‘America’s Got Talent’ review: Tape Face, Laura Bretan, Deadly Games, Musicality face off in live show #1

Tonight, the “America’s Got Talent” live shows were officially upon us! Twelve acts are hitting the stage tonight in hopes of trying to impress the voting public, who will have some big decisions to make moving into the semifinal rounds.

If you read our articles often, you know the drill: We’re doing this live! Check back throughout the night for some other updates.

Jayna Brown – The young singer is fresh off of her Golden Buzzer from Louis Tomlinson, and in opening the show tonight she took on a recent singing-show staple in “Make It Rain.” This is a song that most people probably only know because of either singing shows or “Sons of Anarchy.” Vocally, she absolutely destroyed this (and we mean that in a good way). Our one issue is that we would’ve preferred something a little more unexpected and better suited her age and experience.

Hara – The visual magician (yep, that’s what we call him) did something that was imaginative and even emotional, but at the same time he probably could have used a little more consistency through his act. Sometimes, we had a hard time figuring out what the trick really was, or where it was going.

Outlawz – This was cool at first, mostly because we thought it was going to be a “Ghostbusters” tribute. This is a common problem with dance crews on this show: Rather than giving us one interesting, fun, and unique dance, they try to give you about a million different things crammed into one. There was no clear theme or rhythm to this routine, and that hurt them.

Musicality – In terms of song choice, this was great and at times even moving. It’s almost the flip side of Jayna, though, in that the enunciation and the range on some of the singers did need work. This can be hard given that you are a group, but we think their story could help them advance.

Lori Mae Hernandez – For someone her age, she really is biting and funny! The first part of this was really fun with her burning Donald Trump and the Melania dig — even if Trump jokes can be rather run-of-the-mill. The braces bit was a little flat, but we like that she’s not afraid to touch on tricky subjects at her age.

Deadly Games – These two are SERIOUSLY good at what they do. If we were to look at everyone so far tonight in terms of what they executed in relation to what they set out to do, no doubt they are #1 so far. The blindfolded bit took so much skill and practice, and the presentation on top of it was sleek and super-professional.

Jon Dorenbos – While we still think that he’s a little rough around the edges, there’s no doubt that the football player knows how to pull off a great trick. Not only that, but his story makes him especially memorable as a magician. He’s a pretty sure bet to move on.

Daniel Joyner – His performance at Judge Cuts was insanely charismatic. Unfortunately, his take on “Crazy Little thing Called Love” was a little bit hokey. His vocals were decent, but the dancing and the song choice just don’t work for the kind of show this is. We also still have no idea what sort of artist he wants to be.

Tape Face – He’s innovative, he’s funny, and he’s completely different than anyone else who has been on the show forever. We don’t know if he will win, but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see him standing on the stage in the final.

Dorothy Williams – Yes, we understand that there was a great moment with Nick Cannon and the Golden Buzzer, but are you really going to say that there is the same amount of talent in this act as every other person this season?

Sila Sveta – Really good choice to bring them back! After Dorothy, they were a nice chaser and the sort of act that always entertains us on this show. Sure, we have no idea how they are going to fare after being MIA during the Judge Cuts.

Laura Bretan – Laura was sensational closing the show. Sure, we do have some frustrations about the opera singer AGAIN getting primo placement on the show, since this is almost a repeat of the very first episode of this season, and many other episodes in past seasons to go along with it. We’re hard on the producers, but to us there is no doubt she should advance.

Who was your favorite tonight? Vote in our poll, and head over here to see who’ll be performing on tomorrow night’s results show! Also, sign up over here to secure some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)