It’s time for America to vote on their favorites! The top 12 men took the stage and sung their hearts out in this episode. Two of them will be going home on Thursday. Here is how the action went down with my thoughts…
**NOTE** I’m writing this as I watch it, so some of the song names will be missing since I can’t look them up until later**
Rudy Cardenas was up first. The song was “Free Ride”. Randy thought it was really corny and I agree. Paula loves it, of course. Simon doesn’t think Rudy is unique at all. Completely agree. The crowd, of course, boos.
Brandon Rogers was next. He sang “All Night” by Michael Jackson. He has done backup for various singers including Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Christina. Randy said it was pitchy. He told him to tone it down a little. Paula agrees. He is used to doing backup. Simon thought the song was “safe” and he feels that Brandon was “better” than that song. It was just alright for me. I’ve seen better from him.
Jason “Sundance” Head. He was on fire during the initial auditions. But he sucked it up in Hollywood. He barely made it through. Mainly based on his personality. He sang a song that I don’t know the name of. This is why they need the songs put up onto the screen. It is probably called “I Love You”. It was a weird song choice for me. Randy says he was pitchy all the way through. He thought it was strange. Paula agrees with me. Wrong song choice. Simon says he has fallen off of the mountain since they saw him the first time. He was “like dad at a wedding” according to Simon.
Paul Kim is always going to sing barefoot, since it got him through the first time. The song was good, but he closed his eyes through the whole thing, so that will count against him. He sang “Never Gonna Dance Again” by George Michaels (You mean “Careless Whisper” by Wham, right? – Kevin). Randy liked the middle after a rough start, which is what I was thinking. Randy says he has potential, though. Paula said he “oversang” the song. Simon tells him to put his shoes back on next week. It was a third-rate version of the song for him.
Chris Richardson was next. In the early rounds, I liked him a lot. Tonight we sang “I Don’t Wanna Be” by Gavin Degraw. It’s the One Tree Hill theme song. That wasn’t the best song for him. It wasn’t as powerful as the original version of the song. Randy liked it, but he said he made his own song. Paula said the arrangement was different, which was throwing me off. She liked it, though. Simon says that Chris’s voice sounded “very small” in that song. I do agree a little bit there. Simon says he will get votes based on his looks, though.
Nick Pedro sang “Now and Forever” by Richard Marx. He had the same problem as Chris before him. His voice sounded weak, even for a ballad like that. Randy was honest and said that it wasn’t good. It was boring. I was thinking that myself actually. Paula agreed. Simon actually thought it was good! It wasn’t terrible. Simon calls him charming and nervous, and he should be back next week.
Blake Lewis is the beat-boxer, but he is here to sing. His first song is a song I know, but couldn’t tell you the name of it. It’s “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane. Randy liked it a lot. Paula cheers for him. Simon said that Blake actually sounded like he was from 2007. Best performance so far for him. And again, I must agree with Simon.
Sanjaya Malakar steps up to the plate. He sang “More and More” by Stevie Wonder. #1 rule here to learn. Randy doesn’t like ANYONE singing Stevie Wonder songs. Simon thought it was boring. It was slightly boring, but he didn’t sing it that bad to me.
Chris Sligh was my #1 pick for the guys heading into tonight. He doesn’t like the “Sweet Home Alabama” song, so I like him even more now. He sings a song I like, but don’t know the name of. Randy and Paula like it a lot. Simon thought it was like a “school anthem song”. I see that actually. This somehow leads to a fight between Simon and Ryan where things get uncomfortable. Chris also brings up the Teletubbies, which apparently Simon was the creator of. That was just a weird segment, but I liked Chris overall.
Jared Cotter sang “Back at One” by Brian McKnight. Good song choice. I didn’t think Jared should have it made to the “Top 24”, especially over Thomas Daniels, but this wasn’t that bad. Better than half of them tonight. Still a little weak for me. Side note here. I loved watching the other guys and girls in the background as they sing and along to the song. Can be quite funny to watch. Randy didn’t like how the song ended, but everything else was alright. Simon thinks he could have taken a bigger risk than that.
A.J. Tabaldo has tried out every season and finally made this far. He sang “Stop (Oh My Love)” by Luther Vandross. Randy and Paula liked it. The girls loved it. Simon labels it a “theme park peformance”. Good, but not great. He and Paula think he should challenge himself more.
Phil Stacey missed his daughter’s birth to audition for this show. He sang “Could Not Ask For More” by someone I should. Good song choice and I liked that a lot. Randy was right, though. It was rough to start with. Randy said it was his favorite of the night. Paula agrees. Simon didn’t think it was the best vocal tonight. He says that Chris Daughtry would have nailed a song like that and I completely agree. Phil didn’t “nail it”, but it was good enough to rise above the rest this week.
So basically the guys could be broken up into four groups this week. There were three guys that did a great job and jumped above everyone else. Then there were three guys that weren’t so good, or at least not that memorable, and are risking going home. There was four guys that were good, but not great. They should be safe bets to make it to the “Final 12”. Then, there were a couple that disappointed, but should be safe for another week. Here is my breakdown…
My Standings
(HEAD OF THE CLASS)
1. Blake Lewis
2. Chris Sligh
3. Phil Stacey
(GOOD, BUT CAN DO BETTER)
4. Chris Richardson
5. Brandon Rogers
6. Nick Pedro
7. A.J. Tabaldo
(JUST OKAY, BUT SHOULD BE SAFE THIS WEEK)
8. Jason “Sundance” Head
9. Jared Cotter
(CHOPPING BLOCK)
10. Paul Kim
11. Sanjaya Malakar
12. Rudy Cardenas
I predict that Paul and Rudy will go home this week. Although, I wouldn’t be shocked if Sanjaya or even Jared or Sundance went home this week. They had completely forgettable performances.
