Couch Potato Review: American Idol 11 - Las Vegas Week (Part 2)

This is the second part of my review for the Las Vegas Week of American Idol 11. The contestants were group themselves into two to four members to sing traditional 1950's hits. 

Wendy Taylor, Mathenee Treco and Lauren Gray

Let us start with the   group of Lauren Gray, Wendy Taylor and Mathenee Treco performed "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles. Take note, they trained by the "vocal coach from hell" which results into a good performance especially Lauren nailed it and Wendy did a job well done performance. Unfortunately, Mathenee was eliminated after that performance. Rate: 7.6

Jessica Phillips, Courtney Williams, and Britnee Kellogg

We also have the girl trio of The Neapolitans composed of Britnee Kellogg, Courtney Williams and Jessica Phillips with their mashup of The Supremes hit "Where Did Our Love Go" and "You Keep Me Hanging On." Each of the showcased their vocal prowess where Britnee has a powerful voice, Courtney has a soulful voice and Jessica with her R&B tone. The song matches their group but Jessica and Britnee was eliminated. Britnee deserves to be in the top 24 where she is the total package singer where she had the looks and powerful voice. Rate: 8.5 

Clayton Farhat, Scott Dangerfield, Adam Lee Decker and Curtis Gray

Then the songs of Elvis Presley lives on with the following groups. We have the all-male group of rockers composed of Scott Dangerfield, Clayton Farhat, Adam Lee Decker, and Curtis Gray with their version of "Jailhouse Rock." They have the guts to sing that song because they are rockers plus the packaging and the entrance which they are in character plus the costume. Rate: 8.0 


We also have the group of Caleb Johnson, River St. James, Blaire Sieber and Joshua Sanders with their rendition of "Burning Love." I think the four of them did a very good job in performing as well with the packaging. I noticed that Caleb stand out in this performance because of his rockin and powerful vocals. Rate: 8.3 

Aaron Marcellus, Nick Boddington, Jennifer Hirsh and Creighton Fraker

Last but not the least is the performance of Creighton Fraker, Jen Hirsh, Nick Boddington and Aaron Marcellus of Bryan Hyland's "Sealed With A Kiss." They have the perfect blending and one of the most harmonized groups in Las Vegas. However, Nick was eliminated at the end of this round. Rate: 9.0


Unaired Performances:

Marisa Pontecorvo, Naomi Gillies and Hollie Cavanagh

One of the unaired performances in Las Vegas Week was the mashup of "Mr. Sandman" and "Mr.Postman" by Hollie Cavanagh, Marisa Pontecorvo, and Naomi Rae Gillies. They have their individuality in this performance where Hollie sang with her clear diction and powerful vocals, Naomi with her wide vocal range and Marisa with her effort in singing an upbeat tempo song. They have the perfect mashup of song choice which is very good. Rate: 7.7


Watch American Idol Season 11 for the semi-finals round of your top 24 plus one contestant will make it to the semi-finals which turns into 25.

Couch Potato Review: American Idol 11 - Las Vegas Week (Part 1)

This review was based on the Las Vegas Week performance of contenders in American Idol where 10 is the highest and 1 will be the lowest.

Right after the auditions and Hollywood week, the 72 hopefuls went to Las Vegas They were able to group themselves into duos, trios or quartets to sing classic songs from the 1950's. Most of them became potential stars and stand out in Vegas Week and made it to the top 24. 

Cari Quoyeser, Chase Likens, Colton Dixon, and Skylar Laine

The first group to present were Cari Quoyeser, Skylar Laine, Chase Likens and Colton Dixon with their rendition of "Dedicated to the One I Love" by The Shirelles. The song suits them individually where they show their mellow side and it is such a good combination of country singers (Chase and Skylar) and a rocker (Colton) in a group singing a 50's classic love song. Rate: 8.0

Ariel Sprague, David Leathers Jr., Gabi Carrubba and Jeremy Rosado

The next group composed of Ariel Sprague, David Leathers Jr., Gabi Carrubba and Jeremy Rosado did a soulful and upbeat performance of Jackson 5's "Rockin Robin" where they have the choreography and they can sing while dancing. Rate: 8.1 

Adam Brock, Erika Van Pelt, Shelby Tweten and Angie Ziederman

Then we also have the group of Adam Brock, Angie Ziederman, Shelby Lynn Tweten, and Erika Van Pelt with their groovy rendition of "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis. Adam did a great entrance while playing a piano, Erika matches the song with her low alto voice, Angie has a strong showmanship and she acts while singing (but there are times that she oversing) and Shelby did an ok job for that. Rate: 8.0 

Schyler Dixon, Brielle Von Hugel, and Molly Hunt 

We also have the all-girl trio of Schyler Dixon, Brielle Von Hugel and Molly Hunt sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." They have the total packaging - from looks to their costumes and they have the blending. Brielle truly stand out in the group but Schyler and Molly became back-ups that is why Molly and Schyler were eliminated. Rate: 7.5 

Haley Johnsen, Eben Franckewitz, Elise Testone and Reed Grimm

One of the most outstanding performances in Las Vegas Week came from Reed Grimm, Haley Johnsen, Elise Testone, and Eben Franckewitz with their rendition of "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" where each and everyone of them stand out. Reed's quirky character, jazzy voice and groovy moves made a very excellent entrance, Elise's husky tone and Haley's simple vocals which is similar to Kelly Clarkson matches the song and Eben's angelic voice and new found confidence makes him a versatile performer. Overall, they received a standing ovation from the judges as a result of perfect harmony and strong showmanship. Rate: 10.0 

Neco Starr, Jairon Jackson, Heejun Han, and Phil Phillips

We also have the cool rendition of The Flamingos' "Only Have Eyes For You" sung by Neco Starr, Heejun Han, Phil Phillips and Jairon Jackson. They have the melody where Neco, Heejun and Jairon did a soulful vocals and Phil's husky, rocking voice which proves that he is not just a rocker or acoustic star but he can sing soul classics. Rate: 9.8 

Candice Glover, Deandre Brackensick and Jessica Sanchez

Then our first part of the review caps off with the trio of Deandre Brackensick, Jessica Sanchez and Candice Glover with their powerful and soulful performance of Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" where it received a standing ovation from the judges. Jessica's soulful, jazzy and powerful vocals, Deandre's clean falsetto, and  Candice's strong vocal prowess match the song choice with their talent. Unfortunately Candice was eliminated in this round. Score: 9.9

Unaired Performances:

Chelsea Sorrell, Janelle Arthur, Aubree Dieckemeyer and Baylie Brown

The group of four beautiful girls composed of Baylie Brown, Aubree Dieckemeyer, Janelle Arthur and Chelsea Sorrell did a rendition of The Ronette's "Be My Baby." The four of them did a great job. They were able to show "girl power" in this performance. Baylie stand out with her smoky and smooth vocals, Janelle shows her strong showmanship and clear vocals, Chelsea with her clear voice and wide range and Aubree with her smooth quality of voice but the song didn't match her vocals. In the end, Baylie and Chelsea made it while Aubree and Janelle was eliminated. However, Janelle gave her best performance in this group but why she was eliminated after that performance? Rate: 8.0

Couch Potato Review: American Idol 10 - Las Vegas Week

It was 2011, a new round of American Idol introduced to the viewers and aspiring hopefuls. This is the Las Vegas Week. It is the phase of the competition where the contenders who passed the final round of Hollywood week will going to Las Vegas to perform by groups on a particular music theme. They are trained by vocal coaches and musical directors. In the tenth season, the first theme of Las Vegas round was the songs from The Beatles where contestants are performing by duets or trios. Most of the contenders who stand out in this round made it to the top 24 as well in the final 12. Here are the memorable performances in the American Idol Season 10's Las Vegas Round:

Pia Toscano and Karen Rodriguez

First, we have Pia Toscano and Karen Rodriguez sang "Can't Buy Me Love" which shows their harmony and they can sing in an upbeat tempo. It was an out of the box performance. 

Naima Adedapo, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart.

Then, the trio of Naima Adedapo, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart did the 1970's hit "The Long and Winding Road" where they performed it with their powerful vocals and perfect blending of their voices. They are one of the best performers in that round because three different styles combined in one group and a song choice that matches their prowess.

Kendra Chantelle and Paul McDonald

We also have the relaxing rendition of "Blackbird" by Kendra Chantelle and Paul McDonald. Kendra has a sultry voice while Paul performed with his husky vocals plus the accompaniment of the acoustic guitar which makes their rendition soothing to the ears. 

Julie Zorrilla and Tim Halperin

Then, the musically inclined performers Tim Halperin and Julie Zorrilla where they sang "Something." It sounds current because of their voices are in the mainstream and contemporary. Tim's voice is similar to Chris Martin of Coldplay while Julie is to American Idol 7's Brooke White. They are truly talented in music because of their voice, style and musicality by playing the keyboard. 

Other remarkable performances during the Las Vegas Week including the trio of Tatynisa Wilson, Lakeisha Lewis, and Jerome Bell singing "I Saw Her Standing There" with their groovy tune and soulful performance in an upbeat song. We also have the duo of Casey Abrams and Chris Medina, adding strings to the performance of "Hard Days Night" which matches their vocals.

2012 Blogging Opportunities

This 2012, I am doing the multitasking work from my professional career to my pastime which is blogging. I was not able to blog here in Blogspot since January 2012, thinking of new ideas which is refreshing to the readers as well with improving my craft. Looking forward starting March for new adventures and entries in Blogspot. 

You can also follow my Wordpress page entitled "Talaarawan ni Mister Commuter" (Mr. Commuter 's Journal).