‘AGT’ Semi-Finals Week 2 Recap
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It was the second round of America’s Got Talent Season 13 semi-finals, and the judges were not afraid to get real with the contestants. Things are getting down to the wire, and only five of tonight’s 11 acts will advance to next week’s finale.
Christina Wells
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While “You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)” is definitely overused on AGT, I like that Christina knows when to make a note a powerhouse and when to tone it down a little and draw the audience in via her natural charisma and stage presence. And it was great that she was able to get back on track after a couple mistakes. However, the errors did make this a step down from her quarter-finals performance, and that could end up being her downfall tomorrow.
Da Republik
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This was another performance that was a step down from previous ones due to mistakes. I think if they’d had a “wow” moment or two they may have been able to turn it around, but as it was, while it wasn’t a bad performance, it wasn’t anything particularly interesting, either. I don’t quite think it deserved that red buzzer, though.
Noah Guthrie
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I totally agree with Simon on this one. I wasn’t feeling the beginning of the song, but Noah managed to turn it around by the end. I think I liked the idea of turning “I Will Always Love You” into a rock number more than the actually execution of it.
Daniel Emmet
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I think Daniel, more than any other singer this season, has shown quite the range of versatility this season. He’s stuck to his genre of opera, but has sung a variety of songs from all over the musical map, from classical, to Aerosmith, and now Broadway! While he was a bit more subdued up there tonight than usual, I liked what he did a lot more than the judges seemed to.
Angel City Chorale
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I always love the fun and positivity ACC brings to the AGT stage, but while tonight’s performance was nice, it was pretty one-note. It was probably in part because of the microphone issues (this show really doesn’t seem to know how to do a proper set-up for choirs) but the performance lacked varied dynamics and surprises. I think it might have been cool to include some solos, or even a lighting or prop change to keep us on our toes. Also, did anyone else feel like there was a little bit of exploiting the 9/11 tragedy for votes here? (I’m pretty sure one of last season’s acts did this as well and it doesn’t sit well with me.)
Aaron Crow
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I enjoy Aaron, but his live show performances haven’t been as good as the ones earlier in the season. Tonight’s was basically the same concept as the last round with a little more “danger” added in. Up until this episode, Aaron showed a lot of range with his performances, but while tonight’s showing was better than his quarter-finals one it just didn’t feel fresh or exciting.
Vicki Barbolak
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I think I found the “star trailer tour” package funnier than her actual performance, but I do think Vicki has developed a fun brand over the course of the season as the “naughty trailer park lady” and it’s been nice to see a female comedian do well on AGT.
We Three
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I like that they wanted to go in a new direction, but I have to agree with Simon that this song was a mess. I couldn’t tell what they were singing or what the song was about. They showed so much promise in the pre-live rounds but have been pretty disappointing these past couple of performances.
Glennis Grace
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Glennis obviously has a great voice and did well with her song tonight. But for some reason I haven’t been getting all that excited about her performances. I think it’s because she’s a great singer, but her voice isn’t all that unique. I do see her making it to the finale, though.
Brian King Joseph
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This was far and away the best performance of the night. No one else was even close. The weird set-up with the contortionists in the background last week was gone and replaced with staging and lighting more appropriate for this type of violin performance.
Courtney Hadwin
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This was the first time we saw Courtney perform in a month, and her return was overall triumphant. Like Heidi and Mel, I felt something was off here, but I don’t think it was nerves so much as the performance feeling a touch overproduced. I loved the set-up they gave her last time because it felt old-school, but things like the flashing lights swallowed Courtney up a bit tonight. It took away from the piece for me…but thankfully only a little bit.
America’s Got Talent returns tomorrow night with results at 8/7c on NBC.
