S13.E34: 5 Finalists Perform

[Tara Ariano]

The Top 5 vocalists (Jena Irene, Caleb Johnson, Jessica Muese, Alex Preston and Sam Woolf) perform viewer-chosen selections after working with guest mentor Jason Mraz.

[nutty1]

Here are some of the songs for tonight.....

 

http://www.mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-13-top-5-song-spoilers.htm

[Sparkling Beth]

Here are some of the songs for tonight.....

 

http://www.mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-13-top-5-song-spoilers.htm

Oh, no.  Caleb is going to do one of my least favorite songs of all time.  I want to beat this song to death with a baseball bat, bury it in a field, and salt the earth so it won't come back.  Ugh.

[Ohwell]

I'm old so I don't recognize the names of any of the songs except Caleb's, which I am not looking forward to hearing.

[Shannon L.]

 

Oh, no.  Caleb is going to do one of my least favorite songs of all time.  I want to beat this song to death with a baseball bat, bury it in a field, and salt the earth so it won't come back.  Ugh.

Nice to know I'm not the only one who hates that song that much.

 

 

I'm old so I don't recognize the names of any of the songs except Caleb's, which I am not looking forward to hearing.

Same here.  I may have to look them up on You Tube, because I'm tired of thinking that a song I don't recognize sounds ok, only to hear people talking about what a horrible song they did with it.

[nutty1]

If you go to that link now, all the songs are there. They weren't all there initially.

I had to look up several on YouTube.

[Ohwell]

I'm scared for Sam on that "Sing" song by Ed Sheeran.  Should be interesting, or might be a trainwreck.

[Shannon L.]

 

I'm scared for Sam on that "Sing" song by Ed Sheeran.  Should be interesting, or might be a trainwreck.

Yeah, I can't really see Sam singing that song, but I could be pleasantly surprised.

 

I just listened to all of them and some I recognize and like and others not so much.  I'm really worried for Caleb--I love Aerosmith and I did love Whitesnake back in the day, but "Don't Want To Miss a Thing"?  Well, I've already said how I feel about that one and, imo, Whitesnake doesn't hold up too well and "Still of the Night" was not my favorite from that band in that first place.

[kechara]

Joining the "hate that song" club. 

[nutty1]

I missed Jess's "Human", and the song with Jena, Sam and Alex singing. I will watch in a bit.

But from what I have seen, Alex won the night.
Caleb is awesome in his genre and will front a band some day.
Sam….not great, but at least he looks more comfortable.
Jess….still cannot feel emotion from her, though she has a great voice.
Jena….there is no doubt her voice is great (don't like her low register), but I still don't care for her.

[charlieboo]

Clearly (according to JLo) I am not in touch with America.

I tried to watch Jena but the second she yelled out, "Come on everybody!", I yelled, "Not on every damn song!" and FF'd. Only to hear JLo tell me that's the best thing she does and the reason everyone loves her.  Ugh.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Loved Keith 's reaction at the end of Alex's Say Something. I really like Alex.

[Nedsdag]

Cross posting on TWOP:

 

I missed most of Slapout's performance on "Summertime Sadness," but she showed more moxie (and leg) than the judges's chosen princess Jeeeeeeeeeena did on "Valerie." If there is an AI god, the J-girl should be in the bottom two. She was more poser on the first song, and that low register on "Valerie" was putrid. And now she's ready to drop the Irene from her name. Her hubris is catching up to her.

 

It's kind of interesting how the producers are desperate to get younger viewers to watch again, but Ariana Grande and Austin Mahone aren't going to bring them back. This is probably the reason they're pimping Sam and Jeeeeeeeeeeena to the max for the final two. Bottom two for these children, puleeze?

 

I was worried about Caleb after the Armageddon song, but he redeemed himself on the last song. He and Slapout are getting my votes tonight to spite the judges and the producers.

[Cee23]

I can't stand Jena's voice or attitude. Love Alex and Caleb

[BogoGog24]

Alex- First song was not anything great or memorable, but Say Something redeemed him massively. His voice even sounded a lot like the lead singer of A Great Big World. The only thing that irked me was that nobody, Alex or judges or Ryan, gave a shoutout to Allison for those lovely backup vocals. She helped make the performance what it was and nobody gave her any credit for it. It reminded me a lot of when Phillip performed Volcano and there was that amazing female backup singer with him

 

Sam- First song was pretty bad, second one redeemed him. I think he will be in the bottom 2 anyway though. He still looked rather uncomfortable to me. I feel like the production crew is forcing him to wear those stupid hats and they make him look too Bieber-esque, which is really off putting, and I think Sam tries to run with it but he actually just feels uncomfortable in all of it

 

Jena- Both her songs were just okay. Not a complete disaster but nothing stellar either. Her lower range is really weak. She screamed a lot less this week. And yeah I really actually hate those stupid lame lines she throws out to the audience like "Let's go!" It's very unoriginal and I get the feeling like she's trying to emulate Haley Williams or something. She should try to be herself, not someone she can never be. That being said, she's only 17 and is still a pretty damn good performer for being only 17

 

Jessica- Both pretty solid songs tonight, first one was better though. I think she connected a lot more to Human than most of her other songs this season. Her vibrato was actually pretty controlled. I felt like she felt connected but I personally didn't feel anything from this performance. On Summertime Sadness she started out well, but when it got to the middle chunk everything fell apart. I think she will be bottom 2 again this week

 

Caleb- Whoever suggested that Aerosmith song deserves to have that bus TPTB have out for Jessica take a sharp turn and run right over them. I'm glad Caleb said something about it, that he personally would have never chosen that song because it's been done so many times. America actually did a pretty good job choosing songs tonight but this one was not one of them. Regardless, he sang it pretty well I guess. The beginning was off though. He did the Whitesnake song amazing though. I'm always so impressed at how huge his range is and how he can sing the high notes without sounding like he's straining his voice at all. I don't care how "outdated" his style might be, he can SANG!!!! JLo made an excellent point, that the in-house band always seems to have an amazing time with him and like they're all on the same level, feeling the same energy. You can tell there's a certain connection Caleb has with the band that nobody else does. 

 

Duets/Trios:

 

Jessica/Caleb- Vocally this was very good, but it was palpably awkward. Oh this was so awkward. By the way, did anyone else catch when Ryan announced their duet that he said "Caleb and Jena" instead of "Caleb and Jessica"? LOL oh Ryan, good thing Caleb wasn't singing this song to Jena...

 

Jena/Alex/Sam- Something felt off with the boys. Jena handled her harmony very well, but the boys felt off to me. 

 

Prediction for B2: Jessica and Sam

Going home: Hard to say. TPTB have it out for Jess to leave since she's competition for the Female Chosen One Jena, but Sam has been due to leave for some time now.

 

Other comments: Loved the Ariana Grande cameo. I get the feeling like TPTB either told them to say their celebrity crush was so-and-so (although I know Sam has said before his is Ariana) or they found out beforehand and got them onto the show. I mean, Zooey Deschanel is the star of FOX's New Girl and Ariana has a new single out… It was just a promo opportunity basically.

Edited May 1, 2014 by BogoGog24

[Ohwell]

I liked Sam on both songs, surprised he carried off that Sing song.  Alex did well, too.

 

I'll grudgingly admit that Caleb has a good voice and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he fronted a band.  I just don't like him.  Jena is a good singer at times as well, but I don't care for her either.  Maybe they should tour together as The Annoying Two.

 

Slapout looked like an older Loretta Lynn in that red dress.  She sang well, but she's just tired looking, and I'm not even sure fits in with today's country music stars.

 

Bottom two will probably be Sam and Jessica, hoping Jessica goes home. 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2014 by Ohwell

[BogoGog24]

I also don't get why Jena doesn't just go by Jena Asciutto… I understand her point that her name is spelled differently so when you see it on iTunes or an album cover, there'd be no mistaking who it is (like Britney, Cher, Beyonce, Avril, Miley, etc. where there's only one) but I don't see what's wrong with her just going by her name. Unless she thinks people would have a hard time spelling or pronouncing her last name. 

[ramble]

Tonight convinced me that Caleb is the winner. He is your next American Cover Band singer!

Actually having been a hair band fan I'll say Hairleb actually did do decent covers, but that's all I ever feel like he is when I hear him, a cover guy. And maybe it's just his stock expression, but he always has a look that says he's a bit superior & it makes me want to punch him in the throat.

Other than that I like Slapout more the more the judges push Jena. It's a feeling of manufactured versus actual IMO. Sweet little boy Sam looked less embarrassed than I would've thought standing next to his supposed crush.

Speaking of crushes... thank you random American for the Whitesnake song because it solidified my Idol crush: Rafa by a landslide!

[BogoGog24]

Yeah I forgot to mention I actually agreed with Keith when he said Caleb focuses so much on getting the vocals right that the emotion usually takes a backseat. I definitely agree. Caleb always nails it vocally, but I often miss the feeling and emotion from him.

[JMarie99]

I loved it when Harry said Jena should spell her name "with a dollar sign, apostrophe and a hyphen." That would suit her style just about right.

Jessica commented that her second song showed off her lower register, and then it dawned on me - that's one of the big differences between her and Jena. Jena HAS no lower register to speak of.

I'm not a fan of Caleb's style but after tonight I can totally see him winning this thing. I can see him and Alex in the final 2 and I hope that Alex gets a big career boost from this as well. And I can only hope that being in the Top 5 gets my fave Jessica out of those bar gigs and that she ends up with a decent career also.

[BogoGog24]

A couple other things I forgot to mention:

 

Jason Mraz was a great mentor this week. I loved how he pointed out even small things like mic and guitar placement. Everyone seemed to get good advice from him.

 

The "banter" between the judges and Ryan has begun to feel sooooo forced. I mean, Ryan jumping into Harry's arms????? Ryan was on something or other tonight. In the beginning, when they had auditions, the banter felt natural and funny. Now for the past several weeks it's felt forced. The whole "bromance" thing between Keith and Harry just seems like a copy of Adam and Blake from The Voice. I've noticed, in fact, that Idol took many notes from the pages of The Voice this year, from the limited voting to showing the names of the songs onscreen like The Voice does. It's starting to look pathetic. Idol is the original, The Voice is essentially its cooler, younger sibling. It looks pathetic for them to keep copying stuff from The Voice.

[skinsfan]

I actually thought Sam's first song was much better than the second.  Best week overall for him.  Alex is always amazing and tonight was no exception.  Being one of the old ladies that grew up in the 80s I'm partial to Caleb's song choices and he does them so well.  I was surprised at the Whitesnake pick - surely the kids didn't vote for that.  It was a perfect choice for him and one of if not my favorite Idol performance ever.  That was perfection.  I don't know where he would fit in today's market but after tonight he solidified my choice as favorite.  Jena is perfectly capable but there is something that just annoys about her.  I have loathed Jessica since the auditions and felt she was just passable tonight.  I would pick Jena and Jessica for botton 2 but suspect it will be Jessica and Sam.

[BogoGog24]

I've seen a lot of people suggest Whitesnake for Caleb actually. He seems to appeal to many '80s fans, it's just that not a lot of them are present on social media.

[crocosmia]

I love Jason Mraz and all his quirkiness.   He's a wonderful writer and has the prettiest clear voice. 

I thought he was a good coach tonight.  

 

I'm okay with all of those who are left, except for Jena, who tends to irritate.   First it was that self-indulgent Gina/Jeeeena thing.   Now it's JENA, all in caps, no less.   If she wins, I would not be surprised to see "fame" taking hold of her and going in an unattractive direction.   She just might be too immature to handle it at this point.  

 

We West Coasties are still watching, so I'm writing the rest as I watch. 

 

I can see where Alex has emulated Jason Mraz's artistic style in some ways.  Alex has a nice voice, and I like the way he stylizes just about everything he sings to make it unique.  He did that with both performances tonight.  The second song was a lovely "moment."

 

Caleb has the best singer/performer combination of the group.   I'm as tired of that over-sung song as anyone else, but it did show that Caleb can sing a rock ballad as well as he can an all-out blast of a song.  He's a bit cocky, but he's a potential rock star.   Sometimes it goes with the genre.

 

I think Jessica is very pretty, and she sings in tune, and well.   I don't get why the judges don't seem to like her.  She's so much easier to watch and listen to than Jena.  You can actually hear all the words when Jessica sings.

 

I don't particularly like Jennifer Lopez, but this season she's been more tolerable.  Harry and Keith have somewhat neutralized her gaudiness.

 

Does Ariana Grande have no pants?

 

Sam has the loveliest voice of the group, but his performance skills are lacking.   I think he's a sweet kid, and the way he quickly blushes is endearing.   He needs to rev up his performance, but the same was said about Carrie Underwood those many seasons ago.   Sam's inexperience shows, and he just may never have it in him to jazz it up, but he's trying and has improved.   I can't help but like him.

 

I don't know why Jena always seems so pretentious in her performances.   She's not "there" yet, but she acts as if she is.  She's even imagined herself among the galaxy of one-name stars.   I thought she was one of the better singers at the beginning of the season, and I suppose she is, but she's just gotten so loud and shouty, with the encouragement of the judges.   She definitely has talent but lacks refinement.   Maybe that will come with maturity, if she can keep grounded.

 

I liked the duet with Jessica and Caleb!  They sounded like a couple of old pros, and I mean that in a good way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shannon L.]

I stand corrected on my opinion of "Still of the Night" for Caleb.  I'm still not a fan of that song, but he did a great job. 

[UsernameFatigue]

It has taken me this long to realize that I would love to see Jessica and Alex in the finals. Won't happen, unfortunately.

It has also taken me this long to realize why I hate JENA's singing - I never have a friggin clue what she is saying. Unless I know the song, I am totally lost. The judges always harped on Dexter for this, and he was easier to understand that JENA. I would love to see her in the bottom two tomorrow - so tired of the judges praising her. I. Don't. Get. It.

I always suspected that Caleb was unable to sing a slow song, and the first part of his first songed confirmed it for me. He totally butchered it - and looked very nervous to boot.

I loved Jessica's first song, and think she has come the farthest as far as improvement on performance. Props to Harry for praising her for both songs. Don't get Keith's continual bashing of her. As far as JLo goes, I think she is just jealous of her voice. And for JLo to criticize Jessica on what she brings to her songs? Any of Jessica's songs are far and away better than anything Jennifer might sing. I Luh Ya Papi? Pure drivel.

Loved, loved, loved Alex's "Say Something" - got goosebumps both times I listened to it. And whoever his backup singer was - the two of them were perfection. I don't care where Alex ends up in the final 5 (though I hope he wins) if he puts out a CD I am buying it. Love him.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Slezak says an Idol source told him that the contestants were given several choices.  I say someone lied to Slezak.  No way in Hades did Caleb choose the asteroid song.  None.

 

That being said, crown him already!  Nobody else has the chops and the stage presence he does.  It's a metaphysical knockout, y'all.

 

Now, if it is about being "current" and appealing to the kids?  Alex is the only genuine artist who might eek out a career in that niche.

 

Everyone else is absolutely not ready.  At.  All.

 

I was surprised that Jessica made out as well as she did.  I thought for suuuuure TPTB would break out the long knives for her this week.  I think she'll be B2 with Sam, but she may live to see another show.

 

Now, I haaaaaaaated almost every song tonight.  None of them were tuneful.  It's that modern claptrap that passes for music.  Harry made a tragic joke when he invoked Cole Porter.  Yes, I am old.  The show is not for me.  There is no particular reason any of y'all should even read my posts.  YMMV.  It's all such a dang shame, though.  Now that the pretension of mass appeal has been shattered, AI has an opportunity to re-invent itself and identify real singers who can sang real music.  Let HCJ run the actual musical aspects of the show and watch what magic can happen.  AI could trigger a new wave of appreciation for the American Songbook.  The rights for that music cost next to el zilcho, too.  /end rant

[ari333]

Clearly (according to JLo) I am not in touch with America.

I tried to watch Jena but the second she yelled out, "Come on everybody!", I yelled, "Not on every damn song!" and FF'd. Only to hear JLo tell me that's the best thing she does and the reason everyone loves her.  Ugh.

 

Oh Dear God, so much THIS. Glad I'm not the only one. I had to change the channel for a bit. I usually like JLo, but I wish she had shut her pie hole. Jehna's "Cahm on every-bide-dy!" is second only to "Every-bide-dy OPP!" on the annoyance factor for me with that stupid fist pump.

 

Caleb sounded godawful to me on the first half or most of that Aerosmith song. However, once he hit "time" on a loud note, he seemed to turn it around. I see why he hasn't been singing softer ballads. It's not his thing. Yikes.

 

So Mraz was there and I like him well enough. If there were a Knoll here I'd say that that seems knolly for Alex in a good way. but I like Alex and thought he did a great job last night. I liked both his songs, but the second was amazing and the (unnamed?) backup singer sold it.

 

Not super crazy about that Human song of Jess's, but she sang it well, imo. Good for her. I enjoyed her other song and also the Stones duet with Caleb too. I agree she seems more relaxed in the duets and group numbers, but I do enjoy her solos.

 

No more porkpie hats. Sheesh.

 

Grande never wears pants that I've ever seen. She usually wears some kind of lampshade poofy little girl skirt that barely, and I do mean barely, covers her lady bits.

 

Why was Ryan  jumping on HCJ? Sometimes I wonder if he's losing it or if he's... um.. self-medicating. Awkward.

 

Jeh-na, on the trio number, had to over-sing Alex and Sam.. "Oy hodd a drime soy bog en lood." Translation: "I had a dream so big and loud." Well, she's loud all right. Get off my screen. My husband asked if she were singing in Gaelic or was that English with an Irish accent.

 

I blinked and missed it mentioned on the show, but read it here. The spelling  "JENA" is just gag-worthy. Who does she think she is? Seriously.  The all caps, one name bullshit is just totally beyond the pale. I'm with HCJ on this; She should go ahead and add an EXCLAMATION! POINT! and some other punctuation. On a shallow note, I hate the Cher hair. She's not Cher. She's not Lorde.  And that insipid wide eyed, pouty "sincere" face she makes while the judges bathe her with their tongues makes me sick.

 

Bottom two for me are Jeh-na and someone else; I guess it'd be Sam; I don't hate him. I guess I just prefer to see Jess and Alex stay for the final two. So I'm sure that won't happen. Caleb can sing really well for the most part, imo.  He bugs me, but not even a fraction as much as JENA does .

Edited May 1, 2014 by ari333

[ari333]

Sorry. Wrong thread. I'm a doofus

Edited May 1, 2014 by ari333

[ally862]

The producers are really pushing to get teenagers into this show again which is why they praise Jena so much. She's much more marketable to teens than Jessica is. I think the problem with Jena though is she's buying the hype and think she's as amazing as the judges say. She's young so I can't really blame her for that but she does annoy me.

I can't believe they brought Ariana out right before Sam had to perform. He handled it better than I expected though. I thought he would have melted into a puddle of embarrassment.

[OakGoblinFly]

I just don’t get the judges anymore; sometimes it feels like they have a different set of ears then I do.  Could things sound that different in the studio compared to what is coming through my television speakers?  At the very least, they have very different judging criteria for certain contestants (i.e. they are less critical toward their favorites no matter how off the performance).

 

Alex was the only one who had two solid performances and he clearly “won” the night.  I think that Alex has the most radio friendly and radio ready sound/style of this group; he sounded absolutely gorgeous on the second song.  Nice recovery from last week’s miss.

 

I thought Jessica had two good performances; I still think she has a difficult time connecting with the lyrics/showing an emotional connection and for me, that makes her performances difficult to watch.  The vacant, dead eye stare couple with the emotional content of the song is quite jarring to me.  That being said, if I close my eyes, she sounded wonderful.

I disagree with the judges regarding Sam; I thought his first performance was very good (and I loved how he giggled every time he said he was going to get “funky” – what a sweet young man) and you could see that Sam appeared to be very connected to the song and as such he had a very strong performance.  He started out very rough on the second song – I don’t know if he cued in on the wrong key but it was pretty shaky.  I give him credit for noticing it and correcting his pitch very quickly.  I just adore Sam’s voice; it’s my favorite in the competition.   Honestly, I think he could put out a record now, his voice is fine for studio work – he just needs time before his performance level catches up to his voice talent.

For all the gruff that the judges gave Sam over his pitch issues or lack of modulation with his voice I noticed they didn’t say anything about Caleb being flat for half of his first song.  It seems that unless Caleb has it dialed up to eleven he struggles to stay in tune.  For me, Caleb is the opposite of Jessica.  When I watch his performances with the sound muted I think he’s pretty good.  However, when I listen but don’t watch I am not impressed with his vocal abilities.

 

 

I don’t know what to make of Jena – her voice is intriguing though I’m not sure I like it (if that makes any sense).  I didn’t like her first performance; I was unfamiliar with the song and what I heard I didn’t like.  I liked Jena’s second performance – I thought that smoky lounge feel was great and suited her voice; I don’t know why the judges were harping on the fact that she didn’t groove it up the way Bruno Mars or Amy Winehouse did?  Aren’t they always telling the contestants to not copy the original, that they should “make it their own” – so what gives?

[Sarah D. Bunting]

My take on the episode.

[nutty1]

Most people I talk to, most people on message boards….seem to not like Jena's singing. Who the heck is keeping her around???

It would make me delightfully giddy if she was a shock boot tonight!!

[Shades of Red]

Jeh-na, on the trio number, had to over-sing Alex and Sam.. "Oy hodd a drime soy bog en lood." Translation: "I had a dream so big and loud." Well, she's loud all right. Get off my screen. My husband asked if she were singing in Gaelic or was that English with an Irish accent.

 

That made me laugh.  I don't know if it's the power of suggestion from all the remarks I've read, but last night was the first time I really noticed how difficult she can be to understand and I couldn't make out many of the words she was singing. 

 

Still adore Sam.  First the judges complain he's too perfect and then snark at him for being out of tune.  Once again no consistency - make up your minds please.  I thought he looked a lot more comfortable with his first song than he has for some time. 

 

On a shallow note, I think whoever dresses Jennifer finally got a good length on her skirt/dress.  It was long enough that she wasn't tugging at it and she didn't have to grab it to plop down into the chair.  It was just a few inches and was still short but not uncomfortably short.

 

Jason Mraz as a mentor - good choice show.  He had some wonderful suggestions and I thought was very helpful to the contestants.

[charlieboo]

Before last night, I had never ever heard of Ariana Whatshername or that other guy Ryan was talking to. In fact, in both cases I thought it was some random person from the audience.

Get off my lawn!!!!

 

Aside from Jena-pleasegohome-Irene, I really like all the others who are left and will be sad as each one gets voted off. But, as Harry said last week, eventually even the good ones have to go home.

 

Jason Mraz as a mentor - good choice show.  He had some wonderful suggestions and I thought was very helpful to the contestants.

 

I thought it was so funny that he really had many simple ideas and solutions, and yet Randy never thought of any of them. I loved when Mraz suggested Alex raise his mike a little, and Randy said, "We've been trying to get Alex to look up more." Think how good these poor kids might be if they'd had a real mentor all season.

Edited May 1, 2014 by charlieboo

[cassis]

The judges (particularly JLo) and the show have a vested interest in Jena. They want to appear like they knew what they were doing when they saved her from elimination before the lives even started. If Jena wins this thing (and don't think she can't) they will look like the savvy, hip, talent-spotters that the show feels it has been lacking since Cowell left. On a lesser note, they would also have liked Sam to have resonated more with the fans but that just isn't happening. 

 

Personally, while I have my preferences, I don't mind that the show has become more talent show-y. In contrast with The Voice, which tends to choose far more experienced singers, Idol has always had something of an American Dream feel to it. I definitely feel more arc to the development of the contestants on Idol, which is a reflection that it is a competition for the singers and not the coaches. I like The Voice but I recognize that it is a very different format. Comparisons, in my opinion, are not entirely appropriate. 

Edited May 1, 2014 by cassis

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

Oh Dear God, so much THIS. Glad I'm not the only one. I had to change the channel for a bit. I usually like JLo, but I wish she had shut her pie hole. Jehna's "Cahm on every-bide-dy!" is second only to "Every-bide-dy OPP!" on the annoyance factor for me with that stupid fist pump.

She reminds me of a Bat Mitzvah or wedding singer at that point where they try and get everybody out of their chairs to dance the Electric Slide with their Grandmas/Bubbies. And dear LORD if she goes with JENA for her stage name I will have to stick a pencil in my neck. How very pretentious and assumptious. Perhaps she can put JENA!!#*&% on the smock she will wear while working at the local grocery store if she doesn't win. 

 

Jason Mraz was a great mentor. Raising the mike, opening up the arms or chest - genius. Which leads me to the question - why is Randy there? Randy's not a singer. It's not America's Best Substitute Bass Player for an 80s Rock Band.

 

Alex's "Say Something" was beautiful. He's really come a long way in his performance aspect. So has Sam but I'm not sure it's enough to keep him in the game.  

 

Caleb was uncharacteristically flat on the beginning of the first song - perhaps he had been singing sharp in rehearsal and was trying to overcompensate. But the second half of "Don't Miss A Thing" was way better. And the Whitesnake song was just ridiculously good. I also like that he seems to be having such a good time. Doesn't look like he's going to throw up half the time like the rest of the contestants. 

 

I was checking AI and Harry's FB comments and most people are looking for a JENA (ugh on the name) vs Caleb top two. But I'd be happy with Alex vs Caleb as the top two. 

[JMarie99]

I can't believe I was actually glad when the judges picked JENA as a wild card.  I thought her voice was different and I was eager to see her go farther.  Now it seems like everyone else is improving and she just gets more annoying every week.  She's not all that good and she's sooo full of herself.  And those affectations ... ugh.  Most people on this board seem to agree.  So WTH do the voters see in her?

 

I'm glad that J-Lo recognized that Alex had a "moment" with "Say Something."  That was a beautiful performance.  After last night I definitely think Alex and Caleb deserve to be in the Final 2.  Not JENA.  Please not JENA.

[ari333]

HelloPatti pass the pencil, and I'll raise you, I'll open a vein.

 

Wow those "crushes" came off as a total crock of bullshit to me. Do any of those people not have affiliations with the show, the network, or the record label?

 

I hope the studio audience in the front enjoyed Grande's underpants if she wore any.

 

Oh, and we have it and we know it cuz it's been shoved down our throats, Jehna is WILD! and a card! and a wildcard!!  Don't forget it, goddamn it. :) Is it wrong to say she makes me a little nauseated? I don't think she thinks she's going to win this thing. On the contrary, I get the impression that she sees herself as an established international superstar, the yardstick by which to measure all future superstars, and she deigns to lower herself to appear on the Idol stage as a huge personal favor to the unwashed masses who are lucky enough to breathe the same air.

 

Caleb made me cringe on the first part of that song when it was basically his voice and a couple of soft strings. YIKES.

[Sparkling Beth]

I'm okay with all of those who are left, except for Jena, who tends to irritate.   First it was that self-indulgent Gina/Jeeeena thing.   Now it's JENA, all in caps, no less.   If she wins, I would not be surprised to see "fame" taking hold of her and going in an unattractive direction.   She just might be too immature to handle it at this point.

 

If Jena wins this, she might be startled to discover that American Idol is not the finish line, it's the starting gate.  Any success she has will have to come from hard work, not a title, especially at this point when there have already been twelve people who can call themselves "the American Idol."  It's partly the show's fault for constantly claiming that they are "choosing the next superstar." 

 

I have loathed Jessica since the auditions and felt she was just passable tonight.

 

Yeah, I can't get past that moment in the sing-off when a simple "You sounded great, too" would have gone a long way to making Jessica seem like less of a Mean Girl.  I don't care if she felt she was lying.  It's just courtesy to bouy up your fellow contestant, who just gave you a compliment, instead of forcing her to ask you how she did and then just shrugging.  Bee-yotch.  I personally don't care that much for Jessica's voice anyway, and have a hard time figuring out how she can have such a pronounced goat throat when most of her voice seems to be coming out of her nose.

 

I just adore Sam’s voice; it’s my favorite in the competition.   Honestly, I think he could put out a record now, his voice is fine for studio work – he just needs time before his performance level catches up to his voice talent.

 

I like Sam too, and as you pointed out, he doesn't need to have great performance skills to record an album.  He's young and inexperienced, yet has come a long way just since he's been on Idol, so I feel certain he could learn how to be more comfortable on stage.

 

Now, I haaaaaaaated almost every song tonight.  None of them were tuneful.  It's that modern claptrap that passes for music.  Harry made a tragic joke when he invoked Cole Porter.  Yes, I am old.  The show is not for me.  There is no particular reason any of y'all should even read my posts.  YMMV.

 

Not only did I think of Cole Porter when I saw the title "In the Still of the Night," but I also thought of The Monkees when I saw the title "Valerie."  So many of today's songs sound tuneless to me.  They just meander on until they stop.  I was only familiar with one of the songs performed last night, and it's one that I hate with every fiber of my being.  I did like both of Alex's songs and I'm starting to lean toward him as whom I want to win, but I think if he's going to have a solid career, he'll have to be as lucky as Phillip Phillips was with "Home" and get a launching song that catches on from the get-go.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Sparkling Beth

[Biggie B]

Loved, loved, loved Alex's "Say Something" - got goosebumps both times I listened to it. And whoever his backup singer was - the two of them were perfection. I don't care where Alex ends up in the final 5 (though I hope he wins) if he puts out a CD I am buying it. Love him.

 

 

I, too, don't care where Alex ends up - I don't think he'll win - because I'll be seeking out his music once the tour is over and he gets into the studio. He's extraordinarily talented and should have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.

 

And was the backup singer not Alison Iraheta from Season 8?

Edited May 1, 2014 by Biggie B

[proserpina65]

And was the backup singer not Alison Iraheta from Season 8?

I'm pretty sure it was the other female backup singer, the blonde one.

 

Count me amongst those who thought Alex was the best of the night, followed by Jessica.  And JENA!#$^*&@% can take herself the hell home as far as I'm concerned; she sounded like absolute crap on My Body, and her personality bugs to no end.

[MrsMoltisanti]

 

Caleb made me cringe on the first part of that song when it was basically his voice and a couple of soft strings. YIKES.

 

Yes.  It seems the Emporer has no clothes.  I don't think it matters though that he has revealed himself to not be well rounded as an artist.  He can reproduce a sound and run around stage, and that, my friends, can sell in some way, shape or form.  

To me he seems like a kid from suburbia who found out he can imitate Robert Plant et al and wants to be a superstar.  

 

As soon as the first line came out of his mouth on the first song, and his awkwardness was very plain to see, I thought to myself that the song was not going over well at all.  

He will probably win, and get some attention and then fade away after some time with no longevity.  

 

 

If Jena wins this, she might be startled to discover that American Idol is not the finishing line, it's the starting gate.

 

This as well.  I think the poor girl is in for a rude awakening.  She is living in the little show bubble now.  Just wait, Jena, just wait.  The harsh real world is calling and they won't be serving you sliders on little buns and asking you to describe yourself in five words and then throwing glitter at you. 

Edited May 1, 2014 by MrsMoltisanti

[Ohwell]

When Ariana Grande came out, I was hoping that poor Sam wouldn't get a boner for all the world to see.

 

She's not "there" yet, but she acts as if she is.

 

Exactly.  It's one thing to act confident, but she acts like she's some kind of huge star and it's actually kind of pitiful.  Also, I'd like to add to ari333's  list of Jena words:  "maaaaay" instead of "meeeee."

 

Caleb will win this thing and I'm fine with that because I just don't care. 

[MrsMoltisanti]

 

Clearly (according to JLo) I am not in touch with America.

 Oh, don't worry Ari333, I am out of touch with America too.  When Ariana Grande came out I thought, this sounds like a Starbucks drink that will cost me a fiver.  Then I thought: Wait young girl, you left the green room without your trousers.

 

The other boy I have no idea who he is either, some young lad they introduced.  

[jpgr]

She reminds me of a Bat Mitzvah or wedding singer at that point where they try and get everybody out of their chairs to dance the Electric Slide with their Grandmas/Bubbies. And dear LORD if she goes with JENA for her stage name I will have to stick a pencil in my neck. How very pretentious and assumptious. Perhaps she can put JENA!!#*&% on the smock she will wear while working at the local grocery store if she doesn't win. 

~~~

 

Jason Mraz was a great mentor. Raising the mike, opening up the arms or chest - genius. Which leads me to the question - why is Randy there? Randy's not a singer. It's not America's Best Substitute Bass Player for an 80s Rock Band.

 

~~~

 

Caleb was uncharacteristically flat on the beginning of the first song - perhaps he had been singing sharp in rehearsal and was trying to overcompensate. But the second half of "Don't Miss A Thing" was way better. And the Whitesnake song was just ridiculously good. I also like that he seems to be having such a good time. Doesn't look like he's going to throw up half the time like the rest of the contestants. 

 

So much YES to all of this!  The only thing I like at all about Caleb (and, to a lesser extent, Jena) is that he looks more comfortable on stage and doesn't move stiffly from point A to point B and lean out for hands in the audience like a choreographed robot. He looks like he feels the music. I do understand that performance skills need honing, but I don't understand at all how anyone can be a musician of any kind and not feel the music or even try to know what they're singing about and infuse it with some kind of emotion. I sing with more passion in the shower than most of these kids do on stage.

 

And that line about Randy - absolute BEST quote of the week for me. Why is he there?

 

I liked that they had Alex sitting on a stool so that his guitar felt more naturally held instead of being clutched desperately to his body and he wasn't pumping his legs like he usually does. That setup served the song really well, and he did a nice job with it.

 

ETA:

 

Oh, don't worry Ari333, I am out of touch with America too.  When Ariana Grande came out I thought, this sounds like a Starbucks drink that will cost me a fiver.  Then I thought: Wait young girl, you left the green room without your trousers.

 

MrsMoltisanti You owe me a new keyboard!  BWAH!!!

Edited May 1, 2014 by jpgr

[ari333]

I wasn't the poster who said, "According to JLo I'm out of touch with America" but now that we're saying it I probably am hee. You made me *snort*, MrsM with your Starbucks analogy. GOLD!

 

Agreed about the show bubble and some folks (read "JENA!!!) will likely be in for a rude awakening.

 

To me, Sam reacted to Grande No Pants as if he didn't have a clue who the hell she was. Who is this random hot chick in almost-a-dress?

 

Jehna: "The person who's going to rise to the top is the person who feels comfortable on the stage." She knows three of the 5 have been dinged for looking uncomfy. GAG. Subtle much? I loathed her "My BIDE-dee." It was cringeworthy for me. "AH-ite honds opp!!!" Oh, DO go home already and take your glow stix with you. (past reference) Pass the Pepto.

 

PS: I'll have some of what Ryan was having. :)

Edited May 1, 2014 by ari333

[rereader2]

Oh, no, Sam recognized her--he turned a rainbow of red, but had the presence of mind to go right in for a hug...twice!

Edited May 1, 2014 by rereader2

[ari333]

Oh, no, Sam recognized her--he turned a rainbow of red, but had the presence of mind to go right in for a hug...twice!

 

Yes, you're right. I just find the whole thing fishy. :)

Edited May 1, 2014 by ari333

[BogoGog24]

As much as I don't like Jena, I'd probably rather have her stay over Jessica to be honest. I had completely forgotten about that sing off moment until someone mentioned it. There is just something dead about Jessica to me. I have liked maybe 2 or 3 of her performances the whole season. Interestingly enough, I liked quite a few of Jena's though, even if her voice is annoying. I liked how she re-arranged songs like Creep, for example. And at least she moves onstage which is more than I can say for Jess. Jessica is just so awkward as a performer and has an AVERAGE voice at best. I don't know why people keep going on about how she has such a great voice. It's nothing special to me and she has zero control over her vibrato. She has no stage presence and she always looks incredibly awkward, like she's being forced into doing it. As annoying and pretentious as Jena is, I'd still take her any day over Jessica. She's only 17 and I don't think she can be entirely blamed for getting a big head when the judges give her a tongue bath every week. Unfortunately she's believing her own hype. 

 

TPTB only want Jena to win since Majesty is gone and Jena's the last female left who can appeal to the all-important teen/tween market. They view her as a marketable artist, whereas Caleb is too outdated, Alex doesn't have the "look", Sam is awkward, and Jessica doesn't appeal to the younger audience. The reason why she's still kept in is either because there actually are young people out there voting (doubt it though) or people are swayed by the judges' comments and are lead to believe she could be the winner. Despite their efforts, I see her bowing out at third. Hoping for a Caleb/Alex finale but as long as Caleb is there, I don't really care who the other person is. It'd sure be interesting though, having a hard, energetic rocker vs. the quiet coffee shop songwriter. If it was Caleb/Jena, they're both essentially rockers and it wouldn't be as interesting. It'd basically be a battle of who can sing louder.