American Idol Semi-Finals Round 1
It's that time again, the real fun of American Idol has begun as we begin to pick the top 12. The joyous tones of DialIdol doing my phone work for me is almost more than I can bear after 3 years of madly hand dialing cell phones. I only wish all the singing had been as exciting.
Jackie Tohn started the night off strong with "A Little Less Conversation". I liked it and she has a huge voice, but there was something about it that just left me saying it's okay not great.
Ricky Braddy, a guy I barely remember from previous shows, sang "Song For You" and just blew me away. He does as Simon loves to harp have a touch of an image problem; but that is workable. It's the voice I really care about at this point.
Alexis Grace sang "Never Loved A Man" and was every bit as wonderful as I remembered her. She is really stepping out of her self some and that makes her performances more enjoyable.
Brent Keith sang "Hicktown" and even managed to make me like it. He really is good, just not what I listen to every day. He's cute too, so he should definitely stick with it no matter what the votes say tomorrow.
Steve Wright did "You Belong With Me" and it was bad. Somehow she got started off wrong and it just never got right to my ear. Too bad I've really enjoyed listening to her on previous shows.
Anoop Desai sang "Angel of Mine" and while it wasn't horrible it wasn't what I expected from him. It was really off in places and the song just didn't seem to fit him somehow. I still like him.
Casey Carlson was the night's biggest trainwreck with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". How about every little thing she did was overblown, overly dramatic, fake and off key. I really felt bad for her by the time the judges were done, hard to believe she was so bad Simon was looking for a way to be nice.
Michael Sarver sang "I Don't Want To Be" and he wasn't as good as he's been in previous shows. There is also the problem I have with that song since Bo did it, I don't like any other version. He still has the huge likability factor in his favor.
Ann Marie Boskovich did "Natural Woman" and it was just too underdone for me. This is one of those songs that I expect some power and drama and it just never happened. Her voice is pleasant, just not quite as big as that song.
Stephen Fowler sang "Rock With You" and I wish he had sung just about any other song. He has a nice voice and a fun personality; but that song is just so defined by Michael Jackson that you would need a "Chris Cornell/David Cook Makeover" to make it acceptable from any other artist.
Tatiana Del Toro was the woman I didn't want to see and surprisingly she was good. When she sang I closed my eyes and tried to forget that fact that it her singing and I enjoyed it. And what was with the quieter, softer Tatiana, if she stayed like that I could actually be happy if she made it through.
Danny Gokey closed the show with "Hero" and despite what Simon said, he was just spectacular. I love his phrasing and the way he owns each song he sings. I am really looking forward to listening to him all the way to the finale.
Top 3: Danny, Ricky, Alexis
Bottom 3: Ann Marie, Stevie, Casey
**finally had to mute the DialIdol, got to love voting with no work and no noise!**
**and I'm still mad that Jamar Rogers didn't make it through to the Semi's**
