1) Sam Woolf- Come Together from Across The Universe
When I heard Sam was doing this, I assumed trainwreck. The song is too big for him, and honestly too energetic. Vocally, Sam did an alright job, but he needed a Red Bull. That was too subdued for me to take him seriously. He sat for the first half of it. He awkwardly bounced around on stage for the second half. He didn’t look connected, and honestly, there’s nothing to connect to. At least his vocals weren’t bad. He just proved he’s not a performer. America is going to forget this by the end of the night. Harry called it “average” and I agree.
FINAL GRADE: C+
2) Jess Meuse- The Sound Of Silence from The Graduate
This is like last week, but redone to be better.I would say that Jess looked more invested in the performance this week, and fixed a lot of pitch issues. There was a music issue in the middle where she and the band were not together, and I don’t know why. I thought she mumbled some of the lyrics. It felt like a performance that never left the ground, so to speak. Still, an improvement upon last week, even if just a small one. I don’t know why Bandzilla hates Jess.
FINAL GRADE: B-
3) CJ Harris- Can’t You See from Blow
Probably the best CJ performance in a long time. Definitely since the Top 13. It was in tune. It got a standing O from Keith. It was on pitch. It fit his style. Great vocal. My one qualm is that it doesn’t do anything to help him be relevant in the current music industry. Nailing old songs, and not updating them, can only take you so far. But for this week, he’ll stay safe, and he got people excited again about his being in the competition.
FINAL GRADE: A-
4) Dexter Roberts- Sweet Home Alabama from Forrest Gump/Sweet Home Alabama
Of course this song is in Dexter’s wheelhouse. That’s a no brainer. What I liked about this performance was that Dexter had a ton of personality, and stage presence, something that’s been lacking tonight. He performed with confidence, like he’s a star. That’s what the judges wanted. I liked last weeks performance more, so this was a slight step backward. But only because this song seemed really safe for Dexter.
FINAL GRADE: B+