‘America’s Got Talent’ review: Jimmy Rose, Cami Bradley, Taylor Williamson shine

Going into tonight’s “America’s Got Talent” episode, we had tremendously high hopes that we were going to have a very entertaining two hours … but did we? It was more like we had a useless first hour of the show that was turned around the moment Timber Brown came on stage. This was one of the few nights in which we feel like the four acts moving forward should be pretty obvious, at least if America actually votes for people who are great, and not just singers or people with emotional stories to tell.

3Penny Chorus and Orchestra – This act is silly. Relatively funny, but still silly. We had this one pegged in our show rankings: They have a distinct talent, but once you’ve seen the gimmick, there is really nothing great that comes from seeing it again. Given how talented they are, we’d rather see them perform songs that people who love choir and orchestra music want to hear.

Chloe Channel – Thank you Howard Stern, for being completely honest about her sounding like a pageant performance. She also messed up on the words. Please America, don’t just put her through just because she is a young country singer. We don’t need any more of these. We plead to you!

Champions Forever – It was like watching a bizarre family group running into a circus, getting together their unicycles, and then trying to have a good time in hopes that other people like it to. The problem? Nobody else liked it. It was weird. There was some skill to it, but no stage presence.

SensEtion – Meanwhile, it felt like this was a case of three guys studying past acts, trying to do something like them, and then paling in comparison. The technology fell apart at times, and the overall theme did feel like some laser light show meant to accompany an act, and not necessarily the main event.

The Robotix – We don’t really get the concept of a band with a futuristic rock name performing a song from Black Sabbath. Seems kind of contradictory. The band is actually pretty talented, but the lead singer sounds a little too much like a pop singer trying to be rock, and the edge isn’t there.

Timber Brown – Finally, we had an act tonight that came out on stage, and did not do a lackluster job. Timber has quite a bit going for him in that he’s not just skilled, but also dangerous and innovative. There is effort here to do something that is beyond just the traditional act of this style, and that really does have to be commended. Plus, there were no poles! Hooray for something new!

Cami Bradley – She may not have the “aw shucks” story that some of the other acts do, but this was by far the strongest performance out of any singer so far in the competition. Not only did she give a stellar take on Cher’s “Believe,” but you could feel this coming from her heart. It wasn’t just a song that production forced her to do.

Tummy Talk – This act is dumb, but here’s the funny thing. At least they tried to do something different and bring out more and more instruments to try to bang on, but you knew from the moment that they came out on stage this week that they were going to be buried by the judges. There really was no other way this was going to go.

Taylor Williamson – Admittedly, the best part of Taylor’s entire act may have been him saying something about Heidi Klum that was not even a part of his actual act. What was with her criticism of it now being a “family” act? It’s not supposed to be! What is important about this show is variety, and her weakness as a judge is that she has her mind made up of what she wants the winner to be. Taylor is a funny, funny man with great material and a great character.

Aerial Ice – This act has gotten very little attention leading into tonight, but we went back, watched the first audition, and reminded ourselves of just how good this group is. There’s never been a real skating group on the show, and they do bring something different to it while adding a little bit of story. This is not an easy thing that they are doing, but it is incredibly impressive to behold.

David Ferman – This act seemed to last about 10 seconds long, and it was creative. This is a conundrum with David: He’s one of the most entertaining guys that we have ever seen when it comes to the danger that he brings, but he is also one of the least entertaining guys when it comes to his stage presence.

Jimmy Rose – This was an interesting twist for Jimmy. He took a song by Bryan Adams (or DJ Sammy, if you like the techno version) in “Heaven,” and then made it into a country ballad. He’s still not the best singer out there, and we typically hate these sort of country guys who get all of the votes, but he is just so darn likable. He was a little nervous, but you know he’s getting through to the next round.

Who was your favorite act tonight on “America’s Got Talent”? As always, we want to hear some of your thoughts with a comment below!

Photo: NBC