S14.E23: Top 8 Perform

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Oh, also? I don't know if this has been mentioned but there has been so much talk about Jax's X and I think it's for jaX. It's her own brand. 

[Guest]

Yeah, she's mentioned it refers to a kiss (like in XOX) and to her name.  I notice it's a lot daintier now that the pro makeup artists are painting it on.  It looks better.  

[cinsays]

   Well, I LOVED Clark, Quentin, Joey, and Jax last night.  

   I love Clark just as he is, but would like more direct eye contact.

   I wish Harry would stop the comments on Quentin's technique and just agree that he does a very intense personal version of the songs every time.

   I loved Joey's gown, hair, retro styling of her song.

   My only criticism of Jax remains the affectation and unattractive garb and constant glovedness and the fried hair.  Her voice is lovely and I could do without the distracting appearance details.

   I was really worried that the twitter save was designed to keep toddler Daniel and was shocked that Rayvon got the vote.  But I enjoyed his song more than any he's done in weeks and Daniel was just really awful, so very glad he's gone.

   I hope they don't continue that twitter thing, but if Quassim is on the bottom, they will probably use it to try to save him.  I just don't think he's all that talented except for the theatrics and that performance really was bad vocally in my opinion.

  The rest of them were forgetable to me.  Nick just doesn't have anything special, Tyanna has lost her groove. 

   I have always loved Kelly and enjoyed everything about her appearance, singing, mentoring.  I agree with someone who mentioned the white tights being a bad choice for her second number.  They don't really look attractive on anybody, but for anyone with thick thighs (and I can relate on this), they are especially distracting.

   JLo's top was pretty, but she really needs to rethink the super short skirts she has to keep pulling down and shorts don't look all that great on her. Her thighs are not her best asset either.

   

[Sparkling Beth]

I also think that if they'd shown the other singers from season 1, this crop would look a lot better in comparison. Sure, they may not be as good as she is (I don't think they are, although I think several can grow into it), but she was head and shoulders above almost everyone else her season. These singers are way better than R.J., Ryan, A.J., Ejay and Jim. I also like them better than Nikki, Tamyra and Christina, but I never liked them as much as other people seemed to.

I'm glad you brought this up. There have been TONS of mediocre singers throughout the 14 seasons of Idol, including many in the first season. We've just forgotten about them because--well, they were forgettable.

I thought it was very odd at the beginning when they had comments from the various contestants about Kelly, and Joey said that Kelly was the one person who knew what the current crop of contestants were going through. Really? Because I'm thinking EVERY SINGLE CONTESTANT FROM EVERY SINGLE SEASON knows what you're going through, Joey. I still can't get on the Joey train. She bugs me. Each individual song is okay, but she does each one in the same exact style with the nasal tone and weird pronunciation and affected mannerisms, and I just find her tiresome.

I'm relieved that Daniel finally went home. Our long national nightmare is over. Okay, now I feel a little guilty and a little silly for my weekly rage over his continued presence, but he just didn't belong there. Better contestants went home before he did. He's got possibilities, but really should have waited a few years before auditioning. He just wasn't ready.

Did anyone else have the impression that Qaasim kept going into falsetto because there was no way his limited range could have handled those notes if he'd stayed in chest voice? Everyone? Yep, thought so.

[LADreamr]

Funny, when I saw there was a Fan Save element, I thought it was an attempt to save Daniel. I guess that backfired.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Totally in the minority here but while his vocal weariness was very evident -- and I'm not saying he would have nailed the runs even if that hadn't been the case -- and while I'll admit it was a rough performance, I actually really liked the overall basic quality of Qaasim's "acoustic" side and his guitar playing ... I'd love to see/hear him do something like that after he's had a chance to rest his voice for awhile. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

So glad Daniel is gone but I absolutely Hated that Twiiter Save, wtf???? And Ryan keep saying " who'll get the save" ...., well, one of them did not need it because they did not get the lowest number of votes!!!!! Hopefully Daniel was the lowest because it would be so unfair if he didnt and got sent home though Twitter, really show? Why should people bother to vote if you're going to ignore the results and thow it open to twitter!!! It would really be a travesty if the voting wasn't even close between the bottom two and the higher vote getter went home! Stop it!

[LADreamr]

Especially because it excluded the whole West Coast from even having a vote.

[worleybird]

Daniel had some biiiiiiiiiig shoes on last night.

 

I knew when he wasn't one of the first 3 that Daniel was in the bottom 2.

[proserpina65]

Especially because it excluded the whole West Coast from even having a vote.

Well, they weren't entirely excluded, but it would've required streaming the East Coast broadcast and voting or going to the AI website.  So not easy or convenient, and yes, a bit unfair.

[Simon Boccanegra]

 

So, is this new fan save thing going to be permanent or did they just trot it out to get rid of Daniel?

 

I think they just try random things now to keep the dwindling audience engaged and telling other people about AI, and we may or may not see a specific gimmick again. Last year we got the episode in which the remaining contestants were allowed to vote via secret ballot on whether to nullify that week's booting and keep the group intact, with a double elimination the following week. I had to look it up to make sure it was last year (I thought so, because I remembered Caleb and Jena Irene being involved). That was the week Sam Woolf was sent home...and in less than a year, I had completely forgotten his existence. 

[TheGreenKnight]

And I just want to argue, for the sake of a previous post, that strictly IMHO the best female vocalist ever on this show was Melinda Doolittle. 

The Doolittle fascination really passed me over (how some must have felt about the McPheever, I'm guessing). I personally didn't think Melinda was even the best girl the year she was on. I believe her elimination along with Danny Gokey's, and Colton and the metal guy from season 10 were my happiest memories of this show, actually. If Scotty McCreery had been eliminated, that would have been my number 1...

[riley702]

Kelly is not just an incredible singer

WOW, that is the last thing that I could say about Kelly!!!  

 

I think you misunderstood? The OP wasn't saying Kelly wasn't a good singer. The entire quote is 

Kelly is not just an incredible singer but a really cool person.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I think you misunderstood? The OP wasn't saying Kelly wasn't a good singer. The entire quote is 

 

Thanks for the correction!  Phew!

[Ms Blue Jay]

[Tyanna] still looks a bit blank in the eyes.

 

Right!   That's the comment I made earlier on.  Something is weird about her eyes -- emotionless, or scared.  Her eyes don't connect to what she's singing or the audience.  I like her, I'm just saying.

 

Rayvon - I thought these kids were scared of Since You've Been Gone since we hadn't heard it yet

 

Well Rayvon and his school buddies did Since You've Been Gone in the audition/Hollywood rounds.  I actually loved it, I still remember it.  One of my favourite performances of the season.  It was a ballad also, slow, beautiful, dynamic.  Unfortunately Rayvon didn't quite pull off he same feat here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv0HzBjJBUY

 

Ever since I mentioned last week how J.Lo interrupts the other judges, it's gotten worse, or I guess now I really can't un-see it.  I really started liking J.Lo more when she became a judge on this show (back in the Bennifer days I hated this woman) but she's become so incredibly obnoxious.  Interrupting Keith, outright disagreeing with both Keith and Harry while they are speaking - the other two judges never interrupt her except maybe to point out the weird moment where she mistook Quentin for Qaasim.

 

Speaking of, I liked Qaasim's performance yet again.  I'm kind of tone deaf, so the musical mistakes I don't really notice, but I thought the callback at the end between Qaasim and the background singers was quite beautiful.  I think it's the only performance of the night I really liked.

 

Nick's smile creeps me out.  Not as creepy as The Mentor but still.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[AndreaK1041]

So many people were horribly out of tune. Kelly's songs are really, really hard to sing, but they did Mariah Carey week back in Season 7 and people were able to adapt.

It was Keith's week for an asinine t-shirt apparently.

PS wanted to add that I saw Kelly in concert a few years ago and I think it was the best consistently sustained excellent vocals I have heard live ever. Girl can just flat out sing.

Edited April 3, 2015 by AndreaK1041

[ichbin]

JLo's top was pretty, but she really needs to rethink the super short skirts she has to keep pulling down and shorts don't look all that great on her. Her thighs are not her best asset either.

I couldn't agree with you more!  Every time they show her walking out on stage when the judges are introduced at the beginning of the show and she's wearing something short I can't help but wonder why because the look along with the way she walks is far from flattering and detracts form her otherwise good looks.

 

    The rest of them were forgetable to me.  Nick just doesn't have anything special, Tyanna has lost her groove. 

I really expected Tyanna to take it all.  She had the voice, stage presence, and personality. She seemed comfortable on stage too.  I wonder if they are trying to manipulate  her too much behind the scenes to fit a particular mode she's not comfortable with because she doesn't seem like the same girl we saw early in the season.

[Kendall]

And just to add ... I actually have watched the show since the beginning, though I started about a third of the way into Season 1 ... Kelly's "Stuff Like That There" was a highlight I remember, and she has always struck me as a lovely and talented winner. Ruben was my FAVORITE winner, though ... 

 

And I just want to argue, for the sake of a previous post, that strictly IMHO the best female vocalist ever on this show was Melinda Doolittle. 

 

While Melinda wasn't my favorite of all time, she was so far above Kelly that it is almost comical how much praise Kelly gets in regards to Idol contestants. Up until these later seasons, she would've ONLY won Season One and really would've been pressed to make the finale in the seasons 2 - 7. I don't think she would've even made the tour on a few of those seasons.

[Asp Burger]

Do any of this year's finalists identify as GLBT? If there are none, it kind of surprises me that the show would step back that way. Last year was so emotional with Emkay and the "If I Were A Boy" guy. Plus, in the past, Clay, Adam, and others. 

Edited April 3, 2015 by Asp Burger

[ladytenor]

In Daniel's defense, he did sound much better on the ITunes/studio version. I have a vocal music degree, and I have been in the situation of having throat issues and having to sing live. Not only do you have to deal with the physical issues, but there is a certain amount of mental stress because you know your voice is not reliable and you might have a good or bad performance. I give the kid kudos for at least going out there and giving it his best shot..knowing that Rayvon would undoubtably outsing him.

[cinsays]

 

While Melinda wasn't my favorite of all time, she was so far above Kelly that it is almost comical how much praise Kelly gets in regards to Idol contestants.

Uh, definitely do not agree with this.  Melinda was good, but better than Kelly, just no.

[drafan]

Phew. Daniel is gone. It wasn't his fault that they picked him when he wasn't really ready, but I think it was stunt-casting of a lowest-age possible kid (15) who looked even younger (10). Adios.

 

Nick reminds me way too much of Daughtry when he sings. He has all the same mannerisms, but he's better-looking.  Daughtry's OK, but I was insanely happy when his smug self got cut from Idol back in the day.

 

Jax has  too many focal-points going on. It makes me tired watching her.

 

Clark is hands-down the best musician/singer of the bunch.

 

Quentin is still fun to watch, but his costumes are too distracting (I think HCjr tried to say just that), especially the bottom of whatever it is that he is wearing...too much ankle action or something.

 

Please, Joey, sing in your real voice just so we can hear what it sounds like.

 

My guy walked in as KC was singing, and said, "That old woman is so going home". (He has absolutely zero, or less than zero, knowledge of pop culture.) She was an OK mentor though.

 

The rest? Whatever.

[proserpina65]

The Doolittle fascination really passed me over (how some must have felt about the McPheever, I'm guessing). I personally didn't think Melinda was even the best girl the year she was on.

 

I thought Melinda was very good, but not as fantastically better than everyone else as the judges wanted me to believe.  Her Bon Jovi & Country week performances, for example, were wildly overpraised.  (Bon Jovi week belonged to Lakisha, Phil and Blake, and Melinda was actually mediocre.)  I actually preferred Jordan to Melinda, but overall, the talent pool in Season Six was one of the weakest ones ever, or at least one of the most inconsistent.

 

I'm not sure I think Kelly has the best voice of any AI contestant ever, but she combines a good voice with a relatable personality more than anyone I've seen on the show, and her interactions with the contestants, judges and Ryan this week showed it.  Even when I don't particularly like the song, and I didn't, I like her.

Edited April 3, 2015 by proserpina65

[MrsMoltisanti]

I guess I am also on the side where I didnt think Harry was off base with his critique of Joey and her older styling with the forties costumes. He wasnt throwing shade. He knows she is going to be around for a while and may be the one who can actually showcase his beloved jazz genre. This is a chance to introduce it to many people who have that preconceived notion of it being all Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall looking and belonging to our grandparents. If she wins she may also want to be seen as modern not singing a long forgotten style. I think he was giving her some good advice.

Edited April 3, 2015 by MrsMoltisanti

[Waldo13]

Kelly Clarkson herself had to come back and realign the Idol stars.

JAX – That was another solid vocal, but I couldn't understand what the hell she was saying. I didn't like what she did with the bridge, it got a bit choppy.

Joey – Those low notes, the dress, the arrangement, all of it was everything I needed.

There will never be another Idol contestant or winner quite like Kelly Clarkson. This show was lucky to find her.

For me, Kelly Clarkson will always be the best and most successful idol contestant. Kelly, from jump street, showed she has a beautiful and natural singing voice and has a great personify. Although Carrie Underwood is also very successful, I believe a lot more work had to be done, than Kelly, to make Carrie's career a success. Kelly can transition into country and be successful but I don't think Carrie could be that successful as a pop artist.

I'm very disappointed that the contestants have a 2 minute time limit. I would have loved Jax and Joey to sing the entire song. With the 2 minute time limit, lyrics have to be cut out and IMO this can make the song seem choppy. I would think this would be more prevalent in ballads.

After Joey's jazzy performance I would not be surprised that she made fans of Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart. Is a scat next for Joey? I would love to hear one. Maybe Casey can play the bass for her.

In all actuality it was a hard week for the contestant in singing songs totally associated with Kelly. The only thing harder would be singing Billy Joel songs.

As an aside, Kelly is appearing with the Pentatonix at NYC's Radio City Music Hall. I would love to go but the cheapest ticket, not in the nose bleed seats, is well over $100.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Does anyone know what genre or who's playlist is on for next week yet?

[Rick Kitchen]

Does anyone know what genre or who's playlist is on for next week yet?

 

Billboard Hot 100 Hits.  So that means basically anything.

 

Jason Derulo and Florida Georgia Line are the mentors.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Kromm]

Thanks for sending Daniel home.  Qassim is next I hope.  

All Qaasim proved with his different approach this week is that he can't sing.  As if it was in doubt.

[Kendall]

Uh, definitely do not agree with this.  Melinda was good, but better than Kelly, just no.

 

Kelly's voice practically fell apart by the end of the season. Not to mention, the huge controversy of not only robovoting, but the racist agendas behind the robovoting in regards to Tamyra and Nikki's run. Kelly benefited mightily from being on the first season where the show was still working out the kinks. Between nostalgia and timing, Kelly is the "greatest" Idol ever, but would've struggled to get on the show and certainly be a reasonably successful Idol on many of the subsequent seasons, even as early as Season 2.

[Kromm]

For me, Kelly Clarkson will always be the best and most successful idol contestant. Kelly, from jump street, showed she has a beautiful and natural singing voice and has a great personify. Although Carrie Underwood is also very successful, I believe a lot more work had to be done, than Kelly, to make Carrie's career a success. Kelly can transition into country and be successful but I don't think Carrie could be that successful as a pop artist.

Carrie arguably already is a pop artist, successfully, albeit not outrageously so.  She's had songs that skewed pop enough to cross over (particularly between 2006-2008, all of her singles were somewhat un-countrified in their sound) and placed on the overall (non-genre specific) Billboard singles chart--not quite as high or consistently as the country charts, but often enough.  Top 40 on the overall singles charts, if not #1.  Keep in mind, in contrast, that only 3 of Kelly Clarkson's singles ever went to #1, although at least half of them have been in the Top 20 (and most, not all, in the Top 40).

 

Although Carrie's four albums, have charted #1 on the OVERALL Billboard chart (covering all genres), except her first--which was obviously a huge disappointment peaking at #2 instead. (and in fact, only 3 of Kelly's 7 albums went to #1).

 

I guess my point is that if Carrie had really wanted to switch to pop, Taylor Swift style (vs. just kind of leaning into it for a few years, the way she did and then back out again), I think she could have been reasonably successful, although not outrageously so.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

     I was really worried that the twitter save was designed to keep toddler Daniel and was shocked that Rayvon got the vote.  But I enjoyed his song more than any he's done in weeks and Daniel was just really awful, so very glad he's gone.

Also with Rayvon, I loved Kelly's implied criticism of the judges re: them expecting 'rasp" as a magic bullet fix for singers.

 

I actually thought it was a very good performance from him, and that Harry was totally off-target with his comments.

[Stratego]

Also with Rayvon, I loved Kelly's implied criticism of the judges re: them expecting 'rasp" as a magic bullet fix for singers.

 

I actually thought it was a very good performance from him, and that Harry was totally off-target with his comments.

I took it as a device "to fire-up" the fan base and vote--to make certain Daniel "went home".

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Harry's advice was not necessarily bad.  The timing, and that he made it public, was atrocious.

 

Keith about lost his mind, in a great way, and JLo was effusive.  The crowd was going nuts.  It was a moment.  For a stylistic risk that was off the charts with peril.  And HCJ chose THAT instant to make a point about the culture of music?!  He stole Joey's triumph from her.  

 

She is the only legitimate musician left, with the possible exception of Clark.  She refuses to be cowed by the immense and intense pressures to not be THAT different and she brings it every week.  She completely blew it in performance the week before and what did she do?  She doubled down!  Does HCJ even mention the courage/commitment THAT took?

 

It would be awesome if he decided to take an interest in Joey and mentor her once this season is over.  He could truly mold her into a new, old, sensation.  He just needs to be fair with his standard of criticism.   If it's to be nitpicky, fine.  Go first after the folks who can't even carry a tune, Harry.

 

For me, Melinda is the hands-down best voice artist/musician AI has ever seen.  Her career arc is consistent with this.  However, that does not make her the most marketable and it did not make her AI performances necessarily the "best."  But, when it came to artistry, nobody else, the fantastic Adam included, could match her.  Visual presentation and staging?  Melinda was middle of the pack, at best.  YMMV.

[backformore]

   JLo's top was pretty, but she really needs to rethink the super short skirts she has to keep pulling down and shorts don't look all that great on her. Her thighs are not her best asset either.

JLo' s outfit was featured on a Kohl' s commercial this week. There is a clothing line with her name on it. I'm guessing most of what she wears now is going to be part of her collection, available at Kohls.

[Ms Blue Jay]

There are 2 elements to Joey's performance -- that she changed and performed the song in a very creative way -- I'll grant her that -- and whether I actually enjoyed the performance.  I didn't.

 

I don't care about the jazz stylings, I don't care how someone chooses to present that, I'm totally neutral on that and I didn't find it the least bit offensive.  I love Amy Winehouse, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald.

 

But I didn't care for that particular performance.  Changing the song that much made me really uncomfortable.  I must really like the original the way it is.  Miss Independent in this jazzy, almost blase way -- I didn't much care for it.

 

And I am a big fan of many covers out there.  The only thing I could think was that maybe if I heard it 10, 20 times I'd like it -- but I certainly didn't like it the first time.

 

Sometimes I think so much credit is piled on a singer on this show for dramatically changing a song, but what about if I found it enjoyable or not?  I also think Quentin changes songs in beautiful ways -- I loved what he did with Lorde's "Royals".

Edited April 4, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Simon Boccanegra]

I don't know..."you had your chance/you blew it" can be haunting, IMO. Kelly did agree with him that it was "sad." I don't think Rayvon nailed it, but I do think there's enough there to support a wistful reinterpretation. "How come I'd never hear you say, I just wanna be with you / I guess you never felt that way" -- that could be powerful from someone who could make it sink in. Then the song is the POV of someone who's putting on the brave face but isn't over something. Again, I don't think he made the strongest case for it.

 

But all he had to do was convince the East Coast time zone he was better than Daniel, and I was a fan for the night. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yes, I do think BLVD did a beautiful job of changing SUBG to sad and haunting in Hollywood Week (JMO) but unfortunately Rayvon had some trouble recreating that moment.

 

And... of course I found him better than Daniel too... haha.. not a question for me.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[auntlada]

And I am a big fan of many covers out there.  The only thing I could think was that maybe if I heard it 10, 20 times I'd like it -- but I certainly didn't like it the first time.

 

A pastor of mine once told a story about an older man in another church who didn't like all the new music they were singing. He told the music director, "You know what makes a song good? It's if you've heard it before."

[vibeology]

Kelly's voice practically fell apart by the end of the season. Not to mention, the huge controversy of not only robovoting, but the racist agendas behind the robovoting in regards to Tamyra and Nikki's run. Kelly benefited mightily from being on the first season where the show was still working out the kinks. Between nostalgia and timing, Kelly is the "greatest" Idol ever, but would've struggled to get on the show and certainly be a reasonably successful Idol on many of the subsequent seasons, even as early as Season 2.

 

I think there have been better pure vocalists than Kelly (I agree that Melinda's vocals were spot on but she wasn't cool enough to catch on with voters) but she was always the right sort of personality and talent to succeed on this show. She's cute, funny, silly, able to sing a few different styles which helped her navigate theme weeks and has an amazing voice. Its hard to compare season to season because the casts each year are so different and the past seasons do influence current ones (both by the producers of the show who want to differentiate the seasons and by fans who want to see new and exciting things), but I can't see a year of Idol where Kelly couldn't make the top 5 or 6. The only reason I'm watching this week is for Kelly. I gave up on this show years ago.

 

That being said, these current contestants are certainly a letdown from years past. Joey is good but not my thing, Clark is good but so weirdly old-fashioned. The awful falsetto guy probably would do a great job producing for other people but his voice doesn't have it. That kid who went home, yikes.

 

I was bothered that Harry didn't know the acoustic version of Beautiful Disaster and Ke$ha Goulding credit for the arrangement. I don't expect his to know Kelly's whole catalog but surely if he'd asked someone would have pointed him to the Breakaway version.

[MarkHB]

Kelly's voice practically fell apart by the end of the season. Not to mention, the huge controversy of not only robovoting, but the racist agendas behind the robovoting in regards to Tamyra and Nikki's run. Kelly benefited mightily from being on the first season where the show was still working out the kinks. Between nostalgia and timing, Kelly is the "greatest" Idol ever, but would've struggled to get on the show and certainly be a reasonably successful Idol on many of the subsequent seasons, even as early as Season 2.

Are there any links around regarding the robovoting situation you refer to? I didn't start watching until Season 5 so I know almost nothing of those early seasons other than the winners.

[Ms Blue Jay]

A pastor of mine once told a story about an older man in another church who didn't like all the new music they were singing. He told the music director, "You know what makes a song good? It's if you've heard it before."

 

I've liked many songs and AI performances on my first try hearing them.  I did not like Joey's.

[Kendall]

So the condition of her voice at the end of her season has nothing to do with her or Melinda Doolittle being a better singer.

 

 

 

I disagree. Singing isn't just the actual voice, but how you sing, how you interpret and how you take care of your voice. So, Kelly shredding her voice is a reflection in regards to Kelly versus Melinda and others that followed.

 

Kelly has continued to have issues with a shredded voice and not because of "high notes," but because she was, is and forever will be Yelly Clarkson. Yelly isn't Yelly just because she goes for volume, but because she never understood nuance or how to really tell a story as a singer.

 

Passion in a song? Yell. Pain in a song? Yell. Unrequited love or attention? Yell. A song? Yell.

 

She's improved a bit, but more because she physically can't, more than she's matured as a singer. But, if a person has been overrating her for 13 years, a debate within thread that has a week long lifespan won't finally reveal her true slot in great Idol contestants. Melinda was just the example that was originally brought up, there were many others that Kelly would've failed against in any other season outside of the first one.

[Kendall]

Are there any links around regarding the robovoting situation you refer to? I didn't start watching until Season 5 so I know almost nothing of those early seasons other than the winners.

 

Oh wow. You'd have to find a lot of the original MSN boards where the Idol forums were. Maybe a Google search with those specific words? Be glad that you didn't read a lot of the racist vitriol that was spewed during that time. People tried to pass it all off as only helping Nikki McKibbon, but there were two white contestants that Tamyra was threatening to beat once it looked Justin Guarini wasn't going to take it after all.

 

He was the frontrunner, but after the week he sang "P.Y.T." by Michael Jackson, the judges cooled on him quickly and started directing their focus toward Tamyra versus Kelly. She "messed" up by singing a really R&B song in "Feel the Fire" by Stephanie Mills. It wasn't crossover enough for what was really "mainstream" audience and she went out the next night.

 

I do know that the robovoting was one of the reasons for the creation of that site that somehow monitored the phone lines and could closely predict who would be out the next night. I forget that name of the site, but I do know that it was in use through at least Season 5 and I am pretty sure it knew that Chris Daughtry was going to be voted off.

[Ohwell]

Passion in a song? Yell. Pain in a song? Yell. Unrequited love or attention? Yell. A song? Yell.

I remember back in Season 1 that some of us called her "Yelly Kelly."  She made my ears hurt.

[MarkHB]

MSN boards?  heh... good luck to me with that!  They were all taken offline 5 years ago.  Thanks for the info.

 

Also, the site you referred to was DialIdol.com; they still exist, but the "predictions" are now essentially useless given the new rules and expanded voting procedures.

[niklj]

Listening to some of the iTunes recording, Jax really does have a beautiful recording voice as does Clark.

 

I agree with J.Lo (say whaaat?) when she said she liked that Jax didn't put that weird affect to her voice and instead we got to hear a purer vocal from her.

[backformore]

Yes, I do think BLVD did a beautiful job of changing SUBG to sad and haunting in Hollywood Week (JMO) but unfortunately Rayvon had some trouble recreating that moment.

 

And... of course I found him better than Daniel too... haha.. not a question for me.

Sorry, BLVD? Is that a person?

[auntlada]

Passion in a song? Yell. Pain in a song? Yell. Unrequited love or attention? Yell. A song? Yell.

 

Loud is the new good. (I still have my shirt.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

Sorry, BLVD? Is that a person?

 

It is the group that includes Rayvon in Hollywood Week, in a Youtube video I posted, if you scroll very upwards.

[TheGreenKnight]

Yelly isn't Yelly just because she goes for volume, but because she never understood nuance or how to really tell a story as a singer.

I don't think I could disagree more if I tried. Even what is sometimes cited as her best performance while on Idol ("Stuff Like That There") featured no yelling. Honestly, the loud/screaming/yelling criticism has been lobbed at female contestants since the beginning of this series, and I've rarely agreed with it. She's one of the very few contestants to have been on this show that could legitimately navigate several genres with ease.

 

She's improved a bit, but more because she physically can't, more than she's matured as a singer. But, if a person has been overrating her for 13 years, a debate within thread that has a week long lifespan won't finally reveal her true slot in great Idol contestants. Melinda was just the example that was originally brought up, there were many others that Kelly would've failed against in any other season outside of the first one.

 

Personally, I believe Kelly would've won any season she was on pre-8, before the white guys and the demo that voted for them officially took over; imo, she's leagues above anyone who won 8-13 except 12, but so were several from those seasons who didn't win. Her only real competition would've been Carrie and Ruben, and she had more personality then than either of them while they were on the show to go with the voice. (This coming from someone who loved Jordin, btw.) The only guarantee is that she would've lost to Taylor Hicks--the wtf season of the early years.

Edited April 5, 2015 by TheGreenKnight