This past Monday night was another big night as the American Song Contest brought another eleven contestants from the 50 states, 5 US territories, and DC to perform for America in hopes to be the first-ever winner of the American Song Contest. The beginning of the night of course showcased highlights from last week’s show and gave us the final standing from last week’s eleven contestants. At the top standings was Jordan Smith from Kentucky who won the judges’ pick of the night. After the inclusion of America’s vote here are the top four from week two:
Kentucky – Jordan Smith
North Dakota – Chloe Freddy
Kansas – Broderick Jones
Montana – Jonah Prill
After that, it was time to see the next batch of contestants which once again had another big name on the list, this time it was Jewel representing her home state of Alaska. Here’s my breakdown of this past week’s performances:
TEXAS: Grant Knoche
Song title: “Mr. Independent”
Started off as a dancer and toured with Kidz Bop. The song is a great tune, great beat but his energy did not match the energy of the song. Incredible dance moves and incredible energy nonetheless but with the slow beat mellow tune his high energy dance moves just did not seem to fit.
LOUISIANA: Brittany Pfantz
Song title: “Now You Do”
She describes her music as a mix of Adele and Amy winehouse, her performance definitely took us to the bayou, sultry high energy and a fun song. She definitely brings the essence of how she describes her music to life.
TENNESSEE: Tyler Braden
Song title: “Seventeen”
Started off as a firefighter and with the support of his fellow firefighters pursued his dream. The song is an incredible example of the talent that comes out of Nashville. Beautiful lyrics, strong voice, incredible performance.
NEW JERSEY: Brooke Alexx
Song title: “I Don’t Take Pictures Anymore”
Fun anthem to promote girl power and to be yourself. Fun catchy tune that with a beat that reminds me of the song “I Love College” but better.
ALABAMA: Ni/Co
Song title: “The Difference”
Singing duo and partners in life, beautiful song celebrating the difference between people. Amazing vocal power with them, powerful lyrics. Just like last week with Jordan Smith, chills from their vocals.
FLORIDA: Ale Zebala
Song title: “Flirt”
A mix of Pop & Latin. Fun bubbly beat to match the performance. I love the inclusion of accordion to the song to give it that Latin flavor while being a fun pop tune.
ALASKA: Jewel
Song title: “The Story”
Jewel still has it for sure, but the song sounded just like every other song from the pop singer.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Jesse Leprotti
Song title: “Not Alone”
First impression of the performance of the song was that he wasn’t keeping up with the song but once the chorus hits he shows us that he’s got talent and has great range in his voice. A great anthem that you can definitely hear in the club.
SOUTH DAKOTA: Judd Hoos
Song title: “Bad Girl”
Finally another band! Brought a fun mix of The Killers mixed in with U2 in my opinion. The song was good, the vocals were strong but I don’t think it’s strong enough to move on.
DELAWARE: Nitro Nitra
Song title: “Train”
Strong vocals and strong music make this one one of my top picks! Great mix of gospel, rock, and pop, Nitro Nitra gives an incredible performance with high energy.
NORTHERN MARIANAS: Sabyu
Song title: “Sunsets & Sea Turtles”
It is a great song to represent where he is from. Has a great island vibe while being a love song.
COLORADO: Ryker Lynch
Song title: “Feel the Love”
Bringing the tropical pop sound from Colorado. I love the big drum beats, it definitely makes me want to go get a Hawaiian shirt. A fun song all in all
JURY’S PICK: Tyler Braden
JOE HAWK’S PICKS: Ni/Co, Brittany Pfantz, Brooke Alexx
Watch American Song Contest Mondays on NBC.
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Joe Hawk