In a fair world, the final 12 would be made up of 8 girls and 4 guys, but this is American Idol and the rules are six and six. The girls had another strong night tonight (although not as good as last week). If I were an odds maker, I would put heavy odds on two girls in the finals (care to guess which two?).
Gina Glocksen started off the night with Heart’s “Alone” dedicated to her boyfriend. I thought the song choice was good, and the performance was okay, but I was really distracted by her look. She needs to quit trying to look like Katharine McPhee and embrace her inner rock star. I know she sings with a rock band, and I have a hard time imagining that she would have performed with them wearing that dress. Randy and Paula both liked the performance. Simon wasn’t sure about her image— in other words, he was also distracted by the dress.
The next performer tonight was Alaina Alexander, dedicating the Dixie Chick’s “Not Ready to Make Nice” to her mother. I’ve finally figured out what I find uninspiring about Alaina. I confuse her with Haley Scarnato and vice versa. They’re both attractive girls with decent voices and not much else to distinguish them. So, it’s hard for me to get all that excited about either one of them. Alaina’s performance tonight seemed off to me somehow, although I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I had a hard time understanding the words, but that wasn’t really it. Randy thought it was a mess (I didn’t think it was that bad). Paula thought it was a bit out of tune. Simon said she ran out of steam 3/4 of the way through the song. Alaina does make a cute couple with Ryan, though.
Lakisha Jones sang Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia” for her grandmother (who loves Ryan, by the way). At least half of the people left in the competition should really be looking at her performances and thinking, “Who am I kidding? I can’t beat her.” Tonight’s performance didn’t quite live up to last week, but it was still great. Randy though it was hot. Paula loved it. Simon said she’s a phenomenally good singer and “you can afford to believe you’re going to be a big star and you need to start acting like one”.
One person who needn’t fear Lakisha is Melinda Doolittle, who sang “My Funny Valentine” tonight, dedicating to her vocal coach and stylist, otherwise known as her two “Gails” (a la Oprah Winfrey). My brother called me before I’d even had a chance to watch the show to tell me how much he loved this performance. He called with good reason. Her voice is just perfection. She’s so smooth, her performance gave me chills. Randy said she came out to win it tonight. Paula thought it was astounding. Simon said it was incredible, the best vocal in the competition, so far. He also said she doesn’t know how good she is— I think the phrase he was looking for is humility.
And then Ryan spoke the words that struck fear in my heart— “We’ll be right back with Antonella Barba singing Celine”. Really Antonella? Celine? You think you sing like Celine? Oh, honey. That’s just so sad. Please America, let Antonella go home. I know you think she’s beautiful, but if you send her home, maybe she can try out for America’s Next Top Model next year. Please, America? It’s not that she’s horrible. She’s just much worse than the other women left in the competition. She sang “Because You Loved Me” and dedicated it to her brother. It was pretty much as I expected. Randy thought it was completely the wrong song— you don’t say… Paula thought it was leaps and bounds better than last week. Simon thought it was worse than last week.
Jordin Sparks was up next with another dedication to a brother. This time the song was Christina Aguilera’s “Reflection”. I wasn’t wild about this performance. It was okay. I think she was a bit choked up from the dedication, which is kind of a shame, as I certainly think she’s a great singer. I like her singing songs with a bit more sass. Randy thought it was a good song choice and is impressed with her ability, despite a few pitchy moments. Paula thought it was infectious and called her a brilliant, talented girl. Simon that it wasn’t the best, but compared to a lot of people it was excellent. He’s also impressed with her “massive potential”.
I’m not sure what to make of Stephanie Edwards. Tonight she dedicated her performance to her parents. She sang Beyonce’s “Dangerously In Love”. I keep forgetting that she’s 19 because she seems much older. I wasn’t crazy about the song, but I felt like she sang it well. Randy thought it was Beyonce light, but good. Paula thought it was fantastic. For once, Simon agreed with Paula.
I thought it was odd that Leslie Hunt sang the same song as A.J. Tabaldo, but that’s what she sang— “Feelin’ Good”. Her vocal performance was better, but I though he out-divaed her. She really has a very nice voice, but her facial expressions when she sings are still odd to me. Randy thought it was pitchy and just alright. Paula loved it. Simon felt Leslie is a bit lost in the competition. I think he’s right.
Haley Scarnato sang Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night”, which she dedicated to her fiance. It was fun and entertaining— nothing that was wonderful, but at least it wasn’t boring. Randy said it wasn’t great, Paula said it was better than last week, Simon said she got an a for effort, but came out badly vocally.
Sabrina Sloan is really, really good. The only problem is that I keep forgetting she’s in the competition. Tonight I knew were down to the last singer, and I kept racking my brains trying to figure out who I was forgetting. Until Ryan said her name, I simply couldn’t remember who I was leaving out. Tonight Sabrina sang Whitney Houston’s “He Fills Me Up” and dedicated the performance to her grandmother. Like I said, she’s really good. She can certainly sing. I’m just not sure what spark is missing that would push her over the line from really good to great. Randy said she has a big voice. Paula thinks she’s a big contender. Simon warned her not to confuse power with shouting.
Here’s my ranking of the girls:
Melinda Doolittle
Lakisha Jones
Sabrina Sloan
Jordin Sparks
Gina Glocksen
Stephanie Edwards
Alaina Alexander
Haley Scarnato
Leslie Hunt
Antonella Barba
There you have it. That’s all for the top 20. Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. CST there will be another elimination, and we’ll be down to 16. Kellie Pickler will be performing tomorrow night on the results show. That should be entertaining. Until then…
