American Idol 14- Top 11 Power List Redux Chat with M&M

AMERICAN IDOL XIV: Clark Beckham performs on AMERICAN IDOL XIV airing Thursday, March 19 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Michael Becker / FOX. © FOX BROADCASTING CO.

Mac & MJ present their Top 11 Power lists (AGAIN!) for your consideration. Leave your thoughts in comments!

MAC: 1) Clark Beckham– I think Sunday Morning was exactly what he needed to do to solidify his frontrunner status. It was a great cover, sung beautifully, and one of the best performances of the night. I’m leaving him as my #1. Keep this up Clark, and you’ll win.

MJ: 1)  Clark Beckham – Definitely. Clark made some very smart decisions last week. He stripped back and showed his vulnerable side, on a song that was fairly contemporary. Initially, I felt the song choice was boring, but rearranging it with just acoustic guitar was perfect.  He’s listening and taking advice. That’s what winners do.

MAC: 2) Jax – Jax took a risk and it paid off. She’s very much big risk, big reward. If she can just keep knocking them out of the part, she might make it to the finale. She’s one of a handful in the competition who actually know who they are as artists. She can use that to her advantage. I have a feeling Scott is really in her corner, and she’s getting some serious pimping behind the scenes.

MJ: 2)  Joey Cook – My second place singer this week is Joey, who is on a roll. I’m not going to compare her cover of Mad World  to Adam Lambert’s, because that would be pointless. Her version of the song was simple, elegant and moving. Insofar as the competition is concerned, she is incomparable. If she can keep the momentum going, Joey is destined for at least the Top 5.

MAC: 3) Joey Cook– That’s two great performances two weeks in a row. I moved her up two spots from last week. I think she’s building a fanbase. A lot of times, there’s always a darkhorse that comes from behind to go deep in the competition, and while that might be Adanna, it’s more likely that it’s Joey. While her cover of Mad World didn’t touch Adam Lambert’s, nor was it as showy as Clark or Jax’s, it was a really good performance on a night where a lot of people failed.

MJ: 3) Jax – Jax chose the perfect song for her quirky personality and vocal ability. She didn’t need to change the arrangement much–her unique phrasing and musical sensibility worked really well within the song’s original framework. She gets in trouble when she attempts to change up a song too much. She also failed when she went for a straight up pop tune. Song choice is key for Jax. Scott does seem to love her, so that helps.

MAC: 4) Tyanna Jones– I’m a little scared for Tyanna this week, as it is a double elimination, and Circle of Life was a setback for her. I’m hoping it was just a speed bump, and not a sign of the end for Tyanna. I’m very aware that Jennifer Hudson also did Circle Of Life before being eliminated, so that song choice in general just scares me, especially with Jennifer Hudson coming in a few weeks. Might history repeat itself?

MJ: 4) Nick Fradiani – Tyanna really really misstepped last week. She has tumbled down my list. I was getting serious Chris Daughtry vibes from Nick this week. But he doesn’t bring the presence and intensity to his performances that Chris did. Still, while Nick is kind of dull, it’s in a way that America likes. He consistently delivers good, appealing vocals. In a week of several sub-par performances, he stays at the top of my list.

MAC: I didn’t think Danger Zone helped, nor was it the right song choice. For an artist who is already struggling to be relevant, choosing an old song was the wrong move. There are plenty of rock songs that have been in movies in the last 10 years. Honestly? I would have much preferred Nick’s version of Falling Slowly, or even Lost Stars. If Clark can get away with saying Sunday Morning from Cheaper By The Dozen 2, I have to believe there were 100 better choices for Nick than Danger Zone. I do agree that he’s consistent, though. Just consistently a B grade performer.

MAC: 5) Quentin Alexander– High risk, high reward? Reworking You’re The One That I Want? I didn’t love it, but I appreciated that he put his new spin on it. He’s down a spot from last week for me. His vocals are starting to show. I love that he’s attempting to bring his A game every week and not coasting, and that should count for something, at least while Daniel is still around.

MJ: 5) Quentin Alexander – I LOVED this performance a lot. I hate Grease so much, that I welcome a re-working of any of those terrible songs. The arrangement Quentin used gave the song a dramatic urgency and passion that he’s especially skilled at pulling off. But I have to wonder if America loved having a beloved song re-worked so dramatically. Still, it was one of the better performances of the night, so he’s near the top of my list.

MAC: 6) Qaasim Middleton– I’m gonna knock him way up this week. He got the save, he should definitely be safe for a few weeks. He also, honestly, performed his butt off that night. We’ve still got to work on his vocals a bit, but he’s definitely safe (and buzzy) for a week or two.

MJ: 6)  Tyanna Jones – Bad song choice. Bad delivery. Her problems with intonation come and go, and were particularly glaring last week. Tyanna is actually better on upbeat songs. What I find interesting about Tyanna is the way she can pull off an upbeat song, even one that’s lightweight, like “Rockin’ Robin.”  She imbues the performance with so much joy and energy, she’s irresistible.  For the competition, she should leave the big, old fashioned,  showstopping ballads to other singers.  I’m not particularly worried about her this week, though.

MAC: I just felt Tyanna had done enough to not have to plummet down my list for one pitchy performance. Honestly, if she had sang the crap out of it, it wouldn’t have been a bad song choice. Ain’t nothin wrong with sending your voting base to church. The problem was that she was flat for most of the song, on top of it being a song that doesn’t allow her to showcase her energy. The one-two punch is why it didn’t work, but I think this is the first misstep for her. She deserves to still be in the Top 5.

MAC: 7) Adanna Duru – I moved her up another spot this week. She’s been attacking the stage and her song choices. I think she’s becoming a dark horse, but I don’t think she can win (or really even make the Top 3). She is someone that I root for to be safe every week now, because she’s not boring. Her pitch is getting better, but like Quentin and Qaasim, there just are better singers (and more consistent singers) left.

MJ: 7) Qaasim Middleton –  Qaasim was saved, which means he’s not going anywhere for at least another couple of weeks. And if he can pull off a couple more fun, energetic, numbers, he might stay longer than that. Jet was atrocious. And while he laid it all out on the stage with his “Come Together” Save performance, it was still manic and poorly sung. The judges probably saved him for the entertainment value.

MAC: 8) Nick Fradiani– I don’t think Danger Zone will send Nick home, but it did nothing to further him in the competition. I’m sliding him down a bit this week. He’s got to step up his game. I know people think he’s a dark horse to win, but he lacks the same charisma that David Cook had. I’d maybe consider him more of a threat if Clark wasn’t around, and if Clark wasn’t consistently knocking it out of the park.

MJ: 8) Adanna Duru – I’m knocking Adanna down a peg, because I think she slipped this week. That performance was vocally inconsistent, especially in her lower range.  She didn’t seem particularly connected during that performance, either.

MAC: 9) Rayvon Owen – It was a good vocal, but I’m not sure that many people were moved to vote for him this week for Stayin Alive. If Daniel Seavey’s fanbase saves him again, I think Rayvon could be going home. Song choice is everything, and if you’re going to pick a really dated song, you can’t just rework it a little… you really have to flip it on its head and give it an overhaul (like Quentin did). I hope I’m wrong and that Rayvon gets another week. He’s just too damn talented. He moved down on my power list from last week.

MJ: 9) Rayvon Owen – That turgid arrangement of Staying Alive, with Rayvon staying in his falsetto, just did not work. He was trying to channel Prince, but without any groove whatsoever. Slow, and odd, I’m betting America didn’t get that at all. He could be in danger. I’ve got a bottom 3, two of which could go home this week.

MAC: 10) Maddie Walker – Maddie should be going home this week, regardless of Daniel’s outcome. It wasn’t a good performance, she picked a bad song, and she lost her country twang. The sympathy card only works just so well when you’re not giving us much reason to care. She’s down another spot this week for me.

MJ: 10)  Maddie Walker – Maddie has no idea who she is as an artist. “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” was another terrible song choice. I do not understand why, as the only country singer, she isn’t sliding hard into that lane and STAYING there. Her best performances are the straight up country songs, and she’s got the damn genre to herself. She deserves to go home. It’s too bad, because she’s got a ton of potential.

MAC: 11) Daniel Seavey– Daniel SHOULD go home this week, but will he? Those were some of his worst vocals to date, and he sang a song about one night stands, and how love is wasted on youth. Bro, you’re 15. That was not the right song for you. That song loses something in translation when a 15 year old prepubescent boy is singing it (even if Adam Levine sounds like a 15 year old prepubescent boy sometimes). I was uncomfortable hearing him sing the lyrics, and I’m hoping this is finally the song that sends him home (so that Rayvon can live to see another week, and one more shot at actually staying alive).

MJ: 11) Daniel Seavey – I thought Daniel had a few more weeks left in him. But last week’s performance of the lovely and ADULT themed “Lost Stars” was horrible in every single way possible. Daniel is way in over his head and needs to leave the competition NOW. BUT. I would not be surprised if he survives another week. He seems to have people.

About SirMac 241 Articles
Contributor to mjsbigblog.com. EIC of macthemovieguy.com, Contributor at houseofgeekery.com. Holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida.