their sole save for? I like his performance style for Hey Ya but he can't sing well. It is all about the oddities of his entertainment act and I just don't see enough people getting excited to save him again. To be honest neither Qaasim nor Rayvon will be around long, whatever happens tonight. I wish them both well and hope they get a chance to go on a tour or something. They've worked hard to get this far but we're looking for a winner now, someone who will make a future star and neither are going to get that sort of big contract just now. One's too boring, the other is too weird and the facial expressions are not pleasant. The lips need some control.
Rayvon wins the vote and so it's farewell to Qaasim. I suspect the judges are wondering whether they wasted their vote earlier. We miss those girls.
OK. That's it. Down to 7 and I think we can see who the next two to go will be.
Adanna seems to be appearing more confident and experienced each week and this performance is no exception to that progress. Looking immaculate in a short, shiny dress that reflects stars in the lens and interacting well with the audience, this girl looks set for the last few. She has star quality but needs to stop peering down the camera lens as much. She is a little frightening on occasion but very, very smart.
Daniel seems very out of place in this competition. He is very talented but I just don't get the connection with the emotion or words of quite a deep song that a 15 year-old like this young fellow is unlikely to comprehend at all. Nice tone to his voice and full marks for effort but I feel his days should be numbered, although he has clearly made enough fans to make the Top 10.
Rayvon does Barry Gibb and Staying Alive. OK. It was worth a try, I suppose. Slowed down it lost its urgency and I would expect Robin to be turning in his grave after that. He can sing well and the falsetto was in tune but Harry very accurately says how he needs to do something more as it is just a little boring now. Competent and it will have pleased his fans.
Nick has been picking good tracks and putting distance between him and the others which won't do him any harm at all. This should be one of his best weeks and he chooses Highway To The Danger Zone which is a nice number. He seems a little less than enthusiastic in the performance, just a bit casual. That could be because he gives the appearance of being very professional. The crowd really did go for that.
Joey has picked a cool song. It has done well for some past contestants on other shows. Alex Parks won many years ago with Mad Mad World on BBC's Fame Academy. She has the right look and attitude this week and it sounds like a great track for her. She doesn't bring as much light and shade to this as I had expected and it is all over a bit too soon. Not just because I was enjoying it but also I wonder whether she will have made enough of an impression. She is looking so much better this week but then so often that's what happens the week before they go home!
Tyanna is fun and enjoying her time on the show but seems to be falling a bit in Adanna's shadow now. She needs a better image. The Circle Of Life is not a great choice for her. It starts so low and it is unavoidably wobbly down there. Eventually she gets up into better notes but this is one drag of a song that you can't do a great deal with and, quite frankly, Tyanna ruins it with bum crucial notes and even a rasp where there should not be one. I can't see people voting in their droves for that. Keith notes serious pitch issues if America votes you through. Not good.
Quentin is planning to change You're The One That I Want and I admire his courage in taking this classic Grease number. This was the performance of the night so far. Very impressive. He held back and nurtured the lines carefully in a way I had never heard before and it worked very well. This guy is the one to watch.
Maddy makes the Top 10 too. She missed the mentoring sessions but let's hope her improved health will keep her on track. Let's Hear It For The Boy is a fun little number that suits her and has a nice little op feel about it that she can handle easily. She is better than she has been in the past and a delight to watch. The end line was a bit strange and almost added as an extra but up until then it was a sugary bit of fun. I think America will like it. Harry identified how she has scored well with Country and this was too 'Pageanty' and he thinks it was not good.
Clark makes the Top 10 which is hardly a surprise at all. He is very popular and has built a good fan club, competing, I suppose, with Nick in one sense and Daniel in another. He'll slaughter Daniel but not sure how many votes he can steal on Nick. Sunday Morning is not a track I recognise. I believe it was a Marooon 5 number. An odd choice and, despite his faultless rendition of what sound quite difficult notes, it didn't leave me feeling 'Wow' and he needs that factor to keep the votes. Harry, though, is totally impressed.
There are just two people left. Qaasim and Jax, so surely it is Jax that is through. Yes, it is. So Qaasim will sing for the save. First, Jax gets to do Grow Old With You. Nice. She does quirky well. How will the voters like it? I honestly don't know but she deserves to get through just on talent and nerve alone. That was quite a stunning performance and must have done her some good, making people warm to her more. A worthy Top 10 act.
Qaasim has to impress all three panel members to survive. He is some cool performer although I am not sure about his singing on this classic Beatles track. If the votes having come his way so far then this will not endear him any more to the American public. The crowd seem to be behind him but then I think the girls there are excited by almost anyone. Harry has it down as performance of the night. That's a surprise. He actually gets saved which I really did not expect. Wow. That's it. No more in the Season, so if one of the other acts messes up and slips down the vote ladder just once that will be it.
The Top 8 Boys will be revealed in the latest stage of American Idol XIV. Aretha Franklin starts off the show but may have been better advised to stay in the audience or as a mentor perhaps. We all respect how good she was 40 years ago but in 2015? Some people need to stop and not spoil our fond memories of them at their best.
Ryan is still looking like he's just got up and grabbed the first clothes he had lying around on the floor. It may be the video colour or my screen but he looks so grey!
I am surprised to see Daniel Seavey, the very young one, through. I know he's a cool young lad and will get millions of votes from the junior fans but, really, he needs another year or two. He's doing a Marvyn Gaye number How Sweet It Is and he sings very well but it is all a bit over-rehearsed and unbelievable. He is popular, though, so who knows what can happen.
#2 is Mark, one of the more mature guys. He knows what he's doing and is pretty professional with Papa Was A Rollin' Stone. It was good, not exceptional, but solid stuff. I just don't see this chap going a great deal further. The song was a bit plain. No faults so the fact that he's been voted through once may help him get through again. Clearly a lot do like him.
#3 is Rayvon who has been giving us some pretty good performances so far. This week he does the classic My Girl and stays in its original zone. He does it well and looks like someone who is confident of himself. There are some others he needs to compete with but this was a good start and made his mark much more clearly in this competition.
#4 is Adam. That's good. He has such a cool personality. His track is I Want You Back but he brings a totally different theme to the song. A bit weird and unnecessary but it shouldn't do him much harm. He is so likeable. Good reviews from the panel. Nice to see someone dressing appropriately too. Well done, Adam. He won't win but he'll be around for a while yet.
#5 is Clark. He does Tracks Of My Tears which needs to be as close to spot-on as anything in the Motown collection. He was disappointing with several missed notes and you felt it was too high for him. He tried to bring it back later in the number and certainly succeeded with the fast beat line repetition which was almost rap. I agree with the panel's view that he would have been better bringing out emotions by doing just great singing. That wasn't a stand out for me.
#6 is Nick. That's good. He's a bit older than some and has been trying hard all the way through. Signed Sealed Delivered is a bit of a tedious song at the best of times and that performance was just accurate but not inspiring. I didn't expect him to get through but that was quite professional and he did look and sound good.
Two more to go through. #7 is Qaasim who is just a great entertainer and totally natural on stage singing Stevie Wonder. An easy choice and surely a must for the Top 12. That was really the first proper performance we've had. Nice.
The last spot is Quinton. Now, he's good but I had expected to see either Riley or Trevor through for sure. Big surprise there. And disappointment for those two in particular. Quinton does Jammin' which I don't recall having a great connection with Motown but there we go.
So that's the Top 8 Guys sorted. It was Qaasim, Adam and Quinton's night. Next week, though, it could be any one of theirs.
This is a major episode where 12 girls become just 8 girls.
Tyanna is first to get through with the public vote and is so relaxed and is enjoying herself so much that you can see why. It was very simple. Rocking Robin is another Jackson number and she just seemed so natural. No denying that talent and so different to many performances we've seen before when nerves or whatever just edge in and spoil what might otherwise have been good. Well done Tyanna.
No 2 through is Lauren. She isn't as fun and childlike as Tyanna, much more serious and mature with a more solid 21st Century number. She certainly put lots into it but that wasn't one of my favourite performances. Maybe the song wasn't as familiar or just a bit repetitive but she gets great reviews. She gets a lot of words in her 10 seconds after song time! I thought she was wobbly at some points and I am not sure how long she'll survive.
Maddy Walker makes it through and does another Jackson number I'll Be There. A bit unsure of her notes in places and the higher ones were a bit hard work and tinny. For all that she has a great personality and puts across the song well emotionally. Harry picks her up on a few points. I would have thought that a potetial American Idol should not, at this stage, be making these mistakes. Nice girl but doesn't compete withe either of the other two so far.
Ryan is in very casual clothes. Tedious top and grubby colour jeans. Odd. The whole image is a mixed one. The panel are smart and quite restrained. The set is mostly a bit dismal but with some very modern blue structures here and there. The audience also seems to be mostly auditionees and some parents. Quite small too which is strange.
Joey Cook is #4. She does Shop Around by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles is her own jazz style. She has style for sure but it didn't match the song well. All credit to her for trying and she may well stand out enough to get one tranche of votes that could keep her in for a while. She is quite a character and is a natural performer.
Saina-Joy Crowe is #5. Nice track - You Really Got A Hold On Me and she performs it very differently to what we're used to hearing but in a good way, a very good way, unlike Joey who may not have had that many people appreciating what she did. Sarina has a superb voice and control and that was the best so far by quite a long way. Good job. She had better be back next week. Jennifer comments that she could be one of the best singers there. Interesting but Harry says she was flat. I missed that.
Adanna is #6. I remember being very impressed with her Top 24 performance. She does Hello, the Lionel Ritchie number. This is stunning. She may well be on the way to winning this whole show. That was absolutely amazing and she looked attractive too. Harry, once again, picks her up on being flat. I was surprised that the panel didn't give her better reviews as that struck me as very pure, intense and valuable.
Two spots left for the girls and #7 is for Jax, another contender for the top spot in my books. You never know what to expect with this girl. Ain't No Mountain High Enough never sounded liked this before. She is an attractive little thing and is even wearing the blue and black dress that everyone thought was gold and white in a different image! Very original and lots of style. She's good. Jennifer wasn't impressed. Harry says she has incredible charisma and voice which is good news but he didn't like the arrangement.
Last to get through is Alexis. We see her with a new Mustang and so there is an interesting Country girl in the competition after all. I was beginning to wonder. Her track is The Four Tops' I Can't Help Myself. It's a bit bland but she's natural and makes one of the Top 4 performances but I give the night to Adanna, Saina-Joy and Tyanna. She gets some average reviews but I reckon she's safe for a while yet. Maddy was not looking that happy as Alexis did her 'vote for me' bit.
Now we have the solo rounds, when the contestants just get to perform. This is the big chance for everyone, make or break for everyone!
Lauren Lott sounds very professional and actually good with Adele's Skyfall. A powerful song and current which helps her to appeal but she really did know what she was doing anyway. That was as a stunning version that ought to see her very safely home. Jennifer rightly calls that a superstar performance. Well done, Lauren.
Daniel Seavey is very young and even sounds very young. Ed Sheeran's I See Fire he can sing well and he has a nice personality but I would give him another few years to learn about love and girls and the world. He is very good but it would be as some sort of cartoon teen idol if he were to go further in this competition.
Veyron gets a lot of good advice from the mentor guy. Over-singing is a common complaint and that's almost a certainty with the 70s Let's Get It On. He is pretty critical of the mentor and I would imagine he gets whacked behind the scenes. Not a clever move. We smile at him but also grimace a bit. He can sing but is he really an American idol?
Shi is nervous and bubbly but is a fabulous performer and seems to relax once she gets going. She sings an Etta James number I am not familiar with but wish I had been as it sounded superb. Too short; maybe it was edited down although that wasn't obvious. I like her but the panel didn't feel that was a particularly good job. She may survive as there is no-one quite like her.
Adam Lasher is at home on his own on the stage with an earthy Free Falling. Is it a bit bland maybe? Decent bloke but maybe that's the last we see of him. There are some competitors in that area.
Big Ron and Adam get axed at that point so some good people are still in there, including several that, frustratingly, we didn't see perform. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Quinton Alexander is one of the very visible candidates. He is just 20 but really does own the stage and put across tracks well. I don't know the song he does but it was good and the panel love him. Looks like he'll be around for a while.
Maddie Walker is the Country girl we need in the show. She also does pretty blonde in spades. Well done indeed.
Trevor gets a brief burst on our screen. He's a cool guy and seems to have found a place in all the panel members' hearts as well as many of my readers'. If he's through then he's got bags of support out there.
Alexis seems to have recovered a bit more and puts on a reasonable performance but to my mind she's out of key. Harry stops her anmd suggests she tries again which is a nice gesture. She has had to deal with a lot of nerves but still can't find the right note to start with. That's tough but she's out.
Jax follows and sings Let It Be. She manages to bring a massive amount of emotion and star quality to her performances. I don't know how or where it comes from as she is an odd little thing to watch but it works whatever it is. Easily and straight through.
Michael Simeon is the guy that has the cheeky look Jennifer finds very attractive. I don't really get it but I think we can assume he'll be through.
Nick is the 'old guy' at 28 and that is the cut-off age for the competition. He sings a great version of a David Gray number, Babylon. I'd put him through to the next round as he just seems to be totally reliable and the panel pick up on this and his likeability. A winner? No, but a good TV contestant.
Competing with him is Katharine Skinner at just 15. She looks a lot older. Not a good performance, though, of Alone. In fact it was quite painful and I am sure she's out for another year or two.
We see Michael, Nick and someone called Emily get through. Emily we will, presumably see another day.
Clark Beckham is a busker who is looking much healthier now. He plays a piano on stage this time and puts on a great version of Try A Little Tenderness. Nice.
Mark Andrews is 29 which I thought was past the age limit but maybe he was allowed to join at 28 earlier in the competition. He trundles along with a track that I didn't know and he forgot the words too but it was well covered. He says he was really tired and the panel remark that many people are just looking tired and failing because of that as much as anything else.
We get a glimpse of Alexis Gomez and Naomi too. Alexis and Mark and Clark get through with Katharine Winston who we'll see another day. I would definitely like to see more of Alexis Gomez.
Joey Cook is very individual and chooses Nothing's Going To Change My World. There are some cool Beatles tracks this year. Unless we miss a lot of her performance here, she wouldn't have had any trouble remembering those words this time! She gets all nervous but afterwards which is just as well.
Lovey James is one of the best really young ones. Just 16 but good. Rayvon is a clear favourite too. He is one of the stand out guys. Riley Bria started the whole Season off and does Keith Urban numbers that just work for him and, especially, America. Nice guy with cool tracks and a guitar.
Rayvon, Riley, Tiana, Lovey and Joey get through and we get a glimpse of several others, including Hollywood!
One more cut and then American gets to vote. The next cut is the really tough one.
There are some very good people this year. Some seem to have made it through so far on just fairly average but solid performances and may start to excel in Live Shows whereas others are quirky and make mistakes but have an adorable quality about them.
