Sometimes too much is too much, right? It’s why phrases like “less is more” even exist. A lot of the contestants this season are overloading their performance with unnecessary vocal runs and riffs. Maybe it’s the nerves or maybe they’re trying really hard to impress the judges. Remember who else tried to do too much? Pamela Bell.
Don’t be Pamela Bell. But for every three oversinging contestants there’s a gem. Episode 3 gave us the gem of Jennifer Jeffries and if she makes it to the live rounds, I’ll be voting for her every chance I get. It’s her unassuming style but mostly (like 94.2%) it’s her voice. Definitely my favorite of so far and I really hope she stands out in Hollywood.
Actually there were quite a few gems in episode 3. I’m thinking of brother and sister Max and Laela Dasher, van lifer CJ Rislove, ex-football player Will Moseley. The next tier of singers below them are Aniston Pate, Nick Conners, and then there are the rest. A wild card who I can’t quite put in a category yet is Madaí ChaKell. She transforms into different styles on the fly and I can’t tell if she’s super talented or just jumping between caricatures… almost mimicking great singers.
If she can show us her own groove with her unique vocal talent, she’ll do really well. She certainly has flair.
And then there’s Scarlett Lee from London. The judges adored her and the show gave her a LOT of air time. I think we need to petition for a cap on each audition. This one seemed to drag on and on and remember the vocal runs from Pamela Bell? She ain’t got nothing on Scarlett. Yes, too much is too much. Besides her crush on Katy Perry, her fashion sense was the topic of discussion amongst the judges, Katy speaking about it the most. Katy even knew what perfume Scarlett was wearing (Alien by Thierry Mugler). Katy mostly affirmed her and her talent but at moments she revealed an undertone of subtle disapproval. The most obvious were these three lines:
“Sometimes people don’t take you seriously…” as she points Vanna White style to Scarlett’s wardrobe.
“…cut through all of the layers, doesn’t matter the makeup, doesn’t matter the outfit…” which means everyone noticed the makeup and the outfit.
“There are so many girls like you that are going to be cheering you on…”
What does “girls like you” mean, exactly? I think Katy was referring to the excessive makeup, the 20-lb eyelashes, the sorority girl dress, and her body. But it’s a singing competition so Scarlett Lee DOES have her voice to lean on. That will help her out a lot if she can tone down the excessive runs and just let us hear her raw voice. She also needs to drop the eyelashes, take off 10 layers of makeup, and well, who am I kidding, she’s not going to last. Contestants from other countries who already have a lot of singing reality show experience (she’s been on X Factor UK twice) don’t get much sympathy when it comes time to vote… if she even makes it to the voting rounds. I’ve already seen enough talent in 3 episodes that put Scarlett Lee out of the top 10 anyway.
Overall it was an entertaining episode and I think there were definitely a few singers who will make it to the live rounds and, dare I say, the top 5 of the whole dang season!
-Out of the Wilderness
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