Air Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011 [8-9:30pm]
Theme: Sing Whatever You Want
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| Source: Poptower.com |
The guys were up first on Tuesday, and now the girls are up for America's vote.
1. Ta-Tynisa Wilson - Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)"
During the start, it felt to me like her voice and the music were not in sync with each other. Throughout, I heard some flat notes, and she wasn't able to pull off the low notes. The song (which was totally the wrong choice) made that apparent.
On a separate note, why is there a dash in her name all of a sudden? I don't remember that being there in earlier rounds.
2. Naima Adedapo - "Summertime"
Why did she have to sing the most iconic song on American Idol (with Fantasia providing what was inarguably the best performance in the history of the show) for her first big performance of the season? There will always be comparisons. She didn't match up, and the vocals weren't perfect. But that doesn't mean this performance was a dud; far from it: She does know how to belt out those power notes.
3. Kendra Chantelle - Christina Aguilera's "Impossible"
To me, she was more in between tonight. I wasn't blown away, but neither was it terrible either. As Randy said, there were some sharp notes. But she ended on a positive note, with the power voice coming through.
4. Rachel Zevita - Fiona Apple's "Criminal"
She should not have made the Top 24, so it's no surprise that she is still terrible and hasn't improved. Her voice was all over the place. She relied more on theatrics, which tried to mask the voice.
5. Karen Rodriguez - Mariah Carey's "Hero"
When I realized what song it was, I thought she shouldn't do such a well known and overdone song for her first time. But what went in her favor was the switch to Spanish. The English parts were just like the original, but the Spanish improved it. Regardless, she has a powerful voice that could take her far.
6. Lauren Turner - Etta James' "Seven Day Fool"
I wasn't liking it at first, because it felt amateurish and the run was all over the place. But she picked it up in the second half, showing more personality and mood. There was some rasp in her voice at one point, which helped the performance, I thought.
7. Ashthon Jones - Monica's "Love Over Me"
I wasn't really that in love with this performance. The song choice wasn't the best for her - the root of my feelings here. There were some great notes at the end, but that can carry over to the whole set with the right song. But she's no doubt talented, and has a chance of moving forward.
8. Julie Zorrilla - Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"
She has a weak voice to begin with, and add to that the fact that it's a Kelly Clarkson song - she's a goner. If Kelly's a 100, then Julie's version was a 10. Her voice was flat throughout, and she couldn't project it that loud either.
9. Haley Reinhart - Alicia Keys' "Fallin"
A song like this is almost untouchable, because it's hard to do it justice. She pales in comparison with Alicia Keys. Her voice was a little shaky at times. I don't remember if she was good before, but this is not the way to make it.
10. Thia Megia - "Out Here On My Own" from Fame
She started off a capella, which drew me in right away. I thought at some point the song would pick up more (maybe due to my unfamiliarity with the song), but when it didn't, I was still impressed. She has great control over her voice, knowing when to be restrained.
11. Lauren Alaina - Reba McEntire's "Turn On the Radio"
She started to go downhill a bit the past couple of episodes, but this performance brought her back on top. She fused country with rock effortlessly. During her audition, I was reminded of Kelly Clarkson, and I'm seeing that again. Out of all the audition stops, she was the obvious favorite. And now that she's back on top, my hope is that she can remain excellent while not being too perfect each and every time during these first couple weeks. The reason why I say this is because I don't want her to go the way of Crystal Bowersox. Crystal started out as the favorite, but once she stumbled about halfway through, she was never able to regain ground in the voting, and Lee's improvements cause him to soar past her for the win.
12. Pia Toscano - The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You"
She was good, but I don't think a standing ovation by the judges was necessary. For most of the song, I didn't hear anything that stood out from other renditions. What saved her, though, was the end, causing the cheers from the audience and judges.
Favorite Performances: Lauren Alaina / Thia Megia
My Votes: Lauren Alaina - 20 votes
Top 10 Predictions (5 will advance):
Lauren Alaina
Thia Megia
Pia Toscano
Naima Adedapo
Ashthon Jones
Lauren, Thia and Pia are the only ones that I believe have a guarantee to get in the Top 10+. After that, it's a little harder to pick two more spots. I ultimately went with Naima and Ashthon, based on my own comments, what the judges said, and audience reaction. But Karen Rodriguez or Lauren Turner may get in as well.
Based on both performance nights, American will vote through five guys and five girls into the finals. Then the judges will have their Wild Card picks. The rumor that's been around for a while is that there will ultimately be a Top 13, with each judge choosing one contestant. If that is the case, I will add a few more names to my prediction lists that may make the Top 10+, whether by America's vote or chosen by the judges. I will just go ahead and put out these names: Robbie Rosen (even though he was just okay this week, he can do better), Karen Rodriguez, and Lauren Turner. Who knows, maybe Brett Loewenstern or Kendra Chantelle or someone else may make it.
Tonight, we have a two hour results show, where we will find out who has made it into the Top 10. Then, the judges will reportedly make their Wild Card picks, though one rumor floating around is that next week will be devoted to the Wild Card. And Jennifer Lopez will debut the music video for her new single, "On the Floor." See ya then...
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