american idol: top 20, girls night

Overall, I think there were more good performances than bad, but the bad was really bad. I was planning on going to a jazz singers concert and missing Idol, but I didn't think my tweaked back would be able to handle sitting in the chairs that long. :/ Oh well.


Too bad my brother wasn't around to hear Crystal. He's a CCR fan. I really dug Crystal's song. I'm not sure it resonates with most of America (especially the younger, mass-voting contingent), but it was fantastic. She sounded great. Real powerhouse, making it through health issues and everything, then pulling out a great performance. But..."misunderestimated", Simon? Really? You underestimated her in the wrong way, or something?


I really didn't care for Haeley last week. This week, she continued to make me cringe. "The Climb" is a great, great song originally sung by a mediocre singer, but even Miley Cyrus connected with the message and showed emotion. Haeley was pitchy, her tone was shallow, and the whole thing was incredibly karaoke. She deserves to be cut tomorrow, and with the judges' comments, I wonder why she was put through this season. Better for her to have gained a year  or two of experience and come back in a future season.


I did like Lacey last week, but I'm a fan of her vibe anyway, plus melancholy music makes me happy. "Kiss Me" for this week was pretty great, choice-wise. I disagree with Randy, because I think she changed things around just enough to put her stamp on it, but her version seemed a bit more subdued than the original, for better or for worse. Unfortunately, she didn't bring any real "wow" factor to the song, and the judges have been hating on her.


I love "Put Your Records On", but Megan Joy did a great job of it last year (tone-wise), so I felt myself missing that. Katie did some great things with the pitch in the second half, hitting some odd intervals that show off her ability. I'm a bit confused by Ellen's comments, because while her voice would be great on a younger-sounding song, I think she'd be compromising who she is. Kara's comments were really spot-on, though; put the key up a few steps to allow her voice to open up earlier, and pick a song that has room to switch up and personalize. I could see her pulling off a more serious Avril or P!nk song. Katie's good enough to keep around, even if I don't see her having much chance of winning. 


Ah, Didi. I couldn't disagree with the judges more. I thought Didi had a fantastic performance. She was a bit breaky on a few notes, but I thought it fit the style really well. She put a few too many runs in there, possibly, but I really think there must be something different going on live vs. over the tv, because I really enjoyed the song. I hope America heard that, and didn't take the judges' word for it.


Michelle got off to a bit of a rocky, slow start. I'd have taken the beginning a bit faster, because when she sings slowly, it exposes her weaknesses. She's stronger when she's got embellishments going on. Her high notes were shallow and weak, and her interpretation kind of killed the thrust of the original. I'll be honest, I didn't really remember her from last week, and while she has the raw talent in spades, she might be in danger if she can't set herself apart.


I felt some real trepidation at the beginning of Lilly's song. Sam Cook is difficult, both to sing and to interpret, and any performance of "A Change Is Gonna Come" on American Idol will be compared to Adam Lambert of last season. Going into the song, I thought it was pretty iffy, style-wise, but it really picked up and was amazing until about 80% through, when it just sort of didn't go anywhere anymore. Still incredible, still amazing, but the last 20% lost focus for me.


I forgot about Katelyn, too, but "The Scientist" was fantastic for me. It was as intimate as she was going for, she really tried to connect through the camera, and I think she mostly pulled it off. I don't think it was too slow--my main complaint is that the big note at the end didn't match the subdued nature of the arrangement. I think I'll remember her this week, at least.


So Paige pulled off Kelly Clarkson, but she didn't amaze me. She didn't really break any new ground on it. I agree with what Randy said, that she should have picked a song to showcase her voice. Kara's insight to the song was fun--too bad we can't get that sort of thing more often. Paige's voice is good enough to keep her in, I think, but she has the same problem as Michelle, and has to set herself apart and define who she is, or she'll be swept away.


Siobhan's note was huge. Huge. She didn't change much up in the song, but she shouldn't have anyway. You don't mess with the big Aretha songs. She still throws me off with her Demi Lovato look and nasal tone, but the second half of the song was so incredible that I overlooked all of that this week. And no one else in the competition can hit a note like that. Bravo, Siobhan/Snuggie.


This week's predictions: Crystal, Lilly, Katelyn, and Siobhan are completely safe. Haeley is in danger for sure, and probably Didi and Lacey based on the judges' feedback. Which makes me sad, because I liked Didi and Lacey. I'd prefer for Michelle to go this week.