🎶 2022-04-25 08:35:39 – Paris/France.
Sunday brought the first broadcast with live voting from American Idol Season 20 – meaning in two hours, 14 contestants all performed live from coast to coast; viewers in all time zones vote in real time; and by the end of the episode, Ryan Seacrest was already sending three singers home.
It's a controversial, fast-track, mass elimination format that's been in place ever since ABC restarted the series and scrapped the separate results shows. And sadly, it's a format that has resulted in many premature goodbyes to overlooked and under-the-radar competitors who would have had the luxury of time and more opportunities to grow had they competed back then. In fact, one could argue that Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze or even Kelly Clarkson would never have won Idol in these current circumstances.
And it's a format that ensured Ava Maybee - who had just emerged as Season 20's newest rock star - won't win. Idol. The 20-year-old daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith was sadly cut on Sunday, along with Allegra Miles and Dan Marshall.
Ava stepped out in swing this week, covering Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times" and looking like a proper Harriet Styles in her lavender blouse and sleek sailor pants. (“I'm a huge [Harry] fan. I knew I was picking him for the breakout ride, for sure. He wore a sequined rainbow suit to Coachella! je would do that! Ava laughs.) The Idol the style designer, from whom Katy Perry herself was beginning to glean fashion advice, sounded like a superstar, and she looked like one too – Ava's alto has always been one of the most powerful and most powerful voices distinctive among the semi-finalists. But an odd arrangement that began with the ballad's less familiar pre-chorus (an artistic choice that this week's refreshingly honest and shrewd guest mentor Gabby Barrett openly questioned) threw off the performance's momentum – and ultimately caused Ava's downfall.
The story continues
Lionel Richie said he noticed Ava "thinking" during the first half of the song, but said the "second half was on fire". Katy agreed that "the whole room was vibrating" during the second half, and Luke Bryan told Ava, "You hit the big notes at the end, and some of those notes were the first time I heard you dig like that. . They were great, great times, and that's what it's all about. But apparently a good second half just wasn't enough. Ava was my favorite contestant this season, and I even thought she had a shot at making the final. But she already such a star, maybe she don't need to win Idol long-term. After all, Gabby Barrett herself didn't win Season 16, and she's doing just fine.
Ava Maybee says goodbye on “American Idol”. (Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
Regarding the other two retirements on Sunday evening, I was saddened but not surprised to see Allegra leave the competition. Her cover of Billie Eilish's "Ocean Eyes" was, as Gabby put it, "a no-brainer" and "right in her wheelhouse," and Allegra delivered a haunting, falsetto-laden, almost Grammy-level piano version of it. . Luke explained: “The fact that that's why we saved you, right there” — referring to the fact that Allegra was a judges' pick last week, after failing to get the public vote. Katy implored voters who had previously ignored Allegra: “I hope America doesn't make the same mistake. " Too bad. For some reason, Allegra never really connected with Idol the viewers. She did better on The voice two years ago, when she made the top nine.
However, I don't thinks America made a mistake when viewers sent Dan home this week. I never understood this vanilla man's appeal in the first place, and his Sunday cover of Kenny Chesney's "She's Got It All" was yet another safe song choice and yet another charismatic amateur performance that left the judges disappointed. In a fiercely competitive season where even a package artist as exciting as Ava Maybee can't make the top 11, it was definitely time for this inexperienced ex-footballer to go.
So that leaves us with 11 talented contestants who will be competing again on Monday in something called the "Judges' Song Contest" (not to be confused with NBC's spring season The voice Eurovision spin-off replacement/failure American song contest, promising Idol has been steadily overwhelming in the ratings). Then, after another coast-to-coast real-time vote, two more singers will head home on Monday. But first, let's assess their performance on Sunday and see if America made any other "mistakes."
Jay, "Just As You Are"
Jay did well with a retro-modern vibe last week during his Amy Winehouse cover, and this Bruno Mars Motown-ish hit struck an equally sweet chord. I think Jay's excessive, almost aggressive smiley face was distracting, but his voice was solid (Bruno is not easy to sing). Lionel appreciated Jay's song choice, saying, “For the first time you come on stage singing songs you should be singing. It's who you are. I felt that was the closest thing to your artistry.
Hunter Girl, "Baby Girl"
Huntergirl looked glamorous and beaming, like a star ready for CMT, but I wish she showed more depth by dedicating this song to her parents in the audience. She didn't demonstrate a vast vocal or emotional range, and she didn't quite exploit the meaning of the song as Gabby had advised. But she tore up in the end, and the judges, who have loved this country girl since her first audition for a platinum ticket in the Season 20 premiere, almost tore up too. “You have a heart of gold with a voice of gold, and I just want to see you win. I think everyone in America wants to see you win, because you're a legit great person with great talent,” Katy proclaimed — though she advised Huntergirl to take more stage ownership.
Christian Guardino, "Take Me to Church"
Gabby told Christian to focus on Hozier's lyrics and pick his moments, and while this killer singer took his lead for the most part, there was something about that arrangement that diminished the pomp and circumstances of the powerful ballad. Christian's phrasing seemed a bit rushed, and his directing was a bit uncertain and clunky. Still, her voice was technically prodigious — or, as Katy put it, "fiery" and "evangelical." Luke noticed Christian's instability, but also saw potential. “When you had the microphone on the microphone stand, that wasn't what you wanted to do. You wanted to catch the microphone on the stand! Because then you caught it, and it went to another level. Think about these things. If you're not comfortable with something you're doing, make sure you fire on all cylinders right off the bat,” Luke explained.
Leah Marlene, "Happy Together"
After being torn between doing this happy and heartwarming song from The Turtles or "Mad World" from Tears for Fears, Leah took Gabby's advice to sing the former. I thought that was a mistake – that “Happy Together” would be too light/disposable/novelty – but Leah still brought some drama and humor to the proceedings. It was unexpectedly epic! “You took a turtle song, which I love, and turned it into ton song – and I forgot all about the turtles,” Lionel marveled. “In my opinion, the show has finally begun. It's nice to see the variation of what you can do and bring that killer guitar back. You look and seem to have that confidence. You are like Saint Vincent. You're so frais. It really feels like we've arrived,” Katy exclaimed.
Fritz Hager, "Let Go"
The Plaintive James Bay Song – Fritz's farewell message to his pre-Idol self – was a nice fit for this sweet young soul. He looked absolutely charming. " You are a artist, the way you sold it on the guitar and held the room,” Luke said. “It's the absolute way to make us listen: the quieter you are, the quieter we listen, the more we understand. You trained us,” Lionel added. Katy claimed she couldn't "play favorites" (even though she pretty much did that with Huntergirl?) and simply begged America to vote out and "protect" Fritz. Does Katy know something we don't? Is Fritz a risky candidate who has to beg for votes? I assumed this former dark horse has now achieved favorite status, thanks to an impressive and consistent streak of checkered heart-on-sleeve performances like this.
Tristen Gressett, "What Do You Want From Me"
Tristen was someone I finally thought was in danger this week. (In fact, by the end of the night, as he awaited his fate alongside Ava, Allegra, and Dan, I was sure he was done for.) After Tristen strayed from his classic rock roots last week with a Weeknd cover and had To be saved by the judges, this week he did another risque pop track, Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me." While I loved the song choice — I've actually compared over-the-top showman Tristen to Adam in the past — I knew many viewers probably wished he'd just go back to doing CCR and Joe songs. Cocker. It was a very Lambertian performance — the way Tristen moaned theatrically, looked at the camera with sexual eyes, and shook guyliner and glitter — but it wasn't a perfect (read: Adam-like) voice. In fact, the background vocalists unfortunately overpowered it in the chorus. Still, a cute good luck video message from Adam himself and Tristen's genuinely verklempt reaction to Adam's message likely earned him some votes from the loyal Glamberts. And I'm glad Tristen survived, because season 20 would be much less interesting without him, especially now that Ava is gone. “You always bring the drama, and especially tonight. You were doing something interesting, new and weird. You pull out a new card that we've never seen. You continue to evolve. You have the coolest, weirdest, most awesome vibe. I'm so into it,” Katy gushed. Hopefully America can get involved too.
Lady K, "I believe"
Lady confessed that covering her idol Fantasia's coronation song was a "great performance" for her, and Gabby remarked how nervous and "uncomfortable" Lady was during rehearsals. But Lady looked pretty comfortable when she got on stage! She almost looked like she was singing on her own final night. Katy described it as "elegance personified". Luke shouted, “Evolution alert! And Lady's biggest fan and fellow Tuskegee native, Lionel, described her journey as "from homelessness to center stage to taking it to the next level." Lionel also told him, “It was the best performance I've ever seen you do. »
Mike Parker, "Hurricane"
Mike was surprisingly poised for elimination last week and had to be saved by the judges, and I don't know if he exactly set the stage on fire with that usable cover from Luke Combs this week. That may not be enough, although perhaps there will be a clearer path for him now that one of this season's other male country crooners, Dan, is out of the picture. That being said, Katy loved Mike's "genuine country soul blood" and "vibrated" it, and Luke told her, "What this performance showed me is that you are a fighter. Way to introduce yourself and show America that you are here to play. I think Mike needs to show up...
SOURCE: Reviews News
Do not hesitate to share our article on social networks to give us a solid boost. ✔️