Jessica Meuse – Blue Eyed Lie by Jessica Meuse – I would have preferred production that was stripped down, and her awesome vocals mixed further to the front. This original song from Jess deserves great production, rather than the slap dash Idol treatment. Nevertheless, a great song. – Download from iTunes
CJ Harris – Soul Shine by the Allman Brothers – Hooray for auto-tune! Heh. CJ is at his best when delivering a song he can pour his heart into. Considering the criticism he’s endured for his live vocals, he records beautifully. – Download from iTunes
Sam Woolf – Lego House – A very sweet rendition of the song from Sam. He sounds more connected on the recording, too. Beautiful intonation and phrasing here. Like I’ve said, in a few years, Sam could be unstoppable. – Download from iTunes
Malaya Watson – Ain’t No Way – A solid rendition of this classic from Malaya. She’s still over-reaching on the big notes–even on the recording! But the rest is a mature and beautifully phrased vocal performance. – Download from iTunes
Dexter Roberts – One Mississippi – Dexter can sing, even if he is boring and generic at times. He shines on ballads, though, I have to admit. Kudos to Allison Iraheta and her beautiful backup vocals! – Download from iTunes
Jena Irene – Rolling in the Deep – I’m still not crazy about this loungy arrangement of “Rolling in the Deep.” The recorded version is downright cheesy. Nevertheless, Jena’s vocals are stunning. She’s got a unique sound that I prefer on her original music. – Download from iTunes
Caleb Johnson – Chain of Fools – The arrangement of this song doesn’t kick into high gear until the end–before that it’s a little sleepy for my tastes. But Caleb’s dirty, bluesy vocals on this song are impressive. That last note at the end is worth listening to the entire song – Download from iTunes
Alex Preston – Fairytales – Alex’s original song would be monotonous, except for the way he his vocals dance around the melody. He uses his voice like a musical instrument, and it’s mesmerizing. If it turns out that Alex takes the crown, I wouldn’t be mad. – Download from iTunes
