A wig and a puffy shirt, hey Cee Lo? Perhaps a disguise due to his recent trouble with the law?
Anyway, we’re live! I was having a great time with the knockout rounds, so when people weren’t eliminated on the spot tonight I was a little thrown. But it was a great episode.
Team Adam: Joselyn Rivera singing “Give Your Heart a Break”
I really liked Joselyn, right? I did. I just checked a past blog post, and I liked her performance of “Love On Top”. But this was brutal. It was off pitch and screechy. Was her last performance luck, or did her nerves get the better of her now that the show has gone live?
Team Blake: Terry McDermott singing “Don’t Stop Believin'”
Terry’s range is great for this song, and it was of course a good performance. That’s the thing – of course. It was a bit of a predictable performance, and an overdone song. It was excellent, and Terry is definitely Blake’s strongest team member. I just hoped to see something new from him.
Team Adam: Melanie Martinez singing “Hit The Road Jack”
It’s official, I’m tired of Melanie’s schtick. She’s very charming, but she’s so limited and does the same thing every time she gets on stage. She always wears a bow. She always kind of whisper-sings. I feel as though we’ve seen everything Melanie has to offer now.
Team Blake: Liz Davis singing “Independence Day”
This is a classic strong, female country song. It was one of Carrie Underwood’s best performances long ago on Idol, and I figured it would be a good fit for Liz. She doesn’t have the sparkle or confidence of Martina or Carrie yet, but Liz is talented. She could give Terry a run for his money on Team Blake.
Team Blake: Cassadee Pope singing “My Happy Ending”
I’m no Avril Lavigne fan, but I instantly thought this would probably be a good song for Cassadee. She has a similar voice to Avril, but without the annoying attitude. And this is actually one of the Avril songs I kind of like. She nailed that high, big note and overall delivered a great performance. Too bad Blake’s got such a strong team this year.
Team Adam: Bryan Keith singing “Iris”
Wasn’t it nice of Bryan to serenade that hobo in the ripped T-shirt during rehearsal? I assume it was a survivor of Hurricane Sandy. Whoever he was, he seemed to love the performance. And why wouldn’t he? This song is right in Bryan’s wheelhouse. You know how when Terry sings, it sounds effortless? Well when Bryan sings, it always sounds lazy to me. It’s a fine distinction that I can’t fully explain, but I’m just not a big fan of this guy. I’m obviously in the minority though.
Team Blake: Michaela Paige singing “Everybody Talks”
Another strong person on Blake’s team. This was an awesome song for Michaela – the right fit for her voice, and it perfectly suited her attitude. I’m going to be sorry to see anyone on Blake’s team go. Except for…
Team Blake: Julio Cesar Castillo singing “El Rey”
I haven’t connected with Julio when he’s been singing English music, and I’m not particularly a fan of most Latin music. So I have a hard time appreciating anything about this performance. I thought Julio should have been long gone, so obviously that’s who I’d eliminate from Blake’s otherwise strong team. I can’t believe he got a standing ovation.
Team Adam: Loren Allred singing “All Around the World”
Loren nailed the sex appeal necessary for this song, but I thought the vocals were kind of boring. She was good, but I thought she was forgettable.
Team Adam: Amanda Brown singing “Dream On”
I’ve liked Amanda since her original performance of “Valerie” and she impresses more and more each time she hits the stage. I was most excited to hear her perform tonight. I love that she can sing so many styles of music, and she freakin’ killed “Dream On”. That falsetto! She oozes charisma, and she’s smokin’ hot. This woman is a star – get her a record deal NOW. The way she moves on stage, her facial expressions, her vocal choices. She’s amazing.
Team Blake Rankings:
- Terry McDermott
- Michaela Paige
- Liz Davis
- Cassadee Pope
- Julio Cesar Castillo
Team Adam Rankings:
- Amanda Brown (Best of the night, by far!)
- Loren Allred
- Bryan Keith
- Melanie Martinez
- Joselyn Rivera
I’m surprised. On Blake’s team, I like everyone other than one singer. On Adam’s team, I loved Amanda but feel pretty indifferent about everyone else on the team. It’s not what I expcted, but it made for a great episode. What do you guys think?
