Top 13 iTunes Performance Review – The First Batch of Songs!

I agree with most of your critique. I love Kris but his recording is lacking. I think I even like the live performance better. Among all of them, Michael’s was surprisingly good. I love Alexis’ and especially Matt’s — you saw the promise on the live performance but this one nails it sublimely.

I LOVE Matt G’s recording…..i love his tone! i’ve been listening to this over and over!

MJ, thanks for the reviews! You might have saved me $1.98! :)

eta: I’m just fascinated by the way some voices just sound better live, and some are made for the studio.

I liked 3 of them enough to purchase, Adam’s, Anoop’s and Michael’s.
Adam’s is the one I have been listening to the most though.

I agree with most of your reviews as well, although, I actually didn’t hate Megan’s recording that much. I actually like her voice. I think Kris has a great voice as well, but I prefered his live performancee to the studio recording.

I am willing to bet that Alexis Grace will take the title this year. I know that there is a huge hype with Adam and Danny, but, it kind of reminds me of season 6 where Melinda and Lakisha were so hyped about, and then Jordin came from behind and snatched the title.

Adam, Alexis and Alison’s recordings are my favorites this time around, with Matt and Kris not too far behind.

I agree that Lil’s recording is very bland. I actually think she is very overrated. I don’t expect her to make the top 4.

My favorites this season are Alexis and Kris Allen, I really think he could be a big Jason Mraz-y type artist. I think that Kris will surprise a few people and wind up at least in the top 6, maybe even top 3.

I think the top 5 will be: Alexis, Danny, Kris and Adam and Alison

Overall, I think the Top 11 is extremely talented. Now that Jasmine is gone, I really think that they have a solid, talented group of singers.

My favorites were Adam and Matt G. (Adam’s studio sound is definitely less grating than his live one).

Maybe I should listen to and download Alexis’ now.

Overall, I think the Top 11 is extremely talented. Now that Jasmine is gone, I really think that they have a solid, talented group of singers.

I agree…for now. But I also have to hear them perform at least once more before making up my mind on whether or not I like the Season 8 batch. Jasmine gone definitely helps, though; at least the right ones were voted off this week.

I like Kris (seems like a great guy), but he might not make it far because of his genre, I’m afraid. One of the soul boys will be gone this week.

ETA: mj– I enjoy reading your reviews of the itunes songs as much as reading your live performance recaps. Thanks for doing this!

I too was surprised at how well Adam’s recording sounds. Despite what some think, I believe he can be a successful recording artist and his tour would be the best. Selling a lot of records isn’t enough, you have tour and do that well to make money IMO.

Yeah, MJ, Michael has a terrific recording voice. Still wondering whether he can translate it into anything truly current, though. I hope he has the chance to have a Big Moment this season.

Matt sounds amazing.

And I think you are right about the Danny / Huey Lewis thing. heehee

I bought six of the 13: Allison, Alexis, Adam, Matt, Danny, and Anoop (heh). Anyway, Matt Giraud’s was the best out of that group.

I completely forgot about Sarver. He sounds like CCM/Gospel singer Wess Morgan.

I agreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦for now. But I also have to hear them perform at least once more before making up my mind on whether or not I like the Season 8 batch. Jasmine gone definitely helps, though. At least the right ones were voted off this week.

I really wish that the judges had given Jesse Langseth another chance instead of Jasmine. I think they were hoping Jasmine would surprise them, but, she didn’t have it in her. Although Jesse was my favorite female this season, I wouldn’t have minded if they had given Mishovanna, Kristen McNamara or Felicia Barton another chance, but Jasmine, really?

I bought Matt Giraud’s single and LOVE it. His recording voice is fabulous. I liked his performance but LOVE the single. And thank you, MJ, for the review. That helps me weed through the rest since I promised my checking account that I’d have mercy…

Great review MJ! Same for me, my fave studio versions are Matt G and Alexis – great vocals, great song choices. Micheal Sarver is the big surprise for me because his live performances are so dull. I love Allison, but I’m waiting to see some more versatility. Adam is a fantastic live performer (he’s a visual feast) but I’m kind of on the fence with him vocally and don’t feel like listening to this song (Black or White) on repeat. I’m just surprised to discover, apart from a few exceptions, how dated Micheal Jackson’s songs sound to me these days.

I love Matt’s Human Nature too. I bought Adam’s, Alison’s (just plainly like that song of MJ) and Anoop’s (heh). Maybe I’m in the minority here but I like Beat it (i’m biased).

Based on this weeks recordings I am guessing Matt and Adam will be the final two. Alexis will come in third. Kris comes in fourth as most improved. Danny goes out at five because despite a good voice people won’t be able to overcome his egotistical side. Allison gets a contract with 19E regardless of when she goes out and Sarver gets a contract on his own doing gospel or country. I know next week I will probably have an entirely different assessment but so much fun speculating.

Just by listening to each of the snippets, I would say your reviews are spot on mj. Matt G sounds fantastic and I agree that at this point he should be at least a strong TCO. Adam, Allison, Alexis and especially Matt G were the standouts to me.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

I thought Danny was outstanding on teusday. Absolutely perfect. Loved the dancing, vocals, attitude, stage presence, everything. And I can’t stand Dorkey!

I thought Adam was a bit of a mess- totally overrated. Alexis was fantastic- underrrated. Anoop really let me down. And Jorge was good- the judges were so hard on him.

I think I’m gettin Danny’s, Alexis, and Jorge’s. Nobody else is worth the $.

Based on this weeks recordings I am guessing Matt and Adam will be the final two. Alexis will come in third. Kris comes in fourth as most improved. Danny goes out at five because despite a good voice people wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be able to overcome his egotistical side. Allison gets a contract with 19E regardless of when she goes out and Sarver gets a contract on his own doing gospel or country. I know next week I will probably have an entirely different assessment but so much fun speculating.

Haha. My guesses based on what we’ve seen/heard so far:

1. Adam (yep, I’m changing my overall pick!)
2. Matt G
3. Alexis
4. Danny
5. Scott
5. Lil Rounds (judges’ save)
7. Kris/Michael
8. Allison (shocker not worthy of judges’ save)
9. Megan
10. Anoop
11. Kris/Michael

Based on his placement in the Top 11 group photo alone, I believe Matt is the stealth TCO. :-)

Adam’s studio recording is fantastic, I agree. I bought that one. Guess I should give a listen to Matt and Alexis too. But, I probably won’t buy until the end of the season when I’m threatened with their unavailability. ;-)

Based on his placement in the Top 11 group photo alone, I believe Matt is the stealth TCO. :-)

….or it could be Danny too. David Cook and Jordin were standing in that general area. I checked. (OMG I need to get a life! HAHAHA)

IMO, The itunes studio version single of Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Black and White is amazing! He has a great recording voice just like he is an amazing live performer! The studio version proves that he is not all high notes and that he can be a viable and succesful recording artist.

I really hope he does a powerful ballad this week and show his emotional side to sell the rest of the critics who are still on the fence about his talent and versatility.

I only bought Danny’s and Anoop’s mp3′s. Danny has a good recording voice and really like the song. I agree that Anoop’s is karaoke but I like it and think it sounds pretty good even so. I will have to check out Matt’s as well. I think he could go pretty far if he can work out some good song choices along the way. I like him a lot more than Kris and doubt they can both get into the top 5 or 6.

phoenixml
Mar 14th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I really wish that the judges had given Jesse Langseth another chance instead of Jasmine. I think they were hoping Jasmine would surprise them, but, she didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have it in her. Although Jesse was my favorite female this season, I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have minded if they had given Mishovanna, Kristen McNamara or Felicia Barton another chance, but Jasmine, really?

I totally agree. I would have loved to see any of those four in the top 13 over Jasmine, and probably over Megan as well. I still am reeling that Mishavonna wasn’t even brought BACK to be an option for the wild card show. That’s idiotic. She was one of the best of her night, I thought.

Of the studio recordings, I definitely thought Alexis and Matt were awesome.

I was actually pretty impressed with Scott’s studio voice; it seems he’s much more polished in the studio. It hardly even sounded like him. It sort of sounded like Barry Manilow — however you take that. He’s definitely not a fave of mine, but I think he has recording potential.

I thought Danny had a good studio performance too.

I think I like Adam, Allison, and Lil much better live. I think there’s something about their stage presence and the rawness of their vocals that adds something not in the live recordings. Matt and Alexis still have that quality in the studio recordings.

I missed hearing Kris’s guitar in the studio recording… it didn’t seem very pronounced at all! His live performance was so interesting because he added that acoustic element, while the studio recording just seemed sorta bland. He’s got a great voice and sound, though.

Still undecided on the studio recordings of Megan, Michael, Anoop, and Jorge. I’m still really sad Jorge was eliminated. I thought he was so endearing and had a great voice too.

Jasmine, on the other hand, needed to go. I can’t remember who said she was Keke Palmerish and needed a Nickelodeon show (maybe it was you, MJ!), but amen to that.

As long as Alexis doesn’t get an ego — and as long as she doesn’t go nearly naked every week — she’ll be my fave, I think.

Thanks for the comments, MJ. Didn’t buy any of these, but it’s nice to know who might actually have potential for a recording career.

Matt has the best recording voice hands down. If he can keep it together and pick the right songs, I think he can actually win this year. Adam sounds great. Alexis and Allison disappointed me a little bit. The others were just ok.

and I just found out that Jesse Langseth is Jonny Lang’s kid sister. I guess I’m the last one to know that little fact.

I already had Adam, Matt and Jorge. But based on your recommendation – got Alexis too!

Someone mentioned Danny’s egotistical side might hurt him but I think Matt has one that’s even bigger so we’ll see how it all works out. Both are good singers and both are in the R&B soul sound. I have them about even on my radar. I’d like to see Adam and Alexis the last two standing, It would sure be a hot looking finale.

I had bought Kris’s song already. I like it, think it is catchy and I’m a fan of his. I agree that it’s not standout, however, and am looking forward to more from him. Also wish there had been more of an acoustic sound to the recording.

Thanks for the reviews, mj. I’m going to go ahead and get Matt’s song as well. I don’t buy much, last year just some Brooke and most of Jason. But I’m thinking Matt is worth checking out.

Adam’s black of white was pretty cool. But i was more impressed with the live performance. I love Alexis, loved her live performance and the studio version was even better. Michael’s voice surprised me too, great recording voice, but a little bit boring. But he can improve and go very far.

I know almost no one will agree with me, but i really liked Megan’s song. It is fun and her voice sounded really unique in the studio version. I was surprised. I liked it.

Editing to say that i heard Scott’s studio recording and it is pretty nice, he really has a good recording voice.

I do not see the Matt luv but then his vocals are just average to me and the first time I heard his vocal gymnastics it reminded me of fingernails on a chalkboard..ouch! When he sings now I cringe sorry…I will be happy when he leaves.

I like Adam and Alexes and Allison(her young age is a bother) that are left..Anoop better bring it next time ..The rest do not care for at all…

poporange

Thanks for the reviews mj. I purchased Kris’ and Matt’s the other night. I really wanted to like Kris’ recording, but your right, there’s something lacking. It just seemed too repetitive to me.

However, Matt’s is amazing!!!! These are the only two I’ve heard, no I did listen to Anoop’s on a link here. It seemed a touch better than the performance imo, but still not that great.

Although Jesse was my favorite female this season, I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have minded if they had given Mishovanna, Kristen McNamara or Felicia Barton another chance, but Jasmine, really?

I guess they needed someone to go home first out of the top 13…I’m still quite sad about Jesse.

I already bought Adam’s and love it!!!! But I will give a listen to the others now – thanks for the reviews mj!

My coworkers always talk about idol (but forget about them after the season -don’t buy their music) – favs so far are Adam, Danny and Alexis – a few also mention Matt and Kris.

eta: wow – who would have thought Michael’s voice would sound so great recorded!

Adam, Matt and Alexis’ recordings are my favorites.

I bought Kris Allen’s and I like it. I even bought his video. I love his Live performance.

I do not see the Matt luv but then his vocals are just average to me and the first time I heard his vocal gymnastics it reminded me of fingernails on a chalkboard..ouch! When he sings now I cringe sorryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I will be happy when he leaves.

MTE!

The only one I bought is Adam’s “Black Or White” and it’s like the only thing I’ve listened to for the last few days. :thumbup_tb: for sho. I really like how he sounds…imo, he’s way more pop than rock.

I did preview Allison’s and while she sounds good, it sounds nothing like her. All the raspiness was gone, which is part of what I like about her voice so much!

I have the studio version from Matt, Adam and Anoop. Matt’s is my favorite. I have it on repeat. I would buy his record now.

I like Adam’s too but think he really shines live. He’s the main one that pulled me into S8.

Anoop just flat out picked the wrong song. And I have to agree with whichever judge said nobody should touch this. I hate when the judges say this but in this case it’s true. I can’t think of anyone who could pull this off like Michael. Anoop’s studio didn’t change my mind.

I love Matt’s studio recording. He sounds amazing. Just purchase it and can’t stop listening to it.
I like Alexis too. But you are right, Matt’s voice is the most current. JMHO.
I still hope he manages to get far in the competition.

Thanks for the reviews, mj. I only listened to snippets and didn’t like any of them enough to buy (come to think of it, I’ve never bought any Michael Jackson song except for Thriller when I was a child and the Cornell and Cook Billie Jean, so maybe I wasn’t exactly in the market)

My impression from the snippets I heard was that Adam sounded less screechy, but sounded about 90% like a female singer (his voice is just too high for my tastes), Danny can’t enunciate and actually sang “now ith stheth pferfect time” and sounded like Sylvester the cat, Matt sounded the same as he did on the live show to me (like a 3rd rate version of some current singers), Kris sounded better than he did live, Allison and Alexis sounded ProTooled to death, Scott sounded like a muppet, and Anoop sounded karaoke but it was much better than the live show (and Beat It is still an idiotic song choice).

I love Human Nature – I love it better than MJs. Matt brings depth to the song with his huskiness and runs – I love the why, why, why part. It is a top 40 song to me – Matt’s version.

I will check out Alexis – I didn’t like the live performance so much but love the song, so I’ll give the studio cut a listen. I did like Black and White too!

I bought Kelly’s MLWSWY too – she rocks!

The stealth tco – lol – that is great! But Country is not an easy night – I’m hoping he will sing I Still Believe In You by Vince Gill.

I sure wish they could sing original songs – I am loving his First Impression. With just a little finesse, it could be a huge hit.

I loved Adam’s and was surprised at how “pop” it was compared to his live performance. It does show that he can be a modern, mainstream pop artist which is where I see him. He’s really the only male “pop or pop/rock” contestant so he should continue doing what he’s doing.

Michael’s is really really good. I wonder if he will give Danny a run for his money. I think Michael might do very well this week. If I were to pick a surprise underdog it would be Michael. Matt’s vocal range is too limited imo to challenge TCO. He’s great in a given range, but he tries to do too much and that’s when he loses people. If I want the bluesy, r&b music I prefer Danny’s at this point. I don’t see any circumstance where Danny doesn’t win. He’s so much better than all the other bluesy/r&b guys there imo. He’s so likeable too. (the religious stuff turned me off at first, but I’m over it and figure i don’t really know him. I’m loving him more and more each day) The other one Kara loves.

In the minority, but I love Megan’s best of the girls. Kara was pimping her last night on Leno and I think she’s got the best future for the girls. I really, really miss Jesse.

But what do I know. I thought Castro’s studio recordings were miles better than the rest. However, I still voted for Cook and Archie so I guess it is more than just a studio recording that matters.

Danny rocks that song DANG!! I think his version was most original.. does completely different than Micheal Jackson..

I really liked Matt Giraud’s recording. It’s very current and it’s something I can hear on the radio.

One of the soul boys will be gone this week.

I agree.

It’s cool to have your comments mj.
I pretty much agree with everyone that Human Nature is the best I have heard (I have 8 of them), not sure how much of this is the song tough. I don’t think Matt is versatile enough to go to the finale (based on Viva La Vida) but that could change.

Adam shows a very different side in his recording, but I prefer the second part of his song where I see a little more intensity, he loses a little bit of his edge in the first part of the song.

I only bought two of the studio recordings….Matt and Adam…because they were my two favorite performances last week.

Eh, I guess I’m in the minority, but I wasn’t totally lovin’ Matt’s studio recording. I actually thought he sounded kind of like an oddly enunciated, overly breathy Gavin DeGraw. it was just weird for me.

Adam sounded the way I thought he would sound after hearing some of his poppier originals… I don’t think he’ll have a problem toning down his vocals a little bit for a more easily digestible radio sound. Kinda reminds me, again, in a round about way, of Jacob Hoggard whose vocals were a lot more affected during his CI performances than recorded with Hedley.

From the snippets, mind you, I wasn’t blown away by any of the chicks but Megan was kind of interesting. Danny was much better to listen to when I could block out the mental image of the ooky visuals of that performance, I actually think Kris has a nice tone to his recorded voice but the arrangement didn’t grab me at all in those few brief seconds, and I would agree that the most surprising was Michael Sarver. Much better in the studio than on TV. He might last longer than I orginally thought. Then again, Michael Johns had, IMO, an absolutely phenomenal studio voice, and it didn’t help him. I still listen to his Across the Universe.

Speaking of, I don’t think anyone this season has a recorded voice as sexy as Cook or MJ, or as charming as Jason or Brooke. Adam has the most going for him I think in that he sounds uniquely Adam, but he’s so polarizing that some people might say that’s a bad thing. Hmm.

” Megan Joy Corkrey – à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Rockinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Robinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  – iTunes – Meganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s definitely got a unique tone, but her phrasing isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t great and she lacks musicality. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all quirk, but no substance. Plus, Robinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t caw.”

wow, mj, your review on MJ has just proved again that if you don’t like a person, you can always find some reasons to back up your opinion, even though it’s not that fair.

actually i think Megan, Matt and Adam’s recording versions are the best out of the top 13, i don’t understand why people’s opinions here are so different from that of IDF, just because mj dislikes Megan’s recording doesn’t mean it’s a shame to admit Megan’s studio recording is great. yes, Megan maybe lacks some musicality, but she definitely has potential, (not many “lacking-musicality” contestant could sound so great on record, she just needs some time), for me, she is the one to watch in this season.

GO HOME Megan…please. Now…

Adam, Matt, Danny and Aleis’ snippets sound really really good. Wish I could buy those 3 but as I live in Copenhagan…sucks big time!

Anoop, Anoop you gotta bring it this week boy!

wow, mj, your review on MJ has just proved again that if you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like a person, you can always find some reasons to back up your opinion, even though ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not that fair.

I don’t dislike Megan. I don’t even know her. She seems like a nice enough person, but what does that have to do with anything?

I think she’s got an interesting tone to her voice but I’m not crazy about her phrasing. What’s “unfair” about that? It’s just an opinion, and as always, YMMV.

just because mj dislikes Meganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s recording doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a shame to admit Meganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s studio recording is great. yes,

You don’t read here much if you actually believe people are afraid to disagree with me. LOL.

I bought Alexis and Adam.

Very happy with Alexis’, but felt I wasted my money on Adam. I bought it because I thought maybe there was something I missed in the sample that would come out on the full version. For me, it got worse. I firmly believe that Adam must be seen to be appreciated. It’s also quite possible that he needs to be ‘performing’ to approach fulll potential and he can’t do that in a sound studio.

I loved Alexis’ performance and her full iTunes version even more. This is one that will stay in my playlists and not just be listened to once in a while.

You donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read here much if you actually believe people are afraid to disagree with me. LOL.

LOL… aint that the truth!!!

Well I’m going to download one or two of these. I’m definitely getting Matt G’s. He’s been my fave all along and he proved why with that awesome studio recording. I won’t get Dirty Diana because I just hate the song. Alexis sounded amazing on it though. My other download will probably be Michael Sarver. He blew me away… wow. But now it’s country week on idol … this always makes my ears bleed.

My daughter listened with me and only wants to download Scott for her ipod. There is something about him that seems to really get to her.

I have a very nice sound system hooked up to my TV and I can say, unequalviocably, that Adam Lambert rocked when he sang Black or White on Tuesday. I would have paid good money to be there! By the way, I have decided who Adam looks like: a young beautiful Kurt Russel playing Elvis.

I enjoy heading over to YouTube and watching all the posted videos for the AI performers. It helps me get a feel for how each contestant is doing and who is building up a fan base. Reviewing the studio versions of Top 13 songs really shows a wide range of numbers for views. It’s interesting that Danny’s numbers aren’t as high as his early success on the show would have indicated.

I’m going out on a limb, now, to say that Danny and Lil will not make it to the finals. Top 3: Adam, Alexis, probably Matt if he doesn’t do something foolish along the way. ( I think Matt is starting to take over Danny’s early fan base).

And somebody out there really likes Adam since his YouTube numbers blow all of the other contestants out of the water!!

Thanks for the reviews, mj. I only listened to snippets and didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like any of them enough to buy (come to think of it, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve never bought any Michael Jackson song except for Thriller when I was a child and the Cornell and Cook Billie Jean, so maybe I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t exactly in the market)

My impression from the snippets I heard was that Adam sounded less screechy, but sounded about 90% like a female singer (his voice is just too high for my tastes), Danny canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t enunciate and actually sang à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“now ith stheth pferfect timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and sounded like Sylvester the cat, Matt sounded the same as he did on the live show to me (like a 3rd rate version of some current singers), Kris sounded better than he did live, Allison and Alexis sounded ProTooled to death, Scott sounded like a muppet, and Anoop sounded karaoke but it was much better than the live show (and Beat It is still an idiotic song choice).

This. All of it, including Adam’s high-pitched tone and Gokey’s mush mouth. I think the production sounds cheaper than last year’s recordings. I do think Sarver has beautiful tone, but the song is dreck. Matt is the only one that has a current sound, but the other recordings are horrible! The canned instrumentals sound even worse. Not worth it. I used my dollars for the new Oasis EP.

I thought that Matt, Allison, Alexis and Adam sounded good. And Jorge! He sounds great, I bought his.

A lot of their names start with “A” this year. :lol_wp:

I listened to the snippets of the ones I didn’t buy and liked Allison’s the best. I like that it’s a little less shouty than her live performance. She has a really good recording voice. I found Adam’s kind of cheesy. I agree that Michael has a good recording voice but think he’d have better luck with country. I think I liked Alexis better live although she does sound good in the recording. I feel the same way about Matt. I think he’s better when you can watch him perform.

I definitely see Michael Sarver as one who could go country… too bad Jorge is gone. He and Jorge could’ve done For All the Girls I’ve Loved Before…

A lot of their names start with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  this year.

Some of us live-show chatters call them the A-Team, oceana. :) Actually, those are all my favorites, plus Kris and sometimes Lil.

I only bought (and pre-ordered :blush_tb: ) Adam’s. He sounds great, but the production quality is worse than last year, if that’s even possible. Is it like that on everyone else’s tracks too?

Anyway, based on mj’s recommendations, I may get Alexis’s too. I’m just not a fan of Matt’s voice, really. I can see how he’s commercial or whatever, but as of yet, I just haven’t been able to get into his voice. He’s always underwhelmed me. But, it’s a long season, and if he can get his nerves in check, we’ll see what happens.

MJ, are we expecting Rickey to get access to the iTunes sales info again like he did last season? Or maybe you’ve figured out how to do it??? Nothing speaks commercial appeal like the ability to sell units.

I have to agree that Matt really sounds great on his number, although I love that song, so maybe that affects my perception.

Thanks for reading my mind, MJ. :wink_wp:

I downloaded all of the singles (except Jasmine…I like the song, but her version is a waste of time to me when I already have the original and Mariah versions), and my sentiments were almost identical to MJ’s.

I’m a big Matt fan, but even besides that, I think his single was well done. Funnily, I’ve read people who compared him to Timberlake and Michael Buble as if it’s a bad thing, but that’s really what I see in him and why I like him. With that being said, I also know plenty of people who do NOT like either of those singers (who happen to be favorites of mine), so I can understand why they’re not on Matt’s train yet.

I was also very impressed with Adam’s recorded version. I’m not a fan of his theatrical performances, but there’s no denying his talent, love him or hate him or somewhere in between. I was pleasantly surprised that his single made me forget about the craziness of his live version, and I think he’ll do well with recording.

Danny = Michael McDonald to me. And I just can’t take his woo-ing and that goofy smug grin that’s locked in my brain’s memory of him.

Sarver and Kris aren’t bad to listen to, but I’ve had the AI playlist on my ipod for several days and don’t really remember ever hearing their songs, lol. I know I DID, they just filled in background music for me.

BTW, speaking of Kris, I’m not getting the Mraz comparisons…I LOVE Mraz, and I thought Castro channeled him MUCH closer last year than Kris has this year…for me. I think Randy mentioned it this week, and I was like…huh?

I’m crossing my fingers for Matt’s song choice this week. I hope he sticks around for a while – I’d love to hear him cover something from James Morrison.

Oh, and to the poster who mentioned MJ’s dislike of contestants coloring her reviews and the rest of us drinking that kool aid…I might respectfully point out that, personally, I find that my reactions to the contestants are pretty similar to MJ’s even BEFORE I read it on the blog – I think it’s just the nature of the community she’s set up that like-minded people flock together.

Birds of a feather and all. Caw.

Actually, I love Justin Timberlake and at least appreciate Michael Buble even if I own none of his music, so no, that’s not it. Just simply haven’t been impressed by Matt’s voice. As I said either in chat or on another thread, his nerves really, really show in his vibrato, which in turn sounds goaty and is NOT pleasing to my ears, whatsoever.

So yeah. YMMV.

I listened to them all a few days back and Sarver sounded better than I expected.

Allison’s throaty tone doesn’t work for me. Not a whole lot to say about them otherwise.

Edit: Oh yeah, Scott sounded much more like a potential recording artist in studio as opposed to the show too.

So what’s the sales number on iTunes for these singles?

So whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the sales number on iTunes for these singles?

Unless Idol decides to “accidentally leak” it, we won’t know.

Danny = Michael McDonald to me. And I just canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t take his woo-ing and that goofy smug grin thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s locked in my brainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s memory of him.

If Danny was as good as Michael McDonald, I would probably be more accepting of him. Kylene, I am picking up the same vibes you are.

I bought Adam’s song and love the recorded version. I also bought Matt’s (my two faves at this point) and while I liked his voice a lot, I thought the song sounded redundant – too much sameness throughout.

I also bought Mattà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (my two faves at this point) and while I liked his voice a lot, I thought the song sounded redundant – too much sameness throughout.

Actually, I’d have to agree. Plus, do you notice the big gasps of breath he takes in the chorus between singing “why why” and “does he do me that way”? Kind of unpleasant if you ask me. If he ever makes a record, they need to edit that gasp out.

Still like his recording voice best though.

I did notice it, PM, and apparently so did the masterlass lady. I liked her review/critique of Matt a lot – spot on. I’d post a link but MJ has a link to her on the front page. Here is part of the review though.

Remember to keep your throat open and free, thus allowing your voice to float effortlessly from your body. Of course, this means that the diaphragmatic muscles have to be thoroughly engaged to release the perfect amount of air to create the purest vocal sound possible at every dynamic level.

^^^ Sounds like good advice. There have been a few contestants with that “Goaty sound” and it takes away from the performance. Conquering nervousness is a step in the right direction. I hope Matt will sound better on Tuesday.

I did notice it, PM, and apparently so did the masterlass lady. I liked her review/critique of Matt a lot – spot on. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d post a link but MJ has a link to her on the front page.

^^^ Sounds like good advice. There have been a few contestants with that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Goaty soundà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and it takes away from the performance. Conquering nervousness is a step in the right direction. I hope Matt will sound better on Tuesday.

I just hope Matt has good friends and family members who will give him constructive criticism. Not googling his name may be good for his sanity, but not so good for those put off by his goaty sound (which like Sarah said, probably comes from his nervousness).

I say this only because I would love for an underdog to rise up, and go deep in this competition. Idol, for me is all about the Elliott’s and the Jason’s. So far, Matt, Allison, and Kris have shown some potential to be dark horses.

I bought Adam’s, Danny’s, and Matt’s. Adam’s is so toned down that it sounds cheesy (someone else said this earlier). On the other hand, Danny’s is not toned down, and for that reason, I really enjoy it. But of the three, I like Matt’s the most by far. It’s just pretty and soothing. And it feels the most believable…the most real.

I don’t like Scott’s voice on his recording. It sounds kind of whiny. :unsure_tb:

I bought the video version of Adam’s B&W and wow what an amazing sound quality that it has compared to the live version. His performance of B&W was the most memorable of the whole night. Anyway, Adam is not shrill on the high notes at all and I’m now wondering if it’s intentional for him to sound that way during the live sessions. Damn TPTB and their manipulation of everything.

You donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read here much if you actually believe people are afraid to disagree with me. LOL.

LOL, especially since I disagreed with you about Matt two paragraphs up. Ah, irony. Gotta love it. :wink1_tb:

“Layla Mar 15th, 2009 at 8:15 am

GO HOME Meganà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦please. Nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦”

be a grown up, kid, it’s not a wishing pool here, and no matter how many times you bash megan on mj’s blog, it’s useless.

“mj Mar 15th, 2009 at 9:20 am ”

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t dislike Megan. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know her. She seems like a nice enough person, but what does that have to do with anything?

your review on megan’s recording left the viewers an impression that personal prejudice could influence the review, that’s what i wanted to say.

^^I guess I don’t get why someone can’t simply genuinely dislike Megan’s performances, voice, song choice, whatever, without it being deemed prejudice or childishness? Is she really that good? Has there ever in the history of music been someone whose music has been universally appreciated and enjoyed?

Art. You love it, you like it, you appreciate it, you see what others see, or… you don’t. :-)

Glad to see all the Matt love on here! I, too, find his voice the most commercial out of the bunch! If Idol knows best, they will help get this guy a record PRONTO!

He is my pick to win this season. I haven’t bought into any of the early pimping just yet. ;)