American Idol 2015’s second night of performances gave us some strong numbers and some somewhat surprising results after America’s votes.
Let’s take a look back at the performances from last night. As always, I’ll be recapping each performance and assigning the grade I think each one deserves.
Rayvon Owen, “Burn.” I like this song, but I’m not sure this was the right song for him. He lost his falsetto a few times and then he got pretty winded a few times as well. But in the middle of it all were some quite beautiful vocals. But if I’m being as brutally honest as I usually am, this performance was all over the place. But I do like the guy. Performance Grade: B-
Maddie Walker, “She’s Country.” This was a great song choice for her. It shows that she has that bit of an edge that Carrie Underwood has. I feel like I mention Carrie Underwood a lot when I talk about Maddie, but it’s just always who I’m comparing her to. I think this was one of her best performances for sure. The vocals were consistent and the attitude and energy were tight. Performance Grade: A-
Joey Cook, “Fancy.” I thought the arrangement was brilliant, but I have no idea who to credit for that, because I’m sure it’s not her original arrangement. So that’s that. As for the vocals, I was happy that she actually sang for the first time. Like really sang. It was refreshing. She didn’t spend the entire time just trying to be quirky, and I can get behind that. Performance Grade: A
Clark Beckham, “Takin’ it To The Streets.” I don’ know if I would have picked this outdated song, but he nailed it as he always does. He is one of the most effortless singers I’ve ever seen in this show. It’s all so natural for him. And he is really in his element behind the piano. So this was all just really solid. He’s definitely got some of the greatest star power. Performance Grade: A+
Jax, “Blank Space.” Well Jax got the obligatory Taylor Swift song. So we know who Idol producers are really pushing for this season. And to be honest, it was a way better performance than what Taylor Swift does with that song. And I like comparing Jax and Joey because both have a style that isn’t quite the norm, but Jax is so much stronger and natural. So I hope Jax eventually cancels out Joey. As for the overall performance, it wasn’t perfect, but I think America loves her regardless. Performance Grade: B+
Qaasim Middleton, “Jet.” This was not a smart decision. Qaasim opted for the guitar and just his vocals this week and it wasn’t great. I think America likes his stage presence instead of his vocals, so I think he could be in trouble. This is definitely his worst performance. And it wasn’t a BAD performance, it just wasn’t something a lot of people are going to vote for. Performance Grade: C-
Adanna Duru, “Runaway Baby.” I think Adanna needs to switch over to a ballad so that she doesn’t get so lost in her performances. Her energy is great, but her vocals suffer when she does these high-energy songs. But this was definitely better than her last performance. I’m actually surprised she made it through the vote since she was basically cut the night before and saved by the judges. Performance Grade: B-
Tyanna Jones, “Tightrope.” Tyanna is just cool. And this is a cool song, so it was a great song for her. And she handled it perfectly. I love her soul and her energy and just everything about her. That was a phenomenal performance. Tyanna is one of the best from this season. If not the best. Performance Grade: A+
Daniel Seavey, “Happy.” I’ve been pretty hard on Daniel’s vocals this season, but I always give credit where it’s due and it’s due this week. Maybe it was the right song, or he was just really rehearsed, but this was much better than his past several performances. And it wouldn’t be a Daniel recap without mentioning how adorable he is. Performance Grade: B+
Quentin Alexander,”Rolling in the Deep.” First of all, I’m surprised America backed him after not backing him from last time around. I guess the judges’ save goes a long way. As for this performance, I liked the arrangement. It was cool to hear an Adele song that’s not just a complete imitation of Adele. As for the vocals, they got off to a shaky start but improved a little later on. It was a pretty middle of the road effort in my opinion. Performance Grade: B-
Nick Fradiani, “Wake Me Up.” This is one of those performances where I forget to take notes because I’m just watching and listening. I mean one could argue it was a boring performance, but he’s got such a presence and his vocals are so soothing that I can’t judge it for being kind of boring. Overall, it was pretty solid. Performance Grade: A-
So that means Sarina-Joi Crowe didn’t get the votes she needed. So she takes the stage for the one judges’ save of the season. She went with “Neon Lights” by Demi Lovato (first mistake) and it wasn’t good. Why she picked this song to save her life, I have no idea. I would have stopped her after the first minutes and said bye. So disappointed in her song choice. She’s way better than that. So no surprise that the judges did not use the save. Sarina-Joi was eliminated.
What did you think of the performances and the outcome of the vote? Did Sarina-Joi deserve to stay?