by Kylene Hamulak

 

Everytime we make it to the end of another round of American Idol, I look back and marvel at the number of hours we've spent with Ryan Seacrest up to this point. Tonight marks the last night of the Sudden Death round, where the final five guys will join the Top 20, who will sing for our votes next week.

 

HITS:

 

Vincent Powell, "Cause I Love You" by Lenny Williams

You want soul? Vincent's got it. His bluesy performance is spot on, and cut aways to the judges and crowd show that his audience is totally lost in it. Including Zoanette, who is - can you believe it - going nuts in (and out) of her seat. He hits a glory note at the end that earns him a standing ovation that is well deserved. Keith loves it, and Nicki calls it a "sexy old-fashioned". "That hit me right here, that hit me SOMEWHERE," Nicki tells him. Randy calls him "dawg" four thousand times before wrapping him up in the "complete package." Mariah has one word for him: "Finally."

 

Burnell Taylor, "This Time" by John Legend

Burnell is one of those great Idol contestants - yes he's got a voice, but more importantly, he's got an inspiring backstory (Hurrican Katrina survivor) and a likable personality. Keith really liked his performance and thinks he's here to stay. Nicki would pay to see him sing. Literally. RIGHT NOW. (I wish Burnell had put his hand out and taken her up on it.) Nicki then goes on this rant about coming out of the hood and signifying a different spirit taking on his life and then names him the best. BY FAR. (How quickly we forget about Vincent!) Randy thinks everyone is in love with him, and he likes that he's different. Mariah agrees that it was fantastic and hopes he stays in the competition to excel.

 

Cortez Shaw, "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia

Like so many of the girls last night, Cortez decides to slow down a typically uptempo song. I don't know why, but I'm irritated by it - I really liked him in Hollywood. He's a little pitchy, but I still give him a pass, mostly because the crowd LOVES it. Keith calls it a bold and brave move to make it a ballad and thought there were a lot of spots that weren't great. He was incosnsitent, but did manage to hit a redeeming note at the end. Nicki liked him. A lot. Randy is a big fan, and Mariah is taking credit for liking him from the beginning.

 

MISSES:

 

Gurpreet  Singh, "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You" by James Morrison

The Turbanator wants to change America's perception of the Sikh culture and hopes people will see him as just a singer. But he did say we could call him the Turbanator, so I intend to continue that. Now, about the singing part - it wasn't good. I love this song, so maybe I'm biased, but he sounded flat in a lot of it. Keith likes his voice, but he likes it more with the acoustic guitar than he does tonight. Nicki calls him "Turb", and that's funny. She agrees with Keith about the guitar and tells him tonight was not the night to take that chance. Randy thought it was terrible, and Mariah was disappointed not to hear his softer voice.

 

Josh Holiday, Original Song

Singing an original song is a risk at this point, and Josh starts it at the piano. It's a totally cheezy song, but I'm buying it for now. He's a little breathy in spots, and I have to look away when he gets up and starts pulling out gestures that he must've stolen from the 98 Degrees choreography handbook because I'm reminded (oddly) of Nick Lachey. Keith wants Josh him to really let go and not be so careful. Nicki, again, feels like he was trying too hard to please the judges. Randy wasn't wowed, though Mariah is impressed that he's a songwriter. Not so much a song SINGER, but the writing part she seems to like.

 

WHAT??

Most contestants fall under one of two categories: Hits or Misses. Tonight, however, there were so many mixed critiques it was really hard to categorize. Especially after the results were announced. These are some of those guys.

 

Nick Boddington, "Say Something Now" by James Morrison

Listening to Nick sing, I'm trying to remember his other performances. I'm pretty sure I liked him before, but tonight? Notsomuch. It's not TERRIBLE, and the ending hits a pretty nice note, but it's just an ok song from him. Keith says he liked it, but he was waiting for some connection that he didn't feel. Nicki says it wasn't a ten, and she's seen better performances from him. Randy, again, isn't sure it was the right song for him - someone better tell the guys not to pick any more James Morrison for a while. Mariah heard what I did - he did have ONE moment at the end, but she thinks he wasn't quite connected either.

 

Bryant Tadeo, "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel

As Bryant talks about Hawaii, all I wanna do is yell "OHANA!" at him. I actually really liked his performance, except for all the hands and gesturing and what not. I mean, he sounded good, and that's more than I can say for some of the other guys. Keith notes that he got a standing ovation and that he handled the song really well. Nicki liked the last riff in the song...and nothing else. Randy liked the beginning but wanted it to go somewhere, and Mariah thinks he got a little lost.

 

Lazaro Arbos, "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban

In his hot pink shirt and suspenders and bow tie, I want so badly for Lazaro to pull out a kick ass performance. His voice is still there somewhere, but it didn't show up for most of this - bad song choice, if you ask me. He sounded strained. Keith didn't think he got comfortable with the song, while Nicki think he played it safe in a good way. Randy thinks he hit the sweet spot of his voice in the chorus, and Mariah is really proud of him for getting through it.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

 

Word of the Night - CONNECTED: If you watch this back and take a shot every time someone uses the word "connected", you'll probably have to watch it again. Next week. When you recover from the hangover.

 

Most Disappointing Poor Song Choice: Mathenee Treco seems like a really cool guy - like, I wish he was around to hang out with my friends and me. The song ("A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley")? Meh...not great. In the words of Simon, it was a little karaoke to me, and it didn't really show off what I think he's potentially capable of. Keith warns him not to underestimate his voice while trying to entertain, and Nicki thinks he was trying too hard to please the judges. She also calls it karaoke and either "chaisey" or "cheesey", depending on how you interpret her British accent. Randy hates the song choice, and Mariah? She didn't KNOW the song. Really, Mariah? What color is the rock you live under that you don't know the song?

Math and Idol Don't Mix: David David Oliver Willis grew up in a foster home with a ton of kids and a wide spread of musical influences. His adopted mom was born in 1944 (oh, ok) and his adopted dad was born in 1906. Wait, WHAT? 1906? As in 107 years ago? Can someone please confirm that I heard that correctly? That I did the math correctly? In what I can only assume is a further effort to confuse me, David does an interesting arrangement of "Fever" by Peggy Lee - it's not bad. It doesn't blow me away, but it seems like sort of slim pickin's tonight, so I'm willing to call it relatively good. Keith didn't think it was the right song, but he did manage to have a moment at the end. Nicki describes it like a guy who got a new guitar for Christmas and performed for his family - eek. Randy calls it a boring song choice, but likes that he's a little different. Mariah thinks he's done better, but notes that the crowd seemed to love it.

 

Five In, Five Out: Tough night of decisions for the judges - not because they were all terrific, but because so many of them, you know...weren't that great. This is half of our TOP TEN guys, America! And at least, what, six of them picked terrible songs? What's going on here?

 

In:

Vincent Powell

Lazaro Arbos

Cortez Shaw

Burnell Taylor

Nick Boddington

 

Out:

David Willis

Bryant Tadeo

Mathenee Treco

Josh Holiday

Gurpreet Singh

 

 

Final Thoughts: I'm surprised. I thought, particularly, Mathenee and Bryant could've brought something interesting to the competition, and, even though I love Lazaro, his performance was NOT good tonight. I have to assume the judges' choices are based on more than just the most recent performance. Which means I don't understand "Sudden Death" the same way American Idol does.

 

So that's it - we've got our Top 20, and now the voting is in OUR hands! What will make you pick up a phone next week? Personally, I want some up tempo songs - I hope a good fraction of the contestants steer away from the ballads and slowed down arrangements for a while.

 

Catch American Idol next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8/7C on Fox!

 

(Images courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Kylene on Twitter @keepingupwithky!