Only not as good as Kelly, Alicia and Mariah... which is the problem.
Ta-tynisa Wilson, however, decided to buck the system and sing a Rihanna tune, and tried her level best to overcome the Hollywood fiasco of her mangled lyrics that - in any other year - would have tossed her out on her fanny.
I still don't see what she had in her voice or performance that would get her to the big stage, but God bless her she sure did try to make an impression. I just don't know if it was a good one - and certainly not memorable enough to overcome the curse of first. (Apparently the producers want to make sure she gets cut as well... they have other blatant favorites - which we will discuss later.)
I have been a fan of Naima Adedapo since we first saw her in Milwaukee.
I love her name, I love her style, and most importantly I love her voice. The only thing she could do wrong at this point is pick the wrong song. Something, oh... I dunno... that had been done before on the show so memorably it is considered one of the best performances of ALL TIME in Idol history.
I'm really not sure what makes these folks try to walk in the footsteps of other idols. Are these the only songs that they can get clearance for? I get that she had a personal connection to the song but she's far too original to try to show up a showstopper when she could have just be eclectic and interesting.
The performance was fine, her voice is good but frankly I was disappointed.
Kendra Chantelle is another semi-new face we hadn't really seen much of before tonight, and this sultry songstress decided to make a very sexy impression indeed.
She sang Christina Aguilera's tune "Impossible" and managed effortlessly what other contestant Haley tries so hard to do. She vamped it up without going over the top, but still managed to remain somewhat forgettable in the slew of singers trotted out for our amusement. That she got a slot closer to the start of the show and Haley more toward the end just proves that producers still control the voting to one degree or another.
Somewhere my friend Hal's head exploded with a blinding pain tonight and he probably didn't know why. It was because Rachel Zevita decided to take one of his favorite artists (Tori Amos) and turn her into a Broadway act.
Granted she marches to the beat of her very own drum, but unlike Brett it's not all that endearing - at least to me. I know she has plenty of fans but I find her a bit ... much. And after her reaction to the unfavorable criticism I'm not sure if she's got the stamina to survive the hairy few months that are to come.
Karen Rodriguez attempted to make her mark and seal her brand with a bilingual version of Mariah Carey's "Hero."
While I like that she included some ethnic flavor into the song (and wish that Jovany had done that yesterday,) the problem was it was Mariah Carey. Boring, overdone ballads are still boring, overdone ballads no matter how many languages you use. But I don't recall anyone using this approach before tonight so I anticipate that she might get scads of votes just because she took an exotic approach that instantly defined her brand.
I've liked Lauren Turner for a couple of weeks now. She's got a strong vibe and I like that she doesn't fit in a cookie cutter pop mold (i.e., she's a "real girl".)
She trotted out a song that helped define her without making her look like a karaoke copy of someone else. She sang "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James, and although I think I would have loved to see her do a more rock-edged song I liked what she did with it.
But it wasn't "special" - and it kinda had to be.
Ashthon Jones, on the other hand, couldn't be anything else BUT special.
She's got the look, the sound AND the attitude. Steven Tyler remarked about how her confidence was that of a queen, and one could hardly argue. Everything about her is effortless and unapologetic. She's sensual and self-possessed and has the voice to back up the whole Diva package. If this girl doesn't make top 10 I'll eat a sock.
Provided it's made of icing and sugar...
Julie Zorrilla is another contestant I just really don't get, nor have I understood the hype since they declared she might be the "one."
I mean, she's talented for sure. I think she's a better singer when she plays an instrument, but she's obviously good at what she does to get this far. And of course she's pretty but so are several other contestants.
Beyond that there's nothing original about her aside from her flared skirts that make her look like she's singing for a school recital.
Taking on the original idol - Kelly Clarkson - only sealed that impression.
I know she's a judge favorite but not sure the audience will warm up to her as well; if not maybe she'll be spared by a Wild Card. (I think there are others who might be better choices, though.)
Haley Reinhart. Sigh. Later on the judges would rave how another (younger) contestant makes it all look so easy. This gal is the opposite of that.
From the first time we saw her she has overdone what others do so effortlessly. Even her much praised version of "God Bless the Child" was practically incoherent as she garbled her vocal acrobatics all over it. Whatever the judges - or even the producers - see, I just don't.
Tonight she growled and strutted her way through Alicia Keys' song of ultimate gut-wrenching heartache with sassy, flirty pageanty overindulgence. She didn't connect with the words at all, she just pranced around like a show pony.
(Personally I'm ready for her to be reined in.)
Thia Megia must be the oldest 15-year old I've ever seen. She has that almost-too-polished air of someone bred to perform but she does it with such finesse it borders annoying without stepping completely over it. (At least not yet.)
She made the very shrewd decision to introduce her ballad a cappella under a single spotlight, demonstrating her amazing voice as well as setting her apart from the pack that were trying so hard to make a good first impression. I loved the performance and the critique and everything about her right up till Ryan attempted to crack a joke about her age and she looked decidedly thrown - like she didn't now how to be a person aside from the performer on the stage. Add that there is a lot of validity to some of the criticism I'm seeing that she didn't connect to her song either, and it could prove problematic.
That worries me a bit, but I have full faith that her performance was enough to get her through whether she gets the votes or not. It still stood out though, and easily the top three of the night.
Not to be undone, fellow teen prodigy Lauren Alaina took the stage and confidently strutted her way through a sassy Reba McEntire tune called "Turn On The Radio."
Despite the fact - or probably because of the fact - Steven Tyler proclaimed her "The One" after her Nashville audition, I've kind of been put off by her even though this Georgia peach in bloom is rather charming in her own way. She actually seems surprised by the lavish praise the judges have no problem at all heaping upon her.
Today she won me over and she showed me that she's already head and shoulders above where Carrie Underwood was at this point in the AI competition by knowing how to have fun and perform, not just sing well.
It was the most fun I'd had all night watching her perform, and that alone makes me want to root for her to make it to tour.
(But I have no doubts whatsoever she'll make it through to the top ten now matter how the votes fall.)
Surprisingly Lauren was bumped from the pimp spot but the previously untested Pia Toscano.
When she sang "I'll Stand By You" I was even more befuddled. Sure she's pretty. Sure she has a rich, powerful voice. But the pimp spot? Really?
Then she brought the roof down and all the judges (and everyone else) to their feet with the power notes she dug out last minute and I kinda understood.
I don't think it was THAT stellar of a performance aside from those notes, but it was certainly set to make a lasting impression on voters as they were released to vote for their favorites.
For me, it fell kinda like this:
1. Thia
2. Lauren A
3. Pia
4. Ashthon
5. Naima
But again, like with the men, it's hard to tell who might make it through and who might be ruthlessly cut. How the voters will respond to each of the very different singers remains to be seen, and unlike seasons before we don't get eased into this voting cycle.
At this point I think Casey, Lauren, Jacob, Pia and Thia are pretty safe bets.
Everything else?
We're just going to have to wait and see.
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