Top 48 Showcase: House of Blues Part 2

Welcome back. Last night gave us a little bit of everything. We saw the contestants perform at the House of Blues and we also got immediate results on if they made it to the Top 24 or if they were eliminated. A total of 12 people made it through last night, 7 females and 5 males. Tonight will finish up the performances and eliminations and we will have our Top 24 of 12 males and 12 females. So as we always do, let's get started:

First up for Final Judgement is Josh Sanders. Harry tells him they applaud his performances and work ethic but it's gonna be a "No". Right after that Jennifer tells Josh that she would have said "Yes". Once Josh leaves Harry sarcastically tells Jennifer "Make sure you continue to throw us under the bus".....

Top 48 Perform & Results Part 2:
We left last night's episode on Hollywood Anderson. 

Hollywood Anderson=He has disappointed us greatly since his fantastic initial audition. Since then he has performed several times and has been way off the mark, he got a terrible edit from group rounds where it appeared he was sort of lazy and didn't put that much effort in.The audition was the only thing that got him to Top 48. At the House of Blues he sings Adele's "Hometown Glory". We get to see about 9 seconds of his performance before they cut back to the Final Judgement with the Judges. In those 9 seconds I didn't see anything to dissuade me from thinking he doesn't deserve to be in the Top 24, but we obviously didn't get to see his whole performance.
Judge's Comments= Keith-He's a soulful guy, got a beautiful voice, it's a real gift, but didn't quite make it.
Results= Eliminated

Joey Cook=She is pretty emotional sitting in the holding room awaiting her fate. At House of Blues she sings "Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee. Joey has a very distinct and unique voice. There isn't anyone on the show that sounds like her, and that's a good thing. It's also very niche, so it's possible that if haven't liked her thus far she probably won't grow on ya, but she should,  and although she's had an up and down journey thus far she's done more good than bad.
Judge's Comments= Harry-Truly cares about everyone, tough to compare apples and oranges but she is the kiwi of the bunch. 
Results=In Top 24

Katherine Winston=I have been impressed by Katherine each time we have seen her, but we haven't seen a ton of her. At House of Blues she sings "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. Her voice does some really interesting things and she makes some great choices to make the song her own.
Judge's Comments=Jennifer-Gets excited to put the best people in front of America... watching her journey and every-time she got up there something magical happened.
Results=In Top 24

Maddie Hudson=She was a favorite at her initial audition, but since then she has faltered and struggled.  At House of Blues she sang "Diamonds" by Rihanna. She seemed very timid. So when you add that to her struggles in Hollywood it's not a great combination.
Judge's Comments=A front runner from the beginning, but needs time to get comfortable on stage. Has a great talent
Results=Eliminated

Alexis Gomez= In Hollywood Jennifer told Alexis to try things differently because most of her performances are the same time after time. Jennifer mentions that Alexis is Mexican, so maybe doing with that. So at House of Blues Alexis decides to mix her love of country and her Mexican background together and turn The Band Perry's "Better Dig Two" into a half Spanish/half English song. It was sort of a weird combination that sort of worked. I give her credit for switching things up.
Judge's Comments=Not one of the people that we have to say goodbye to that we like.
Results= In Top 24

Quentin Alexander= He decides to sing a lesser known song called "Youth" by Foxes. No one has heard this song and it was a chancy choice but he sounded pretty well in the few seconds that we heard him. Plus the way he dresses is so distinct and he stands out in the crowd just for that. Add his voice to the mix and ya got a great combination.
Judges Comments=Keith-Has had ups and downs during some of his performances but will be interesting for America to see him.
Results=In Top 24

Savion Wright=He got to this exact point last season and was eliminated right before the Top 24. He was great last season, but is actually even better this season. He struggled during the group performance but has done well at many other points. At House of Blues he sang "I Don't Trust Myself(with Loving You)" by John Mayer. He sounded really nice in the few seconds we saw him. I enjoy Savion, and if he is better than last season in which I wanted him to get through, then I really want him to get through this season.
Judge's Comments=Keith-Seems really comfortable on stage but takes even more than that, and he is up for that challenge.
Results= In Top 24

Eliminated Montage=Jaq Mackenzie and Hunter Larsen. I liked Hunter a lot throughout this competition, and Jaq had a couple decent performances. Too bad.

Mark Andrew=He had an up and down time in Hollywood but his voice can really carry him through tough times. At House of Blues he sings "Take Me To Church" by Hozier. He's got it all going on. His voice is on point and he is much more in the groove and works the stage.
Judge's Comments=Harry-12 spots for the guys and 12 spots for the girls, that's really narrow. He is in his own lane, but is he different enough?
Results= In Top 24

Trevor Douglas=I didn't like his first audition but since then he has done quite well and stood out at times. At House of Blues he sings "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley but he makes it into a more modern rock/pop version. It was a cool way to bring an old song into modern age.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Crazy that his vocals weren't as good as he probably could have done. Have to think about is consistency.We think he is talented and want to see him again.
Results=In Top 24

Emily Brooke=From the few times we have seen her she was decent. At House of Blues she sang Keith Urban's "Stupid Boy". It was good, not great.
Judge's Comments=Jennifer-Really talented but really young.
Results= Eliminated

Nick Fradiani= At House of Blues he sings Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and he sounds amazing. He hasn't had a ton of spotlight put on him, other than that he is 28 and this is his last shot at Idol. He has been so consistent and he could be a real spark in the Top 12 guys.
Judge's Comments=None
Results=In Top 24

Sarina-Joi Crowe=She has had quite the Idol journey. This was her fourth time trying out for the show. She sings Jessie J's "Big White Room" and she is just so good. She's always been good
Judge's Comments=Harry-This year there are more people in her lane, show needs best people to represent that genre and she is one of those people.
Results= In Top 24

Qaasim Middleton=The way he looks has been more of the draw of Qassim than anything. I have never been completely impressed by his voice and whole package. He is very Prince on stage as he sings "Satisfaction" by Allen Stone. He gets a standing ovation by Jennifer and Keith. This was by far my favorite performance of Qaasim thus far.
Judge's Comments=Jennifer-Is Brooklyn in the house? Is Brooklyn in the house?
Results= In Top 24

Riley Bria and Ricky Dale Hendricks=They are the last remaining men for the Final Judgement. Both guys didn't get a lot of air time in Hollywood. At House of Blues Ricky sings "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Keith Whitley and Riley sings "Love this Pain" by Lady Antebellum. Ricky sung his particular song better than Riley, but Riley has sung better overall. It's a close call. 
Judge's Comments= Both extraordinarily talented and well deserved of getting this far.
Results= Riley In Top 24....Ricky Dale Eliminated

Jelly Joseph and Shi Scott =They are the last remaining women for the Final Judgement. Jelly's first audition was amazing but since then she faded into the background a little. Shi has been more featured on the show, but it might be because she has a weird kind of personality and sounds like the people she is singing. She hasn't really had her own voice yet to stand out on her own. Before the Showcase Jelly has major nerve issues. At House of Blues Jelly sings "Bang Bang" by Jessie J/Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj and her voice is fierce. She is a powerhouse. Shi sings "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder and it finally sounds not at all like the original. Maybe she needs to just keep singing songs originally sung by men. That might be her ticket.
Judge's Comments=Harry-Jelly represented New Orleans incredibly well.
Results=Shi Scott In Top 24...Jelly Joseph Eliminated


Final Thoughts

*The Top 24 is quite the mixed bag. Ya got a range of contestants between the ages of 15-29, ya got rockers, some pop, r&b, a good amount of country, a splash of latin music, and a lot of soul. There is definitely something for everyone in there. I'd say out of the Top 24  there are at least 14 possible stars and several others that can really stand out during live rounds. There is a ton of potential in the Top 24, we'll see how it shakes out.

*There were a few eliminations the past 2 days in there that was a little upsetting. Jelly Joseph, Hunter Larsen and Cody Fry among the few. A couple of people that were very borderline that made it were Shi Scott, Daniel Seavey and Alexis Gomez. So all in all that's not bad. I think because the judges and producers were very aware of trying to ensure that almost every single genre is covered they might have eliminated some good talent to fit certain categories. It happens every season.

*Next week the live voting rounds begin. This will finally give us a full look at some of these performers that we only saw for a mere few seconds the past few days. Most of the Top 24 were featured pretty heavily so far this season, but it will be good to see them without edits and interruptions.

That's it. Next week starts the voting rounds and actual live shows. Can't wait. Should be good. Come on back after the next new episode. So until next time, see ya!