Here’s how MJ & Mac rank the remaining 8 contestants. Leave your power list in comments.
MJ: I have to admit. The oldy-moldy theme last week actually turned out some pretty stellar performances–maybe the best week of lives. Too bad the finals are cut short, a few of the singers seem to really be hitting their stride.
MAC:– Just because a song has been done before shouldn’t detract from the fact that its a damn good song. This week, we heard some damn good songs… for the seven hundredth time.
MJ: 1. Mackenzie Bourg – MacKenzie’s whispery soft vocals usually lack emotional heft. There’s plenty of cool attitude to spare, but generally his performances leave me waiting for more. This week, I gotta give him credit for putting his vocal front and center. All of his vocal limitations–the breathiness, lack of range and vibrato–were out there. Yet, his phrasing of “You Are So Beautiful” was so honest and sincere I believed what he was singing. I think America did too, which is why he remains in first place. He could win this thing.
MAC:1. Mackenzie Bourg– Yeah, I also think this is Mackenzie’s to lose right now. I thought his solo this past week was good enough to cancel out the duet. He felt connected. His voice was smooth. He reminds me of Kris Allen a lot, as well as mirroring a bit of David Cook/Lee Dewyze. All three won their seasons, and I think Mackenzie will too.
MJ: 2. La’Porsha Renae – La’Porsha continued her run of outstanding performances this week with come together. She’s not only an incredible vocalist, but aside from that Proud Mary mishap she’s done a terrific job keeping the audience on their toes with unpredictable song choices. And she always delivers. She deserves to win but I have my doubts she can take the crown while competing against cute talented boys. She’s obviously not Scott’s preference. I expect the bus to rev up any second now.
MAC: 2. La’Porsha Renae– The biggest threat to Mackenzie is La’Porsha, and whether or not America will actually vote for the best voice. Going against La’Porsha is the historical chance of a male winning the whole season. I think she has a shot, because she hits a homerun every week. When it gets down to just her and Mackenzie, it may be obvious who is the better singer, and who must win.
MJ: 3. Dalton Rapattoni – Dalton isn’t an outstanding vocalist, but I can list a slew of singers particularly in the alt rock realm who aren’t either. Dalton is a theatrical stylist. If he ventures away from dramatic storytelling he’s a dull performer. If he sticks to his strengths he could give the front runners some competition. He might anyway because his fan base is mighty.
MAC: 3. Trent Harmon– Trent is a strong singer, and I loved both his duet with La’Porscha (where he surprisingly held his own) and his solo. I have a feeling he will go deeper than Dalton in the competition, for reasons I’m about to list. I’m not sure if Trent can overcome Mackenzie or La’Porscha and actually get in the finale though. He should at least get a hometown visit though (if that’s still happening). But, seriously, that duet was fantastic. I’ve rewatched it several times.
MJ: 4. Trent Harmon – I rewatched Trent’s Performance and realized he over did that last run. Keith Urban was correct. He needs to hold back on those stylistic flourishes. They only distract from his heartfelt singing. The good news is that Trent takes these suggestions to heart. I would not be surprised if he came back even better next week. He could be a dark horse if the judges continue to be encouraging.
MAC: 4. Dalton Rapattoni– The edgy WGWG never wins. Constantine. Adam. James Durbin. Colton Dixon. Dalton isn’t even as good as half of those singers, and will not win this season. Eleanor Rigby showed a lot of vocal limitations for him. While the performance was engaging, and he performed it well, the first half of the songs vocals were rough. He might outlast Trent, but he won’t make the finale, and he sure won’t win.
MJ: I don’t expect Dalton to win, but his vast fan base could very well propel him past Trent. However, Trent IS this year’s “growth” contestant. Like Nick Fradiani before him, he could outlast early favorites.
MJ: 5. Tristan McIntosh – Tristan is the weakest vocalist left. While she has a better handle on her artistry than Sonika, she’s lacking the vocal control and maturity needed to master many of the songs she attempts to sing. Scott has his eye on her and will make sure she’s presented in a positive light. She’s fourth in terms of talent and ability (maybe 5th actually) but as far as a true power ranking she’s probably higher.
MAC: 5. Tristan McIntosh– The only reason Tristan is not at the bottom is because she hasn’t ever appeared in the bottom yet. Statistically speaking, she has a better shot of surviving this week than Sonika. Should she? No. That wasn’t the right song for Tristan, the whole verse section was way below her sweet spot and she struggled to make enough sound to even be heard in some parts. She needs better coaching, but I suppose at this point, they know they don’t want her to win anyway, so why bother coaching her, right? Tristan’s best performances have been at the piano, and if she wants to stay in the competition, she needs to go back there and never leave.
MJ: 6. Sonika Vaid – The breakthrough Sonika had a couple of weeks a go with “Bring Me to Life” truly seems to be lost, and she’s back to delivering pageant performances. Lucky to be up against a singer who had been in the bottom two the week before, I think she may be gone this week. She should not have outlasted the truly unique and swaggerific Avalon last week. But big songs always trump fluff, even if the latter is sung more engagingly. Also, the judges weren’t going to save Avalon twice.
MAC: 6. Sonika Vaid– I wonder how many people have noticed that she’s from Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a little like putting Beverly Hills as your hometown. In a competition like this, where people are playing up their struggles, I’m not sure its wise to put that your hometown is one with a median income of over 100K. I noticed it this week when Lee Jean was talking about having to move a lot, and La’Porscha might have had to join the military. What was Sonika’s struggle? What did she overcome? Probably nothing, which is why she’s always emotionally vacant during her songs. Great artists typically have great struggles, and that life experience is what is missing from Sonika’s performances, and why she will probably go home this week.
MJ: Sonika is well-healed, obviously. She has talked about her father being a doctor. I should say, however, as someone who lives in Sonika’s home state, there are middle class and even poor people who live on the Islands. But I agree that her seemingly sheltered existence so far is a limited framework from which to create an emotional connection to what she’s singing.
