‘American Idol XIV’ review: Alexis Gomez, Jax, Sarina-Joi Crowe, Joey Cook try to do Motown proud
Tonight on “American Idol XIV,” it was Motown Week … again! The twist here of course was that this time around, the remaining ladies took to the stage in hopes of impressing the voting public, and that is no easy task. They are notoriously quite the fickle bunch, aren’t they?
We’re going to have the results of tonight’s episode in a separate article. For now, just be sure to check out our take on the contestants who actually got a chance to perform tonight! We may be in the minority, but we prefer the shorter pre-show and judges segments. It means more time actually spent on the singing! (Update: The results are here.)
Tyanna Jones, “Rockin’ Robin” – Major props for being able to pull this off. This is not an easy song choice in the slightest, since it can sound very easy and childish. Luckily, she placed the right amount of energy into it, and turned the song into a very entertaining number.
Loren Lott, “I Wanna Be Where You Are” – A little disappointing here from Loren. We know that she can sing, but she chose a song that took away her lower register, and put her in a place where she was a little high and screechy.
Maddie Walker, “I’ll Be There” – This was sweet, but not entirely perfect either. Maddie needs to work on making sure that the heart of her performance matches exactly what her vocal talent is. Still, we hope she advances; it is hard for a country artist in Motown week.
Joey Cook, “Shop Around” – While there were occasionally control issues here and there, we’re never going to complain too much about someone who really puts their all into making sure that a performance is unique.
Sarina Joi-Crowe, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” – This was all about control. We know that Sarina-Joi could have just come out there and yelled all of the notes, and still would’ve been praised for it. Instead, she took her time, and gave us something that was truly beautiful. One of our favorites performances of the entire season so far.
Adanna Duru, “Hello” – Harry’s right about it being out of tune. We did love the drama in here, though, especially when it comes to the key changes all at the end of the song.
Jax, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – A tricky song choice for Jax. We’re one of her bigger fans out here, but the problem with this song is just that there’s only so much you can really do with it. She did her best with the jazzy arrangement, and hopefully it will be enough to keep her around. Yep, we didn’t even notice #TheDress at first.
Alexis Gomez, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” – The final reveal of the night. She was good, but we’re not sure the arrangement really worked. It either needed to be more country, or stick with something more traditional.
Who was your favorite among the top eight women tonight? Share with a comment, and head over here to read our review of the top eight performance show featuring the men! Also, you can sign up now to score some other TV news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)