Tonight, the last group of 12 contestants performed. From this group, viewers will choose three more finalists, to be announced tomorrow night.
First up was Von Smith. He has a pleasant enough voice but there is aomething missing that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s the “show tunes” kind of presentation.
Seventeen year old Taylor Vaifanua was next. Taking on Alicia Keys was probably not a good idea. I thought it was kind of rough, even though she is a decent singer.
Alex Wagner-Trugman surprised me. When I heard the song title, I thought it was a strange choice. But he did a really nice interpretation of the song, even if the judges didn’t get it.
Whoever did the arrangement for Arianna Afsar should be shot. That was a horrible, horrible arrangement. And it’s going to cost this kid a shot in the finals.
Ju’Not Joyner sang a very subdued, almost safe, song. I am not sure why the judges raved about it but then, I wasn’t familiar with the song. I found it boring, actually.
Singing Tracy Chapman was Kristen McNamara. The karoke singer turned in a karoke performance. And the key changes reminded me of Barry Manilow.
Halfway through, there wasn’t anyone I would vote for. Did they save the worst for last?
Nathaniel Marshall was another show tune singer. He didn’t do a bad job, but it was just that – not bad.
Hailing from Virginia Beach was Felicia Barton, who took on an Alicia Keys song, the second one to do that tonight. She fared a little better, mainly because her voice is more mature. Although not a perfect performance, she certainly was the best to that point.
Scott MacIntyre chose a Bruce Hornsby song, which was perfect for his voice. The best match of contestant and song choice of the night.
It was refreshing to hear a little country from Kendall Beard. She did a good job and she looked the part.
Disappointed was what I was with Jorge Nunez. He just oversang one of my favorite Elton John songs. This guy has a very nice voice. It just wasn’t showcased tonight.
Rounding out this group was Lil Rounds who sang a Mary J. Blige tune. She did a really nice job on the song, and turned in probably the best performance of the evening. Are there enough R&B voters out there to propel her to the finals?
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On talent alone, the top three should be Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez and Felicia Barton. But I suspect the top 3 will be Felicia Barton, Scott McIntyre and Kendall Beard.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
The arrangement killed on performer last week, too — I think it was the guy who sang “The Way She Loves Me,” or maybe one of the other songs, but I did notice one where the guitarist couldn’t have found the meter without a map and compass, and since he was dancing like a grizzly bear running in slow motion at the time the fact that he song sounded disorganized was off-putting.
I think I’ve managed to escape what my friends are saying is my social obligation to them to watch AI with them for the rest of the season, which is good. I f’ing refuse to endorse what that kid did to the Rolling Stones last week with my patronage. 😛