Here’s how MJ & Mac rank the remaining 8 contestants. Leave your power list in comments.
MJ: 1. MacKenzie Bourg– The combination of the singer’s well received flip of a Whitney Houston song and Idol mentor Scott Borchetta’s apparent enthusiasm for the singer in recent interviews moves MacKenzie to first place on my list. I found his arrangement of I Wanna Dance with Somebody snoozy, but what do I know.
MAC: 1. MacKenzie Bourg– He’s super consistent. I thought he did a cover of a Whitney Houston song, which was fine, but ultimately lacked any emotional depth. What did that song mean to him? He needs to be careful and not forget to lyrically interpret songs as well. You can’t just change it up. But yeah, he’s probably going to win.
MJ: Agree about the lack of emotional depth. One exception was his self-penned song, “Roses.” He may be the kind of artist who has to work at connecting to other people’s songs.
MJ: 2. La’Porsha Renae – La’Porsha receives a ton of good will from the judges and fans but Scott’s nitpicking of her Halo performance indicates he’d rather not sign her. Think about it. Would he even know how to market and promote an R&B singer? He shouldn’t worry. I can’t imagine her outlasting Dalton or MacKenzie. La’Porsha had another stellar performance last week
MAC: 2. LaPorsha Renae– She’s also really pretty consistent. Even if you hated her song choice last week, you have to admit she sang the heck out of it. I don’t know if Idol fans will let her win, but I believe the show would be fine with her winning. All the praise and hype she gets, she might be the bookend to Kelly. Will she sell albums? Probably not.
MJ: 3. Dalton Rapattoni – Dalton is in 3rd place behind La’Porsha because he did not perform well. His plodding version of Radioactive was uncharacteristically karaoke. With a solid fan base he can afford an off week.
MAC: 3. Trent Harmon- I moved Trent up because I enjoyed his vocal last week, and also the feedback he’s actually taking and working on things shows me that he’s open to new ideas and less stuck in who they are as an artist (like when Tristan cried because Scott didn’t like her song choice). Dalton also slipped this week, and I wanted to reflect that in my rankings.
MJ: 4. Tristan Mcintosh – After performing poorly top 10 week Tristan got back behind the piano and pulled the God card for good measure in a lovely rendition of Go Rest High on That Mountain. The dedication to her sick grandpa didn’t hurt either. That alone would have helped buy her another week. But then there’s Borchetta spinning a yarn to the news media about how she chose a new song at the last minute and it’s going to be brilliant just you wait. Scott is always beating the drum for something new. A black female country singer. He doesn’t have one of those yet.
MAC: 4. Dalton Rapattoni– If he continues to perform like he did with Radioactive, he’ll go home. Luckily, I think the judges would save him over a few of the others, but he still needs to be careful. Get your head in the game, kid. Radioactive felt so “un-Dalton” it made me wonder who he was trying to appease.
MJ: 5. Sonika Vaid – I think her terrific top 10 performance may be a fluke and I’m beginning to think, her vocal gifts aside, she has no idea who she is as an artist. That’s a problem.
MAC: 5. Tristan McIntosh– Tristan had a really good week. If she continues to perform like she did last week, choosing good songs, emotionally connecting to them, playing piano, etc. she could go deeper in the competition than I thought. I think it’s just a fluke though.
MJ: Piano ballads are her thing, but not much else. In a competition like Idol where singers are expected to mix things up, that’s a problem.
MJ: 6. Trent Harmon – Between harping on his vibrato and the odd faces he pulls during performances, Trent got the weirdo edit last week. That and his less than stellar performance of Like I Can has me worried a bit. That edit though.
MAC: 6. Avalon Young- I think Avalon may have actually saved herself with her rendition of Earned It, and notifying her fans of where she actually stands in the competition. she’s a unique contestant, which makes the fight to the finish harder, but I’d bet she’s safe this week, and someone that I ranked higher than her (perhaps even Dalton) hits the bottom three instead. But, she’s already hit bottom once, and if she hit it again, I doubt the judges would save her. She was unquestionably one of the better performers this past week (as was Olivia actually) and “earned it”.
MJ: 7. Avalon Young – Avalon turned in her best work to date with last week’s emotional Earned It. But without another big Save Me song this week she could be in trouble if she hits the bottom 3. If there is such a thing this week! The judges could pull a completely different format out of their hats, this season is so wacky.
MAC: 7. Sonika Vaid– I almost ranked Sonika last. Such a fall from grace. Not only did she pick a Kelly Clarkson beast of a song, but she seemed to forget the lyrics in the top half of the song, and the whole early section was out of her register. The concept of doing a Kelly Clarkson song is bad enough, but to do one poorly will likely send her home.
MJ: 8. Lee Jean – Is ranking Lee last wishful thinking on my part? I think It’s entirely possible for him to get by on his cute looks and likability for another week. If the judges are saving again I’d like to think they have the good sense to send him home.
MAC: 8. Lee Jean– I mean, he technically sang better than Sonika and Dalton last week, so he actually deserves to stay if we’re going on a week by week basis, but the point of a “save” is to give someone a pass who has been consistent, but had a bad week (so, Dalton). Lee always chooses songs with much greater lyrical depth than he’s actually willing to give. Watching him perform Use Somebody was like watching a puppy fight a lion. I think the bottom three is probably Lee, Sonika, and someone else. But, whoever that someone else is, deserves to stay.
