We'll Be The Judge of That! - Rock Star: INXS, August 23

By now, you’ve read the recap on RealityNewsOnline, so you know what Dave Navarro, INXS, and David Bloomberg think. But what do our judges – Jen Shrader, Paris Cosby, and Sting7 - have to say?

Suzie McNiel, “Start Me Up”

Jen: She is growing on me and I never thought I'd say that. She's starting to look like a real rock star. That was a nice touch when she went over and sang with her cohorts – and nice stage dive! It takes guts to dive into a crowd that's voted you into the bottom three week after week!

Paris: I loved Suzie’s look and I really liked what she did this week. She has an amazing voice and did a super job. It was an interesting move to go over and involve the other contestants. I’m not sure I liked that part of the performance but I loved it when she took her dive into the audience. What a way to start the show out with a bang! I don’t know if it’ll be enough to keep her out of the Bottom 3 though. Here’s hoping…

Sting7: That Suzie just keeps pulling tricks out of her hat. Definitely my favorite performance from her. I thought she started a little slow, wasn’t convinced with the key she started in, but she turned it up when the background vocals kicked and I realized I was enjoying myself. Nice interplay with the band, it was cute of her stand amidst her fellow rockers, and a competent stage dive to boot! Nicely done Suzie!

J.D. Fortune, “Cold as Ice”

Jen: Call me crazy, but I really didn't see where he changed the arrangement al that much. It was a little lower to fit his voice better, but I didn't see the "dirt" or the "growl" he was going for. J.D. just seems fake to me, and the fist pumping made him look like an aerobics instructor! He's a good singer. I just don't like him.

Paris: J.D. gave a great performance of a not-so-great song. In fact, I think the song only had about eight words total. However, J.D. rocked it, had an amazing look, great vibe and let’s face it, he oozes sex appeal. The guy is a star. The women in the audience looked about ready to faint and I felt the temperature go up even through my television screen. I’d pay money – a lot of money – to have him entertain me.

Sting7: That just didn’t work for me. I dunno. J.D.’s tinkering was kept to a reasonable minimum, but somehow, J.D.’s vocals didn’t have any of the emotion that Lou Gramm’s did in the original. What made “Cold as Ice” so memorable was the sense of drama, the story, the anguish. J.D.’s musical interpretation was a rock pounding, the vocals were emotionless. He could just as well have singing about his really cool car, or the price of tea in China. I didn’t feel anything. I think this time, he’ll pay.

Deanna Johnston, “My Truth” (original)

Jen: It's hard to judge an original song in a format like this. When I normally listen to an original song, I buy the CD – yes, I still buy actual CD's, I'm old school like that – get out the liner notes and really see what the words are and let them rattle around in my brain for a while. This song definitely was in Deanna's safe zone, but it's a good zone and it was nice to see her comfortable on stage for the first time in a long time.

Paris: Deanna, with the first original song of the night, did well I thought. She sure let loose and I did like the song quite a bit. It was in her comfort zone but so what? She entertained the heck out of me. I’m pretty sure it won’t keep her out of the Bottom 3 but I thought it was pretty good! Good job for Ty too – the proud Papa!

Sting7: That was HOT! That collaboration between Deanna and Ty is gold! They should consider teaming up a lot more, no matter how their fortunes in this show go. Hell, I’d buy that record today! Problem, if it is a problem, is Deanna was doing what she does. She is what she is, it’s right for INXS or it isn’t. It may not be, but somebody, somewhere will sign her. No worries there, Deanna.

Ty Taylor, “Proud Mary”

Jen: It's cracking Dave and the band up quite a bit that our rockers – at least most of them – get along so well. But having the girls sing back up was a perfect idea. I thought this was one of Ty's best overall performances. I don't understand why he's always in danger when the voting begins.

Paris: Choosing to have the girls up to sing backup vocals for him was nice, BUT! I think it’s all getting a little too cutesy for me. Yes, love, love, love. Blah. It’s getting old. Now as for the performance, I thought it was a ton of fun to watch. It was like watching an entire musical production. However, it was like watching an entire musical production. Ty is an amazing entertainer but I see him more as theatre and wow, would he be amazing at that! INXS? I don’t see it. Bottom 3? I see that.

Sting7: One of my colleagues called Ty an impersonator last week, and I wonder if she thinks he impersonated Tina Turner this week? In my opinion, Ty is doing exactly what he should be doing. He injects a bit of soul with his rock every single week. It is what he should do to stand out, and he does! Will it work for INXS? Hey, they did a tour with Terence Trent D’Arby on lead vocals not so long ago, so they aren’t opposed to a soulful vibe at all! While it was definitely a good time, I kind of wish he’d gone with the stripped down organ thing he was doing in rehearsal. Still, I was satisfied, and if you can’t see that he is an original, I can’t help you.