S22.E12: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; S22.E13: Billboard #1 Hits

[peachmangosteen]

Airs April 21 and 22.

[JayDub1987]

Early thoughts. 
-need to vote Luke off for that bad Mellencamp cover.

-Gene Simmons is a terrible vocalist. As long as he’s just giving performance tips, I guess it’s OK.

-I’m really tired of this annual thing where we have to vote people off twice to make them go away.

-Why is this girl covering Whitney wearing a glittery snuggy?

[JayDub1987]

Jordan, if you can’t sing Whitney, don’t sing Whitney. Plenty of other options guy

[JayDub1987]

Hopefully whoever replaces Katy is willing to be honest. We need someone with a touch of Simon in them who will tell someone “that wasn’t good.”

This last performance wasn’t good

[JayDub1987]

Alright. Got rid of two of my least favorites. Just 3-4 more that I don’t like and I’ll be content. 

[DietCokeJunkie]

I was fine with the 2 who went home tonight, but some of the remaining singers had a REALLY bad night. I thought Emmy, McKenna and Abi sounded terrible. Will and Kayko picked bad songs. 
Kabrienne and Roman were the best of the night IMO. 

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, JayDub1987 said:

Hopefully whoever replaces Katy is willing to be honest. We need someone with a touch of Simon in them who will tell someone “that wasn’t good.”

This last performance wasn’t good

There were moments in it that I liked, but yeah, it was awfully...slow. And, I mean, the song is slower in general as t is, but still, it's not THAT slow. 

(That's probably my favorite Elton John song, I love that song so much.)

Not too surprised about who stayed. It was weird to see Gene Simmons on here, but he had some surprisingly decent advice for the contestants. 

I liked them acknowledging Mandisa, that was nice. I'm glad they'll take a moment to honor her. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I thought the whole purpose of these theme nights was to get some contestants out of their comfort zones. Instead, thanks to it being the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame night we get Nya & Jayna (and Jordan) doing Whitney and Mia doing Dolly Parton et al. Sigh..

If Jayna & Roman go tonight, America will have resoundingly rejected all 4 of the judges' wild cards and Ajii will be vindicated. Or something like that

Jack is inexplicably growing on me. I absolutely not a fan of his initial auditions (and thought the judges were smart to say no to him), but since Hawaii he's been one of the more enjoyable contestants to listen to.

Makenna might have dodged a huge bullet tonight. That Chicago cover lacked a lot. Will be interesting to see if her voice comes back tonight.

Roman is so manic & over the top, he borders on unwatchable. I will be very happy if he exits stage left tonight.

Kaibrienne should do rock songs (that aren't so emotional she can't handle them). She absolutely has the voice to do Heart, Pat Benatar, Hole, Alannah Miles' Black Velvet, even male artists like Alice in Chains or something like Switchfoot/Lifehouse. It would seriously differentiate her at this stage of the competition.

Abi has an amazing voice, and is probably safe until the Top 6 or so. But I do wonder once it gets down to the super likeable (or root-for-able) contestants like Will, Mia, Emmy, Kayko..I wonder if that's where her race will end..

Thank you Kayko a million times over for not subjecting us to Creep. You could tell though through that first verse that we was really uncomfortable doing someone else's song in a setting like AI. Luckily for him he got over it and finished strong.

Emmy continues to impress. She's willing to try and push her voice (even if it doesn't always land). Which is good, because once you get to the tenth song that sounds like Norah Jones or Allison Kraus it becomes a bit much.

Speaking of being predicable, couldn't Will have found a rock artist that doesn't scream Southern or Country? I would've liked to hear him try Pearl Jam, or even the Foo Fighters like Jayna thought about.

Triston had more fun pretending to be Elvis for 3 minutes, than maybe he's had in his entire life. It was nice to be reminded he is still just a teenager (and a young one at that) instead of someone who feels like they have had the rough life experiences of a 35-40 year old.

[thesupremediva1]

Everyone says we need Simon back, and I agree, but I'd take Randy Jackson at this point. "That was a little pitchy, dawg."

At least 5 people were woefully out of tune tonight and it wasn't even mentioned. Sit down, judges! Standing O's on Idol used to mean something!

Of the judges' saves, Roman was the only one I agreed with. Really hope he sticks around for a bit.

No one should ever sing Whitney, even if they can do it well. 

I'm very over McKenna and Abi. Everything they sing sounds the same and I'm bored of them.

The vocal fatigue is starting to show on almost everyone. Hope there's a night off coming soon. If there are vocal coaches, they aren't helping in this regard. 

[ForReal]

I found a lot of the performances boring. I agree with whoever said R&R Hall of Fame was a chance for them to try something different, but they all stayed right in their lane. 

Every year I am annoyed that these young singers don't seem to get the emotions  behind the lyrics in the songs they choose. My husband always says they are young, they don't know these songs, but I feel like if they listen to the originals a few times, they should be able to pick up on the vibe, for crying out loud. It's like the words have no meaning to them, let along the song as a whole. I know they have to make it "their own," but the loss of nuance in the interpretation of the song renders the whole performance lame. End of rant.

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, ForReal said:

Every year I am annoyed that these young singers don't seem to get the emotions  behind the lyrics in the songs they choose. My husband always says they are young, they don't know these songs, but I feel like if they listen to the originals a few times, they should be able to pick up on the vibe, for crying out loud. It's like the words have no meaning to them, let along the song as a whole. I know they have to make it "their own," but the loss of nuance in the interpretation of the song renders the whole performance lame. End of rant.

That was a big thing in the original series when it was on FOX as well. The judges would constantly criticize the contestants for not grasping the emotion and meaning of these songs...on a night when the theme is songs from the '50s or '60s or whatnot, which were well before the contestants were born. So either the show needs to stop having kids singing songs from before their time if they think they can't connect well to them, which probably isn't feasible and would seriously limit a lot of what they could sing, or, yeah, give them more opportunity to better connect to the lyrics of the song they're doing, regardless of the time period it came out in.

Because I agree, just because a song came out before your time doesn't mean you can't possibly still connect to it and its meaning. That's the whole point of classic songs like the sort the contestants were singing, they've endured as long as they have because people can still connect to them decades after they came out. So it shouldn't have been that difficult for these contestants to find that connection here, too. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Annber03, I always thought one season Idol should've forbid songs older than 3 or 5 years. You want to be a current star (pop, country or otherwise) in 2024? Prove to us that you can consistently kill/sing songs released in the 2020s over an entire season.

Sadly it's just a pipe dream because If they actually did that, they would have to change the entire make up of the types of singers they like to have round out the Top 24 (& take a significant voting hit too)..

[sempervivum]

15 hours ago, JayDub1987 said:

-I’m really tired of this annual thing where we have to vote people off twice to make them go away.

No kidding. Getting the boot tonight: Roman and Jayna, even though I like both.

Maybe the show runners could consider themes like 'happy songs' or 'uptempo songs', because this sure as hell wasn't 'rock night' (except for Triston and KB).

Or they could simply ban some songs. Emmy: 'I Can't Make You Love Me' is basically done every year on AI or Voice or both. And that outfit had me seeing Carrie's satin prom dress drenched in blood, and it gave a skinny girl a pooch.

Julia : Must we get the victim voiceover ( 'didn't see anybody who looked like me growing up') every week, though? 

I can't find any info about tonight's show, other than the start time. Is it an hour? Will it just be the eliminations or will there be performances?

 

[JayDub1987]

1 minute ago, sempervivum said:

No kidding. Getting the boot tonight: Roman and Jayna, even though I like both.

Maybe the show runners could consider themes like 'happy songs' or 'uptempo songs', because this sure as hell wasn't 'rock night' (except for Triston and KB).

Or they could simply ban some songs. Emmy: 'I Can't Make You Love Me' is basically done every year on AI or Voice or both. And that outfit had me seeing Carrie's satin prom dress drenched in blood, and it gave a skinny girl a pooch.

Julia : Must we get the victim voiceover ( 'didn't see anybody who looked like me growing up') every week, though? 

I can't find any info about tonight's show, other than the start time. Is it an hour? Will it just be the eliminations or will there be performances?

 

According to the guide on my TV, it's a 2-hour show and we're eliminating two more after they perform Billboard #1s. 

Couldn't agree more on Julia. When she said it last night, my wife's first words were, "She's banging that pity drum pretty hard." 

I didn't mind Emmy's look, and I've acknowledged that I'm still rooting for her at least in part because I like Loretta so much, but her vocals aren't as strong as many of the others. Yes, I still gave her 10 votes on the app, and no, I'm not sorry. 

I do agree that I'm absolutely sick of hearing versions of "I Can't Make You Love Me" on these shows. 

[LakeGal]

I was excited for Rock & Roll night.  But they found a way to make it very un-Rock & Roll.  I am sick of them saying they are making it their own.  All they do is slow the song down.  I am sick of listening to so many songs dragged out so they are slowly talking to the music.  

[ForReal]

1 hour ago, JayDub1987 said:

Couldn't agree more on Julia. When she said it last night, my wife's first words were, "She's banging that pity drum pretty hard." 

I feel sure that coming from the producers. She didn't seem all that broken up about being adopted in the initial tryouts, and she's happy and in love and experiencing success. Why the tears? Cue the drama.

[ForReal]

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

That was a big thing in the original series when it was on FOX as well. The judges would constantly criticize the contestants for not grasping the emotion and meaning of these songs...on a night when the theme is songs from the '50s or '60s or whatnot, which were well before the contestants were born. So either the show needs to stop having kids singing songs from before their time if they think they can't connect well to them, which probably isn't feasible and would seriously limit a lot of what they could sing, or, yeah, give them more opportunity to better connect to the lyrics of the song they're doing, regardless of the time period it came out in.

Because I agree, just because a song came out before your time doesn't mean you can't possibly still connect to it and its meaning. That's the whole point of classic songs like the sort the contestants were singing, they've endured as long as they have because people can still connect to them decades after they came out. So it shouldn't have been that difficult for these contestants to find that connection here, too. 

I remember those days, especially when one young singer got put on the spot for singing a rather edgy, explicit song on a topic with which she clearly did not have experience. I always thought Maddie Poppe did a great job on Disney Night when she chose "The Bear Necessities." It was a fun song and fun performance, right in her wheelhouse. Song choice is everything.

I also have to confess that if they only sang more recent songs, I'd be out. I'm older and I like to hear songs I know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[MarylandGirl]

5 hours ago, ForReal said:

I remember those days, especially when one young singer got put on the spot for singing a rather edgy, explicit song on a topic with which she clearly did not have experience. I always thought Maddie Poppe did a great job on Disney Night when she chose "The Bear Necessities." It was a fun song and fun performance, right in her wheelhouse. Song choice is everything.

I also have to confess that if they only sang more recent songs, I'd be out. I'm older and I like to hear songs I know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm late 40s and also like a mix of older and newer songs. I've discovered some songs via Idol, like Chris Stapleton's "You Should Probably Leave" and, less recently, Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know."

[Thalia]

I've been rooting for Emmy because she lives in Nashville, but mostly because I love her grandmother.   But I'm ready for her to go.  She is too nervous and her range too limited for the show.  And with her familial connections, she has lots of options as a songwriter and as a singer in smaller venues.  

The judges have said nice things about her for two nights in a row.  But Megan Trainor is right; Emmy gets off melody too easily and it seemed to me tonight that she got lost a few times and had to hit the reset button on the song. 

[Annber03]

Archuleta's story about his mom's response to him coming out was really moving and touching. Good for her. Well said. 

[JayDub1987]

I'm absolutely awful with names, but did we get rid of the 4 people the judges saved over the last 2 shows? I liked Roman. Would've put him in over the boy wonder (Tristan), but outside of that, I'm not too upset at the top 10. 

[DietCokeJunkie]

Roman is overall a strong singer, but that rendition of Roar tonight did him no favors. I really wish everyone would knock it off with the “make it your own” bs. 

[Annber03]

That version of "Somebody That I Used to Know" sounded like an emo rock artist cover version :p. I didn't mind that version, but it was rather pitchy at times, and I think if he hadn't been jumping all over the stage that might've helped make it not sound so pitchy. There's owning/commanding the stage and then there's just...flailing about. 

[Diana Berry]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

That version of "Somebody That I Used to Know" sounded like an emo rock artist cover version :p. I didn't mind that version, but it was rather pitchy at times, and I think if he hadn't been jumping all over the stage that might've helped make it not sound so pitchy. There's owning/commanding the stage and then there's just...flailing about. 

Thank you.  In the words of Simon it was very pitchy.  His  singing not that great but getting praise for running around- beyond me.

1 hour ago, JayDub1987 said:

I'm absolutely awful with names, but did we get rid of the 4 people the judges saved over the last 2 shows? I liked Roman. Would've put him in over the boy wonder (Tristan), but outside of that, I'm not too upset at the top 10. 

Yep all 4 judges picks are gone.  Happens every year.  

Edited April 23 by Diana Berry

[thesupremediva1]

Not that I have much use for the judges (most of their picks are head-scratching at best), but tonight just really drove home that America is voting for mediocrity.

The best three singers were "bottom 3." Please don't bother telling me that Abi, McKenna, or Kayko are remotely better singers than Jayna and Roman. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's more than just singing - but at a certain point, it's just a personality contest orchestrated by Chris Poolie. 

Poor performances have no consequences and no critique! I guess playing to the Swifties was smart - given how poor and plastic the renditions were, I thought it was going to backfire.

[JayDub1987]

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Yep all 4 judges picks are gone.  Happens every year.

Thought so. It never fails to amuse me. I liked Roman well enough, but Im not too upset. I find it hilarious that every year they say, “vote vote vote!” Then, we vote, and they tell us “you voted wrong. We’re gonna fix this.” And then we vote the same way again. 

[sempervivum]

I saw someone on another site call Kayko's performance 'Dalton Rappatoni meets Sanjaya', yet I admit I actually voted for him for the first time all season. He woke me up and made me laugh on a very dull episode.

[Gemma Violet]

3 hours ago, thesupremediva1 said:

The best three singers were "bottom 3."

There wasn't a Bottom 3, just a Bottom 2.  Julia just happened to be last in the random order elimination* of the others.  But I agree the two who went home were two of the strongest singers.

* By elimination, I mean elimination from the danger zone.

Edited April 23 by Gemma Violet

[twilightzone]

The judges saves are all out.  The Top 10 was voted in by the public.  Now, we're going to start seeing who are the true front runners, who has the fan bases.  I think we may see people out early than expected and those who will last longer than predicted.  It happens every season.

[ljenkins782]

On 4/22/2024 at 1:55 PM, ForReal said:

I feel sure that coming from the producers. She didn't seem all that broken up about being adopted in the initial tryouts, and she's happy and in love and experiencing success. Why the tears? Cue the drama.

Julia is short, on the heavier side, and not conventionally beautiful, in this culture, she's always going to be on the losing side no matter how talented she may be. Women are always going to be judged by the same criteria, so it's an uphill battle to achieve anything if you're not stunning in looks as well.

Quote

 

I've been rooting for Emmy because she lives in Nashville, but mostly because I love her grandmother.   But I'm ready for her to go.  She is too nervous and her range too limited for the show.  And with her familial connections, she has lots of options as a songwriter and as a singer in smaller venues.  

The judges have said nice things about her for two nights in a row.  But Megan Trainor is right; Emmy gets off melody too easily and it seemed to me tonight that she got lost a few times and had to hit the reset button on the song. 

 

Does Loretta Lynn really have so many fans that the connection is keeping Emmy going? Her voice is pretty enough, but she's SO nervous that's it's awkward to watch week after week. 

I did not love Roman's version of Roar while he was on the piano, but thought he sold it once he stood up and I'd rather see someone having fun trying things that may or may not work than watch someone terrified up there. 

I feel like Roman could have been this year's version of that kid last year who did wild performances every week despite not being the best singer. Since only one person can win, I'd like to be entertained or surprised by the others. 

I thought Abi's song was godawful this week, bad choice and poorly executed, but she's been great on other songs. I hope she takes Katy's advice and goes back to a different type of song.

Jayna sang well enough but just didn't stand out for me, I wish they would have saved someone else and wasn't surprised when she left. 

McKenna's last performance was really good, I was ready for her to go, but that was good.

I still hate this format, it's just too quick. How awful to have the high of being safe 1 day and axed the next. 

[Diana Berry]

I think Roman would have done better on that other singing show where the coaches spend more time with the singers.

hey whatever happened to “Kyra, dim the lights”…now it’s a guy. Did she quit?

[ljenkins782]

3 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I think Roman would have done better on that other singing show where the coaches spend more time with the singers.

hey whatever happened to “Kyra, dim the lights”…now it’s a guy. Did she quit?

It was Kieran, it was a guy. Not sure if he’s still there or not. In general, there’s far less fanfare in the announcing, especially when they are slashing numbers so quickly.

[ForReal]

12 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Julia is short, on the heavier side, and not conventionally beautiful, in this culture, she's always going to be on the losing side no matter how talented she may be. Women are always going to be judged by the same criteria, so it's an uphill battle to achieve anything if you're not stunning in looks as well.

Sadly, I agree with this assessment. I'm not sure if you were agreeing or disagreeing with my comment earlier, but I meant that I believe Julia is super talented, but the producers instructed her to show angst and drama because that is what they think viewers want. She actually seems to be pretty content whenever the camera is on her. I think she will do well however things turn out for her on AI.

[Ms mb]

Hello all American Idol Fans, 

I have been watching the show for years and this has got to be one of the tightest competitions ever. However, I loved Abi's performance of all too well by Taylor Swift. I can listen to her all day and never get bored. Also I loved Goodbye Yellow Brick Road as well by Elton John. However, here is where it gets a little bitter. Luke Bryan was way too harsh to Abi this week on the piano geesh I recognize that he is a judge but I voted that as way too harsh towards her. Just my opinion.