Well that was an odd night. After going on record thinking the talent pool was slated more heavily toward the girls this year, they came out slapped with a big warning label by Ryan Seacrest: WARNING - Contestants may have a cold or flu, so your performance may vary.
And so the performances got rolling, and I have no idea which ones to attribute the lack of energy or ability to stay in tune to suckiness, and which to give a "do over when you feel better" pass. Because, much as the judges try to go into this "no excuses - the show must go on" stuff, come on. A good singer with a lousy head cold is just not going to sing as well no matter how much effort they put into it.
Compounding the problem, they didn't tell us which of the girls were the sickies, save for two cases. I have no idea why this was such a closely guarded secret for the rest, but whatever.
Kristy Lee Cook lead us off. We were reminded she was the girl who sold her horse to buy the ticket to audition for Idol. It's a good thing, because there hasn't been a lot else to remember her by so far. And she really wouldn't want us to remember her for this performance either. Flat, lifeless, a but out of tune in places. The song was "Rescue Me," and the jokes one could riff on from that are too obvious. She was one of the two declared sickos, but really... this was as flat an opening as one could have imagined.
Joanne Borgella went next. We remember her as the "plus size model." And for a large woman, one has to admit she looks really nice. Problem for her is that she follows an Idol tradition where large black women have always meant big-belting Gospel-style singers. One gets the sense Joanne is not that kind of singer, but the audience is probably going to judge her that way anyway. And if so, this performance failed miserably (and if not, it still failed, just maybe not so miserably). She could not handle the lower registry of the song at all. She had trouble staying on key. She seemed nervous as hell at times. And her voice wasn't big enough even on the parts the was okay with. Sick? I hope so for her sake.
Alaina Whitaker went next, and I didn't really even remember her from before. Anyway, she's the youngest contestant. We were told her birthday is tomorrow. She sang "More Today Than Yesterday," and actually delivered the first energetic and in-tune vocal of the night. I think it might have been a little overpraised for that reason, but she was definitely a solid performer at least. What I liked best was the easy confidence and energy she displayed. Many of the older and more experienced performers failed at that one tonight.
Amanda Overmeyer, the "rock-n-roll nurse," got the next slot. There is something about her that compliments the "rocker" image, but stands out on its own that I really like about her. She's got this cool self-assurance that doesn't come across as cocky or arrogant. Just very... comfortable in her skin. It makes her hard not to like. That being said this was a weird song choice. I'm still trying to figure out if I liked it or not. "Baby Please Don't Go," is a cool song, but not much of a singer's song. Then we had the scatting added, which was ... interesting. Amanda has sworn off doing anymore Janis Joplin songs, as apparently in Hollywood Simon convinced her "that's already been done." Well yeah, but the person who did it died pretty young so there may be just a tad of merit in not writing it off altogether. Anyway... not my favorite performance, but probably one of my favorite performers.
Amy Davis was next. She's a very pretty girl. And that basically exhausts the compliments I have for her after she butchered, chopped, and fed "Where the Boys Are," through a meat-grinder of a performance. It was positively cringe-inducing. She couldn't find the key
at all
. On top of it she had this lazy, slow-paced delivery which was probably supposed to be sultry. But with the wretchedness of the singing it came across instead as heavily medicated. That's Paula's gimmick, Amy. If Janis has been done so Amanda has to avoid imitation, you should stay off Paula's meds for the same reason. Worst of the night by a mile.
Brooke White followed, and can I just say this about her before we begin? They're trying to play up this whole "good girl" never-watched-an-R-Rated-movie thing with her, and how she won't let Simon win her over to the dark side. But everytime I look at her, something reminds me of Glen Close in Fatal Attraction. So I'm seeing all this "good girl" stuff as some kind of creepy setup and expecting her to boil a live rabbit, or pull a knife on someone before the end of the season. Anyway... She gave a blah, boring, pretty alright but nothing special performance of "Happy Together." David Cook sang this same song better last night.
Alexandrea Lushington, whom I didn't much remember doing anything since we saw her audition, came out next. The energy level we'd been seeing immediately got exposed for the dirge-like snore-fest it was, because Alexandrea was hoppin' and poppin' all over the stage with "Spinning Wheel," by BS & T. She was really on with her vocals too, despite Simon going into his own world and somehow not hearing it. She was really good, and easily the best we'd seen to that point tonight. If she wasn't too memorable before tonight, she probably will be from now on.
Kady Malloy came next, and the biggest problem here was that they lead off showing her doing a dead-on and pretty funny Brittney Spears imitation back stage while goofing around during Hollywood week. This turned out to be a problem because it totally overshadowed another low-energy, depressing sounding performance, this time with "A Groovy Kind of Love." She could sing alright, and didn't have trouble with pitch to the extent some of the others did. But, as the judges all tried to tell her afterward, she was almost lifeless in her performance style, and where was that girl who did the Brittney impression - because that was so much more lively and fun. We'll see if she really got what they meant, because she seemed to think they meant she needed to "jump around the stage" or something, and they really meant, "Don't stare at us glassy eyed the whole song; a smile now and then wouldn't hurt; and maybe convey a little emotion in line with the lyrics you're singing."
Asia'h Epperson we all remember as the girl who's dad passed away two days before her Idol audition. She dresses kind of funky, sings very well, and we got to see a bit of her in the Hollywood rounds too. Though Amanda is staying away from doing Janis' songs, Asia'h isn't, going with "Piece of My Heart." And she really delivered a nice solid vocal, and a confident if not terribly interesting stage performance. While this was definitely in the top half of performances of the night, I didn't quite get why the judges praised it to the extent they did. It was good. It wasn't great. And the three that came next made it a distant memory in a hurry.
Ramiele Malubay is chiefly remembered for being roughly the size of a munchkin, but with a voice sounding all Dorothy-like. She went with the Dusty Springfield song, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me." What Amy Davis tried and failed to do with "sultry," the tiny Remiele nailed perfectly. It was weird, as you expect this squeaky high voice from such a tiny girl. But that is not what she sounds like at all. She sounds incredibly mature and controlled at every part of her vocal range. She was just as in command singing soft and low as belting it out toward the end of the song. There was a chasm separating the quality of this performance from everything that came before it this evening. However...
Syesha Mercado went next with "Tobacco Road." It was an odd song choice, and in large parts it failed to do much to show off any of Syesha's considerable vocal talent. That being said, wow - the stage presence and confidence of this girl is pretty amazing to observe. She looked like she could be accustomed to playing to large arenas right now. And when the unusual song arrangement finally did let her show off her voice, she displayed the talent and control we'd heard from her earlier, finishing by holding a note so powerful she nearly drowned out the very
loud band backing her. She was my favorite going into this, and despite not being thrilled with the song choice, like Ramiele before her this was a performance on a different level from all those earlier ones.
Carly Smithson came next, and we were officially told about that earlier record deal thingy that had all the gossip going about her earlier in the week. Obviously, Idol didn't disqualify her over it. Unfortunately for her, she was another sickie we learned, apparently suffering from bronchitis. That being said, she delivered one of the best pure vocals of the night with "The Shadow of Your Smile." All the talent we'd heard about and expected were definitely there tonight. It perhaps wasn't the most energetic performance, but really, most of the field couldn't even approach the level of vocal quality she displayed ... and this is how she sounds singing with bronchitis. Once again, I thought this performance belonged in the very top tier along with Ramiele and Syesha. Simon tried to throw a bucket of cold water on her confidence by saying she wasn't as "fantastic" as he'd expected. Yawn. Simon picking nits like that at popular contestants is nothing new. It gives him those opportunities to deliver those popular "I was wrong about you..." applause lines later on.
Anyway, the two themes of the night were: Cold & Flu Season strikes Idol and "It's okay to show up late because we're saving the best for last." Here's how I break it down:
Ramiele, Sayesha, and Carly stand out as the very top tier.
Asia'h, Alexandrea, and Amanda would hold that respectable next tier for me.
Alaina was pretty alright, but perhaps not in the league of any of those above.
Brooke and Kady need some work in delivering a little personality along with their vocals.
Kristy, Joanne, and Amy were pretty poor tonight. Amy was the worst of the bunch. I'd guess Amy and Kristy will be the first two casualties here.
The real competition doesn't start until we're done to twelve. We're just losing the losers now.
Yeah, her number Wednesday was a bit of a flat tire, and she's gotta stop the weird thing with the eyes. But, she's someone I'd like to listen to each each.
And i think that they have the talent!!!
And normally i agree with Simon, but where was his head Wed. Top for me: Was Spinning Wheel, Janis Joplin &Syesha( tobacco road )...With R&R Nurse.
I did agree with Simon on the last girl, bored!
As far as those who left, I was only 'upset', over blondie, I gave him slot #6 for the men, maybe that means Luke will remain. I think he has potential.