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This is it. It all boiled down to these last two nights. Who would deliver the goods to make it into the top 12?
Or, unfortunately, who did enough, given the fact that there is a required six slots for each gender?
Because the judges are right about more women then guys deserving to be in the top 12. Only I'd send even fewer guys through!
The judges think 4 guys, not 6 deserve to go through to the final 12. I have to agree. In fact, I might be even harsher.
Here's how it went down with the guys.
1. Blake Lewis sang "All Mixed Up" by 311
Blake seemed to have an edge last night. Not because he got to throw in a little beatbox and sing some nice reggae-inspired rock, but because they threw so much echo on his vocals pretty much anyone would have sounded good! This was his lowest energy performance, though. He seemed casual, nearly blase about it. Still he retains his edge by keeping the modern vibe going. The verdict: Oh, yeah, he's totally he's safe.
2. Sanjaya Malakar sang "Waiting for the World to Change" by John Mayer
Can he please go home now? If for no other reason than to recover from the epic battle he obviously waged with a flat iron. This was limp, vacuous and vapid. Like his smile. The verdict: Please, please, can he finally be at risk?
3. Sundance Head sang "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam
anyone who can make "Jeremy", one of the greatest rock songs ever released, sound like a crappy song deserves to be sent home. no second chances. Stupid song choice because a) it's a story, and you skipped half of it and b) just like women shouldn't try to out-sing Whitney, Mariah, or Celine, guys shouldn't try to out-sing or out-intense Eddie Vedder. cannot be done. The verdict: Would like to think he's at risk, but I fear not!
4. Chris Richardson sang "I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban
A little pitchy and wobbly in the beginning, but once again Chris stuck to it and won me over. I liked how he applied his pop vibe to a more country song. About a third of the way in he settled, vocally and emotionally, and he did a good job. The verdict: very safe.
5. Jared Cotter sang "If You Really Love Me" by Stevie Wonder
Jared did not strike me as nearly as yummy as usual this week. too much grimacing. But he had some nice vocal dynamics, and for an impersonation performance, he once again did OK. The verdict: Even so, I think he's very much at risk.
6. Brandon Rogers sang "I Just Wanna Celebrate" (Can't remember who it's by.)
Brandon is a little white bread. He reminds the S.O. and I of the David Allen Grier character Don "No Soul" Simmons. He has such a nice laid-back smile and warm personality. But sometimes I long for him to show a more intense energy. The verdict: At risk because I think people are getting tired of waiting for him to live up to their high expectations.
7. Phil Stacey sang "I Need You" by LeeAnn Rimes
The low verse beginning? He sounded like Kermit the Frog. Very muffled and throaty. The high LeeAnn Rimes belt chorus? He yelled at us. In between? He reminded us that he has a very nice falsetto and some potential. But most of this was a mess. The verdict: I think he's been safe all this time, but this performance might just have put him at risk.
8. Chris Sligh sang a dcTalk song
Why hadn't I notice until now that Chris S. is Sideshow Bob? Don't know, but I thought I'd point it out. Chris is still pretty much a cipher when he sings. So much off-stage personality, so much poewr to his voice, so little on-stage charisma. This was also a performance full of shouting at us...but there were also some really nice vocal moments mixed in, so on balance I think he's still popular. The verdict: I have no doubt he's safe.
Bottom Line:
The Bottom Two for me this week:Sanjaya and Sundance
Will America agree? I don't think so. I guessed last week's ousted boy 100%, mostly by realizing that Sanjaya and Sundance have cast an incomprehensible spell over the voting public. If that holds true again, and I think it will, then it will be Jared Cotter and Brandon Rogers who go home instead. Which will be a shame.
Of course it's not like most of the women had their best night ever. Here's how it
