Round of 24 - Girls: February 21st, 2007
Last night, the 12 guys sang for America. Tonight, it was the girls' turn. With the overall lackluster performance last night by the guys, it wasn't too hard for the girls to do better overall, and they definitely did. I think people are being far too quick to crown the girls as being superior though. It's very difficult to judge a person based on one 90-second song, and I think we'll need to see several more weeks of poor guy's performances and great girl's performances before we can truly say that the girls are better overall.
The night certainly started off much better than Rudy's cheesy performance last night when 19-year-old Stephanie Edwards from Savannah, GA took the stage. Her voice was fantastic, she showed lots of emotion, and wore a very nice dress. A fantastic performance overall!
Next was Amy Krebs, 22 of Seattle, WA, singin "I Can't Make You Love Me". She was off pitch for part of the song, but mostly she was just boring. It seems like so many contestants either choose songs that put the audience to sleep, or they try to bring fake energy to the stage like Rudy did last night. Both are receipes for disaster, as this performance showed.
The Verdict:
Randy: Pitchy, Boring.
Paula: Boring.
Simon: The personality of a candle.
Buzz Score: 6
Leslie Hunt, 24, from Chicgo, IL was next, singing "Natural Woman". She was lucky to perform right after Amy, since she her performance seemed exciting in comparison. Overall, her singing was good, if not incredibly inspiring. She loooked very uncomfortable on stage, and awkward as she danced. Perhaps that will get better as she gets more experience (provided she makes it to next week).
The Verdict:
Randy: The song was too big for her.
Paula: Great!
Simon: She looked embarassed and unnatural on stage.
Buzz Score: 7
Sabrina Sloan, 27, from Studio City, CA brought the show back from it's lull with a fantastic performance. Credit Sabrina with keeping viewers from changing the channel. She has ana amazing voice! Here voice is very big, and reminded me of Christina Aguilera. I expect her to go far in this competition.
The Verdict:
Randy: Yo! You're the one to beat!
Paula: Standing ovation.
Simon: The best performance so far.
Buzz Score: 9
Antonella Barba, a 20-year-old college student from Point Pleasant, NJ took on Aerosmith's hit, "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing". The performance wasn't great, but it sounded like something was strange with the sound. I don't know if there was a problem with her mike, or she was holding it strange, but the whole performance sounded very echo-ish, and really made it hard to assess her performance. Overall, I'd say it was still an average performance at best.
The Verdict:
Randy: Wasn't good. Pitchy.
Paula: Wasn't bad, but pitch problems.
Simon: It didn't work. The song was too big.
Buzz Score: 6.5
Up sixth on the night was Jordin Sparks, 17. A junior in high school, she is the youngest girl left in the competition. Her look and her voice both belie her young age. She sang Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason", whic I think wasn't the best choice. The song is very repetitive, and it's hard to show off your skill with that type of song. Even so, she managed to sing very well, and I think she showed off her voice as much as was possible given the limits of the song. Good performance!
The Verdict:
Randy: Challenge yourself. Good ending.
Paula: Great song selection.
Simon: Push yourself. Very good.
Buzz Score: 8
Nicole Tranquillo, 20, of Wernersville, PA was up next, with a very intereting song choice. Singing a Chaka Khan song, the performance seemed a bit bizarre, but she managed to work it out. She oversang a bit, but it's hard not to with that type of song. I think she might not get the votes tonight, not because her singing was bad, but because America didn't really connect with her performance.
The Verdict:
Randy: Didn't work. Rough. "Too Urban"
Paula: You can sing!
Simon: Indulgent, unnatural, over-rehearsed.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Celine Dion fan Haley Scarnato was up next. The 24-year-old from San Antonio, TX surprised no one by choosing a Celine tune, All Coming Back To Me Now". Whenever American Idol contestants try to sing a song by a well-known artist with a distinct and powerful voice, (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross), they are often told by the judges that they shouldn't have picked the song because they aren't as good as the original artist. I'm not sure I agree with that line of thinking. Presumably, the original artist of just about any song that AI contestants sing would be better than the contestant at their own song. That doesn't necessarily mean the contestant didn't sing it well.
In any case, the song was a little boring, but she hit the notes, and turned out a very good performance overall. She has a nice, powerful voice.
The Verdict:
Randy: Just okay. Broadway voice.
Paula: Nice job.
Simon: Sounded old. Good voice, but boring.
Buzz Score: 8.5
Former backup singer Melinda Doolittle, 29, of Brentwood, TN is one of the humblest contestants I've ever seen. Not only does it seem like she is truly surprised every time someone tells her that she's great, but she almost seems like she's embarrassed by all the attention she's getting. Some people like being in the background, and she seems like one of them. That said, she certainly belongs up front! Her performance was the best of the night, in my opinion. She sang "Since You've Been Gone" with a ton of energy, and really brought the house down. I think she will go very far in this competition.
The Verdict:
Randy: The bomb!
Paula: Unbelievable. Big performance.
Simon: Incredible singer.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Alaina Alexander said in the clip before her performance that she's 'sensitive and passionate'. Could the 24-year-old Redlands, CA native bring that passion to her singing? Not entirely.
Like most of the girls, she sang well, with a few pitchy spots. Her voice was a little weak, and that was what brought her down the most. After her performance, Ryan Seacrest was trying to run the clock out a bit before the next commercial by asking the judges a few questions, prompting Simon to ask if Ryan was trying to date Alaina. Good times.
The Verdict:
Randy: Not very good.
Paula: Didn't make the song your own.
Simon: Not special.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Gina Glocksen had been to Hollywood week before, and it her experience finally paid off with a spot in the top 24. Singing "All By Myself", it looked to be another slow and boring song, but she really put some emotion into the song, and put out a good solid performance. It was far from the best performance of the night, but it should be enough to get her through to next week.
The Verdict:
Randy: Nice.
Paula: The right song.
Simon: Didn't nail it, but it was okay.
Buzz Score: 8
Performing last was La Kisha Jones, 27, of Flint, MI, singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going". This seems to be a favorite of American Idol auditions, as the performers sing to the judges that "you and you and you are gonna love me"! Love her they did, as she brought the house down with her performance. The judges fawned over her in their comments, and rightfully so, but I think Melinda had her edged out for best performance of the night. Overall, still a fintastic performance. I'm really looking forward to seeing her sing again and again over the next several weeks.
The Verdict:
Randy: Love her. Watch out Jennifer Hudson!
Paula: This is where you belong.
Simon: In a different league.
Buzz Score: 9
Voting Predictions:
Again, America's votes are based on more than who the best singer is. So many factors come into play when Americans pick up their collective phones after the show and vote. Some people get votes based on their personality, their looks, their life story, and thanks to a very popular website, some contestants get votes based solely on the fact that they are "the worst".
Based on the performances and past voting trends, here is my prediction on who will go home on Thursday night:
- Nicole Tranquillo
- Amy Krebs
The night certainly started off much better than Rudy's cheesy performance last night when 19-year-old Stephanie Edwards from Savannah, GA took the stage. Her voice was fantastic, she showed lots of emotion, and wore a very nice dress. A fantastic performance overall!
Next was Amy Krebs, 22 of Seattle, WA, singin "I Can't Make You Love Me". She was off pitch for part of the song, but mostly she was just boring. It seems like so many contestants either choose songs that put the audience to sleep, or they try to bring fake energy to the stage like Rudy did last night. Both are receipes for disaster, as this performance showed.
The Verdict:
Randy: Pitchy, Boring.
Paula: Boring.
Simon: The personality of a candle.
Buzz Score: 6
Leslie Hunt, 24, from Chicgo, IL was next, singing "Natural Woman". She was lucky to perform right after Amy, since she her performance seemed exciting in comparison. Overall, her singing was good, if not incredibly inspiring. She loooked very uncomfortable on stage, and awkward as she danced. Perhaps that will get better as she gets more experience (provided she makes it to next week).
The Verdict:
Randy: The song was too big for her.
Paula: Great!
Simon: She looked embarassed and unnatural on stage.
Buzz Score: 7
Sabrina Sloan, 27, from Studio City, CA brought the show back from it's lull with a fantastic performance. Credit Sabrina with keeping viewers from changing the channel. She has ana amazing voice! Here voice is very big, and reminded me of Christina Aguilera. I expect her to go far in this competition.
The Verdict:
Randy: Yo! You're the one to beat!
Paula: Standing ovation.
Simon: The best performance so far.
Buzz Score: 9
Antonella Barba, a 20-year-old college student from Point Pleasant, NJ took on Aerosmith's hit, "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing". The performance wasn't great, but it sounded like something was strange with the sound. I don't know if there was a problem with her mike, or she was holding it strange, but the whole performance sounded very echo-ish, and really made it hard to assess her performance. Overall, I'd say it was still an average performance at best.
The Verdict:
Randy: Wasn't good. Pitchy.
Paula: Wasn't bad, but pitch problems.
Simon: It didn't work. The song was too big.
Buzz Score: 6.5
Up sixth on the night was Jordin Sparks, 17. A junior in high school, she is the youngest girl left in the competition. Her look and her voice both belie her young age. She sang Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason", whic I think wasn't the best choice. The song is very repetitive, and it's hard to show off your skill with that type of song. Even so, she managed to sing very well, and I think she showed off her voice as much as was possible given the limits of the song. Good performance!
The Verdict:
Randy: Challenge yourself. Good ending.
Paula: Great song selection.
Simon: Push yourself. Very good.
Buzz Score: 8
Nicole Tranquillo, 20, of Wernersville, PA was up next, with a very intereting song choice. Singing a Chaka Khan song, the performance seemed a bit bizarre, but she managed to work it out. She oversang a bit, but it's hard not to with that type of song. I think she might not get the votes tonight, not because her singing was bad, but because America didn't really connect with her performance.
The Verdict:
Randy: Didn't work. Rough. "Too Urban"
Paula: You can sing!
Simon: Indulgent, unnatural, over-rehearsed.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Celine Dion fan Haley Scarnato was up next. The 24-year-old from San Antonio, TX surprised no one by choosing a Celine tune, All Coming Back To Me Now". Whenever American Idol contestants try to sing a song by a well-known artist with a distinct and powerful voice, (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross), they are often told by the judges that they shouldn't have picked the song because they aren't as good as the original artist. I'm not sure I agree with that line of thinking. Presumably, the original artist of just about any song that AI contestants sing would be better than the contestant at their own song. That doesn't necessarily mean the contestant didn't sing it well.
In any case, the song was a little boring, but she hit the notes, and turned out a very good performance overall. She has a nice, powerful voice.
The Verdict:
Randy: Just okay. Broadway voice.
Paula: Nice job.
Simon: Sounded old. Good voice, but boring.
Buzz Score: 8.5
Former backup singer Melinda Doolittle, 29, of Brentwood, TN is one of the humblest contestants I've ever seen. Not only does it seem like she is truly surprised every time someone tells her that she's great, but she almost seems like she's embarrassed by all the attention she's getting. Some people like being in the background, and she seems like one of them. That said, she certainly belongs up front! Her performance was the best of the night, in my opinion. She sang "Since You've Been Gone" with a ton of energy, and really brought the house down. I think she will go very far in this competition.
The Verdict:
Randy: The bomb!
Paula: Unbelievable. Big performance.
Simon: Incredible singer.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Alaina Alexander said in the clip before her performance that she's 'sensitive and passionate'. Could the 24-year-old Redlands, CA native bring that passion to her singing? Not entirely.
Like most of the girls, she sang well, with a few pitchy spots. Her voice was a little weak, and that was what brought her down the most. After her performance, Ryan Seacrest was trying to run the clock out a bit before the next commercial by asking the judges a few questions, prompting Simon to ask if Ryan was trying to date Alaina. Good times.
The Verdict:
Randy: Not very good.
Paula: Didn't make the song your own.
Simon: Not special.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Gina Glocksen had been to Hollywood week before, and it her experience finally paid off with a spot in the top 24. Singing "All By Myself", it looked to be another slow and boring song, but she really put some emotion into the song, and put out a good solid performance. It was far from the best performance of the night, but it should be enough to get her through to next week.
The Verdict:
Randy: Nice.
Paula: The right song.
Simon: Didn't nail it, but it was okay.
Buzz Score: 8
Performing last was La Kisha Jones, 27, of Flint, MI, singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going". This seems to be a favorite of American Idol auditions, as the performers sing to the judges that "you and you and you are gonna love me"! Love her they did, as she brought the house down with her performance. The judges fawned over her in their comments, and rightfully so, but I think Melinda had her edged out for best performance of the night. Overall, still a fintastic performance. I'm really looking forward to seeing her sing again and again over the next several weeks.
The Verdict:
Randy: Love her. Watch out Jennifer Hudson!
Paula: This is where you belong.
Simon: In a different league.
Buzz Score: 9
Voting Predictions:
Again, America's votes are based on more than who the best singer is. So many factors come into play when Americans pick up their collective phones after the show and vote. Some people get votes based on their personality, their looks, their life story, and thanks to a very popular website, some contestants get votes based solely on the fact that they are "the worst".
Based on the performances and past voting trends, here is my prediction on who will go home on Thursday night:
- Nicole Tranquillo
- Amy Krebs
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