TwinsRube posted:
BrotherHungPantsOnTheGnd posted:
msmariekg posted:
Spiff says:
Czar says:
Angie63 says:Forums: Season 9
| Top 24/Guys & Gals Review: 2010-02-23 & 24 | |
msmariekg 6 months, 2 weeks ago |
For those who are new, just a bit of background: I usually review each show from this point forward. Once upon a time I studied with some of the top vocal coaches in Seattle and Los Angeles. I am a singer/songwriter/musician and my latest gig is a new thing, musical theater. Always wanted to try it and now my son and I are in The King & I at the Bloomington Civic Theatre opening 4/23. I am critical and judgmental when it comes to singing and performance. You may not agree with my opinions, but that's just what they are - my opinions. Hope you can get something out what I have to say and if not, you don't have to read my posts.
Having said that... (as Larry David would say), here goes my very rushed review on each contestant. I'm not even proof reading so there! I was not inspired to write much of anything. The girls especially bored me. The guys did a hair better, but that's it. Where are the stars this year? Like him or hate him, Adam Lambert was a star from the moment he stepped on the stage. I just see no umph in anyone right now. First - the sound was HORRIBLE! Dry, dry, dry vocals and the background music sounding like some horrid muzak garbage. The band was too low in the mix and I think it was hard for anyone to sound really good in this set up. Girls: Paige Miller I hated her song choice with Free's "All Right Now". Her hair looked like she hadn't combed it before the show. Came off as karaoke/wedding singer. This our first time really seeing her and she chooses this song? I didn't get the sash around her waist either. She didn't look the part. She definitely can sing and she has potential, but she didn't bring it - didn't make a great first impression. Ashley Rodriguez The song was too big for her and she is being compared to the very stylized Leona Lewis. I'm not a fan of Leona's, but she sings her songs well in her own drab, no personality style. Ashley was nervous and it came out in weird, jerky movements. She didn't have a full low end to her voice in the verses. Eh. Janell Wheeler This girl needs to be an actress. Who does she remind me of? She's like a young Sharon Stone, only perkier and more naive. Wrong, wrong, wrong song choice! I am a huge Heart fan and Ann Wilson blows the roof off anything she sings. Alison Iraheta and Carrie Underwood have been the only ones on this show to come even close to not butchering Ann's songs. Janell was bad. I like her however. She's cute and very likable. Liked her outfit. Right now she's a cute girl that can kind of carry a tune. I'd rather see her in a sitcom though. Lilly Scott The white hair is kind of freaky, but I like her. She knows who she is. She's a serious musician, out there busking, living out of her car. I respect her. Odd song choice, but she did it well. She holds my attention. She looks like a tiny person and then she stands next to Seacrest and she's a giant (not that that's a hard thing to do). She shows promise. One of my favs so far. Katelyn Epperly I agree with Kara. I liked her more "organic" (new word of this season). The makeover made her look like her parents dressed her. I wouldn't have picked this song because I always associate it with karaoke (I was a karaoke host at one point). It's not a wow song. It's fun, but she was old fashioned, not contemporary. I like her quirkiness though. She reminds me of Meg Ryan. Has promise. Haeley Vaughn Odd choice as well, but she made it her own. The arrangement was a mess - so chaotic I couldn't really follow where she was in the song. Hate her upper register. She yodel belts it verging on yelling. She needs to cover her tone to be less offensive up there. She has a lisp. Hated her baby doll outfit. I have to remember she's only 16 though. A lot of potential for her age and she is pursuing a genre that is wide open for her. How many guitar playing African American country singers are out there? You can count them on one hand with plenty of room to spare. She's cute and fun and infectious. She's happy and the show needs that. Lacey Brown Pretty girl who looks more like 39 than 24. She has a nice voice, but this is the wrong song for sure! I love "Landslide" but Stevie is Stevie and no one is going to give it the maturity and melancholy resignation that Stevie does. This is Stevie's song and no one elses. She sings like Cyndi Lauper. Took breaths in mid-phrase (pet peeve of mine along with enunciation). This is her first real performance for us and she chooses a song that should have been towards the end of her set. I would like to see her more, give her another chance, but I don't hold out much hope for her. Michelle Delamor The most polished of the girls. Such a corporate, emotionless singer. She's a brand that we've all seen and nothing is unique and interesting about her. She's pretty. She can sing. That's about it. Where's the wow factor? I hated her song choice. Boring. Kara was correct in saying she needs to be technically immaculate. She wasn't. If you're going to play the diva role, you have to own it. She didn't. Didi Benami I have been rooting for Didi. She's likable and I loved her rendition of Kara's song "Terrified" during Hollywood week. This was not good. She's like Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy fans?) trying to sing. It's not that she can't sing, but I hated her song choice. She's trying to be like a bunch of other singers out there that are saturating the airwaves right now. I've had enough of the jazz voices. I want to hear Didi - not her rendition of Adelle or Duffy. Hated the braided rug vest too. Siobhan Magnus Very different, quirky girl. She's like the girl in high school that hangs out with the outcasts who watches Rocky Horror (no offense, I love Rocky myself, but you know the type) every weekend. A little Molly Ringwald-ish, but geekier. She has a nice big voice. I liked her during Hollywood week singing Stevie Wonder so much better. This was not good for me. It was uncomfortable and pitchy. I was bored, but still I watched. A little reminiscent of Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde. She has potential, but I don't know if the viewers can accept her awkward geekiness. I'd like to see her last long enough to get some polish. Crystal Bowersox She knows who she is. Serious busker. Knows her voice. She did an okay job. I wasn't blown away. She wasted a lot of time playing the harmonica when she could have been showing us her voice, but it was at least different. Doing a David Bowie song like Simon suggested would have been amazing. Get out of the coffeehouse (drink some coffee first because you need to bring your energy up) and wow us, Crystal! Katie Stevens I don't know why, but she bugs me. She's like this honor society, perky, annoying high schooler. Hated her song choice. Way too old for her. Her dress was some bad piano recital outfit you'd wear when you were 8. She was pitchy - going sharp in most spots. She can sing. Just not sure if she can really bring what she needs to to the competition, then again this year, you don't have to bring much to compete. Guys: Todrick Hall Most polished performer of the guys. He is smooth. I love that he can dance too. He can sing. I like the risk her took with rearranging Kelly Clarkson's big hit. I recognized it, but if you're going to go so way out on the verses, then you should stick to way out on the chorus and he didn't. The song didn't show off enough of his upper range either. He shows a lot of promise though. One of my favs of the guys. Aaron Kelly He's 16 and I'm sure girls all around the world will vote for him. I find him kind of annoying and so Disney channel. He sang Rascal Flats very well. I didn't like the nervous sideways rocking he did, but he's 16. He did great just for his age. His falsetto was weak. He reminds me of a young Edward Norton and he makes Seacrest look tall. I'm sure Seacrest loves him. Jermaine Sellers It was like Patti LaBelle in drag. I will always remember him as the guy who trashed the band. As a musician, I hold that against him. You just don't do that. He apologized, but I can promise you Ricky and the band will always remember that. Wrong song choice. Slightly under pitch throughout the verses and then the chorus. God help us. The whiny screechy was too much to bear for me. He came across as old too. Way too old for his look. He ha potential, but he's got to dial it back and work on technique. Tim Urban He looks like Bobby Brady or a young Dexter. Wrong, wrong, wrong song for him. His falsetto was atrocious. He looked awkward and kind of stalkerish. The music was too much for his vocals and that song doesn't take that much in the vocal department. He has to seriously rethink his approach if he makes it past this week. Joe Munoz If Ben Stiller and David Archuleta had a son, it would be Joe. I was bored. Hated his scarf. He has more of a voice than I expected. Bad vibrato though. Lot of guys with bad vibrato this season. No star power. Very forgettable. Tyler Grady I was rooting for Tyler. I loved his bravado and style. He didn't deliver with the vocals. Wrong song choice. Amateur, karaoke hour. Total poser. He shouted and he puts his tone placement in the upper back of his throat. He has a good attitude though. He took the criticism well. I liked that. I hope he shapes up. Lee Dewyze He looks depressed. He needs to relax those shoulders. He looks uncomfortable on stage. Not a front man, but he could be in a band. Very nice voice that tends to go flat as he finishes the consonant of every phrase. Reminds me of David Cook's voice. Definite promise especially since there are no other rockers this season. I'd like to see him do a different song. Not the right choice, but still one of the best of the night. John Park I felt so sorry for this guy. He has had zero airtime. We don't know him and then he comes out and looks like a karaoke singer. The verses were weird and his accent was shooting through really strong in them and then he opened up and all was fine. Wrong song choice. Asians (I'm Asian so I can say this) are not good at displaying emotion - it's goes against the culture. He has that to battle plus we don't know him and he looks uncomfortable. I don't hold out much hope for him. Michael Lynche One of the favs because he's a likable guy. Kind of odd seeing a big, muscly black man strumming a guitar that looks like a toy guitar and singing pop songs. I like him and he did well. Safe performance. He needs to really show us what he can do because I feel like he's coasting. I want to be entertained and feel like he's really giving me something. I feel like it's a walk in the park for him and he doesn't really care all that much. He has promise. Alex Lambert Oh, so sad. From the bad hair with wings to looking completely apologetic on stage. I felt sorry for him. I wanted the song to be over to put him out of his agony. Like Ellen explained, he's a green banana. He needs to ripen. I don't think he has enough time to do it, but you never know. He has some nice quality to his voice, but zero star power. He did give props to Ricky Minor and the band so I like him for that. Only one of the two nights to do so on camera. Casey James The brand new soul guy as my husband likes to call him. That blank stare like nothing is really going on behind those blue eyes. He's a pretty boy. Could definitely model or make a killing on the country music circuit. I would be surprised if some country label doesn't snatch him up. Appropriate song choice for him, but I didn't feel like he was really giving it his all. It was just another day strumming his guitar it seemed. It didn't help that the judges were goofing off during his song. It seemed like he was on the verge of laughing. Bad vibrato. Someone has to help him with that accelerated Stevie Nicks vibrato on every note held out for more than a few seconds. Maybe that's why he doesn't hold out his notes for long and often cuts the end note of a phrase short. He'll be around for awhile. Andrew Garcia Loved his rendition of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during Hollywood week. He has a great sounding voice, but performance wise, not so good. His glasses get in the way of connecting with his eyes. The audience feels distant from him. I had a hard time really jumping on board. Odd arrangement of the song. I hope he chooses more wisely in the future. He'll be around for awhile. One of the more promising guys. |
|---|---|
Login to post a reply.