The 14 remaining Idol contestants took to the stage tonight as America finally gets their chance to vote for their faves in the seventeenth season of the show.
The following commentary is strictly my own opinion and I have no insider knowledge as to who will make the top 10.
Laine Hardy — “That’s All Right” by Elvis Presley
Great song choice for Laine as he kicked off the live rounds. Even though he went first tonight, I think he’ll make it to the top 10. He’s definitely this year’s WGWG in my honest opinion and most viewers will vote him through as he has the mainstream appeal.
If and when he does make it to next week, he should ditch the guitar and loosen up more as judge, Luke Bryan suggested to him.
Evelyn Cormier — “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
Love the song choice for Evelyn, the judges gave her a standing ovation and she definitely put her own taste to this classic rock song. However, I’m not sure if she appeals to the mass audience and I feel she might be one of the four who sadly will be eliminated from the competition tomorrow night.
Alyssa Raghu — “She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles
I loved her performance of Sara Bareilles’ “She Used To Be Mine.” Her dad got really emotional during her time on stage and I feel she will be in the top 10 after this effort. Her outfit made the angelic performance fitting. Job well done making the sauce with rich flavor tonight! She’s only going to get better if she makes it to the end of the competition.
Eddie Island — “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John
I appreciate Eddie’s efforts in trying to emulate Elton’s look and style. Definitely one of the more flashier performances of the night. With that said, it felt a bit like karaoke night or a performance on “Lip Sync Batttle” even though he didn’t lip sync at all. He might be in jeopardy tomorrow night.
Riley Thompson — “Suds In The Bucket” by Sara Evans
Ms. Thompson definitely could be the next Dolly Parton. She has the stage presence to be a country music superstar. She got a standing O from all three judges. I feel if she did a duet with Laine Hardy, they’d make a cool collab. Overall, I think she will make the top 10 as voters will gravitate to her sound moving forward.
Wade Cota — “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne
Wade is this year’s resident rocker. I enjoyed his performance of Ray LaMontagne’s hit song and the judges did so too. There’s mixed opinions online about his vocals so that might sway his vote count. In terms of the vote, he might be a tossup as to being in or out of the top 10 tomorrow night.
Dimitrius Graham — “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
Personally I thought his performance was decent. Not his best performance but it should be enough to make the top 10. I got a little bit of Sam Smith vibes from his vocal. He too got all three judges standing on their feet. So job well done Dimitrius!
Madison VanDenburg — “Fallin” by Alicia Keys
She’s definitely a front runner in my books. Loved the song choice for Madison and I feel she could be the next Kelly Clarkson. She really knows how to command the stage with her talented voice. You can tell the producers loved her performance too as they made the choice to cut to the judges’ reactions during her rendition of the multi Grammy-award winning artist’s hit song. She will be a shoo-in to the top 10 and hopefully the top 5 and beyond.
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon — “We All Fall In Love Sometimes” by Elton John
Another Elton John song tonight and I think Jeremiah’s rendition supersedes Eddie Island’s. He should be a lock into the top 10 after tonight’s performance. Ballads suit Jeremiah’s style in my opinion and he should definitely continue down that path should he remain in the competition.
Uchè — “Finesse” by Bruno Mars
He brings so much personality to the stage! He will be a lock into the top 10 in my opinion. He has the making of a true pop star. His Idol exposure will definitely help launch his career into the stratosphere. Excellent song choice!
Alejandro Aranda — “One Dance” by Drake
I appreciate him continuing to break the mold each week. I think he’s an authentic artist who’s striving to create each and every day. It would be cool if the producers let him sing originals but in order to appeal to more fans, he’s going to have to do more songs from hit artists of today (and yesterday if they do classic themes in the coming weeks). He showed tonight that he wants to be a part of the top 10. Will he? We shall see tomorrow night. It could be a tossup among the voters tonight.
Ashley Hess – “Fix You” by Coldplay
I love the song choice and I think it suits her sound. The judges enjoyed her performance and I did too but I don’t think she will make the top 10. Solid effort but probably the not the most memorable performance of the night.
Laci Kaye Booth — “I Miss You” by Blink-182
Laci made a really bold song choice tonight and I commend her efforts. She will likely make the top 10. Katy Perry thought she was the definition of “Idol,” and I do too. Solid effort!
Walker Burroughs — “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” From “The Sound of Music”
Walker closed the show with a stellar performance. Very classy and dapper tonight. Lionel Richie thought he dressed like GQ! He will be a lock into the top 10 after that effort. Just a side comment, I think he will do great on Broadway in his post-Idol career.
Philip's Music Corner 