American Idol 10: Let’s hear it for the boys!

After last season, I thought I was done with “American Idol.”

Yet FOX and J.Lo and Steven Tyler renewed my faith in the show with a complete reboot, and here I am, blogging AI again. Tonight the guys are up, and I’m anxious to see how the Nashville talents do.

Ryan says that the guys will perform tonight, followed by the girls tomorrow. On Thursday, we’ll find out who the top 5 guys and top 5 girls are, then the judges will add in their wild card picks. Wild card is back!

Ryan intros the judges and has a rather silly interaction with Steven Tyler about not saying the F-word the show frankly could have done without, and then the top 10 guys are introduced.

I’m going to be honest: I’m not a Jacob Lusk fan, James Durbin gets on my nerves, and Clint Jun Gamboa annoys me. The guys can perform whatever song they want this week. Now for my thoughts on their performances:

Clint Jun Gamboa: • Too much screaming for my taste, especially when doing “Superstition.” Judges: ST: “beautiful” J.Lo: It was good. Randy: “There’s no karaoke singer in the world that has that kind of vocal talent.” (This is when I want to pause the TV to talk to Randy about when to use who and when to use that. Hint: WHO is for people.)

And it’s already a commercial. For real.

Jovanny Barreto (AKA the guy who took his shirt off at tryouts) • Beginning is rough and “pitchy” in places. I feel like he’s letting the background singers commandeer the melody. Actually, until he does the modulation, I’m way more interested in the things the backup singer(s) are doing. He sang “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. Judges: ST: “Your brought it again.” J.Lo: “You did it!” Randy: It felt very karaoke. (Yep, I agree Randy. I never thought I’d say those words. Oh. My. Word. He just said “The modulation was kind of interesting.” Did I not just write that?)

Jordan Dorsey (aka the guy who kicked JC out of his group during group week) • Honestly, the back of the throat singing he does at the beginning of the song turns me off. He also takes his jacket off in some sort of on-stage strip tease, does some dumb moves with his shoulders, and generally annoys me on stage. • He sings at the back of his throat too much. • He can perform. (He sang some Usher song. . . .I have no idea what it was . . . ) Judges: ST: “You had the moves, but it wasn’t my favorite performance of yours.” J.Lo: “I’m not sure that that is who you really are.” Randy: pitchy and all over the place; pales in comparison to the original.

And commercial.

Tim Halperin (AKA the guy I always forget about) • There’s some dumb walking/choreography at the start. At first he seems nervous, but recovers quickly. Good control of his voice, nice jumps into the falsetto. • He sang “Streetcorner Symphony” by Rob Thomas. Judges: ST: “I’m not sure that song did you any justice.” J.Lo: “You did it well, but it didn’t show America who you really are as an artist.” Randy: “You’ve been much better before.”

Brett Loewenstern • Oh no! He’s doing “Light my Fire.” I hate the way he’s stretching “fire” into way too many syllables. • Great voice, but he seems somehow unengaged by the song in some places. It feels too rehearsed and like he doesn’t really feel anything. He has to stop tossing his hair so much! Oh my word! Judges: ST: “You did it again. You are on fire.” J.Lo: “That’s like more hair tossing than me and Beyonce in the last 10 years! I liked your performance.” Randy: “Vocals had some pitch problems in the beginning. You’re definitely fun and bold.”

James Durbin (AKA the guy with Tourettes and Asperger’s) • He’s so screamy. Too  much distortion or something going on . . . • He is singing “You’ve Got another Thing Coming” by Judas Priest, apparently. (First time Judas Priest has been featured on the show.) Lots of screaming, including some wailing at the end of the song. The singing part of the song is OK; the screaming is good and he can control his voice well, but it’s not AMAZING, at least for me. Judges: ST: “That was BLEEP crazy good.” J.Lo: “Every move you make comes from something inside. It’s insane!” Randy: “This is right here how you do it!” (So I guess I’m in the minority here. . . )

Wait for it. COMMERCIAL!

Robbie Rosen • He’s singing “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan. Make your own snide comments here. • Plays with the melodic line in the beginning. Some of these changes are good; others aren’t so much. He likes to do runs and trill up into the falsetto too much (for my taste). • In my opinion, he plays around on the notes too much in the chorus making it almost unrecognizable. Just because you can do runs, doesn’t mean you have to do them on every note of a song. Unless you’re that guy from Rascal Flatts (and that is sarcasm). Judges: ST: “You can sing a ballad like nobody’s business.” J.Lo: “You’re one of those very special people that when you sing, you feel every word. . . all of the notes weren’t perfectly perfect.” Randy: “I just don’t think this was a great performance. . . I just don’t think all of the chest into the head, they didn’t all quite work.” (Seriously, preach it, Randy!)

Commercial. Again. I’m going to take the dog outside.

Scotty McCreary • I used to like him; now I wonder if he’s a one-trick pony. I hate how he sings out of the corner of his mouth. He’s singing “Letter from Home.” It gets better in the chorus. I really wish he wasn’t sitting on that stool. Judges: ST: “I don’t think you could have picked a better song.” J.Lo: “There are some people who are just born to do something. You’re born to sing country music.” (As an aside, props to J.Lo for speaking a blessing over this kid!) Randy: “Love that you switched it up . . . You are like a throwback country guy. You love country.”

Stefano Langone • Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are.” • Such a high voice, but he has control and he’s totally feeling this song. I didn’t expect to like him, and I do! Except for the one really high note toward the end that he didn’t quite hit. (And J.Lo heard it too. I saw her face!) Judges: ST: “You gave it up again tonight. I loved it, man.” J.Lo: “You’re so consistent. It’s amazing.” Randy: We were enjoying it like we were at a concert or something.” (Randy does mention the note he didn’t hit in the falsetto.)

Wait for it. . .COMMERCIAL. But my Nashville crush Paul McDonald is coming up next!

Paul McDonald • He’s so Nashville. That’s all I can say. Oh, he’s doing “Maggie May.” I LOVE this song! • He’s in a band and it shows. But he’s got a few strange stage mannerisms, but I still love him. And his belt buckle. Love the soft sweet ending. Judges: ST: “You got a real character about your voice, and I love that.” J.Lo: “I love somebody who smiles when they’re singing.” Randy: “You are just so unique and different.”

Jacob Lusk • STOP looking at people out of the corner of your eyes. ANNOYS me! He’s doing a Luther Vandross song. • Nice vocals in the beginning, but toward the middle he starts relying too much on the vibrato and quavery quality of his voice. I like him when he’s quiet and just singing; I don’t when I feel like he’s putting on affectations. Judges: ST: “I am honored to be in your presence.” J.Lo: “This makes me happy.” Randy: “You have a little something else.”

Casey Abrams (AKA the guy who played the upright bass) • He’s doing “I’ve put a spell on you” and he does a little too much back of his throat singing on a note that’s kind of sharp, but I still like this guy. He’s refreshingly different and hilarious, in my opinion. Love the soft, sweet, pretty ending to contrast with the intentional harshness of the rest of the performance. Judges: ST: “You are in your mind good and out of your mind unreal.” J.Lo: “You’re sexy, Casey. I loved it.” Randy: “I love how you transformed yourself into the spirit of that song.”

Who I’m voting for: Paul McDonald, Casey Abrams

Who  might be going home: Jovany, Jordan, Robbie

#AmericanIdol #music #TV