StoneRose Valley

Ryan opens the night with his usual spill….all about the final group…etc…etc…

Ryan and Simon wonders why Simon can’t just pick the songs for the contestants….and Simon mentions how that would make a great song night! Something to think about in future…I hope they do something like this-would be great!

Von Smith has an amazing voice…a very powerful voice. I just want to see him control it. Singing ” You’re All I Need”, I am missing a bit of the big voice notes, but am enjoying him nevertheless. Perhaps, though, he should stay a little true to himself….I know he could do better. Still, a great performance.
Randy said “this is the way to kick off the performance. Better than Hollywood week.”
Kara thought he seemed more comfortable. “It’s not about how high you can go, but doing it with meaning!”
Paula mentioned how hard it is to go first in the night. But, she said, this was a “memorable first.” She also complimented him, saying “you know how to hold back, and when to push forward”.
Simon came out with the compliment to top the others, saying “you remind me of Clay Aiken. You sang very well; much better as Kara said (he meant Randy) than Hollywood”.

Taylor Vaifanua chose “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alecia Keyes. I wasn’t sure when I heard the song choice…she did better than I thought. But I’m not sure this was the best song for her, she could have picked a better one.
Kara said it was obvious that Taylor has a good voice. “I’m still trying to figure out who you are though. What’s it like to go shopping with Taylor. Your performance leaves me a bit cold”.
Paula mentioned how Taylor has such a ‘beautiful gift, beautiful voice’. But added “I just want to see where you can go”.
Simon doesn’t get the shopping thing. “I genuinely couldn’t remember you. It was very generic; a bit bland. You are going to struggle a bit”.
Randy agreed with the others, saying it was “kinda boring. Good voice though”.

Alex Wagner-Trugman has a sweet, funny personality. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” was an interesting song choice for him, but, after hearing him, definetely a good one. Well, the first half was, at least. The second half sounded a bit off pitch.
Paula thought Alex certainly the showman, saying “You gave us our money’s worth; don’t know how much will be spent. But certainly had fun watching you”.
Simon said “we did have fun watching you, just not listening. The growling, along with kicking over the microphone, was just stupid”. To which Alex replied that the mic was a total accident! I do like this guy-as I already mentioned, great personality.
Randy couldn’t finish his sentences. He’s turning into the new ‘Paula’. Moving on…
Kara gave out the positive. “You are you; great choreography by the way”.

Arianna Asfar is singing “The Winner Takes It All”. Big song. But Arianna rose to the occasion. And honestly, not having heard this girl in Hollywood or her audition, this girl wowed me!
Simon thought there was a certain irony in that song, calling it “way too big for you”. Oh, no no no no; I totally do not agree with Simon here. No at all.
Randy said it was not the right song, saying it “wasn’t good”.
Kara recalled the audition; “you were like a beam of sunshine. Tonight was dark and depressing. Be young, touch people. This was too serious and gloomy”.
Paula said she wouldn’t go as far as the others had, saying she thought Arianna “had some bright moments. But the song was too old fashioned”. Paula mentioned that she thought it sometimes better to stick to the melody.

Next up is Ju’not Joyner, singing “Hey There Delilah”. My sister likes him…I’m still trying to make up my mind. I’m afraid he’s going to be forgettable. Or maybe not. The last bit was much better.
Randy commented on how Ju’not switched up the song…calling it a “smart choice; I loved it.”
Kara liked the spin on that song. “You could bust it out even more on the next time. Felt like you were holding back.”
Paula loved the liberties Ju’not took, saying they paid off.
Simon sometimes is sooo…blond. And annoying. Oh, well. Simon thought it was better than he thought it was going to be. But called it “a bit safe”.

Kristen McNamara is up, singing “Give Me One Reason”. I like her gritty sound. There were moments that were both good and bad. Kristen might be another victim of the new format. I think she could definetely get better, we just might not see it. And that last high note! Wow!
Kara called Kristen a great singer, saying “you hit the notes, great tone. Need a little more rock edge though…”
Paula mentioned how Hollywood showed Kristen has big range, and thinks Kristen has only reinforced that!
Simon thought her just a little bit vague, asking “who are you? Odd song choice, but good voice”. He thought Kristen needs to become more comfortable.
Randy thought she tried to do too much.

Nathaniel Marshall is singing something by Meatloaf…“Anything For Love”…?…I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have…unfortunately because he annoys me. He has a good voice, but I have trouble getting past him to that. I like his voice; really is quite good.
Simon thought some people will quite like that. The majority will not. On a positive note, people will remember you. You are fun, and I like you.
“I like you too” Randy said. “Curious song choice, though. You definitely can sing; but it’s hard to imagine what kind of record you’d make”.
Kara said “the thing is, you have a voice; but if you want to be taken seriously, you need to pick a song to reflect that”.
Paula said he knew she loved him since Hollywood; “you were serious; sang Disturbia and that made you cool! That was a bold choice, this song takes that coolness factor away though”.

Felicia Barton chose another Alicia Keyes song, “No One”. You already know how I feel about Alecia Keyes-great artist, but don’t take her songs on right off. I thought Felicia did a good job. But it’s hard to get people past thinking of those current artists, such as Alicia. Felicia did not stand out to me. I kept thinking of the original artist. Felicia has a good voice…just bad song choice.
Paula thought Felicia’s talent, her gift, is unbelievable. “So glad we brought you back!”
Simon thought the first half was better than the second; also calling it a bit copycat.
Randy said Felicia has an amazing voice. “You have something a little different in your voice than Alicia, go with that.”
Kara said it was “by far your best look. Attitude, presence; noticed you for the first time. You stepped into it!”

Scott MacIntyre chose “Mandolin Rain”. Started off iffy to me, but he more than redeemed it. This guy is amazing! His voice, and his life! Wow! I’m nearly speechless.
Randy is unable to speak for a while due to the cheers. “The parts that were great were really great. I can feel the passion poring out of you. Job well done!” He declared.
Kara admired Scott, “you do what you love; you’re passionate about it, and you don’t have issue’s!”
Paula said she was so happy and proud that Scott made it this far! “You’ve blessed us all with your gift and you’re one of our finest.”
Simon wasn’t crazy about the song, but declared that Scott was growing on him. He thought “there are better singers in this competition, but in a sea of forgettable people tonight, you aren’t. I’m going to be amazed if you don’t sail through tonight”.

Kendall Beard chose “This One’s For The Girls”. She does have a good country sound. I actually like this better than Martina McBride’s…and I’m a huge fan of Martina’s.
Kara thinks she showed big personality, and picked the right lane in country. “But”, she said, “there were some issues with the notes…however, you got that personality that we really like.”
Paula gave her the prize for the best outfit tonight (typical of Paula); saying “I hope you enjoyed it”. (wha-?)
Simon thought Kendall probably did the right thing tonight. “Though honestly, halfway through I couldn’t wait for it to end; was a bit shrilly towards the end. You could have picked a better song. Just not my cup of tea.”
Randy likes country, and thought it a good song choice and that she looked good. But said it “wasn’t your best vocal performance. You did tell us who you were tonight”.

Next up is Jorge Nunez singing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, and all I could think of was David Archuleta singing this last year and totally knocking it out of the park. Jorge has talent, though. And I didn’t notice any problems with his pronounciation tonight. Was touching; he really showed his vocal talent tonight…even if he isn’t Archie.
Paula said she is “so proud of you. You took our advice; you worked so hard and sound so good!”
Simon admitted they were wrong to say Jorge shouldn’t sing with an accent, “because why should we? That’s who you are”.
Randy said “it’s the vocals that matter. That wasn’t the perfect vocal, but it was really really good”.
Kara said Jorge was born to sing.

Lil Rounds finishes up the night with “To Be Without You”. I’d forgotten about Lil temporarily; and she has quite the voice. No way she isn’t walking away with the top girls vote. And she would deserve it! Every season there are a few contestants that stand out head and shoulders above the others, and this girl is one of them! Great performance by Lil.
Simon comes to the stand with a grin on his face, calling it brilliant. “Wouldn’t have chosen that song, but I think you have great great prospects in this competition. You are undoubtedly one of the best singers we’ve found so far.”
Randy agreed with Simon. Complimenting Lil with “you kept your swagger; got unbelievable vocals; and we know who you are. I loved it!”
Kara called Lil a “powerhouse”; saying it was great, “you have been steadily you”.
Paula said Lil was “first class. I think we’re going to see you for many more ‘lil rounds’!”

That’s it folks! I’m calling Lil and Scott in safe; with Von rounding it out. But Jorge and Kristen might give Von a run for his money.

Well, we’re down to it. Next week is the finale. Last night, three contestants performed, and tonight, one of them will be leaving. This happens every year. And usually (at least for me) it’s an unexpected contestant. Elliot Yamin, Melinda DooLittle…the list could go on…but I don’t remember that far back. I’m going to run through the night as it happened (as always), so know there’s no discrimination…at least, I try not to show any. And since I’m trying to write this in between work and related deadlines, I’ll post each round individually as I complete them. Sorry I didn’t get this up last night; but, if you’ve been reading consistently, you already know that my own computer has been having ‘issues’, and thus I am forced to use my parents…whenever they or one of my six siblings isn’t actually using it. Which was the case last night. I think each of the contestants at this stage this year are extremely talented. They all deserve to be here.
Oh, and before I start on my re-cap, I’m going to warn you (said warning may be totally unnecessary, as I’ve never had a nasty comment on here……and hey, I only average about one comment per post anyway! ); Please do be civil in your commenting. I just got through reading a few other blogs and posts on the subject, and some extremely rude people have really ticked my off with their criticisms and negative comments; half of which seem totally unfounded to start with. The whole thing about David Archuleta and his father just bugs me to death…millions of people making assumptions without being in possession of all the facts. Yes, by some bizarre twist of the mind, it may be true….but that’s only by a long shot. A VERY bizarre twist.
And I’ll also say that I agreed with almost every one of Simon’s thoughts on the contestants. All but one, at which point, I’ll let you know.
ROUND ONE
David Archuleta sang Paula Abdul’s choice “And So It Goes”by Billy Joel. Paula said she chose it for him because she thought it ‘would showcase the amazing vocals that you(David) have. It’s a beautiful song that shows the level of difficulty in the melodies that of which I know you can handle. It will totally exploit the beautiful timbre of your voice.”
David said he was ‘excited to sing it. A beautiful song.’
I actually was one of those viewers/hearers who actually liked the a’ccapella beginning. I thought his vocals were very nice; his runs were lovely as always. Those are definitely his signature…he has some of the most gorgeous runs I’ve ever heard in my life.
Randy said his usual phrase of “you can sing anything! You are in it to win! In the zone tonight!” He also went on to say that “Paula chose a dope song for you! The Billy Joel thing works. But I would have loved to see you with the piano.”
Paula said it was a “Pure sounding performance”, called David a “Storyteller”, and summed it up as a “Beautiful performance”.
Simon thought it “Very good. No surprises; a bit predictable”, but said that wasn’t “really a criticism; it was good. But not outstanding.”

Syesha Mercado sang “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alecia Keys, picked by Randy Jackson. He picked it because he said he “Knew that she’s really young, hot, unbelievably talented, in charge; and I had a feeling that she loved Alecia as much as I do. I think this is the kind of record she could do and be very successful with.”
I honestly had to wonder what was he thinking picking that song for her! Was he trying to get her voted off?! It’s a beautiful song, and I thought she did a lovely job of it…but I couldn’t help comparing her to Alecia (one of my favorite artists), and, well….You just don’t want to be compared to somebody else in the music industry. At least, not in that way. You want to stand out; be compared as in “Oh, that girl reminds me of Celine, she has the vocals, everything, to be a big star!” (which has been said of Carly Smithson)…but not compared in the way Syesha was last night….
I do think this was Syesha’s strongest of the night.
Randy said she did an “amazing job”. He thought she was “peaking at the right time in the competition, and that is why you’re standing top three.”
Paula thought it “difficult to sing someone as big as Alecia. But I applaud you for that. And you look stunning!”
Simon said she “sang that very well. I wish Randy had chosen a song were you could try and sound original, and not like a copy of the artist. But you look gorgeous by the way!”

David Cook was fortunate enough to get a song picked by Simon Cowell….or was he unfortunate enough to get it? I was tied in knots all weekend since hearing that David would have to sing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack….this song is so not David…but then again, maybe it is….
Simon’s reasons for picking this song: “This is one of THE greatest songs of all time. Unlike Randy, I wanted you to do something different so that you have a chance to show some originality. It’s a very, very, very tough song; but you know what? I think you are going to do well.”
Yes, I was anxious when he started out, but all my fears were totally blown out the door. It was a lovely performance; absolutely no worries. This song now has David Cook written all over it. But then, even if DC were to sing Sesame Street, or the phone book-as Randy says, I would love it and be able to listen to it for hours on end. David’s definitely had me from “Hello”. Randy has “loved DC from day one. And I loved the high note there at the end. But I wish Simon hadn’t picked something so predictable.” I think Randy was just trying to get back at Simon here; seemed totally unfounded to me. But what do I know?
Paula shook her head, declaring “It’s not about those two, it’s about you, David! That is one of my favorite songs; and now you’re my second favorite persons which sing it.” That last little bit was just slightly confusing and veiled…to me.
Simon came out with a fairly predictable remark; “This may sound a bit biased, but I think that was actually one of the best performances to date. This is what makes you brilliant, because you take risks, it’s original. Round one goes to Cook and Cowell!”

What do you think? Comments always welcome (so long as they are civil)!