Here are my quick thoughts on the Top 11 performances…Overall I thought it was a pretty good night with only a few semi-disasters:
Casey - Casey did Casey. He sounded unique and awesome as usual and he showed fire in his performance. I could see how some people wouldn’t be into his style but you can’t take away from his ridiculous talent.
Thia - I like her voice and I’m happy she did something upbeat but if this wasn’t Karaoke what is? She’s a cute girl and is pretty likable but I really think her days are numbered.
Jacob - Best performance of the night. For the first time this season that title doesn’t go to Casey. Jacob did everything right and with the right choices he could be a serious contender to win this thing.
Lauren - She always sounds good to me. I thought she picked a cool song and she did it justice. I say every week that she has the best voice in the group and is one of the most likeable contestants. If she picked the same ballad as Pia one week she would own her..IMO
Stefano - This season the judges are way too nice..In Simon’s words, “it is a different show.” If Simon was here he would’ve said, “that performance sucked.” I would have agreed. Stefano just isn’t a good singer. I’m not sure what the judges are hearing that I’m not but he sounds nasal and literally can’t keep his eyes open…its painful to watch him try. To me he is the polar opposite of Crystal Bowersox. She was a great singer who wasn’t the least bit likable. Stefano is a terrible singer who is super likable.
Haley - As a big Haley fan I’m a bit surprised that I’m going to disagree with the judges here. I feel like she has such a cool voice but she never has a truly flawless performance. She looked good but I wasn’t too impressed.
Scotty - First, he talks in the third person. Second, he looks like a young George Bush or a George Bush impersonator. Finally, he can’t do anything other than sing low country songs. Unfortunately he has a huge following in the red states so he’ll be here a while..
Pia - Pia sounded great on a ballad….what’s new? The judges were right..she needs to do something different for once or America is going to get bored. She should also avoid all interviews…they don’t do her any favors.
Paul - I love Paul. But Paul picked a song that was just owned by Adam Lambert so that makes this a tough call. If I compare the two Paul was a disaster, but if I compare Paul to the rest of the contestants from last night….he was great. He made the song work for him and his voice sounded super cool.
Naima - I agree completely with Will. She just doesn’t do anything for me. I wish Simon was still here…..
James - Not his best performance…I don’t like when he sings high and his high notes are really just screams. Go back and listen to Lambert hit one of his high notes and notice the difference. Control vs no control. James is also getting less likable each week.
Bottom 3 - Thia, Haley, Naima (maybe Stefano)
Going home - Haley
