American Idol Season 13 - The Voice Season 6

so that is the battle round I heard was going to be a doozy!  Don't tell me.  I still have 2.25 hours to go

Had to run out to a soccer game last night so, I had to go online and check out how Stevie Jo did.  He might not be Sisaundra (there, I spelled it right) but I really liked him last week when he sang "Higher Love," and he did a great job again.  Hated those boots he was wearing.  Loved his mom at the end.

But awww, they did that thing where they did not show the full battle between Kristen and Emily B.  From the little bit I heard, I would have wanted Emily B., but Kristen is good too.

Once it got to Battle Rounds 2, even the ones that they send home are good singers. 

I am settling in for an awesome competition this season.

Ooookay! Back to the songs they auditioned with, plus duets
with each other!

THE DUETS

Jena/Alex (Just
Give Me A Reason ) = Ohmygosh…. Standing near the judges, Alex looked like he had
ants in his pants, or like someone snuck itching powder into his clothes. He
picked at his shirt, had nowhere to put his hands, just looked EXTREMELY
uncomfortable from the get-go. Perhaps no one explained to him that “duet” means singing with a PARTNER. He could
just barely make eye contact with Jena, then had to look away. So distracting,
I forgot to listen to his voice.

Jessica/Caleb (Stop
Draggin’ My Heart Around) = Well, that was certainly more of a duet than the
previous one, in fact, Caleb danced rings around Jessica. She still comes off a
little stiff, though.

Malaya/Sam
(Lucky) = Gee, two cute kids, two good voices but in totally different ways.
Made them both seem boring and weak. Song choice didn't help. Big snoozer.

CJ/Dexter
(Alright) = Ohhhhhh…. Not good. Every
single flaw in CJ’s voice that was overshadowed by his soulful individual
performance was just magnified in this arrangement with Dexter. Unfortunate
pairing. Sad to see them go for the high five at the end and miss each other’s
hands.

INDIVIDUAL
PERFORMANCES

Jessica (Blue
Eyed Lies) = Good grief – that rocker chick pink hair, and a boring,
calf-length red dress and Harry’s shoes? AND – Grandma’s white plastic earrings
to boot? Fire that costumer! She sings her original song looking like a
matronly Statue of Liberty on a platform. Don’t get me wrong, I like her voice,
but… ick.

CJ (Soul Shine) =
Has a compelling back story, parents in prison, spent lots of time with grandparents
then bonded with Dad over music. PLEASE don’t make me like him any more than I already
do! I don’t think he’ll be on the show much longer! But tonight’s performance
was the best of his I’ve seen so far.

Sam (Lego House) =
Wow… watching Sam’s audition, then tonight’s performance, it was like seeing a
year’s growth spurt in his voice, maturity level, and confidence. But like
Harry said, just LOOK at one of those screaming girls a time or two during the
song.

Malaya (Ain’t No
Way) = Another one who shows consistent growth.
Did a great job on this Aretha song.
I was impressed when she said she loves to hear Harry’s criticism.
Taking it has paid off.

Dexter (One
Mississippi) = Well, all along they’ve been telling Dexter to sing a ballad,
and tonight he did. No guitar to get in the way, just a great piano, and great
harmonies from the backup singers. Smart song choice and arrangement!

Jena (Rollin’ In
The Deep) – Here is one contestant who really listens when the judges say to
take a song and make it your own. I ADORE this Adele song, but I liked Jena’s moody,
jazzy arrangement almost as much. Got a bit weak in the middle, but finished
strong.

Caleb (Chain of
Fools) = Well, we knew whatever he did would be good. He’s consistent. Funny of
Harry to ask “Could you do something that’s not so LOUD?” I think he’d do well with any genre.

Alex (Fairytales)
= Still soooo uncomfortable to watch HIS discomfort on stage! This performance
was really good (original song of his) but like DH said – “I could listen to a
CD of his, but I’d never pay money to have to watch him in concert.” Technically very good singer and musician,
but performer? Entertainer? Dang, maybe he could try a Xanax or something…

Oh, I see.  The point of the save isn't to keep someone on who is truly a good enough singer to go to the final.  It's to keep around a cute-faced marginal singer so that the teenies keep screaming and tuning in next week.  

Just because Idol has a save, does it mean they have to use it?  No doubt, since it has to air a certain number of weeks.  What a racket.

I feel like the save should be for a Jennifer Hudson situation, she had the highest votes the week before she was eliminated, so her elimination was kind of a fluke. 

Sam has a nice voice, but not the whole package.

Maybe they have seen something in rehearsal we have not.

We knew they were going to use the "Save" when they let JLo do the talking. When it's bad news, either Keith or Harry give it.

So does that mean TWO people have to go home next week?

I liked that eliminated duo, Dawn & Hawks.  Their harmony was so beautifully nuanced and listenable.  I did like the powerhouse girl that beat them, but she is like many others that we have seen before.

Blake got himself another blond jailbait.  (She's no Danielle Bradbury either; in fact both of those two young ladies were very pitchy.)  He should have stolen Dawn & Hawks.

The Eighties.  I remember how FUN it was.  How could AI make it so freakin' boring? 

Jena and Dex...bad song choices that poorly displayed vocal talent.  Malaya...bad choice again.  She missed a big opportunity to slay a Whitney song (like "Saving All My Love) this week.  Jessica...execution not too bad, but you don't cover Debby Harry if you can't put some sexy into it.  Was that frumpy blouse something Majesty left behind?  So wrong.  Sam...bad arrangement, yawn, yawn.  Alex...worse arrangement, zzzzzzzzz.  CJ...good choice but bad arrangement.  Can appreciate his inadvertant feminism with the garbled pronunciation "Shesus."  Caleb...good song for him, another stinky arrangement.

Hope Blessings write a post with all the song selection names because I am too lazy to do it.  

Do you know how many great songs there were in the 80's?  A bazillion, but most of the AI singers failed to find one that really clicked and almost all of the arrangements were watered down versions such as you might expect in a high school talent show, although that is likely the fault of the AI band.  I don't care how many whoops and hollers Harry and Keith gave tonight, it was boring.  

(Remember tuning in just to see how Adam Lambert would interpret a song each week?  That's what's missing.)

Cam----I like Jena too.   I think it will end up between Jena and Caleb, they both are so talented and really good performers, as well as singers. Some of the others need to step it up in the performance arena.  Sam, Alex, and Jessica all have great voices, but they just stand still and look so uncomfortable on stage.

Anne