Tuesday, March 09, 2010

American Idol 9 - Top 16 (Girls Night)

We have reached the final week of the semi-finals in which we'll see how the top 12 shapes up after results night. So far, I don't totally buy into the early season hype for the girls. I think there are some strong male contenders in the mix, too. But at this stage of the game, there's probably only three stand out performers that could make a run to finale week. So there are plenty of people who need to step up their game. Let's see if there's any surprise performances tonight and whether or not someone has blown their chances. On with the recap!

Katie Stevens - singing "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson : Seriously? Another Kelly Clarkson cover? It seems like there have been a bunch in the semi-finals this season (not necessarily from Katie, neither). There are definitely a few off-pitch notes to start and this performance falls flat for me. I don't believe this was the right song for Katie. Going first certainly doesn't help her cause, either. I don't know, it seems as if Katie has fallen quite hard during these semi-finals and she has not lived up to the hype from early on in the show.

Siobhan Magnus - singing "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals : Another unexpected song choice from Siobhan, but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. She has definitely become one of my favorites this season and she delivers another solid performance. It didn't necessarily have that "wow" moment like last week, but I really loved the accapella start to it. It kind of had an eery, haunting feel with it in the beginning. She definitely embraced the song, made it her own, and really delivered a solid performance.

Lacey Brown - singing "The Story" by Brandi Carlisle : So far, we have yet to see the real reason why Lacey has made it this far in the competition. She has the potential and has embraced a unique look that transfers well to a TV audience. I feel as if the beginning of the performance is a bit underwhelming. She wavers a bit, as if she's nervous and I notice a few off-pitch notes. I'll say this, the song certainly fits her style - probably the best song she's chosen thus far. I don't think she didn't anything remarkable with the song, but it was good overall.

Katelyn Epperly - singing "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carol King : The last couple of weeks, she's had some very strong performances and has proven herself to be a real contender for the girls. Tonight it fell a little flat for me. It was more or less just a bland, safe performance. I was not a big fan of the song as it was basically middle-of-the-road. I liked her "look" tonight, as she stood up playing the piano. But I just thought she played it too safe and just was not wowed by this.

Didi Benami - singing "Rianna" by Fleetwood Mac : Didi had a rough time last week and I felt the judges were rather harsh on her then. How did it turn out this time? The song was a much better choice for her as it suited her style better. I also liked that she played the guitar and accoustically, too. She sang with much more passion and conviction tonight. I think she really wanted to prove that she could come back from such a negative performace from last week. Overall, I thought she sung it very well.

Paige Miles - singing "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin : So far this season, Paige has been stuck at the end or the middle of the pack of this competition for the girls. She needs to pick a song that can make her stand out. Unfortunately she really took two steps back with her song selection. She really goes old school with this "oldie" and does not sound good singing it at all. She's pitchy, flat, and not inspiring in the least. I just didn't find anything nice to say about this performance. I think she just punched her ticket home tonight.

Crystal Bowersox - singing "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman : First of all, this is one of my favorite songs from the 1990's, so already Crystal is doing great for me. I don't know what else you can say about Crystal that hasn't already been said. She's consistent for one and knows exactly what kind of performer she wants to be. Her vocals were stellar tonight and I really enjoyed her electric guitar playing. She kind of puts Casey James to shame! She's in a class all to her own.

Lilly Scott - singing "I Fall To Pieces" by Patsy Cline : Lilly has been quite consistent in the semi-finals thus far and is a unique artist all her own. I could really see this season coming down to a show-down between the most unique contestants. I was so not expecting to hear a country song from Lilly tonight, so this is quite the surprise for me. I heard a few pitchy notes to start, but then she sang it quite well. I wouldn't necessarily say this was her strongest performance to date, but it wasn't terrible by any means. It was another solid, consistent performance from Lilly.

My favorite performers of the night: Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Didi Benami.

Performances that were so-so: Lacey Brown, Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott.

In danger of being voted off: Paige Miles, Katie Stevens.

Going Home: Paige Miles and Katie Stevens. I don't think any of Paige's performances prior to tonight were terrible, just forgettable. She really needed to nail it tonight to solidify her chances of making it into the top 12 and she failed miserably. Her performance was not good at all and I'd be utterly shocked if she advances. She was pretty much cannon fodder from the start, anyways. As for Katie Stevens, she never lived up to the early-season hype. I don't know if she's been mislead by the commentary from the judges, but she's never had a spectacular performance to date. Her chances were seriously damaged by going first and delivering a pitchy and forgettable performance. Again, I'd be shocked if she advanced, but yet Katelyn could be a surprise pick for an early departure, too. But I'm not expecting it.

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