As with the top twelve guys I was incredibly disappointed with the collective performances of the top 12 girls. With just a couple of exceptions the girls were just boring. The songs choices were awful. I know for a fact there were some good songs in the 60's, I guess the Idol contestants have decided not to sing them.
Kristy Lee Cook started off the evening with what looked like a whole head transplant. There was so much makeup on her face that I would not have recognized her had Ryan not said her name. She sang Rescue Me, and she sang it OK, but it's an uptempo song and she seemed wooden throughout her time on stage. I am starting to think that Amazing Grace is the only song that she can actually sing well. Apparently she had a bad case of the flu that ran through some of the female contestants. That does suck, the most important thing you've ever done in your life and you can barely walk because you're sick.
She was far from the only disappointment for me. Amy Davis, Alaina Whittaker, Kady Malloy and Joanne Borgella were all completely forgettable as far as I was concerned. The judges all seemed to love Alaina Whittaker's performance of More Today than Yesterday, but I didn't get it. She's a pretty girl with a cute little personality but the song itself was just whatever. I did really like her outfit. And can someone please tell Kady Malloy to lay off the Britney impression. We get it, you can sing like Britney. Enough already. The sad thing is if she could inject as much personality into her Idol performances as she does those Britney impressions she might do OK. I totally agree with Simon who told her, "When you do Britney, you’re brilliant. And then when you do you, the light goes off."
Amy Davis sang Where the Boys Are, and not well. That song was a piece of crap when it was a new release, it certainly hasn't aged well. I was really disappointed by Joanne Borgella with her rendition of Say A Little Prayer. She really didn't sing up to her abilities. I kept expecting her to really belt something out, and she just didn't do it.
I actually thught Brooke Davis did a really good job with Happy Together. David Cook sang the same song on Guy's night and tanked it, but I thought Brooke's arrangement was good and she was totally charming. It was one of the few performances that was engaging and it was one of my favorites of the evening. The judges didn't like it, even Paula kind of gave the thumbs down, and I was really surprised. I like Brooke more and more as time goes on.
I also really liked Alexandrea Lushington's performance of Spinning Wheel. Simon was right when he said the vocal wasn't great because she did have some really shaky spots, but the performance was good. She was interesting. It was like having a cool drink of water after walking in the desert. She did something other than stand and sing into a mic and at my house we were loving it. I do think Randy and Paula were a bit overboard in their praise, but I can understand that. She also looked cute and sassed Ryan, which I loved.
I know Amanda Overmyer is like the rocker chick and that's her thing, but she sang Baby Please Don't Go, a song with completely unintelligible lyrics. I like Van Morrison as much as the next person, but last night was a really important night for her and she should have sung something with a vocal that people can understand. Past seasons show that scat style vocals do not go over well with the voting audience. The song was OK, it was certainly different than what the other contestants are up to, but what is Amanda going to do when Barry Manilow week comes around? And for pete's sake, will someone please do something with her hair. I suspect she is a pretty girl, but it's hard to tell under the black eyeliner and two-tone hair.
Syesha Mercado, Asia'h Epperson, and Ramiele Malubay had the best vocals of the night, but... Syesha did not sing to her full potential. It was pretty good, but forgettable. As for Asia'h, I love her, she is great, but enough with the Janis Joplin already. The show's producer's should forbid anyone from singing any more Janis Joplin for the rest of the season. And yes, Ramiele sang it great, although I wouldn't give her the rapturous praise that the judges did, but again it was fairly forgettable. Maybe it was the song, a slow moving Dusty Springfield, but it just didn't wow me.
Carly Smithson is the contestant we were waiting for all night. Unfortunately for her the producer's have hyped her so much, and there has been so much in the news about her previous recording contract that we have all these expectations built up about her abilities. I think she would have a much better chance of winning if she were under the radar a bit. She sang Shadow of Your Smile, which most of the audience (me included) probably wasn't familiar with. She sang it just fine, hitting some good notes at the end, but I think whe would have done better with a more mainstream song. Randy and Paula loved it so much they were practically doing cartwheels on the judges table but Simon felt differently.
"Everything about it, to me, was a letdown. I was genuinely expecting something fantastic," Simon told her.
I kind of agree with Simon, but it's not Carly's fault and she is almost at a disadvantage now that she had no part in creating. She sang so great through the auditions and the producers and media have showcased her so much that we do expect something realy fantastic from her. I'm sure she will be safe for next week's show, and I hope she connects with the audience and judges a bit better.
I really hope these girls pick it up a bit next week. I hope the producers come to their senses and let them sing something more contemporary. Please do not let it be disco week.
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