'American Idol': Cecil Ray Baker's duet with Jimmie Allen fails to impress, fans want judges to 'send him home'

Cecil sang 'Paint Me a Birmingham' for his solo and 'If Freedom was a Highway' with Jimmie Allen, and failed to hit it out of the park with both resulting in anger within fans.
PUBLISHED APR 5, 2021
Cecil Ray Baker during 'All-Star' solos and duet episode on 'American Idol' Season 19 (ABC)
Cecil Ray Baker during 'All-Star' solos and duet episode on 'American Idol' Season 19 (ABC)

Drake McCain is no longer in 'American Idol' and he was eliminated from Season 19 during the showstopper rounds. The country singer sang 'Country Girl' by Luke Bryan but judges gave a go-ahead to the "country Justin Bieber" Cecil Ray Baker who sang 'Beyond' by Leon Bridges for that round. However, Cecil's performance in the 'All-Star' solos and duets episode left angry fans wondering if sending Drake home was the right choice. 

Cecil gave two performances in this recent episode. First was a solo on 'Build Me a Birmingham' by Tracy Lawrence and the second song was a duet with Jimmie Allen who was on Season 10 of the show and is a superstar country singer-songwriter. All of the mentoring and advice he gave Cecil fell flat as the latter's performances failed to make an impact. 

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Throughout the performance, Cecil maintained a somber look on his face, and didn't make eye contact with the judges or the camera. He was performing with Jimmie but there was no connection between the two at all, even during the rehearsals it was Jimmie who tried to get Cecil to have fun while singing but to no avail. All of this reflected in the performance and heavily impacted it negatively and with just eight artists going forward from the 12 who performed on Sunday night, it looks like Cecil has a very slim chance of making it further. 

Luke Bryan pointed out that he heard some pitch issues with his voice and Lionel Richie commented on Cecil's lack of attitude and stage presence. Not only did he disappoint judges, but Cecil also invited the ire of the fans with his lackluster showing. A lot of them left seething and were of the opinion that Drake McCain could have "killed" this performance and that the judges made a wrong decision sending him home.

Jimmie Allen and Cecil Ray Baker during all-star solos and duets in 'American Idol' (ABC)

"Tweet @LukeBryanOnline and thank him for this DISASTER of Cecil being left in this contest instead of Drake. Cecil is embarrassing himself up there! Just quit, BUM! #AmericanIdol" tweeted a fan. "DONT MESS THIS SEASON UP SEND CECIL HOME #AmericanIdol this season is going good don't ruin it," tweeted another. "YALL CAN SEND CECIL RAY HOME BYE CECIL THAT'S A MESS #AmericanIdol" wrote another. "Explain to me again how Cecil got through and not Drake #AmericanIdol " another fan tweeted. "Yup Drake McCain would've been better. Still Cecil Ray will advance. This season's male country singer = votes on #AmericanIdol" another fan wrote. 



 



 



 



 



 

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