American Idol: The Women (03-03-10)
If last night the guys came back with a vengeance, tonight the women made a two-hour show feel like it went on for days. The only bright spot was that Crystal had recovered enough to be on the show. It would have been heartbreaking for anyone to make it that far and then be disqualified because they weren’t well enough to compete.
1. Crystal Bowersox: “Long As I Can See The Light”
This was a flawless performance in my opinion, far better than the safe and harmonica-laden “Hands In My Pocket” cover she did last week. The only thing that stopped me from calling it perfect was the song itself. To be blunt, I didn’t care much for it. It didn’t have enough melody or something. If Crystal had sung Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released”, I think I would’ve gotten goose bumps. As it was, I was more than happy to admire a song I didn’t connect to emotionally being sung with a passion I found amazing. Easily the best performance of the night.
Score: 9 out of 10.
2. Haeley Vaughn: “The Climb”
There were times at the beginning when I thought Haeley had picked a good song to perform, but as she went on, the song became a muddled mess. She was very inconsistent, loud then soft, hitting one note then missing the next badly. It was horrible. Haeley has no control over her voice at all, and contrary to what the judges think, one year isn’t going to do much to improve that. She needs time to grow up, become a much more disciplined singer, and stop grinning like a hyena throughout every performance. I thought Vote For The Worst got it wrong last week when they picked Haeley as their choice for worst, but tonight Haeley lived up to their support.
Score: 4 out of 10.
3. Lacey Brown: “Kiss Me”
Not a fan of her voice, not a fan of the song, but somehow this ended up being a cute performance that I enjoyed. This was a much better fit for her than “Landslide”.
Score: 7 out of 10.
4. Katie Stevens: “Put Your Records Now”
I hate to point the obvious out to the judges (you know, the ones who picked her to compete in the first place?), but Katie does not have a young voice. Pushing youthful songs on her isn’t going to work. She’s more Norah Jones than Taylor Swift, no matter how much you’d want it otherwise. That said, Katie’s too young to be competing at this point. She’s got a great voice and certainly has more control than Haeley, but she needs to experience life a little more and grow into the type of songs she will nail five years from now.
Score: 6 out of 10.
5. Didi Benami: “Lean On Me”
This is not the song I would pick for her. She has a light voice that makes any song with any meat on it – even a somewhat clichéd song like this – into a well-intentioned mess.
Score: 5 out of 10.
6. Michelle Delamor: “With Arms Wide Open”
Wow, this is really starting to be a long night. Michelle has a nice voice, but she picks a dreary song that’s paced a little too slow and makes it into a boring dirge. And that missed final note didn’t help matters.
Score: 6 out of 10.
7. Lilly Scott: “A Change Is Gonna Come”
I couldn’t disagree with the judges more. This was the musical equivalent of watching a four-year-old girl play dress up in her mom’s clothes and makeup. I wasn’t offended; I think Lilly believes in what she sings and was sincere about honoring the song. But in the future, people with eccentric voices might want to avoid singing civil rights ballads. It just sounded bizarre.
Score: 6 out of 10.
8. Katelyn Epperly: “The Scientist”
Katelyn decided to do the fourteen-hour-long version of this song. If she had performed it any slower, she ran the risk of being legally declared dead. With that said, as plodding as the arrangement was, her incredible voice really shone through. If she had only performed this at the same speed as the original, I think she could have had a defining moment.
Score: 7 out of 10.
9. Paige Miles: “Walk Away”
She has a good voice, but I don’t understand why she keeps picking songs that don’t highlight her voice. I also wasn’t crazy about how often some of her words and phrases sounded exactly like Kelly Clarkson.
Score: 7 out of 10.
10. Siobhan Magnus: “Think”
Finally, the night is coming to an end. Siobhan did a good job on this song, but “Think” will forever be too much of a karaoke song for me to take anyone singing it seriously. The only worse choice might be singing “I Will Survive”.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Predictions: In all honesty, if anyone other than Crystal or Katelyn went home, I don’t think I’d be very surprised. That said, I’m thinking Didi and Michelle should be the most worried.
