American Idol 2013

[Babbs234]

Here are a few more pictures from AI tour stop over in Rosemont, IL. I loved Janelle. She was a little powerhouse!

[rmd1064]

Michael Slezak review of the AI tour stop in Newark. I guess the venues are about half full, but it sounds like some of the Idols are putting in good performances: Janelle, Kree, Candace, Angie... Other than Candace, I don't believe any of the other Idols have record deals so far. And Amber is pregnant! Well, good luck to them all. As we know, post Idol is sometimes a rough road...


AMERICAN IDOL TOUR REVIEW Newark NJ

[Babbs234]

Michael Slezak review of the AI tour stop in Newark. I guess the venues are about half full, but it sounds like some of the Idols are putting in good performances: Janelle, Kree, Candace, Angie... Other than Candace, I don't believe any of the other Idols have record deals so far. And Amber is pregnant! Well, good luck to them all. As we know, post Idol is sometimes a rough road...


AMERICAN IDOL TOUR REVIEW Newark NJ

Amber is not showing yet as far as I could tell. Good thing for her the tour ends Aug 31st

The venue was only about half full when I saw the show Aug 12th. Too bad cause the idols put on a great show and I would definitely go again next year to see it.

[john]

from MICHAEL SLEZAK
http://tvline.com/2013/08/15/american-id...dice-kree/

BIGGEST SCENE-STEALER | God bless Janelle Arthur, who threw her pint-sized self into every single moment she was allowed on stage: ... and her drama-filled reading of the Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” (definitely one of the night’s highlights) proved she could easily be a headliner ...

WORST SOLO PERFORMANCE | Preceding the final one-two punch of Kree and Candice was Lazaro Arbos’ baffling karaoke-bar rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory,” complete with almost-inaudible lower register, strained high notes and a white-socks-with-dark-pants-and-shoes combo that put the “ick” in ridiculous...

MOST SURPRISING PERFORMANCE | Kree’s “All Cried Out” and “Up to the Mountain” were as sublime as you’d expect — her voice really is as soothing as 1,000-thread-count sheets, and as rich as an Ina Garten dessert — but I was most delighted by her gritty cover of the Alabama Shakes’ “Hold On.” The song choice may have flummoxed half the concert audience, but in a post-Idol setting, I hope Kree manages to infuse her love of modern country with her excellent skills in the blues and roots-rock arenas. It may not be the most obvious commercial approach, but seeing how country radio only has room for two or three female solo acts anyhow, it might be wise for her to zig-a-zig-aaah when everyone else expects a zag, yes?

[Babbs234]

^^^Thanks John for posting these videos! Great close up views

[mercfan3]

I really think Janelle could have a Kellie Pickler type career. (Although I know country is hard to break into as a female nowadays.) She's just a doll, and she showed she can be quite the performer.

You could very well be right. She is a doll, she's as vivacious as they come, and she seems to have an intuitive sense about what an audience wants.

I really don't know what happened to her in the competition rounds. Other than a few times (her version of "You Keep Me Hanging On") she really fell flat.

Maybe it was that she just didn't have the Voice of some of the other female contestants (Candice, Kree, Angie)
The forced song choices on her
a possible toxic environment (perhaps, had she been on Season 11 or 10, it would have been better for her.)

But it seems like the second the competition has been over she turned into a little dynamite on stage. She's adorable and she's charismatic. And her studios are excellent. (Something that actually, Candice isn't the best at.)

[Tom22]

I really think Janelle could have a Kellie Pickler type career. (Although I know country is hard to break into as a female nowadays.) She's just a doll, and she showed she can be quite the performer.

You could very well be right. She is a doll, she's as vivacious as they come, and she seems to have an intuitive sense about what an audience wants.

I really don't know what happened to her in the competition rounds. Other than a few times (her version of "You Keep Me Hanging On") she really fell flat.

Maybe it was that she just didn't have the Voice of some of the other female contestants (Candice, Kree, Angie)
The forced song choices on her
a possible toxic environment (perhaps, had she been on Season 11 or 10, it would have been better for her.)

But it seems like the second the competition has been over she turned into a little dynamite on stage. She's adorable and she's charismatic. And her studios are excellent. (Something that actually, Candice isn't the best at.)

My feeling was that they decided she wasn't in the script early on.

First: evidence for me.. must have been the 3rd live show --- very early for something like this... but they Flew the Mayor of Kree's small town in from TEXAS to Give her the Key to the Town ? (that's return home week final 3 stuff)

To me it was like they hit the audience over the head to say "Kree Country Too"...because ?

Because they didn't want Janelle to get a gate-to-finish lock on country voters ...they didn't want another "country singer" champion so soon

--- I'm not knocking Kree at all.. I don't think they helped her be her best either....but, they were trying to make her "better" .. just not suceding (but it still got her to the final 2 ... I don't think Candice was scripted for beyond final 4)

--- I agree with Sleezak that

but I was most delighted by her(kree) gritty cover of the Alabama Shakes’ “Hold On.” The song choice may have flummoxed half the concert audience, but in a post-Idol setting, I hope Kree manages to infuse her love of modern country with her excellent skills in the blues and roots-rock arenas. It may not be the most obvious commercial approach, but

They didn't let Kree be Kree and I really didn't enjoy any of her live show performances... Clearly what I like "flumoxes" main stream viewers (which is why I don't expect good singers to win.. main stream people have bad tastes ! )

Still, even though their hurting of Kree's art was accidental "we know more than you" they did know enough to keep her in over Janelle.
---

Why exactly they didn't want to help Janelle would take some real conspiriacty theory, but

I don't think they let her look her best or sound her best

- She looks hot as hell in those tight jeans and her hair is far more hip
--They had her in hippy dresses that looked like they were bought in street stand in a Mexican resort town some weeks.
- they didn't give her beautiful gowns either
- Angie had all sorts of great outfits

As you said after she got off the show the package changed to what I think she's really more like.

-She wore a flattering Black Dress on Leno.. sorta hip.. some leg but not sleezy.. much more of a magazine cover outfil

The songs they let her sting seemed lackluster too:

They did let her sing a Garth Brooks song but I've never really understood what the country saw in Garth Brooks so I can't entirely know if it was a good one or a bad one.

I like some country music in modes that don't fit Garth Brooks light-rock country... I like Southern Rock country, and I like some old-country, and I can deal with the acoustic country . (I'm sort of enjoying Crystal Bowersox songs when I hear them.. I really should buy one of her albums - i think i would listen to it)

IF she'd been able to sing what this classic Hank williams she sang at the opry that might ahve helped too (we did get a snippet of it in Hollywood didn't we?)



I"m not sure she has enough to standout from the 12 zillion other talented people trying to make it as musicians.. but if the show had wanted to they could have made her look and sound better every week

[taperjean_girl]

^ I don't know. Janelle was featured a lot more in the audition and Hollywood rounds. I think she was one of the chosen ones earlier on, moreso than Kree, whose audition and other Hollywood performances weren't really shown.

I think the shift towards Kree happened in the Las Vegas rounds where Kree just put in stronger performances and got a better audience response than Janelle, who put in two really weak performances. And in all honesty, was probably lucky to even get through to the top 10 over Aubrey and Breanna. It was from then that Kree became the preferred country contestant for the producers imo.

[john]

^ I don't know. Janelle was featured a lot more in the audition and Hollywood rounds. I think she was one of the chosen ones earlier on, moreso than Kree, whose audition and other Hollywood performances weren't really shown.

I think the shift towards Kree happened in the Las Vegas rounds where Kree just put in stronger performances and got a better audience response than Janelle, who put in two really weak performances. And in all honesty, was probably lucky to even get through to the top 10 over Aubrey and Breanna. It was from then that Kree became the preferred country contestant for the producers imo.

Having viewed several of her tour videos I can see that Kree really owns the stage when she is out there. She interacts with the audience easily and they respond. She does the little extras like giving the band a round of applause which also works to warm the audience up to her performance.

[Babbs234]

I agree with what everyone has been saying about Kree and Janelle. When i saw them live, I was very impressed with their voices. Kree , I believe, had her own band before being on AI. She had experience in playing in front of crowds, won some singing competitions as a child, appeared on the Rosie ODonnell,show, Had a music development deal etc. She seemed comfortable playing in front of us, and looked to be enjoying herself, like she had been doing this for a long time. I thought she was a little stiff and I dont know, never looked like she was having fun on AI. Now with the pressure off, she is a real natural, kind of like Haley. I loved her performance.

Janelle, too, with the pressure off, just went out there and gave it her all. A real beauty, with the white outfit, tiny body, long blond hair flowing ( reminded me of Haley). Can you imagine the kind of pressure these kids were under on the show? Now they can relax, and with all the experience their getting on the tour, are really starting to shine, IMO.

Whether you liked the show or not, ya can't help but be impressed with how good the Idols voices are when hearing them live.