'American Idol' recap: Wildcard Night #1

OK, so we've whittled the contestants down to a top 14. Now we have to pick six more to go through to the Top 10…

"Wait," I can hear you saying, "but that doesn’t add up?" Yes, I am bad at math, but this is no error. You see, the judges picked four people to go through automatically–Olivia, Dalton, Trent and Le’Portia–while everyone else has to sing for America’s vote. Who will make it to the Top 10 and who will sing their last note on American Idol?

As I always do, I’ll rate each song on a scale of 0-5 along with a short blurb, and then pick my favorite and least favorite performances of the night.

 

Manny Torres (“Master Blaster” by Stevie Wonder) - * * * ½

Although there’s no denying that Stevie Wonder is a living legend and fantastic songwriter, I don’t understand why so many people sing Stevie songs on competitions shows. Their deeply syncopated grooves, huge range, somewhat lack of melody and sophisticated runs are built specifically for Stevie’s voice; they just don’t usually translate well to covers. Manny’s version was serviceable. His pitch was fine, and he handled the rhythmically tough song well. But there was a Saturday Night Karaoke Night vibe to it that didn’t exactly prove Manny’s star power.

 

Gianna Isabella (“I Put A Spell On You” by Annie Lennox) - * * * *

Wait, didn’t Gianna sing this the last time she was on Idol? I get the strained “favorite moments” theme (OK, I don’t get the theme. It’s a stupid theme), but at this point in the competition Gianna should be showing her range instead of doing a carbon copy of a song she’s already done. Last time I wrote that “Gianna has pipes, there’s no doubt about it…But ‘I Put A Spell On You’ is a slinky, sexy and sinister track” and it was missing the “desperate, slightly creepy tone” the song called for. The same was true tonight. She needs to find songs that actually feel like Gianna, rather than a teenage girl just singing covers.

 

Thomas Stringfellow (“Story of My Life” by One Direction) - * * *

I feel like a broken record talking about Thomas. Sure, he has alt-rock credit, but the affected yodel he adds to his voice is both annoying and self-indulgent. Worse, it feels like an affectation rather than an organic vocal styling. Harry has it right: Dolores O'Riordan he is not.

 

Tristan McIntosh (“What Hurts The Most” by Rascal Flatts) - * * * ½

Even though Tristan says country is her genre of choice, she feels more like a pop singer to me. Anyway, Tristan sounded good–a bit shaky in places but self-assured and strong most of the way through. I wonder what will happen with Tristan. She seems like the kind of contestant who would do better in five years, when she matures vocally and has a better understanding of her own style.

 

Avalon Young (“Yo” by Chris Brown) - * * * ½

I was a big fan of Avalon’s last time, and I am still am. There’s an easygoing charm to her and an assured, unique style that’s really needed on Idol. But she was just a victim of bad song choice. A Chris Brown track with no hook, no real melody and not much personality does you no favors on a show like this.

 

Jenn Blossil (“True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper) - * * * * ½

I’ve been waiting for Jenn to give a performance like this: raw, emotional, connected. It wasn’t too affected or overthought. My favorite of the night so far by a long shot.

 

Lee Jean (“Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran) - * *

While this is the kind of song Lee should blow out of the water, it was shakier than an old rowboat in a storm. The pitch was all over the place and the performance, while charismatic, felt immature.

 

Sonika Vaid (“I Surrender” by Celine Dion) - * * * *

Last week I complained about Sonika’s song choices, but this was right on the money. Sure, I detected a few notes that didn’t quite reach their destination, but her feathery voice fit perfectly in this ballad, creating a beautiful piece of music.

 

Janeve Rose Mitchell (“Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash) - * * * *

Janeve doesn’t have the best voice in the competition; there’s a rough-hewn, immature quality to it. But she is 100 percent authentically herself. You can tell a Janeve performance from the very first note. In a competition where many people are trying to sound like other artists, that is a true talent you can’t teach.

 

MacKenzie Bourg (“Roses” by MacKenzie Bourg) - * * * * ½

Welcome to the competition, Mac. In one song, he became a frontrunner in my eyes. Singing a gorgeous, heartfelt original (that wouldn’t feel out of place in an Ed Sheeran set list), MacKenzie proved that real star power is sometimes about standing still and delivering a lyric.

 

Best of the night: MacKenzie

Worst of the night: Lee