American Idol 2025

[sempervivum]

I really like Jelly Roll as a person; as a coach, he's pretty much as effective as the judges are at judging= not so much. Ego-stroking and crying is not coaching.

Ashanti was a waste of space- and did she really come on just to sing 2 long-ago hit songs (that the audience didn't seem to recognize). Looking at her wiki, she has doubled in size in the last 5 years, wow.

I expect Zaylie and Penny to exit. Baylee and Victor should be on the bubble, and would MKY even still be here if not for the eye candy factor?

Breanna, Gabby and Jamal are my favorites so far.

 

 

[MissPriss]

MKY has too much sleaze factor for his young age. He needs to find a lounge and sing to old women. 

[Annber03]

Oooh, I liked that Marley performance from Thunderstorm. That was good. 

I also loved the Polynesian song from earlier, that was really pretty. 

[Diana Berry]

Tonight’s performances didn’t wow me as much as yesterday.  Maybe because it’s a Monday,

No one was bad and a lot of good.  

So who will be the four cut?  I’m still thinking the ones that weren’t featured as much may have a harder time.  The young woman that sang the Polynesian song. She was very good but hasn’t been featured.  Possibly Josh , he was a little campy.  John the country singer ( although he might pull in the country base).  Zaylie, Penny, Che ( not much coverage).  I think Bailee will be safe just because dad’s fan base will be voting for him.
 

it will be interesting.  3 hour show next Sunday.  Love it.

Edited April 15 by Diana Berry

[Diana Berry]

10 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I really like Jelly Roll as a person; as a coach, he's pretty much as effective as the judges are at judging= not so much. Ego-stroking and crying is not coaching.

 

 

I don’t know that much about him other than his name ( hiding my head in shame ).  But so agree nice person but no constructive criticism.  Same with judges.  Thought Carrie was a little tough during auditions which was great.  But last two shows like the other two everyone is wonderful . Sigh. 

Edited April 15 by Diana Berry

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Jelly Roll is clearly auditioning for a judge's spot, should Lionel want to step away in the next season or two. He had more constructive things to say last season.

It is the 2 lowest vote getters from the first group of 12 and the 2 lowest from tonight's group of 12, correct?

If we know nothing about AI, we know that Hawai'i votes. Seriously votes. So while it seems a bit odd that Isaiah & Kyana would pick songs that virtually no one would be familiar with...it might end up being a genius level move. Especially for Kyana who went into this week as the least well known of the 24.

I think from the first night, I'd be worried if I was Penny and if I was Che. From tonight, maybe Josh & Dexter?? I'm just not sure how they are "translating" to the broader audience at home. Grayson's another one who I might be worried about.

To me, some of the 10 females stood out more than the guys. Gabby for sure, Breanna for sure, Drew (I love that Avril song, unashamedly). I thought Grayson & Kyana sounded really good as well. I actually thought Mattie stood out in a bad way. Wide Awake was absolutely the wrong song for her. Katy has a great voice for pop songs because she kind of chops her words, which helps her sing rhythmically tricky verses. Mattie does the opposite. Everything is drawn out or falls off. So while pretty, it made her come across as kind of lazy in a way that I don't think she has up to this point. Zaylie doing Heart of Glass didn't do her any favors either. And then I actively dislike Amanda & Kolbi..

[thesupremediva1]

Contrary to what the judges had to say, I thought this was one of the worst top 24 nights in history. So many obscure song choices, so many maudlin song choices, so many bad notes, so much showboating and caterwauling that I almost didn’t recognize some decent songs. 
I enjoyed last night more, but I just think some of these people are tired at this point. I’m always baffled as to how what seems like endless talent in Hollywood just gets trounced when you put them on a big stage with a band.

[sempervivum]

Too many songs chosen for personal reasons, imo. Just because you love it, doesn't mean it's the best one to impress people/ get them voting.   

11 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

And then I actively dislike Amanda & Kolbi..

Amanda seems to be going out of her way to look frumpy; I thought during her coaching session that she looked like Josh Groban's older sister (he's 44).

[Katie111]

41 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Too many songs chosen for personal reasons, imo. Just because you love it, doesn't mean it's the best one to impress people/ get them voting.   

Totally agree with this.  This is the biggest night of your life. No one cares that you sang this song with your dead uncle when you were 5.  Sing what is best for your voice and what the audience will like.  Thought 2 songs from the same Hawaian artist was a bot odd. 

My favorites were John, Slater, Thuderstorm, Gabby, Drew, Gabby and Grayson.

I really like Olivier and Jamal, and hope they make it, as they both seem to really need this opportunity.  

Mattie was terrible last night and she looked so uncomfortable in her outfit.  I also thought Zaylie was bad with a bad song choice.  Josh and Filo seem cheesey.  Canaan and Breanna are just too religious (for me) and don't think either one is all that marketable outside of Idol.   Not sure what to make of MKY.  

Question- how do people afford to bring this many friends and family with them to Hawaii?  Disney resort is huge $$ and a lot of these contestants don't seem to have much $$.  I assume underage contestants can bring a guardian for free but I doubt AI is paying for anyone else.   Slater even had his english teacher there.  

 

Edited April 15 by Katie111

[ljenkins782]

On 4/9/2025 at 10:47 AM, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

..

They seriously cleared the bath for that John Foster to go almost all the way. He's literally the only country singer (outside of Maddie who's like country adjacent) left in the competition without a really polarizing voice (I'm looking at you, Slater). And he comes across very nice too, which certainly will help on AI.

He has a nice voice and I love that song but he seemed so awkward on stage. I do think shyness and awkwardness is often forgiven on shows like this (in male contestants only, usually), I find it hard to watch.

I much prefer Slater with his seeming confidence and musical acumen if it’s going to be another country or country adjacent white guy with guitar winner.

[Diana Berry]

21 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

If we know nothing about AI, we know that Hawai'i votes. Seriously votes. So while it seems a bit odd that Isaiah & Kyana would pick songs that virtually no one would be familiar with...it might end up being a genius level move. Especially for Kyana who went into this week as the least well known of the 24.

Interesting never thought about the Hawaii vote but makes perfect sense with guy that won recently .

 

Guess it’s easier to pick a top 10.  My picks and has nothing to do with my choice just how I think the audience will vote.

Canaan, Breanna, Slater, Jamal, Gabby, Maddie,  thunderstorm, Drew , Mky, Bailee 

I predict that Bailee will cause a shocking elimination of one of the front runners. We do need some drama. 

Edited April 16 by Diana Berry

[proserpina65]

I forgot about Sunday's show, but I did watch Monday's.  (Not great with names yet, so bear with me, please.)

I liked the first guy even if I didn't think the song was great.

I still really like Olivier, but I think he got a bit flat towards the end of the song.  The beginning was great, though.

I thought Keyonna (I think, the one who did the song partly in Maori) did extremely well.  I wasn't familiar with the song, but I really think it suited her voice.

I also liked the Hawaiian guy, which I wouldn't have expected from his duet performance.

 

Now for the bad: Josh did not deserve the tongue- bath he got.  A phrase of Simon's came to my mind while watching that performance.  Cruise ship.

And Canaan, ugh.  Of course he picked another church song.  I'm not sure he can do anything else.  And I don't want to hear him try, because whatever the song is, he will sing it in the same overwrought church style and it will sound just as bad to me.

Matty's mother sings better than Matty.  Too bad she isn't the contestant.

Amanda, well, I hate that song so I didn't even listen.

 

On 4/13/2025 at 11:40 PM, LoveLeigh said:

Wasn't this show canceled by FOX years ago and then ABC picked it up?

Well, I watched it tonight and my opinion is that the talent is so mediocre. And boring. The singer who sang Heart of Glass was sort of singing in a high school assembly production. The Over the Rainbow singer seemed to copy the version from Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. And some of the others just looked like they were in a local talent show. 

I think this show has seen better days. it's time for it to have a really final season. 

The show was definitely better when it was on FOX.  At least there was no sucky "Disney Songs" night.  And I liked Keith Urban, J. Lo and Harry Connick, Jr. as judges.  This judging panel is mostly just lame.  So was Katy Perry.

[proserpina65]

On 4/14/2025 at 9:51 PM, Annber03 said:

Oooh, I liked that Marley performance from Thunderstorm.

I forgot him in my list, but I enjoyed his performance as well.  The song really suited him.

On 4/14/2025 at 10:18 PM, Diana Berry said:

I don’t know that much about him other than his name

I like his music but he is not a good coach.  That requires constructive criticism and guiding the singer towards songs which suit their voices.  Which hasn't happened on this show since long before it came to ABC.

23 hours ago, Katie111 said:

No one cares that you sang this song with your dead uncle when you were 5.  Sing what is best for your voice and what the audience will like. 

Sometimes songs with personal meaning really work for a singer but not if those songs don't suit their voices.  That's something the coach should be telling these singers, but Jelly Roll is not a good coach.

23 hours ago, Katie111 said:

Canaan and Breanna are just too religious (for me) and don't think either one is all that marketable outside of Idol. 

They might be marketable in the contemporary Christian genre.  Which I personally hate, but it's definitely a possible career path for them.

[twilightzone]

On 4/16/2025 at 9:15 AM, proserpina65 said:

The show was definitely better when it was on FOX.  At least there was no sucky "Disney Songs" night.  And I liked Keith Urban, J. Lo and Harry Connick, Jr. as judges.  This judging panel is mostly just lame.  So was Katy Perry.

The seasons (13 - 15) with the above judges were considered the worse.  It was during this time that FOX cancelled the show.  The FOX years had more than it's sure of "sucky" theme nights.

I get the nostalgia for the OG show.  But it was before competition from The Voice, America's Got Talent, YouTube, Streaming, Tik-Tok, etc.

Nearly 13 million people watched Hollywood Week, showing “strong gains” in ratings for American Idol

[ruffy666]

On 4/16/2025 at 9:15 AM, proserpina65 said:

The show was definitely better when it was on FOX.  At least there was no sucky "Disney Songs" night.  And I liked Keith Urban, J. Lo and Harry Connick, Jr. as judges.  This judging panel is mostly just lame.  So was Katy Perry.

I think I've watched every season of AI and although I miss the balance of genuine criticism to just "AN ARTIST WAS BORN ON THIS STAGE TONIGHT!" nonsense, I think this season is pretty good.  AI has always had incredibly lame theme nights that make some episodes harder to watch than others-- Disney is definitely a stinker 99 times out of 100.

[Foghornleghorn]

I have been fast forwarding anything the judges say for years!  There is absolutely ZERO constructive criticism given so why bother paying zillions of dollars to these musicians who are well equipped to offer it when any one of us could sit there and do the same thing!  

I noticed Katy always looked at Luke during the show and not even a nod Lionel’s way during performances.  For a while I thought they had a thing.  I noticed Carrie was doing that but has turned to Lionel a little more.  Maybe it is just me!

 

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, twilightzone said:

The seasons (13 - 15) with the above judges were considered the worse.

I know that was the opinion of a lot of viewers but it is not one with which I agree.  I thought they were actually pretty good judges.  Now, some of the talent wasn't at the level of earlier seasons and the producer manipulation to get the results they wanted was a lot worse, but I liked the judges.

And yes, the FOX years had their share of sucky theme weeks, but at least they tended to rotate those themes a little and it wasn't shitty Disney song week every single season.

20 hours ago, ruffy666 said:

I think I've watched every season of AI and although I miss the balance of genuine criticism to just "AN ARTIST WAS BORN ON THIS STAGE TONIGHT!" nonsense, I think this season is pretty good.  AI has always had incredibly lame theme nights that make some episodes harder to watch than others-- Disney is definitely a stinker 99 times out of 100.

I think I've confessed that I didn't see any episodes prior to 2 weeks ago, so maybe this group of judges have been more balanced.  But the second night in Hawaii was nothing but tongue-bathing from them.

1 hour ago, Foghornleghorn said:

I have been fast forwarding anything the judges say for years!  There is absolutely ZERO constructive criticism given so why bother paying zillions of dollars to these musicians who are well equipped to offer it when any one of us could sit there and do the same thing!  

I do that if I've recorded the show but unfortunately I can't do that if I'm watching it live.

[Gemma Violet]

3 hours ago, Foghornleghorn said:

I have been fast forwarding anything the judges say for years!

Same here.  It's always the same blather, i.e. "You're a star!" - "That's my favorite performance of yours ever!" - "You belong on a stage!"

Oh, please.  What I wouldn't give for some Simon-like critiques.  Not necessarily the super nasty ones ("You're the worse singer I've ever heard."), but his milder ones ("That was very self-indulgent.").  How can they learn, grow, and improve if they don't receive constructive criticism?  I guess the judges are too scared to get blowback from the public (and their own concert-attending fans) to be anything less than complimentary. 

 

Edited April 18 by Gemma Violet

[Foghornleghorn]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I know that was the opinion of a lot of viewers but it is not one with which I agree.  I thought they were actually pretty good judges.  Now, some of the talent wasn't at the level of earlier seasons and the producer manipulation to get the results they wanted was a lot worse, but I liked the judges.

And yes, the FOX years had their share of sucky theme weeks, but at least they tended to rotate those themes a little and it wasn't shitty Disney song week every single season.

I think I've confessed that I didn't see any episodes prior to 2 weeks ago, so maybe this group of judges have been more balanced.  But the second night in Hawaii was nothing but tongue-bathing from them.

I do that if I've recorded the show but unfortunately I can't do that if I'm watching it live.

I record everything on mainstream tv now, got spoiled with streaming and NO commercials!  Also saves a lot of time!

[ruffy666]

4 hours ago, Foghornleghorn said:

I have been fast forwarding anything the judges say for years!  There is absolutely ZERO constructive criticism given so why bother paying zillions of dollars to these musicians who are well equipped to offer it when any one of us could sit there and do the same thing! 

i sorta half listen to critiques just so i can go "WHAATTTTTT!!!!!" after someone says something particularly idiotic.  but i still always ffwd through Luke's comments, i don't think he ever has anything useful to say but more importantly his mushy voice just grates on my nerves

[ChristmasJones]

I can finally watch this show again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Katy Perry is GONE!!!!!!! No offense to anyone, but I could not stand her as a judge. I basically quit watching over her.  I felt she needed way too much attention and wasn't funny most of the time. Bad combo for something like this. 

Tonight I've been watching the top 24 and IMO there are some GOOD singers in this bunch.  I feel happy again.  Sometimes with these singing competitions, I don't feel wowed by anyone this early on... but I felt wowed tonight.

eta: I don't have strong feelings about Carrie Underwood as I'm not a country fan, but I appreciate that she doesn't need to make everything about herself. She can give the attention to the contestants. Its so much more mature and what should happen on a show like this.  I couldn't understand why they kept Katy Perry for so long. Maybe I'm just an outlier on her.

Edited April 19 by ChristmasJones

[Diana Berry]

Carrie’s version of How  Great Thou Art  gets to me every time.  The version she does with Vince Gill is still my favorite.

Surprised the Mk guy didn’t make it .  That was the only surprise for me.  The ones that didn’t make really didn’t get much if a send off.

All of the shouting / run singers are all running together. No pun intended.  Gabby seems to have the most pleasant tone and good control out of all of them. 

[thesupremediva1]

Can I vote for Carrie Underwood again? Just wow. 
What a countercultural move on Idol’s part to hold such a night and not just acknowledge Easter, but celebrate it! This theme certainly brought out the best in many of the contestants. 
LOVED seeing Roman again! He was my favorite last year and I’m happy to see him getting the credit he deserves.

Watching this morning following the passing of Pope Francis brought some extra gravity to this episode.

[sempervivum]

I understand that not all the contestants will be 'people of faith', so the song choices won't necessarily be overtly religious. However, there should have been a requirement that the song be at least 'inspirational' by some measure, and not just 'love songs'. But, really- 'Stay'?? 'Silver Springs'? 'Yellow'? 'If I Ain't Got You'? Ridiculous (although I actually liked Olivier's Stay).

I thought the show was pretty entertaining; I stuck with all 3 hours because I wanted to vote.

I can't stand Slater, who I'm sure will end up top 5, maybe 3. No nuance.

Hate that some of these people won't have time to grow into something (from 20 to 14 tonight, ugh).

 

[susannot]

On 3/13/2025 at 10:32 AM, tv echo said:

I'm not impressed by Carrie Underwood so far. However, she's a better judge than actor. I still remember her terrible, cringe-inducing portrayal of Maria in The Sound of Music Live! on NBC in 2013.

I dipped into this because I had nothing else to watch.  God, how boring and what mediocre talent.  Also Carrie has had lip botox to achieve a perfect Mar-A-Lago face.  Yuck. Hate her.

[susannot]

OK, the last 3 singers were good.  Guy who sang Otis Redding, girl who sang Streisand, and girl who sang Aretha.

[Annber03]

21 minutes ago, susannot said:

Guy who sang Otis Redding

I have been saying for some time now that Jamal gives off Otis Redding vibes, so yeah, it really was just a matter of time before he did one of his songs. And he did it fantastically, to boot. I really like him and I'm glad he's continuing on in the competition. 

[cowgirlwen]

9 hours ago, susannot said:

and girl who sang Aretha.

I disagree.  Amanda Barise just screams her songs.  I think she does have a beautiful underlying voice, but her style and song choice don't appeal to me at all.  Nothing but catterwalling the entire way through.  Others have commented the same, which is why, I assume, she wasn't one of America's picks for the Top 14.  She had to be saved by the judges.  

[luna1122again]

I'm an atheist, so this whole episode's theme left me cold, and I felt sorry for any contestant who was not religious. The shoe horning in of pop songs to make them religious was creepy to me (I really doubt Chris Martin had god in mind when he wrote Yellow) and Silver Springs has only to do with doomed love, I do not know how on earth it could be interpreted as even inspirational. It's my fave Fleetwood Mac, but if anything it's kind of...hopeless. I almost felt judgement wafting from the judges over the song choice, especially "its so hard to be a christian" Carrie. 

I am not a fan of country music (tho its more sophisticated, literary--imo--cousin Americana is my fave) but somehow John Foster is my favorite contestant so far. He looks like Dwight Yoakum and Zach Braff had a baby (this is a compliment, from me, in case it's  not clear) and he seems smart and sweet. I absolutely loved that he gave the censor a job to do on Faith night, too. His little song to his lost friend was very sad. i would likely never buy any music from him, but I like watching him. 

Bridge Over Troubled Water, within the American Idol context, will always belong to Clay Aiken. 

[thesupremediva1]

I am, as I state every year, duly baffled by many of the save picks tonight.

I love Che, but he can’t go much further. He’s literally ineligible for a hometown visit. The idea that we drag non-USA contestants along only to push them out before the summit is unnecessarily cruel. Pick someone who might be able to go the distance.

I didn’t need any more of the riffing run parade either. Amanda sounds the same on every song and it’s less appealing as the weeks tick by.

Gabby, Canaan, Jamal are the best. That’s my top 3.

[Kenz]

Even if you are a talented singer, no one should try to sing an Aretha song on this show. It's impossible not to think of the real deal. JMO.

[sempervivum]

Thank heavens Baylee and Zaylie are gone. The 4 wildcards will be gone whenever the next eliminations are (that's what happens every year). 

I'm always wrong, but my guess is top 3 will be John, Slater and Breanna, with John winning. 

I liked Che for a while, but now his voice sounds thin and whiney. Also, the best version of Jealous Guy was this:

Casey James Jealous Guy

[pvandal]

22 minutes ago, Kenz said:

Even if you are a talented singer, no one should try to sing an Aretha song on this show. It's impossible not to think of the real deal. JMO.

Kelly Clarkson did a good job on Natural Woman but she's rare.

[sempervivum]

Forgot to comment that the mentor for the upcoming Rock theme show is James Taylor. 

Really, when they could have asked Adam Lambert? Maybe he's not old enough.😑

[Gemma Violet]

3 hours ago, luna1122again said:

Bridge Over Troubled Water, within the American Idol context, will always belong to Clay Aiken. 

I wish I could like this a thousand times. 

[twilightzone]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

Forgot to comment that the mentor for the upcoming Rock theme show is James Taylor. 

Really, when they could have asked Adam Lambert? Maybe he's not old enough.😑

The Sunday 4/27 theme is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. James Taylor is an inductee.  Adam Lambert is not. 

And Season 3 winner Fantasia mentors an “Idol Moments” theme Monday 4/28.

 

[Annber03]

9 hours ago, luna1122again said:

I'm an atheist, so this whole episode's theme left me cold, and I felt sorry for any contestant who was not religious. The shoe horning in of pop songs to make them religious was creepy to me (I really doubt Chris Martin had god in mind when he wrote Yellow) and Silver Springs has only to do with doomed love, I do not know how on earth it could be interpreted as even inspirational. It's my fave Fleetwood Mac, but if anything it's kind of...hopeless. I almost felt judgement wafting from the judges over the song choice, especially "its so hard to be a christian" Carrie. 

Bridge Over Troubled Water, within the American Idol context, will always belong to Clay Aiken. 

Excellent post in general, but yeah, ESPECIALLY agree on these two sections. 

[proserpina65]

On 4/18/2025 at 2:51 PM, Foghornleghorn said:

I record everything on mainstream tv now, got spoiled with streaming and NO commercials!  Also saves a lot of time!

That's simply not convenient for me.  I do when it is but then I have to find time to watch what I've recorded so it doesn't save me that much time.

I didn't watch Sunday night after I saw the theme, although I gather a lot of the contestant's choices were not what I'd call songs of faith.

I did watch Monday's show.  I hate that the judges got picks again.  It should be entirely up to those viewers who bother to vote at this point.  But I'm glad that one of their picks was Desmond because he gave the best performance of the night.  He and John are the singers I like the best now.  John is my pick to win.

Why, oh why in hell did they pick Josh to go through?  What do they see in him?  Because all I see is mediocre lounge singer on a cheap cruise.

I liked Olivier a lot, but his performance Monday night was not very good.  Shame, because he had a lot of potential.

Canaan - UGH.

The rest of the Top 14 are okay.

On 4/22/2025 at 10:15 AM, luna1122again said:

The shoe horning in of pop songs to make them religious was creepy to me (I really doubt Chris Martin had god in mind when he wrote Yellow) and Silver Springs has only to do with doomed love, I do not know how on earth it could be interpreted as even inspirational. It's my fave Fleetwood Mac, but if anything it's kind of...hopeless. I almost felt judgement wafting from the judges over the song choice, especially "its so hard to be a christian" Carrie. 

An argument could be made that a song could express faith in things other than religion, but those particular songs?  Yeah, not getting it.

On 4/22/2025 at 10:15 AM, luna1122again said:

but somehow John Foster is my favorite contestant so far. He looks like Dwight Yoakum and Zach Braff had a baby

I also got Dwight Yoakum from him visually.  The hat helped but some of it is the shape of his face.  I'd love to hear him do some classic country or maybe even a little bluegrass, a genre I'd come to appreciate much more over the last couple of years.  Or definitely some Americana.

22 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Forgot to comment that the mentor for the upcoming Rock theme show is James Taylor. 

Really, when they could have asked Adam Lambert? Maybe he's not old enough.😑

Adam Lambert is not rock.  Of course, neither is James Taylor, really.  But then ABBA is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so . . . 

20 hours ago, twilightzone said:

And Season 3 winner Fantasia mentors an “Idol Moments” theme Monday 4/28.

Really?  Ugh.

Edited to note that it's mainly the theme to which I object.  I don't honestly care one way or the other about Fantasia.

Edited April 23 by proserpina65

[ljenkins782]

8 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I did watch Monday's show.  I hate that the judges got picks again.  It should be entirely up to those viewers who bother to vote at this point.  But I'm glad that one of their picks was Desmond because he gave the best performance of the night.  He and John are the singers I like the best now.  John is my pick to win.

Why, oh why in hell did they pick Josh to go through?  What do they see in him?  Because all I see is mediocre lounge singer on a cheap cruise.

I was mystified by most of the judges’ picks but most especially Josh. Not just for his previous mediocrity but that ghastly version of Never Gonna Give You Up. I could MAYBE have given him some points for entertainment if he’d worn the trench coat and done the bad Rick Astley dancing intentionally.

instead he wore a pair of ill-fitting mom jeans and did his own bad dancing, so zero points from me. Even HE looked surprised to get picked. 
 

Amanda has a good voice but I’m not hearing this “best voice ever” that the judges seem to hear. She’s good but unremarkable to me and I suspect she’ll be gone (again) when it comes to the voting portion alone. 
 

my favorites are Jamal, Slater, the mom whose name is escaping me, and John Foster, based on his performance the other night. 

[ChristmasJones]

I'm liking lots of the folks who made it through to the top 14. Its unusual for me to genuinely like the voices of so many contestants at once. Usually its only one or two who I really enjoy.  Not saying that to imply I have more discerning taste than anyone else, but that's just how it tends to go.  So having a bunch of folks that really sound great to my ears is wonderful.  I feel like there is a lot of solid talent in this group.  I really like Jamal, I also like the "mom" , and others whose names haven't yet stuck in my brain.  Did the guy whose mom cries all the time go through? I like his voice.  I was surprised the guitar playing dude from Hawaii went through. To me his voice is good but not exceptional. 

[SnarkAttack]

Another year of bad audio.  It's like we're getting the audio from the back of the auditorium, echo included, instead of from the microphone of the singer.  Just awful to listen to.

Now get off my lawn!

[Annber03]

Me, realizing the White Stripes have been around long enough to be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame: 

[Diana Berry]

Why do they have the judges picks? Never fails the first contestants booted off are their picks.

I never connected with Thunderstorm on that other music competition show but I like him on AI.  He just seems so nice. 

Maddie did so much better than last week. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

We've reached max levels of bleating ballads (& balladeers). Even Breanna & Jamar who I both really like are falling into the trap of trying to out wail the 3 ring platinum ticket circus of Canaan, Kolbi, & Filo. That's my only rational reason why America voted Josh into the Top 12. He at least provides some relief from the unrelenting caterwauls..

I was happy Che made it at least one more week. I really like his voice a lot more than most of the other options.

John Foster is ready for his close up. I will be stunned if he's not getting serious country radio play in the next 9-12 months. Especially with this 90s country sound revival that artist's like Zach Top are starting to usher in..

I ride the line on Slater's voice on literally every performance. I like it, but yet the affectation is wearying at a certain point. And he doesn't always have to turn in up to 11! He has a less harsh tone he can go to if he wants.

Thunderstorm absolutely crushed Fire & Rain. Was really happy that he got that moment w/ James Taylor. TA probably more than any of the other finalists truly had a musical kinship w/ JT.

Mattie bounced back in a big way. JT's constructive feedback (while I don't know if it landed completely) definitely helped her attack that song where it didn't come off as the musical equivalent of a little girl playing dress up. I also wonder if a few days of vocal rest/health rest got her voice back closer to 100% because there weren't any of the hoarse notes we've heard in Mattie's last two performances.

And then there's Gabby, who is clearly one of the best. However the incessant over-the-top (even for this panel of AI judges) praise she receives..makes me think that she's not doing the best in the voting and may go out a lot sooner than she should..

 

[sempervivum]

If by 'rock' you mean 'watching paint dry', yeah, that was what happened. 

Even though I think he'll win, John performed what I'd call the most polite version of Jailhouse Rock that I've ever heard. And why did Josh pick Billy Joel's most boring song? And why would Amanda decide to do jazz on rock night?

Still can't stand CHE or Slater. Kolbi actually did better than the other divas, for a change. 

 

[proserpina65]

I liked a lot of those who made the Top Ten, especially John, Slater, Breanna and Thunderstorm, all of whom I thought did great jobs last night.

I was disappointed that Desmond did so poorly this week when he was the best of everyone last week.  I'd still have put him through over a couple of others, but I can't argue too much with his being cut.  Che was the opposite for me, weak last time out but really good this time.  Glad he made it.

Thunderstorm took one hell of a chance, working to put his spin on Fire & Rain right there in front of James Taylor, but damned if it didn't work.

Mattie has a good voice, but no teenage should ever sing that song.  As James Taylor pointed out, it requires life experience and having one's heart torn out over and over to really put it across, and she just doesn't have that.

I liked Jamal until the end when he got a bit screechy.  Still, he's a great performer so I look forward to seeing him again.

Gabby had good moments and not so good ones, but I do appreciate that she didn't go to eleven right away and stay there.

Kolbi didn't wow me but she was good.  Somebody needs to help her work out dressing better, though.  She looked like she was wearing curtains from Liberace's house.

I guess it was Amanda who did the jazzy take on the MJ song.  I didn't like it and I'm not surprised she was cut.

Josh sounded better in his chest voice but his stage manner was still lounge singer.  I do not see the appeal at all.  I'll probably be saying that for awhile, won't I?

Sigh, I'm gonna have Canaan screaming Jesus songs at me all the way to the end, aren't I?  UGH.  If I were one of the judges or the producers, I'd make him sing Highway to Hell for his final performance - he'd still be screaming but at least it wouldn't be about Jesus. 

 

Edited April 28 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

If by 'rock' you mean 'watching paint dry', yeah, that was what happened. 

Well, it wasn't rock night.  It was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night, and that's always been something of a misnomer anyway.  After the first few years, when a lot of inductees weren't rock themselves but were part of the basis on which the genre was founded, there's always been at least one inductee who doesn't belong.  The most egregious example is ABBA, whom I love, but still, what the hell?

So yeah, a lot of the choices were exactly rock, but they were all songs by people who've been inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

 

 

[thesupremediva1]

Slater seems to be the only one who’s strategically picking songs to get votes. The rest are wildly talented but can’t seem to choose engaging songs. I really think someone needs to remind them that they’re filming a national TV show every week. That was one of the most BORING top 14 nights I can ever recall.

Billy Joel has a phenomenal catalog and Josh plays piano - why choose that song?! MJ has showstoppers for days and Amanda chooses to jazz up one of his obscure tunes?! Canaan and Desmond are still deep into niche worship numbers at THIS stage of the competition?!

I miss a good Cook-style twist on a tune. IMO, we haven’t had a true “moment” yet this season.

Edited April 28 by thesupremediva1

[Diana Berry]

10 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

We've reached max levels of bleating ballads (& balladeers). Even Breanna & Jamar who I both really like are falling into the trap of trying to out wail the 3 ring platinum ticket circus of Canaan, Kolbi, & Filo. That's my only rational reason why America voted Josh into the Top 12. He at least provides some relief from the unrelenting caterwauls..

I was happy Che made it at least one more week. I really like his voice a lot more than most of the other options.

John Foster is ready for his close up. I will be stunned if he's not getting serious country radio play in the next 9-12 months. Especially with this 90s country sound revival that artist's like Zach Top are starting to usher in..

I ride the line on Slater's voice on literally every performance. I like it, but yet the affectation is wearying at a certain point. And he doesn't always have to turn in up to 11! He has a less harsh tone he can go to if he wants.

Thunderstorm absolutely crushed Fire & Rain. Was really happy that he got that moment w/ James Taylor. TA probably more than any of the other finalists truly had a musical kinship w/ JT.

Mattie bounced back in a big way. JT's constructive feedback (while I don't know if it landed completely) definitely helped her attack that song where it didn't come off as the musical equivalent of a little girl playing dress up. I also wonder if a few days of vocal rest/health rest got her voice back closer to 100% because there weren't any of the hoarse notes we've heard in Mattie's last two performances.

And then there's Gabby, who is clearly one of the best. However the incessant over-the-top (even for this panel of AI judges) praise she receives..makes me think that she's not doing the best in the voting and may go out a lot sooner than she should..

 

Carrie must be reading all that  social media because John is being compared to a young Dwight Yoakum.   Agree about Josh it’s nice to hear someone not belting for a change.

Gabby is good but she is clearly Lionel’s favorite.  If she gets in the bottom, she will be the save over anyone else. 

Ryan must have spent alot of time getting to know Jamal’s kids for them to let him drag them out onstage.  One was so shy.  They could have let him sit down and just bring them over to where the contestants sit.  

Edited April 28 by Diana Berry

[SouthernChick]

I was glad Brianna made it!