by Ruth Anne Boulet
Did you know that the contestants are singing for their lives tonight? They sure are, ’cause Steven Tyler told me so.
Ta-Tynisa Wilson – “Only Girl (In The World)” by Rihanna
So given Steven’s ultimatum that these girls are singing for their lives tonight, I’m not sure how much longer Ta-Tynisa has to live. She probably had a case of nerves, but she never quite hits the notes. Could be that she couldn’t hear the band. I can’t imagine that if she could hear the band she would sing like that. Steven says she sang the song & the song sang her. Jennifer thought she started shaky but she took it home. Sigh. Voice of reason Randy pointed out that she was just ok & she didn’t do anything special with it. Jennifer disagreed & thought that because Ta-Tynisa moved the audience that it must’ve been a good performance. Randy points out that his part of the crowd was not moved. What Jennifer doesn’t take into account is that the audience is heavy on the friends & family of the contestants. Of course they’re going to be moved! It’s their little girl giving her all. If audiences in general don’t want to see performers fail, a live crowd at American Idol REALLY doesn’t want to see the performers fail.
Naima Adedapo – “Summertime”
Naima is already making a really risky choice by doing a song that’s become iconic for a past Idol winner. She probably didn’t think about that when she made the selection. Fun to discover that she designed her own dress. Naima is going with an up-tempo version of this song. She can certainly sing it but it’s like she’s sucked all of the sorrow out of the song, which was what made Fantasia’s version so memorable. Jennifer says she’s an exotic flower. Randy thought it was a bit loungy and gives her the Fantasia critique. He liked the ending though. Steven thinks she’s a new oldy-timey sound. I think Naima focused a bit too much on being comfortable with the song & not the history of Summertime in the American Idol canon. Hopefully she’ll get the chance to not make that mistake again. (Hey, what can I say, my partner was her middle-school drama teacher.)
Kendra Chantelle – “Impossible” by Christina Aguilera
I actually checked CNN while she was singing. That’s not a good sign. So because I’m a hard worker, I rewound her performance to give it a fair listen. It’s not like she’s a bad singer. She’s not. It’s just not a very interesting song. In her range, yes. Interesting, not so much. Randy really liked it though. He likes her vibrato & the tone of her voice. Steven thinks her whole package is hot. Jennifer likes Kendra’s heart. Can a judge give these contestants something to work with, please? Is that too much to ask? Here’s a girl who got very little screen time. She’s got to work harder to show personality & a reason why folks might want to vote for her, other than her looks & voice. Jennifer hopes we get the chance to see more of her.
Rachel Zevita – “Criminal” by Fiona Apple
I was really excited to hear that she was singing this song. I think it fits her voice & style. Unfortunately she turned it into a showtune. And this is coming from someone who loves showtunes. She does a fun dress reveal but she’s just not bringing the dirty. I hear this song & I see Fiona Apple in a paneled basement in a sleeveless t-shirt. I want to hear the ‘I made a mistake last night, I’ve been a bad, bad girl’ growl in this song and Rachel just isn’t bringing it. She gets the Broadway note from Steven Tyler & she seems genuinely surprised. Apparently she wasn’t thinking that when she selected that arrangement. That’s too bad. Jennifer is also confused by the choice. Randy just says it wasn’t good.
Karen Rodriguez – “Hero” by Mariah Carey
I hate this song. It should be banned from American Idol. Singing it in Spanish does not make it better. Karen sings it well enough, but I’m bored. She loves her mom. That’s great. That does not make her an American Idol. J Lo has goosebumps. She loves the Spanish. Randy thought the Spanish was better than the English. Steven thought she’s a one-of-a-kind singer & she should duet with Jacob.
Lauren Turner – “Seven Day Fool” by Etta James
Lauren Turner is the “Lauren-that-has-not-been-pimped-by-Nigel-Lythgoe.” It’s a tough spot to be in. “Lauren! Oh, yeah, the judges love her! Wait? Who’s that girl?” It’s not a good feeling. She does a good job with the song, but I’m not sure it was enough given her lack of screen-time up to this time. Randy compares her to Amy Winehouse & Florence and the Machine. Steven thought it was spectacular. It sounded like Lauren Turner meets Lauren Turner. That’s helpful. Jennifer thinks Lauren’s voice is undeniable. Jennifer thinks she should bring more personality to her performance. Thank you for giving her something actionable, J Lo.
Ashthon Jones – “Love Over Me” by Monica
One of the things I like about Ashthon was her great one-shoulder flowy shirt. She has abandoned the flowy for the tightest leggings & denim bustier possible. Hope it works for you, girl. I’m not familiar with the song, and she’s not selling the song to me, so I’m just ok with her performance. Steven calls her Jonesy & likes her confidence. Jennifer thinks she’s got all the makings of a diva & Jennifer and Ashthon have a love-fest. This time Randy agrees with the other two & says she was good even though he didn’t like her song choice. I would once again agree with Randy.
Julie Zorrilla – “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson
Again, taking on a song from a former Idol is a risky venture, especially when one’s singing style tends to venture closer to beauty show pageant rather than emotional revelation. She’s even dressed in a light pink dress. She looks good but she’s decided that singing this song about breaking out of one’s station in life is best expressed in a pink dress with an updoo, feet firmly planted in one spot with a lot of arm gestures. Jennifer doesn’t think it’s the best from her. She didn’t feel like Julie connected to the song. Randy says she didn’t bring anything new to the song & she didn’t sing it as well. Even Steven thought it was the wrong song for her. He didn’t even mention that she’s cute, so you know it wasn’t good.
Haley Reinhart – “Fallin” by Alicia Keyes
Haley will never give up on her dream. That’s great, 20-year-old. Life hasn’t smushed you like a bug yet, so I’m not impressed by your resolve. She tries to bring the sexy, but she’s just a kid with an amazingly huge mouth. It’s uncomfortable. She also has this habit of making a really unattractive sneer with her mouth when she hits certain notes. Randy doesn’t think the song did anything for her. Steven thought it was just the right amount of style & sexy. Jennifer also thought we saw a lot of different colors in her voice. She does give her the useful note of telling Haley to get out of her head.
Thia Megia – “Out Here On My Own” from Fame
Thia starts out a cappella and it’s pretty strong. When the band kicks in, it sounds like they’re putting a bit of an echo on her which is a bit distracting. I also like her dress but I think the stylists should have taken a step back & noticed how closely it matched her skin tone. I did a few double-takes. All of the judges loved her performance. Randy says this is what hot singing is about. She’s still trying to figure out her personality & how to talk to others on stage.
Lauren Alaina – “Turn on the Radio” by Reba McEntire
The Chosen One commands us to turn on the radio. She does have a powerful voice, but the producer pimping has soured me on her. Her strut comes off as being entitled more than performing. Jennifer thinks Lauren doesn’t even have to try. Randy doesn’t think she knows how good she is. He thinks Lauren is a Kelly Clarkson-Carrie Underwood hybrid. Steven thinks she’s the best. I know Steven. I think we all know. Must go vote for Lauren now…. Must go vote for Lauren now…. Lauren also calls Ryan “Peaches” because they’re both from Georgia.
Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders
Pia also subscribes to the move-only-one-hand performance style. Both arms moving mean she’s singing the chorus. Verses only get one hand. She’ll stand by someone. I think I’m supposed to insert my name there. For some reason all 3 judges are giving her a standing ovation for her final scream. It was a competent performance, and a little screamy at the end, but it was so not worth a standing O. Randy compares it to every other standing O performance in Idol history. Wow. I did not hear that. Jennifer thought it was out of this world. Steven says WTF. I’m saying WTF. It was nice, but I didn’t think it was anything super special.
It’s hard for me to be objective about this group since I want Naima and Rachel to go on. I think the top will likely be Lauren Alaina (’cause Nigel told me so), Thia, Pia, and then I really don’t know. Who will you vote for, America? We find out who gets chopped tomorrow on American Idol.