‘American Idol 15’ review: MacKenzie Bourg, Jenna Renae, Soika Vaid perform in first 24 show
Tonight marks the first “American Idol” performance show of the season! Who’s ready to celebrate that? The first 12 of the top 24 artists are going to be performing on the show tonight, and on Thursday, the judges will decide who among the group (there will be seven of them) are worthy of advancing to the next round of competition.
We’re going to be refreshing this article throughout the night with more of our quick-takes on some of the singers, so check back soon for more.
Stefany Negrete, “Mama Knows Best” – We think that Stefany is a competent singer, but she’s not enough of a performer yet. We’re going to forget about her most likely by the time we make it to the end of the night.
MacKenzie Bourg, “Say Something” – A very nice vocal arrangement. We’re still not sure MacKenzie has the best voice of anyone, but he’s got the originality that tends to lead to good results on this show.
Jeneve Rose Mitchell, “Angel” – Somehow, the harp worked! We’re not sure why Jeneve’s performances are captivating, but we feel like she has such a unique quality to her that makes her stand out in a very crowded musical field.
Jenna Renae, “My Church” – Was the pitch a little off? Sure. Still, we did find this a competent performance from someone who knows how to work the stage and deliver to an audience. Jenna has potential to go very far.
James VIII, “Love Lockdown” – We actually liked this song more so than the judges. It was invested, it was original, and it sounded better than we have heard him at any point this season.
Sonika Vaid, “Safe and Sound” – Her talent has never been in question, and after this performance it remains so. Sonika may have the total package to be a star after the show, provided that the resources are out there for her.
Gianna Isabella, “I Put a Spell on You” – Not entirely enchanting to go along with the name of the song, but overall we’d say that this was a competent vocal.
Emily Brooke, “Invincible” – This was a letdown and then some. No doubt Emily has talent, but this song choice was not even remotely right for her voice. It exposed some issues in the high register, and we cannot imagine her staying now.
Avalon Young, “Love Yourself” – Avalon is awesome. She’s all about the music and the quality of her performance, and doesn’t care about all of the frills. Love that she did something current, and the judges seemed to be firmly on her side.
Joshua Sasser, “All By Myself” – Too theatrical, and too much of a mess vocally. We just don’t see Joshua having a longer life this season.
Thomas Stringfellow, “Creep” – If he would cut out some of the yipping and the weird affectations in his voice, he’d be genuinely good and a singer worth watching out for.
La’Porsha Renae, “Proud Mary” – While at some point we want to see a little more creativity from La’Porsha, there’s still no denying that she is a vocal powerhouse and the best pure singer this season. WOW.
Our picks – Jeneve, Avalon, La’Porsha, Sonika, James, MacKenzie, and Gianna.
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