My evaluations:
Phil Stacey, I Ain’t Missing You A-
I already admitted that I don’t like this guy, but props where props are due. His performance and his voice both were good. His interpretation was a bit ordinary, however. With a song like this, I’d like to see someone do it Reggae or something.
Jared Cotter, Lets Get it On A
This is another guy I don’t particularly like. But his soulful interpretation of the song, while not groundbreaking, was spot on. His voice was excellent, and his performance very good. It stepped close to the line of “contrived”, but did not cross over.
A.J. Tabaldo, Feeling Good A-
I don’t know whether this song will save him, but he was headed straight to oblivion and this was the right thing to do about it. Not a perfect voice by any means, but a suitable one, and a confident performance.
Sanjaya Malakar, Steppin’ Out With My Baby F
Just please end this. I’m afraid the love-child of Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul just lacks the mental and emotional maturity to pull this off. He really does have a seed of talent, but he needs sooooooo much coaching. I’m embarrassed for him, and I wish he’d just stop making me uncomfortable.
Chris Sligh, Trouble A+
A superb and powerful voice. Excellent interpretation of the song — he clearly sang it from his heart to hers. I was happy to see that he and Simon apparently have made amends. And I hope he’ll learn from that mistake. Nothing is harder to control than a quick wit.
Nick Pedro, Fever A-
Well done, and surprising. Another possible rescue from the grave. The voice was truly wonderful, and the interpretation not as cliche as it might have been if say, Sanjaya had done it. The camera directing was good at first, but became tiresome. Two or three shots to the drummer on-beat is exciting. Doing it every time is predictable.
Blake Lewis, Virtual Insanity A+
Bebop, scat, beatbox, just plain melody. Is there anything he cannot do? He proved last week that he has a beautiful voice and mature performance skills. This week, he proved that he has an interpretive range. I’d like to see him grow up a little. But just a little.
Brandon Rogers, Time after Time B
Better than last week, but I’m afraid he really just doesn’t get it. He has a lot more talent than Sanjaya, but is almost just as clueless. And that’s a shame. His voice is very good. Smoky, with a solid tone. But his performances are lackluster, and the heavy-lidded stoner eyes are just sooooo distracting.
Chris Richardson, Geek in the Pink A+
He’s got it all. Looks. Charm. Skills. Maturity. All this without a trace of hotdog attitude or entitlement mentality. He needs to work just a bit on his switches in and out of falsetto. But an hour’s worth of coaching would take care of that. Great stage presence.
Sundane Head, Mustang Sally A+
A bravo performance. It was an excellent interpretation that just seemed to well up from inside him. A good strong voice. It was an exercise in pure tonal emotion. We’ll find out tomorrow whether it’s too little too late, but I suspect he recaptured some fans he might have lost.