Thanks to Andy W for writing this up while I am out of town…
Anthony – Sang the Coaster’s song “Poison Ivy.” I believe the opening was a bit weak, considering what he could have done with song. It’s not looking too good for Anthony this week, and the judges weren’t nice about it either. It was an “average” performance, and it should be putting him in the “bottom 3″ without issue.
Scott – “On Broadway” and it was all that, and a bag of chips. One of the better performances from him, and I’m not usually one to give him a “thumbs up,” but I thought the song fit him well, and I think he has a chance with this performance. The judges agreed – all 3. If this performance is any indication of what he really can do, it could have bought him another week.
Vonzell – Missed the song title, but I wasn’t really too impressed by the selection. Performance was okay, but it didn’t move me. I missed the judges impression of the performance, and I’m not certain how it ended up for V. Usually a good show, but I’m going to need to see how she does in the pick 3 selection.
Bo – Need I say more? Ben E. King – Stand By Me. Excellent choice for him. And he executed it very well. With the numerous amount of people who have covered the song previously, he made it his own… there was no “bar/lounge” singer act here. It was a genuinely good performance, and he’s got it in the bag so far. All judges agree with me on the performance, and we don’t anticipate him going into the bottom 3.
Carrie – Trouble by Elvis. One of Carrie’s better choices during the competition. She sang the song in a comfortable range, and it was a bit “up” in tempo for her. Good to see a different aspect of her. She needs to “MOVE” a bit up there! Simon held back on his true comments, but all judges agreed with my review.
Second half of show – Current Billboard songs
Anthony – Backstreet Boys – Incomplete. Not impressed with this performance overall. Song selection may have been appropriate for him, but I didn’t think it was a good choice considering a solo performance for a group-based song. Ending of the song was relatively weak in the vocal aspect. Most judges agreed.
Scott – Brian McKnight – Every time you go away. I’d really like to see him do something NOT R&B for a change. He’s a white guy trying to be R&B and that is a very difficult thing to do. And the performance reflected it. I’d say this song put him in the bottom 3, and Simon nailed it with the description of the performance as “flat”.
Vonzell – When you tell me that you love me. Very good selection and she pulled off the performance. Strong vocals, in tune, and the crowd were behind her. I think she’ll be in the top 3 performances at the end of the show, and may show up in the bottom 3 this week, but will make it through to the next week. Simon using reverse psychology on the audience to get people to vote for her? (Stated that performance wasn’t enough.)
Bo – Los Lonely Boys – How Far Is Heaven. What can you say? Bo did an awesome job selecting a song for him and his performance reflected it. The crowd loved, I liked it, and the judges enjoyed it to. Top 2 performers, and no where near the bottom 3. Great job again, Bo.
Carrie – Didn’t recognize the song which means it was probably a Country title. Tempo was more what we’ve become accustomed to Carrie singing - slow. She sang it well, and I think the crowd enjoyed it. Judges said she did well, but Simon said it was “safe”, and I agree.
So, bottom 3 is hard this week. Anthony – no doubt. Probably will be the one to go home. Scott and Vonzell would be my next 2, but based on comments and to some extent performance, I don’t think they’ll be going this week.
