Semi-Finals Group 3 Performances

So Idol is definitely throwing me for a loop this year. It seemed to me that week one was jam packed with good people and I was underwhelmed. Last week seemed almost just as stacked.... still underwhelmed. Week 3's line up was, well... underwhelming at first... and in my opinion they were the most consistently good group so far. Some people definitely surprised me with how well they did. And if anything, it makes the predictions for this week that much harder.
Here's my play-by-play for the performances:

1. Von Smith, "You're All I Need To Get By": I thought his video clip before his performance said he was NOT going to shout this time??? To me there was still a lot of shouting. There's no denying he has pipes, but he's just a little too show-tuney for me. It just doesn't seem very genuine. He picked an OK song for his singing style... but he just oversang the crap out of it. Still... it wasn't horrible. But I think he didn't really allow America to connect with him because it was like we were watching a middle school talent show.

2. Taylor Vaifanua, "If I Ain't Got You": The vocal itself wasn't horrible. She did crack on a few notes, but to be expected. I completely agree with the judges though, that she needed to change the song up or something. The vocal riffs were pretty much all the same as the Alicia Keys version. It didn't really show us who she was... it was more of a copycat version.

3. Alex Wagner-Trugman, "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues": For me, Alex was the only performer who really tanked last night. It was bad. And for some reason I remember him actually being a decent singer (despite the dorky exterior) in earlier rounds. But this was just plain bad.

4. Arianna Afsar, "The Winner Takes It All": I really think the judges gave her a harder time than she deserved. The vocal wasn't THAT bad. Sure she had a few cracked notes in there... but some of the riffs and additions she made to the song were REALLY good and you could show she put in some effort (unlike Taylor's copycatting earlier). I agree that ABBA wasn't probably the best choice for her... as we were reminded during her video package that she really sang "Put Your Records On" well. She needs to sing something fun and upbeat like that. I hope the judges give her a chance to come back for Wild Card.

5. Ju'Not Joyner, "Hey There Delilah": It was good. It was smooth as the judges said. He did a decent job. Here's my problem with this performance: If you're one of the only African-American males that made it through, do not sing a song that was "blown out the box" by someone like Jamar duing Hollywood week! Some of us are still bitter about him getting cut... and to us, he really owned that song. The judges commented about him taking a rock song and giving it an R&B vibe... but to me, Jamar already did it so there wasn't anything original about it. But that's my only problem. Other than that, I think he did well.

6. Kristen MacNamara, "Give Me One Reason": I liked this performance much more than I thought I would. During Hollywood week, Kristen seemed like more of a caricature than anything else. Another one of these flamboyant personalities that made it through to add drama to the show. But tonight, she came back with less attitude and less colored hair-dye and I was actually impressed. It was a good song choice... recognizeable, but with room to make it her own, which she did. Again, there were some broken notes here and there. But overall, I think she did well.

7. Nathaniel Marshall, "I'd Do Anything For Love": OK.... I admit that he was probably the one person that annoyed me the most out of anyone so far this season. More than Tatiana... more than Nick/Norman.... (hmmm... notice that all three of them were in different groups? Coincidence? I think not....). All the crying and screaming was just too much for me. Here's the deal with last nights performance: I actually think he did just about anything he could do to possibly have a chance (even though he doesn't have one....). The song choice was odd... but he's odd... so it oddly worked. His voice isn't horrible. It's definitely not good enough for a recording contract... and it is definitely in the bottom half of performers in the top 36. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't hate it as much as I expected to. I was pleasantly surprised... but I still don't like him or think he has a chance of making it through.

8. Felicia Barton, "No One": I give this girl props for being sent home, and not letting it ruin her spirit. She seemed to take the second chance with true graciousness. I honestly feel that she did about all she could have done to make it through too, and she won't. As far as appearances, she probably was styled the best of anyone that took the stage last night (including Ryan... ummm what was up with those pants??!?). The arrangement of "No One" wasn't good. As far as song choice is considered, you don't only have to pick a song that works for your voice, but you have to pick a song that works when it is shortened down to 1:45... and for me this song didn't work in that aspect. She does have a decent voice though, and (again...) did better than I expected.

9. Scott MacIntyre "Mandolin Rain": OK.... so here's my deal with Scott. Listening to his performance of "Home" by Daughtry during Hollywood week really unimpressed me. I thought it was rough, and I didn't expect him to make it though. When he did, I figured he was making through because of his disability (which I do not argue is pretty commendable for taking an entertainment route). So, I was going into last night sorta a hater. AGAIN, I was pleasantly surprised, and I liked it more than I thought. He actually has pretty good vocal stylings with his riffs and what not. The song choice??? Odd because I bet 1% of viewers have actually heard that song before... but it oddly worked because it allowed him to make it his own. It almost sounded like he was performing an original. Do I think he deserves all of the high praise the judges gave him? Probably not fully.... but he did do really well... and I would not be surprised if he is the male choice of round three.

10. Kendall Beard, "This One's For The Girls": My thoughts on Kendall: don't be surprised if she pulls a Kris Allen and gets a surprise spot in the top three tonight. The judges kind of gave her mixed reviews... but I actually really liked this performance. Let's be real for a second.... picking Martina, and picking the upbeat "This One's For The Girls" could have been a DISASTER. It was actually quite good, and VERY fitting for her. It felt genuine, and felt like this is the kind of song that she could actually record. I'm worried if she were to attempt an actual career in country that there are already too many cute blonde haired young girls in country right now (Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Picker, Julienne Hough, etc.) but that could also be her ticket in because she has a lot of relatable stars that she could play off of. Overall, I think she maximized her potential last night with her style, her song choice, and her performance.

11. Jorge Nunez, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me": He definitely has some vocal chops... there is no denying it. Do I think he earned all of the high praise he got from the judges? Probably not. I think they are trying to justify the auditions going to San Juan by actually backing a Puerto Rican contestant. He seems like a genuinely nice person though... and when others have cried on the show for the drama (see: Nathaniel) I felt like last night he was truly overcome with emotion and it was very genuine.

12. Lil Rounds, "Be Without You": OK... my friend Katie sent me a message about this last night, and I couldn't agree more with her: What is up with Idol stacking the groups with the shoe-in contestants singling last in all three groups? Was there any doubt from auditions and Hollywood that Lil wasn't going to make it through? Doubtful. Now I just hope and pray that during the results tonight that they announce her FIRST and get it out of the way instead of waiting til last (if it comes down to Lil and Nathaniel, I may throw something at the TV! I am SO over that combo!). OK... so I haven't said anything about her performance yet. It was good. Predictably good. And I 100% agree with Simon that she should have picked a different song because it was SUPER copycatty. We already know she has a Mary J vibe going on, so why further the stereotype? But she's a guarantee.

Who I think SHOULD make it through: Lil, Scott & Kendall

Who WILL make it through: Lil, Scott, Ju'Not

Almost more importantly at this point.... is WHO will be back for the Wild Card round tomorrow???!? I can't believe its already tomorrow night and we'll know who the top 12 are. Craziness.

Here are my predictions and thoughts for the wild card hopefuls:
1. Matt Giraud (gotta be there)
2. Anoop Desai (also gotta be there)
3. Jasmine Murray
4. Arianna Afsar
5. Megan Joy Corkrey
6. Kendall Beard
7. Jorge Nunez
8. Brent Keith
9. Mishovanna Henson
10. Ricky Braddy

with (hopefully)
11. Jamar (Danny's friend that got cut in Hollywood week)
12. Frankie Jordan

(there are rumors that some people that didn't make Top 36 may be invited back for the Wild Card. Fingers crossed for these two!)