Wednesday Night, February 21, 2007
American Idol Thoughts
Hello again! Another performance night on American Idol tonight. It is time for the women to sing. Before they even get started, there is a bit of controversy. The lovely Antonella Barba has some incriminating photos of herself out on the internet. There is talk about what the show's producers will or should do about that.
As for my choice for top male performer for week one, Blake Lewis, a video of his farewell performance with B-Shorty has made its way to the internet. He's very good!
The format tonight will be the same as last night, so please feel free to e-mail me or Comment if you have any thoughts. Let's talk about the 12 female contestants, two of which will be eliminated tomorrow:
Stephanie Edwards, 19 (Georgia) - How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore
OK, they're starting out right, with a very strong voice signing a bluesy song. It was really incredible. Nothing like tackling Alicia Keys with the first song of the first week! Unbelievable, and she showed so much charisma. That may be the best of the night. That gave me chills, which is always a good indication!
Amy Krebs, 22 (Washington) - I Can't Make You Love Me
She was off-key a bit at the start. She did show a good voice, but she just didn't sing with any energy at all. It was really a boring song. There was no signature moment, and even the end was uneventful. Not bad, but will definitely have to improve her showmanship.
Leslie Hunt, 24 (Illinois) - You Make Me Feel
She is a dog walker. Seriously, what kind of training does that take? I don't get it. Anyway... She dressed up well! It is a classic Aretha Franklin and I don't know that her voice was strong enough to replicate it. However, I really thought that she did a great job of making it enough of her own. Vocally, I thought it was great, and she ended it very well. That was very good!
Sabrina Sloan, 27 (California) - I Never Loved a Man
She is a professional singer too. I want to be a professional singer. Now here is a woman with the vocal strength to sing some Aretha! She was incredible vocally, showed some range and looked like she has been on stage before. This was a very memorable performance! She's right up there with Stephanie. I don't know who to pick as my #1!
Antonella Barba, 20 (New Jersey) - I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing
She's no Sabrina, but she is fairly attractive. Uhhh... Aerosmith??? Are you kidding? She definitely tried to make it different. Vocally she was not great at all. Not horrible, but not great. OK, horrible. Who am I kidding? That was a bad song choice, and a bad vocal and she was boring on stage too. Not good! Maybe the producers kept her on the show knowing that it might be more embarrassing to let her perform?!
Jordin Sparks, 17 (Arizona) - Gimme One Reason
Booty Booty Booty Booty Rockin' Everywhere... oh, wait, that's Bubba Sparxxx. My bad! She brought out a little old school Tracy Chapman. It was a great song choice for her voice. I am not saying she hit every note, because she didn't, but it was a right song choice. It was good that she boosted the energy level to end the song because that will make it more than just a good vocal. It will be something that they will air at the end of the show.
Nicole Tranquilla, 20 (Pennsylvania) - That's a Lie
She is a voice major. Again, something that I don't understand. Can you be a voice major and not be able to sing, or be tone deaf? If nothing else, she was definitely different than the rest. She was solid, but unspectacular vocally. But again, it was different. She showed strength and energy. It was good, but not upper half good.
Haley Scarnato, 24 (Texas) - It's All Coming Back to Me
Oh no... she's taking on Celine Dion. That means we'll hear the typical, "You can't take on Celine, Christina, Aretha, Mariah" line. As good as she was vocally, she doesn't compare to the original, and that will be pointed out because she did nothing to make it stand out. I happen to think that she did very well, although she did miss several notes. Solid, but could be lost because of the other performances. Would have been a top 5 compared to the guys though.
Melinda Doolittle, 29 (Tennessee) - Since You've Been Gone
Coming in, she would have been my pick to win the whole thing. Another 'background singer' who has to prove that she can handle the spotlight, her voice is amazing. She's taking on Aretha, and I think she has the voice to handle it. And yeah... she did! She's incredible. I wouldn't say she's a natural performer, but her voice makes of up for that. I think that Melinda could win this competition, but if I had to guess, I would say that she'll be the one who finishes fourth or fifth and everyone will be upset!
Alaina Alexander, 24 (California) - Brass in Pocket
OK, she is a crier. That's cool, because she is quite attractive as well! She didn't start out well at all. But, it was a bad song, so of course it won't sound real good. I don't think she was very strong vocally and was a little flat at several times. It really wasn't too good.
Gina Glocksen, 22 (Illinois) - All By Myself
It would have to feel good to get to Hollywood a year ago, and then to come back this year and get some TV time! Great song if you are a Friends fan! it really is a great song and she sang it well. There are only a few spots where she can show strength and she definitely did, and it gave me chills. Before that, it was just ordinary, but those few notes sometimes can make all the difference. That was memorable!
Lakisha Jones, 27 (Michigan) - And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going
I think that, if you can sing well, performing last would be ideal because it is the last performance that the voters get to see. This is a song that Jennifer Hudson may win a Oscar because of. There are a lot of similarities between the two singers. Lakisha is very good. She has a very strong voice, although she didn't show a lot of range. She should only get better. The part at the end was terrific though!
RUNNING RANKING
Sabrina Sloan
Stephanie Edwards
Melinda Doolittle
Lakisha Jones
Gina Glocksen
Jordin Sparks
Leslie Hunt
Amy Krebs
Haley Scarnato
Nicole Tranquilla
Alaina Alexander
Antonella Barba
Summary
Well, it came to no surprise that the women's show was far better than the men's show the night before. There were no less than six very strong performances that only Blake Lewis cold have compared with, and even that is generous. There were really only two performances that I would call weak from the evening and those two will likely be eliminated tomorrow night. That is unfortunate only from a visual standpoint. This is pretty typical and there will be talk about how the women are so much better than the guys. But when it gets to the final twelve, you just never know what will happen.
Tomorrow night... we will find out the names of four of the 24 that will be going home. That's always a fun night for them, I'm sure. Let me know what you think. Leave me an e-mail or post some Comments below.
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