American Idol Top 7 Then and Now - Season 11 - iTunes Studio Recording Review
Here are my reviews for the American Idol 11 Top 7 - Then and Now iTunes studio recordings.
Skylar Laine wins hands down and Colton Dixon lays two eggs. Sadly, I think Phillip Phillips had a "moment" which no one really noticed.
The reviews:
Download: American Idol Top 7 Now (New Millennium) Season 11
Download: American Idol Top 7 Then (Old Soul) Season 11
Hollie Cavanagh - Rolling In the Deep
Pass. She's no Adele. What kind of masochist with disposable income would buy this? Oh wait. Me. And dear Idol iTunes production team: don't think that we won't notice how sloppy you ended this song. So unprofessional.
Rating: 0/5
Watch Hollie's live performance
Colton Dixon - Bad Romance
No. No. No. No. No. No. Merciful @god how was this even recorded? What are they smoking over there at the Idol mansion? Sheesh. This was bad. Colton just entered Erin Martin 'What's Love Got To Do With It' territory with one. I think Colton just beat Joshua for the most torturous track this season.
Rating: 0/5
Watch Colton's live performance
Skylar Laine - Born This Way
Nasal singing lives! Another solid recording from Skylar, but I really noticed a dip in the quality of the recordings this week. Looks like they were rushing all these tracks out for release today. It's good that Skylar records really well without production manipulation.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Skylar's live performance
Joshua Ledet - I Believe
Big disappointment after a great live performance of this song from Joshua. We're back to the live not matching the studio for him. And yes the gargling of saliva in my ear is back again in full force. Sigh. His high notes are awful!
I want to give Joshua a hug. He is getting the worst kind of advice from the people around him on the show telling him he is amazing, when he is not. They are turning him into a joke which saddens me.
Rating: 1/5
Watch Joshua's live performance
Phillip Phillips - U Got It Bad
This was Phillip's "Heartless" moment. But I guess no one noticed? Go Phillip!
Rating: 4/5
Watch Phillip's live performance
Jessica Sanchez - Fallin'
Sorry, Jessica has no soul. She can do the runs, growls and copy Alicia Keys' inflections, but she will never be able to copy that x factor that made this song a hit. Quite frankly, she is not the artist that she wants to be yet. This song falls flat in the real world and only shines because Jessica is one the best vocalists in this batch of contestants.
Rating: 4/5
Watch Jessica's live performance
Elise Testone - No One
A great song choice for Elise's voice. Good job in the recording as well -- although I had to give her minus points for staying the same level all throughout the song. It felt like it was dialed up to 8 all the time, which was annoying toward the end.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Elise's live performance
Download: American Idol Top 7 Now (New Millennium) Season 11
Download: American Idol Top 7 Then (Old Soul) Season 11
Hollie Cavanagh - Son of a Preacher Man
Redeemed! Hollie should be thankful that she had a second song that could actually showcase her vocals properly in the studio. This is her best recording, what a pleasant surprise.
Rating: 4/5
Watch Hollie's live performance
Colton Dixon - September
Seriously Colton. This is September by Earth, Wind and Fire. Is this some kind of joke? Who green-lit this thing? FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
Rating: 0/5
Watch Colton's live performance
Skylar Laine - Heard It Through The Grapevine
Yet another solid track from Skylar. No matter what happens, she will get signed to a record deal after this. She really records very well, nasally singing an all. I actually like it.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Skylar's live performance
Joshua Ledet - A Change Is Gonna Come
Joshua surprisingly showed restraint in this track. Good for him! This is his best recording of the season. Placed his runs and effects at the right places and didn't go all over the place. Well done.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Joshua's live performance
Phillip Phillips - In The Midnight Hour
Well, at least Phillip is consistent with his style. An OK track from him which his fans will love and his critics will hate as expected.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Phillip's live performance
Jessica Sanchez - Try A Little Tenderness
Without a template to follow, Jessica is clearly lost. She tried to growl every single note on this track, in her "version of soul". Oh well, she's young. Hopefully she learns. In fairness, she hit the notes. But in order to be an artist, the notes need to have a little something special -- which Jessica is incapable of doing 3 months into this competition.
Rating: 3/5
Watch Jessica's live performance
Elise Testone - Let's Get It On
Poor song choice. This was a mess. What was she thinking? It sounded like she liked to sing certain parts of this song that's why she chose it -- but it was all over the place. One of the most incoherent recordings as far as intent and style I've heard this season on Idol. It didn't even sound like a track to me. It was like she was singing it in parts. Very weird.
Rating: 1/5
Watch Elise's live performance
Download: American Idol Top 7 Now (New Millennium) Season 11
Download: American Idol Top 7 Then (Old Soul) Season 11
