Rising Star - Live Blog and Recap - Top 8 Perform, 3 Go Home
Welcome to the live blog and recap of Rising Star Week 8! Last week featured the Top 13 performing, with six singers going home. However, Dana Williams once again earned the West Coast Save, allowing her to become the eighth singer in our Top 8.
This week, the Top 8 perform and three will be eliminated. However, one singer will be rescued with the West Coast Save, leaving us with a Top 6. So who will survive the second week of the quarterfinals? Who will advance and who will go home? Keep it locked right here, as I'll be updating the blog as the night rolls on!
Credit: ABC
Let's get this show on the road!
RECAP
-We open with introductions, and Josh explaining the rules for this quarterfinal round, as five will advance and three will be eliminated, except for one singer, who will be saved by the West Coast. The Top 6 then move on to compete in the semifinals next week. Also, the experts' votes only count for 3% now!
JOSHUA PEAVY is up first!
-Josh Groban feels Joshua is getting to show off his "inner badass," while his other contestants talk about his backstage dance moves, and add that if he stays who he is, and remains as charming as he's always been, he'll be unbeatable.
-Joshua sings "American Woman," and it's such a wild departure from his last performance that I can't help being impressed by his versatility. It's a really high energy performance, and he displays some insane vocal power that he didn't really show last week. Ultimately, Joshua is able to score 71% of the vote, including all three experts, to take a commanding lead to kick off the night.
-Kesha wasn't certain about the song choice, but admits to being won over by Joshua's vocal. Brad and Ludacris are every bit as enthusiastic, with Ludacris taking a page out of Brad's book and echoing the thoughts of people on Twitter, who feels that Joshua actually does have moves.
-I really liked this performance, and I like his chances of still being here when the night is over, since it was a pretty memorable performance, in my opinion.
VIDEO: Joshua Peavy sings "American Woman"
DANA WILLIAMS is up next!
-Dana was once again saved by the West Coast, showing an insane resiliency that suggests she's far more popular on the West Coast than on the East Coast. I like her though, and I kind of wish she were more popular, since she has an insane amount of talent. April describes Dana as "The Comeback Kid," while Kesha talks about loving her voice, as the other contestants talk about her infectious laugh and the passion in her voice.
-Dana sings "Human" by Christina Perri, and I think this might be it for Dana. Just very uneven throughout, as she struggles to maintain a consistent tone. The parts that aren't pitchy just end up being downright shouty and nasally. And that's disappointing, because I know Dana is capable of so much more. But this was the wrong song choice. Ludacris votes no, while Kesha and Brad vote yes. Coupled with America's votes, Dana reaches 57%.
-Ludacris didn't feel it was Dana's best, saying it started out well but declined from there. Kesha says it evidenced that Dana showed "more balls than you've ever had before, and I loved it." Brad, however, says he's still looking for something from her, but says she still got him to vote yes.
VIDEO: Dana Williams, "Human"
APRIL LOCKHART is up next!
-The other contestants and Josh Groban chat about April Lockhart, discussing her quirkiness and how she can get away with silly things that the rest of them can't, such as saying "cool beans." They feel she has the perfect makings of a pop star, while Ludacris adds she's been through more adversity than just about anyone else in the competition. Brad feels there's almost no song she doesn't sound cool doing. This is a cute little opening video package, and I feel as though, of all the contestants, April is the most vividly memorable in the personality department.
-April sings "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," but she doesn't really modernize the arrangement. However, she's just quirky enough to make it work, with her impressive guitar work and her playful facial expressions. That said, this wasn't a blow-away by any means, and I think she could find herself in trouble, especially since Brad and Ludacris voted "no," leaving her with just 27% of the vote. OUCH. She wasn't that bad, America.
-Brad is disappointed because he feels this is the one time where an April Lockhart performance didn't really work. And he hates that he didn't love it, since he loves April. However, he does feel she has a career. Ludacris, meanwhile, echoes Twitter once again by saying he didn't think this was a good song choice at all. Kesha wasn't sure about the song choice, but she feels it's such a fun song, and April is such a cute girl, that she enjoyed it. I kind of feel the way Brad does. I like April a lot, but this could have been so much better than it was.
VIDEO: April Lockhart sings "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
MANEEPAT MOLLOY is up next!
-The other contestants talk about Maneepat's stunning vocals, with Audrey Kate adding that she's incredibly sweet and innocent. Joshua feels she has the best vocal tone in the competition, while April adds that she's like the female Josh Groban, and that everyone is just entranced by Maneepat. This is sort of like a poor man's version of American Idol's "The contestants riff on each other" segments, except somehow more toothless than what Idol does. Not that I want them to be vicious, necessarily, but I just don't really see the point in any of these segments.
-Maneepat sings "Your Song," and it's closer to the Elton John original than the more modern Ellie Goulding take. The opening is done a cappella, and it's actually quite pretty. However, the rest of the song is fairly flavorless in its vocal arrangement. I love Maneepat's voice, and it's certainly lovely to listen to, but I worry this was just way too safe for her to stand out. Both Brad and Ludacris vote "no," and Maneepat ultimately finishes with just 46%. Oh COME ON now, she should have at least got above 50%.
-Kesha says that "This is a singing competition, and you sing real good." And that's it. Brad says it needed "a little more soul." Meanwhile, we're running short on time so we skip Ludacris. I hope Maneepat manages to survive this week, but I could see how she might not, since this wasn't really the week for that kind of safe, understated performance.
VIDEO: Maneepat Molloy sings "Your Song"
AUDREY KATE GEIGER is up next!
-Kesha describes Audrey as "the kind of girl every guy falls in love with," and Jesse agrees, although that's all he'll say because Audrey has a boyfriend. April talks about sharing a bond with Audrey, not just because they're roommates, but also because they're both from New Jersey. Josh Groban, meanwhile, loves the nuance of her voice, while the other contestants talk about her zen-like attitude. Audrey is so outrageously cute.
-Audrey sings "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel, and it's my favorite performance so far. Her voice just has such a wonderful, ethereal quality to it, like she's not entirely from this planet. And she just makes it sound so EASY. I can't help but be impressed, and it's to the point where I would be shocked (SHOCKED) if she didn't make the finale. She finishes the song with the best score of the night so far: 85%! And she even lets out a stifled giggle at the end, which may be the cutest thing I've seen on this show. The standing ovation she gets from the experts is well-earned.
-Ludacris loved the piano, loved her look, loved the smoky jazz vibe, and calls it an easy "yes" on his part. Kesha feels Audrey picked the right song, and America loved it. Brad, meanwhile, is convinced Audrey is a star, and I think she's probably the closest thing this show has to one. Maybe Jesse Kinch could be a big deal, but I don't know if his classic rock stylings will necessarily catch the mainstream by storm. Then again, it's probably going to be an uphill battle for anyone on this show to breakthrough simply from being on this show, given how little-seen this season has been.
VIDEO: Audrey Kate Geiger sings "New York State of Mind"
-April Lockhart is now in the hot seat. If the next singer can raise the Wall, we will say goodbye to her.
AUSTIN FRENCH is up next!
-The contestants talk about how cute Austin and his wife are, and we're reminded once again why Austin is one of the easier guys to remember, since his progress has gone from "Engaged Guy" to "Married Guy". Still, engaged or married, he's "Can Definitely SING Guy," so hopefully he can bring it tonight. The experts all talk about how happy Austin is, although Kesha worries about what kind of record Austin would make, since she still doesn't know. You know, that's a pretty good point. I have no idea what an Austin French album would be like. Then again, I kind of like that you never really know what you're going to get with him. Keeps things interesting.
-And he does, singing "House of the Rising Sun" and absolutely slaying it, in my opinion. He just has such a soulful, vibrant quality to his voice, as if he's possessed. I loved this far more than I thought I would. Right now, he's neck-and-neck with Audrey for best of the night. And, apparently, America agrees, as he surpasses Audrey's score by earning a whopping 89%!
-Surprisingly, Brad admits he's never loved that song, and finds himself wishing Austin would belt out a country tune sometime, maybe Rascal Flatts or Hunter Hayes or -- as Kesha suggests he really meant -- Brad Paisley. That said, Brad does like Austin, so that's a plus. Kesha likes both Austin and the song, and admits she used to cover this song herself. Meanwhile, Ludacris loved that Austin changed some of the vocal arrangements of the song, and says that's what earned his "yes" vote.
VIDEO: Austin French sings 'House of the Rising Sun'
-Naturally, because Austin raised the Wall...
APRIL LOCKHART is eliminated from RISING STAR!
-That is, unless the West Coast saves her. As for now, Maneepat Molloy is the next person in the hot seat.
SHAMEIA CRAWFORD is up next!
-Josh talks about how poised and confident Shameia is, while Joshua says that Shameia is very serious about what she does. Brad recalls tweeting throughout the first episode to try and get the West Coast to save her. She was the first West Coast Save, and has gone on to be one of the show's stronger singers. The contestants note the contrast between her sweetness backstage and her seriousness onstage, as she is constantly rehearsing and practicing to get her performance down right.
-Shameia sings "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato, and this was a bit much for me. It was certainly a good vocal, but I feel that, in her case, subtlety would do her a lot of good, since I think she's a brilliant singer when she's not pushing herself to near hoarseness. Regardless, her voice does have some lovely moments here, and she really is one of the best singers in the entire competition. She ultimately raises the Wall with 54% of the vote.
-Kesha loves the conviction in Shameia's eyes and the emotion in her voice. Ludacris, meanwhile, truly believes that Shameia wants this more than any other contestant. For his part, Brad wishes she could have been a bit more dynamic, but still feels it was a remarkable performance otherwise.
VIDEO: Shameia Crawford sings "Skyscraper"
-And with Shameia raising the Wall (for the first time, in fact!)...
MANEEPAT MOLLOY is eliminated from RISING STAR!
-Kind of a surprise, for me. I mean, this wasn't her best night, but I expected her to go farther. Perhaps the West Coast will save her, since she only barely got eliminated. Hell, Shameia basically just takes her spot in the hot seat now.
JESSE KINCH closes the show!
-Jesse is the rocker of the show, and apparently, the male contestants all have a Jesse Kinch impression. The girls, meanwhile, have a joke about how Jesse "smolders" in each performance. They also add that he has a habit of counting off his performances with a "1,2,3,4," which almost no one does anymore. Brad feels Jesse has a big career ahead of him, and who knows? Maybe he'll be right. I think Jesse has been the show's most consistent performer, scoring well above the average of just about any other contestant.
-Jesse sings "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, and it's another classic Jesse Kinch performance in that it's an old fashioned rock classic that somehow feels modern in his hands. Granted, I kind of wish Jesse branched out a bit further, perhaps into rearranging a song that isn't rock, and making it sound like the classic style he so often emulates. But I find Jesse impressive precisely because he already knows who he is as an artist, which not all contestants do on a show like this. He raises the Wall with 88%, even with Brad voting "no" for some reason.
-The experts get into an argument, as Kesha strongly disagrees with Brad's assertion that Jesse delivered a cliche cover version of that song. Kesha tells Jesse not to listen to Brad, but Brad says that Jesse shouldn't be allowed to just waltz through the competition. He's actually trying to offer some valid criticisms and opinions, which is admirable, if nothing else. Besides, Brad probably knew he could afford to send a message by voting no without endangering Jesse's spot. I like that Brad has the conviction to reject simply going along with the popular opinion. It's worthy of respect, if nothing else.
VIDEO: Jesse Kinch sings "Money (That's What I Want)"
-And with that latest Wall raising performance...
SHAMEIA CRAWFORD is eliminated from RISING STAR!
-And so our top five are...
Joshua Peavey
Dana Williams
Audrey Kate Geiger
Austin French
Jesse Kinch
-Meanwhile, the three eliminated singers competing for the West Coast Save are...
Shameia Crawford
Maneepat Molloy
April Lockhart
Should be a close race. Either way, here's hoping the show picks up steam next week, since this was a fairly underwhelming night. Until then, let us know what you thought of tonight's show!