Nick Mitchell might not be the most commercial contestant on American Idol, but after round two of Season 8’s semifinals, he’s certainly proved to be the most memorable.
In a crowd of contenders who seem to have no idea who they are as artists, Nick seems to have no problem identifying himself — he’s "Norman Gentile." And like him or not, he’s pretty darn entertaining.
Nick was one of the few second-group semifinalists who made a lasting impression, as some of the group's strongest contenders were lost in a blur of bad song choices.
It’s extra frustrating because many of these people were early favorites, and for good reason – they can sing. Unfortunately the songs they picked, did nothing to show that off.
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Matt Giraud, for example has this great gritty blues voice which he totally strutted when he blew everyone away with “Georgia” in Hollywood. Somehow, he thought it would be best displayed this time around singing Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” Really?
Jeanine Vailes didn’t get any camera time in the earlier stages of the competition, but from watching her short recap video, it was pretty easy to see she’s a soul singer.
I only wish she could have seen the same before she decided to sing some Maroon 5.
And Jasmine Murray went with “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles, which is a great song … with about five notes in it. This is not the kind of song you sing when you’re trying to show the world what you can do with your voice.
Contestant Adam Lambert may have erred on the other end of the spectrum.
With more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan plot, many, like Simon, may have found his rendition of “Satisfaction” to be a bit much. But after seeing so many people sing songs without any thought to how they would showcase they’re voices, it was nice to see Adam not only pick a song that did show off his voice but was also arranged in a way that really showed the range of what he’s capable of. And like him or not, he’s capable of quite a bit when it comes to singing.
As is Allison Iraheta. Until now, the spunky redhead was only seen in a roughly three-second clip of her first audition, and after roughly three seconds of her awkward interview with Ryan Tuesday, I was about to second guess my decision to make her one of my favorites. But all was back to normal as soon as Allison took the stage singing “Alone” by Heart. And though she didn’t go for the high note like I’d hoped, she didn’t need to. She was still the best of the night.
Unfortunately, for Allison, being the best doesn’t always guarantee you the top spot and of all the girls, it seems Megan Corkery will be her toughest competition. The Amy Winehouse wannabe doesn’t even come close to Allison when it comes to singing, but with some more camera time under her belt, a face that’s very easy on the eyes and Simon all but whipping out the puffy paint for a “Vote for Megan” poster, she could take the female vote.
As for the men, Adam Lambert will likely be the leader there, leaving a number of people vying for that third spot.
Matt’s certainly proved he’s worthy of the Top 12 in past auditions; either Megan or Allison could snag the third spot if they don’t grab the first; and even Mishavonna Henson could surprise everyone with a victory.
But at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to who motivates the most Americans to actually pick up the phone and vote. And maybe it’s because he sang to us all about how there’s "no, no, no, no way he’s leaving," but something’s telling me America’s gonna love Nick Mitchell.
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