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‘American Idol’ week one: Top 12 women
To kick off this year’s competition, the ‘Idol’ hopefuls are crooning tunes from the Billboard charts. Let’s get right to it:
Paige Miles
“Alright Now,” Free
And so it begins. And in such mediocre fashion. After all the build-up about how strong the female talent is this year, we expected more. Paige picked a good song, though. For starters, it was originally sung by a male, so she won’t suffer by comparison. Smart. But her performance was lackluster and just okay. I don’t understand why the judges were fawning all over her — it can’t be on the basis of this performance. Maybe they just wanted to start the year on a high note.
What the judges said:
“I think out of all the girls, you have the best voice, but it’s a cheap song,” Simon
“You slayed those verses; you’ve got a ridiculous voice, girl,” Kara
“I think it was a great job,” Randy
“You were so there; you were so present,” Ellen
My grade: C+
Ashley Rodriguez
“Happy,” Leona Lewis
Eek. Those low, husky notes were really off-key. In fact, the whole thing was pretty pitchy. Two women are going home this week and I’m afraid Ashley might be one of them.
What the judges said:
“There were definitely moments that weren’t great,” Kara
“I couldn’t really see you in there,” Randy
“Step out. Take a risk,” Ellen
“I thought it was clumsy. I think you’re going backwards,” Simon
My grade: C-
Janell Wheeler
“What About Love,” Heart
‘Idol’ contestants really need to listen to the judges when they talk about song choice. There have only been a few hopefuls over the years who could pull off a Heart song, and poor Janell is not one of them. It was really pitchy, and really odd to bring a country-ish twang to such an iconic rock anthem.
What the judges said:
“The song choice didn’t work for you.” Randy
“You moved easily onstage. I liked it and I like you.” Ellen
“100 percent effort, but you delivered 65 percent.” Simon
“The song was way too big for you.” Kara
My grade: D+
Lilly Scott
“Fixing a Hole,” The Beatles
There’s quirky Lilly, strumming her guitar. But what’s with the faux British accent and the over-enunciation? The further she gets into this odd song choice, the better it sounds; she’s rocking a slow, jazzy, interesting arrangement with lots of “oh, oh, oh, ohs.” At least she’s unique. And look — didn’t you always think Lilly was tiny? She really towers over Ryan Seacrest (but, then, I guess most people do).
What the judges said:
“I think that’s what we’re talking about; I loved that,” Ellen
“Definitely the best we’ve had so far, but I’m still not feeling much star power” Simon
“You’re believable; you come from your heart,” Kara
“You’re kind of more like a real indie artist,” Randy
My grade: B
Katelyn Epperly
“Oh, Darling!” The Beatles
Katie is bringing a countryish vibe to a really bluesy number. That seems like a mistake, but it’s working for her. She left some rough edges in her voice, which is super effective for this song. But I really wanted her to just belt it at some point and she never did. She was also oddly glammed up with bright red lips and big, poufy hair.
What the judges said:
“Brave, but you’re gonna need an awful lot of work,” Simon
“You know your voice very, very well,” Kara
“I just liked your whole, vibe; don’t box yourself in,” Randy
“There was a lot of personality in it right away, but I felt it was pushed,” Ellen
My grade: B-
Haeley Vaughn
“I Wanna Hold Your Your Hold,” The Beatles
Wow, this was pretty horrible. I hope Haeley makes it through this week because I think she’s talented, but I have to think that performance is going to put her on the bubble. What a weird song choice and an odd arrangement. People will remember it, but I’m afraid they will remember it being really, really bad.
What the judges said:
“You make up for what you can’t do with your vocals,” Kara
“What I love about you is that unpredictability,’ Randy
“I enjoyed it; I think you have a great voice,” Ellen
“I thought it was verging on terrible. It was, for me, a complete and utter mess,” Simon
My grade: D+
Lacey Brown
“Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac
On the plus side, it’s really hard to sound worse than Stevie Nicks. But I think slurry Lacey could use some of Lilly’s enunciation. It wasn’t good. Lacey looked uncomfortable and less thana confident,nd she missed a lot of notes. I like Lacey and I’m glad she made it into the top 24 this year, but if that’s all she’s got, she won’t be around for long.
What the judges said:
“I thought that was terrible,” Randy
“I know you’re better than that,” Ellen
“I thought it was depressing. It was kind of indulgent,” Simon
“I do hope that America gives you one more shot,” Kara
My grade: C-
Michelle Delamor
“Falling,” Alicia Keys
The judges weren’t so hot on Michelle, but I thought she did fine. Nothing to write home about in terms of individuality, but in terms of technical prowess, I thought she stuck the landing (whoops, wrong seasonal Olympics reference). Michelle seemed confident and sultry, if a little generic. And she hit a great note at the end of the song.
What the judges said:
“Well, that was fantastic,” Ellen
“There wasn’t one moment in the performance where I thought, wow,” Simon
“Become more unique; feel it more,” Kara
“You’ve got a great voice; you’ve got a great look. Take some risks,” Randy
My grade: C+
Didi Benami
“The Way I Am,” Ingrid Michaelson
In spite of the bad note at the end, I really liked Didi tonight. At first it sounded as if she was just going to imitate Michaelson, but she threw in a lot of interesting, very subtle (maybe too subtle) changes that really showed off her unique voice.
What the judges said:
“A bit indulgent. What I’m missing is a spark,” Simon
“You at least made some changes; you’re creative,” Kara
“I see no outward oomph; it was so sleepy for me,” Randy
“I felt like it was just a little low key,” Ellen
My grade: B
Siobhan Magnus
“Wicked Game,” Chris Isaac
Siobhan is a chameleon. A dark horse who’s never heard that expression, tonight she was sporting an exotic look well-matched to her rich, authoritative but vulnerable voice. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
What the judges said:
“You’re a quirky girl; you’re really in the moment,” Kara
“I would reach for bigger things,” Randy
“I forgot we were in a singing competition and I was just being entertained,” Ellen
“It’s a very dark song; it might be because you’re a dark person,” Simon
My grade: A-
Crystal Bowersox
“Hand in My Pocket,” Alanis Morisette
There’s Bob Dylan and Melissa Etheridge’s improbable love child strumming her guitar and blowing her harmonica. Crystal’s vocals were good, but there was nothing very original in her performance and her coffeehouse vibe might get her pegged as a one-trick pony. And I like the harmonica, but you only get so much time up there, Crystal; maybe you should spend more of it, you know, singing.
What the judges said:
“I just love the honesty; I’m a fan,” Randy
“We are lucky that you decided to audition for ‘Idol’,” Ellen
“The truth is that there are thousands of you doing this outside subway stations,” Simon
“You were good tonight, but I think you have greatness in you,” Kara
My grade: B
Katie Stevens
“Feeling Good,” Michael Buble
Wow, Katie is very precocious for 17. She looks completely comfortable and confident; maybe she’s too young to know better. But she’s also very show-tuney and, dare I say it, “pageanty.” Let me put it this way: I’m getting a real “Rachel from ‘Glee’ ” vibe from Katie, and I don’t think it’s going to serve her well.
What the judges said:
“You’re 17. I felt like it was very conservative. I want you to be 17,” Ellen
“It was like your mum and dad had dressed you for this audition,” Simon
“You were kind of all over the place and that’s not like you. You have ridiculous chops,” Kara
“You remind me a little bit of Jordan Sparks. Young it up,” Randy
My grade: B-
Should go: Lacy Brown, Janell Wheeler
Will go: Haeley Vaughn, Janell Wheeler
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