American Idol 14 Recap – Semifinals – Top 16 Girls (VIDEOS)

American Idol 14 Recap Semifinals Results Top 8 Girls VIDEO

We’re live blogging the American Idol 14 Top 16 GIRLS Results and PERFORMANCES! Who will be eliminated? What will the Top 8 sing? Stick around to find out.

Read More – Spoiler Discussion!: American Idol 14 Spoilers – Top 16 Girls Results and Songs

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I am very sad at the loss of compelling songstress, Katherine Winston.  It was inevitable. With the little screen time she had, the singer needed flawless performances to keep advancing. Her Taylor Swift cover last week just didn’t cut it. I’m not too broken up over losing Shi Scott, Lovey James and Sharon Berthiaume.  Shi was a train wreck. Sharon had a good voice, but she could barely perform without losing it, and Lovey’s vocals were uneven.

Tonight’s performances were a disappointment for the most part. The only standouts were Tyanna Jones and Sarina-Joi Crowe.  An honorable mention goes to Joey Cook for not boring me, but I’m afraid her “vintage” song arrangements are going to get old.  Everybody else was mediocre and/or had pitch problems. I wish Jax would quit trying to prove how edgy and risky she is.  Jax is wearing her “artistry” like a new outfit, rather than inhabiting it authentically. Show us your heart Jax, and you will be golden. No convoluted song arrangements necessary.

On Alexis Gomez going last with a cringe-worthy performance: As some of you have noted, the producers probably wanted the reveal of the final elimination to hold some suspense. If Jax, Tyanna or Sarina were left with four other girls, there would have been no drama.

Next week is the Top 12 reveal. I was really disappointed to learn that two wildcards will come from the six contestants eliminated from the fan vote. We could have used some corrective measures right about now. The finals would have benefited from the addition of Katherine Winston, Savion Wright and Riley Bria. It happens every year, thought. The sad loss of promising contestants at the semifinal stage. Remember what a blood bath season 9 was? That’s Idol for you.

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I just noticed. Why is Ryan Seacrest dressed like a bum? Look. It’s the Top 8 in the balcony. Sads. For the guys who aren’t there.

Ryan Seacrest will call the Top 8 in performance order. The last 4 contestants will be eliminated.

Tyanna Jones — Bobby Day/Michael Jackson’s “Rockin’ Robin” – When I heard this song choice, I cringed. So many great Motown songs, and Tyanna chooses a cover? Still, she pulls it off! She’s full of energy and fun. Her soulful performance is effortless and playful. Totally watchable. Also, it’s nice to see a young woman not trying to be older than she is. “What a great way to kick it off, perfect song choice,” says Keith. Jlo is getting massive throwback vibes. “That was awesome,” she says. “It was subtle, it was strong, what can’t you sing?” asks Harry. Tyanna doesn’t have an answer – 1-866-436-5701 – Text 1 to 21523

http://youtu.be/Wxz4XC5dikA

Loren Lott – Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” – This is a bad song choice. She’s pitchy. She screeches the high notes. She’s lacking warmth. She’s acting the words rather than feeling them. Just no. She does better with songs that call for drama. “You really made me smile. Strong vocal. Strong performance. You’re going to do really well,” says Jennifer NO JLO. Harry thinks she nudged the bar a little higher. Is he kidding? “It’s really good baby.” says Keith. Not feeling the judges on this one. She kind of loses her mind after her performance. “THIS IS THE BEST MOMENT EVER!!!!” she says, jumping up and down. – 1-866-436-5702 – Text 2 to 21523

http://youtu.be/TCMVi-8By-0

Maddie Walker — The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” – I’m coming to the conclusion that Maddie has a beautiful tone, but she doesn’t know how to phrase a song. Her affectation here is so flat. She holds notes blandly, with no feeling or dynamics. This is such a beautiful song–a perfect opportunity to emote–but she’s not connected at all. Harry says she deserves to be here. He notes, however, that she goes sharp on her long notes. Also, she should work on her dynamics. je says.  Keith liked the changes she made to the song. But, she should think about the lyric, which will help control her nerves. “You did a really good job, even with the nerves,” says Jlo – 1-866-436-5703 – Text 3 to 21523

http://youtu.be/mJN1SosVk1A

Here comes the “mentoring” from Aretha Franklin. I was wondering about that, when we did not see her work with the contestants at all yesterday. She addresses the Top 24 as a group. She tells them to stay fit. Hm. Also. Stay away from the wrong people! Interesting advice. She says “pay attention to the business side.” She claims to know how to spell RESPECT. Ha.

http://youtu.be/FY7BZdgdMbg

Joey Cook — The Miracles’ “Shop Around” – Joey turns Shop Around into a jazzy thing.  It’s Joey-ized! There’s Rickey Minor on the upright bass. We need Casey Abrams! When Joey leaves Idol, I think there will be a spot waiting for her with Postmodern Jukebox. Not loving the weird diction thing she’s doing here, and the stuff with her hands. but I like the jazzy vibe, overall. She let her excitement at getting through creep into her performance, which made it a little hyper. Loving her vintage polka dot dress. “You make bespoke custom music that really suits you,” says Keith. Jlo loves that she has special qualities, and her vulnerability. Harry loves her unique artistry. He’s wondering if viewers will tire of her “hyper stylization.” I think they will, honestly. She needs to dial it back, her extreme affectations can be distracting. – 1-866-436-5704 – Text 4 to 21523

http://youtu.be/aEAStEythRI

Sarina Joi-Crowe — The Miracles’ “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” – Sarina tackles this classic with only an electric guitar as accompaniment. Her voice is gorgeous. She knows how to PERFORM a song, with just the right amount of vocal adlibbing. Tasty. “Mama, you sing, you really really sing. I really believe in you. You are probably the best singer here,” says Jlo. “I think you’re terrific. Nice job,” says Harry. But he notes that the performance was consistently flat. She needs to watch her intonation. So you call out Sarina but not Loren (who was way more pitchy). I didn’t hear many flat notes, to be honest. Maybe I was too mesmerized by her incredible phrasing. “The tone of your voice is beautiful,” says Keith. He’s impressed that she doesn’t allow herself to be pulled away by crowd reaction. – 1-866-436-5705 – Text 5 to 21523

http://youtu.be/iVmlG76usV0

Adanna Duru — Lionel Richie’s “Hello” –  It’s hard to look away from Adanna’s theater-tastic performance of “Hello.”  so much ACTING as Jon Lovitz, Master Thespian, would say.  She starts off breathy and soft until she goes full throttle at the end. At which point, she has her usual pitch problems. Harry gives her a A plus on singing the lyrics. But she need to work on her intonation (that word again!). Keith felt she owned the last part of the song. Jlo liked it, but didn’t love it. Song choice is important, she says. – 1-866-436-5706 – Text 6 to 21523

http://youtu.be/rf6N6NKF-WU

Jax — Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Hmmmmm. She turns “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” into a smokey 50s jazz joint. Has she actually listened to the lyrics?  The song is meant as a passionate promise to always be there for an ex-lover, no matter what. The sentiment is emotional–a little corny, even.  There’s NOTHING cool about this song. Nothing. This is a classic example of changing up a song without any real forethought. Jax. Seriously. YOU TRY WAY TOO HARD. “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough” beatnik style. Never asked for that. Don’t want it. Points for wearing the “Black and Blue” dress. Or is it white and gold?  That’s funny. And also the dumbest meme ever. The song didn’t work for Jlo. “Don’t change it so much that we don’t feel it.” Harry agrees with Jlo. He calls the arrangement was dull. – 1-866-436-5707 – Text 7 to 21523

http://youtu.be/jW7kBccPK7c

Alexis Gomez — The Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” – Love the black lacy dress with red accents. Nice. But this pseudo country version of “I Can’t Help Myself” with the fake twang? Not feeling it at all. She’s working the stage like a drunk uncle and her pitch is terrible. She’s swallowing all the words. It’s distracting. The pimp spot? REALLY? Watch her advance next week over a more worthy performer. Jlo noted how pitchy it was. Harry didn’t like A LOT of things about that performance.  Too many to even mention! “You need to settle down,” he says. Keith didn’t think it was a good song choice. – 1-866-436-5708 – Text 8 to 21523

http://youtu.be/_3MbttAE9iU

Eliminated:

Katherine Winston
Lovey James
Shannon Berthiaume
Shi Scott

About mj santilli 34830 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!