‘American Idol XIV’ review: Savion Wright, Joey Cook, Jax, Jess Lamb rule group round

Tonight, we had the bulk of the Group Round on “American Idol XIV,” and once again, we find ourselves in

Let’s start here by talking about some of our favorites of the night. Jax continues to be a breath of fresh air creatively and stylistically, and Rayvon Owen and Jess Lamb were almost equally sensational. The more we see Savion Wright, the more we wondered why this guy was not brought forward to the live shows last year. Even the group named Ladies, Take Your Clothes Off (despite that sounded so terrible from the jump) shined for the most part. We’re not sure that there is a clear favorite so much as many shining stars.

We’re not sure that anyone completely surprised us overall, but we feel like the stock rose a good bit through this round for Riley Bria, Lovey James, and even young Daniel Seavey, who we thought wasn’t really ready for the big time.

One other thing we have to talk about here is the decline of Hollywood Anderson. This was a guy who we thought a matter of weeks ago was one of the coolest contestants we’ve ever seen. However, he didn’t appear that committed at all tonight, almost like he knows that he’s extremely talented, and because of that, isn’t as interested in practicing or taking care of himself. This is a huge bummer; this guy should be a lock for the top 24, but it feels almost like he may eventually sing himself out of a spot … even if he advanced tonight.

When it comes to departures, we’re probably the most sad about losing Kory Wheeler and Rocky Peter, who were two standouts from the audition. Rocky’s story makes his exit more heartbreaking.

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