We finally got the second half of the Top 32 contestants and then their fates are all in the hands of the judges. From Jazzlyn Little to Melanie Amaro, the final 16 acts performed in front of their assigned mentors for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen round of The X Factor. (I"m sorry but I just couldn't help but go all March Madness there.)
Jazzlyn Little - Jazzlyn delivered a very competent vocal performance, albeit it a very a safe one, and Simon seemed to genuinely enjoy it but I personally found the arrangement to be way too corny and it veered way off course of the actual song. Simon rightfully criticized Simone Battle for doing this to Elton John's "Your Song" but he seemed to be perfectly okay with Jazzlyn's far reaching treatment of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" so perhaps it's because Jazzlyn at least remembered all the words. Still think she's just too emotionally fragile and insecure to get the nod but her voice alone is definitely one of a worldwide star recording artist. 2011 is just not her time but when she does finally gain some much deserved confidence, she could become one of Simon Cowell's greatest talent finds ever.
Brennin Hunt - He sang "Like A Star" but Rihanna just thinks, despite great looks and perfect tone, that he is too corny. I'm not so sure that L.A. Reid will follow her advice because Marcus Canty is probably a lock, Chris Rene is a probable, and Brian Bradley's issues are age, wisdom, and lack of humility related. I still think he advances. (Interestingly enough, Brennin Hunt tweeted during the East Coast broadcast of tonight's episode pointing out that they used the same reaction to him as they did with Marcus Canty. Great catch by Hunt.) I think he deserves a chance to be voted on, cheesy or not. His Matt Dillion like looks and female appeal are extremely commercially viable and I can't believe that L.A. Reid wouldn't be equally conscious of this despite Rihanna's feedback.
The Stereo Hogzz - I haven't been too sold on any of these boy bands up to this point but I do feel like they found a moment and a good time to have it. Their choreography was surprisingly ill-timed at various points but their vocals were good and I think that they are probably Top 16 bound. Paula Abdul and Pharrell seemed to hint that they agree and Pharrell invoked Motown, which would also indicate to the five man group another encouraging sign.
Josh Krajcik - Have to admit that this wasn't my favorite Josh Krajcik performance. I felt it was too poor of a song choice for America's most famous burrito maker. Like Jazzlyn Little, his vocal performance was perfectly up to par but this song just left him less room to pour some of his midwestern raspy soul into it. Still can't imagine he's going home. Equally interesting was the sudden introduction of a 13 year-old daughter he had when was still a teenager himself. A very bizarre editing move on FOX's part to say the least but I'd be stunned if they just threw that in there at the last moment just to show him being cut from the competition. Still think he's too safe to go home and I expect a very deep run by one of the show's most down to earth contestants.
2 Sqaur'd - I criticized the judges for some apparent sabotage on their parts with some of the song choices they have assigned their own team members and I see no reason to stop it now. The ladies did a perfectly okay job with it but in a category that seems to be the most wide open of all the four groups, it just didn't feel like it was enough to displace Lakoda Rayne or even the high flying InTENsity.
Tim Cifers - Tim performed "Dance With My Father" for L.A. Reid and Rihanna and I am very much on the fence about his chances. With Marcus Canty and Chris Rene looking like the only true locks in this category (Brian Bradley still might not advance because of his age and questions about his maturity level), he could be primed for a spot in the Top 16. The younger Skyelar Anderson isn't nearly as polished as Cifers and if that knocks Skyelar out of the running for this season, Cifers' performance could be just enough to get through to the next round. Still, if Cifers advances, his country background would immediately catapult him into the upper dark horse tier.
Rachel Crow - Crow gave "I Want It That Way" the Drew Ryniewicz, slowing down the song to piano, and vastly improving the song itself over the famous original version. Crow's vocal was very much along the same lines as Josh Krajcik's performance. It was very competent and steady but it ultimately felt way too safe. Simon was extremely impressed and pleased with the performance, but like with Brian Bradley, don't be surprised if the respective ages of the two postpone their rise to stardom by at least one more season. Still, despite the seemingly unemotional element of her performance, Crow still delivered a very strong vocal. I just think it will ultimately mean that she'll have to come back in 2012.
LeRoy Bell - LeRoy curiously sang Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" for (at least) the second time in the competition. Judge Nicole Scherzinger expressed doubts about his level of confidence despite his age and vastly superior amount of experience in the industry compared to the other contestants. Bell's voice did seem to trail off a few times here and there but it was probably more due to the knowledge on his part that this is his last rodeo. This could be a total edit job. Bell is a great story and this might be a complete head fake. However, the fact remains that he is truly one of the legitimate 50/50 singers of the entire round but I for one would love to see him get a chance to carry over his true underdog status to the live round where he could attract various demographics and possibly make him the most intriguing dark horse of all.
Illusion/Confusion - This was a total sandbag job on the part of the show and network. They were the only group of the entire round to have a cutaway during their performance and this happened twice. They have probably received the least amount of air time of all the remaining 32 acts and it's hard to imagine that they will make it to the live round but regardless of what was the case, I can't stand this tactic on the part of networks with these shows and just found this treatment of this three piece group to be outright rude and disrespectful.
Tiger Budhill - They turned up the back story of the 42 year-old, honing in on his family's house foreclosure and how he'd love to have his 83 year-old mother live in a nice house like the one Nicole Scherzinger hosted her group at. My initial thoughts are that they are probably setting up him to go home and for that big heartstring parade sendoff. Another perfectly okay vocal, this automatically puts him on the bubble. And again, beware of the editing job here. They are definitely trying to head fake us and it's up to us now to guess in which direction that might be. At the end of the day however, I'd still be shocked if he isn't going home.
Marcus Canty - Before he even started singing he was scolded by Rihanna for flirting with her instead of focusing in on his actual singing but once Marcus began "All My Life" it was quite clear that he had just delivered one of the standout performances of the evening. Canty showcased his youthful charisma and female appealing charm and his vocals were right on. Look for Marcus to easily get the nod.
Tiah Tolliver - I found her assigned song to be another curious case but Tolliver delivered another Simon Cowell-pleasing number and it's incredibly hard to imagine she doesn't advance to the live round of the competition. However, the wild card here is still her competition. Simon has the deepest talent pool to work with out of all of the four groups and if Simon begins to nitpick or begin to look for otherwise minor infractions then anything can happen but I'd still be shocked if Tiah doesn't advance. I still think her vocals were strong enough for Simon to keep her chugging along.
Christa Collins - I won't pretend to be objective here but Christa absolutely ruled "No Surprises" much to the hand clapping delight of guest judge Enrique Inglesias. While Nicole Scherzinger inexplicably questioned a lack of emotion for a darkly toned song, Inglesias correctly put Nicole in her place for deriding Christa essentially for not singing with more pain and sadness. I found her remark to be either outright disgusting for at least sounding like she should exploit her own tragic past more or at best completely ignorant of how it'd come off sounding like. Or still, a third option - just being completely oblivious to a Top 16 worthy rendition. Scherzinger almost sounded like someone determined to find a reason to not advance her. We'll see if Enrique's enthusiasm sways the strangely doubting diva. Without question, Christa should advance. We'll see if the former Pussycat Dolls leader comes around or not but I still maintain that the 31 year-old self-described rock n' roll gypsy is still one to watch.
InTENsity - I was skeptical about how they'd sound and this doubt increased the closer they got to showing them but I felt that they were one of the standout acts of the evening. While I ultimately still think it's just too many people for one group, they did deliver a very Paula-pleasing performance. While their potential sound could still ultimately be too "High School Musical" for my personal taste, they still might be too good to be passed on given how enthusiastically well they sang. If given the chance to advance, they are a definite dark horse. They will receive no shortage of votes from their peers if they go live and it's hard to imagine how an incredibly strong cross-version of The Ting-Ting's "That's Not My Name" and Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True" doesn't advance them. And let's not count out the "cute-youth" factor here either. Paula is a sucker for talented youth, upbeat or emotional, and this ten piece outfit certainly fits that bill.
Chris Rene - Chris delivered a rather strong version of "Everyday People" and it's probably going to be between him and Brian Bradley since they are both rappers. Rene has more vocal versatility and Bradley is younger and more immature but Rene has his own host of concerns given his ongoing recovery. My guess is that Chris gets the nod anyway but I'm not quite sure that he is the lock he appeared to be just a round or two earlier. Loved the arrangement regardless of his fate. It stayed just true enough to the original while giving it a very cool and hip modernized feel as well. If it's about who deserves to go then there should be room for both Chris and Brian.
Melanie Amaro - Singing "Will You Be There" to Simon, her superiorly strong performance was overshadowed by Simon feeling as if he was given a dirty look by Amaro on her way out. Despite this, Simon characteristically stayed on point with no regard to his own feelings, and heaped praise on her. She is perhaps the strongest dark horse of the girls category if she gets one of the four coveted spots. She is certainly more stoic for her age compared to her fellow contestants in her category; her personality doesn't match up to the others and if that's a determining factor, then she will have to come back in 2012 to mount what would still be a very legitimate run at the title. Regardless of her fate Tuesday Night, she has a very bright music future ahead.
Felt that Christa Collins, InTENsity, Tiah Tolliver, The Stereo Hogzz, and Melanie Amaro were probably the most noticeable acts of the evening. Of those acts, Tiah and Melanie are probably contenders while I still believe that Christa is still a strong dark horse. I will be posting my predictions sometime between late night tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned.
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