American Idol: Top 12 Girls; 12 Girls Sing One Really Long Song

Not really. But it seemed like it, didn't it?

Ohhh, American Idol…..You're making me harken for the halcyon days of Season 9!! Where are the Crystals, the Didis?  I may just start pre-emptively clinging to America's Version of X-Factor if this keeps up. This shouldn't be happening. 

At its best, American Idol can be a platform for singers with something unique to offer, whether it be in terms of voice, performing style, or personality (hopefully, all three). At its worst, Idol is glorified karaoke that celebrates sameness as well as formulaic pop. Tonight, many of the top 12 girls exhibited more of what’s wrong with the show than what could be right.  A lot of their performances followed the same, predictable arc: summoning their diva voices, sassing it up for the judges, and hitting the glory note at the end. The end result was a show that left me feeling kind of ‘meh’. The judges were also disappointing, with the exception of Randy, who, seemingly out of nowhere, emerged as the voice of reason MULTIPLE TIMES. Not once did he utter a single “for me, for you dawg”! He did use word ‘pitchy,’ but I actually agreed with him when he used it!!! Did somebody take out his gratuitous soundbite chip (or at least turn the dial down from ‘gratuitious’ to ‘necessary’)? ‘Cuz I’m liking it. JLo and Steven frequently rewarded contestants who seemed to be the most generic/cheesy (I’m looking at you, Karen Rodriguez!). However, Randy’s actually been the judge whose comments frequently echoed mine last night.

Having Said That,

Let's Start with the Good One(s):

Thia Meghia: "Out Here On My Own"

I willingly rewatched this girl's performance this morning. I actually wanted to hear her sing again. The others I'll watch mainly for the purposes of recapping, but some of them will be a slog to get through. She made a lot of smart choices last night. Singing a kind of obscure song, starting off a capella, having the lights dimmed with the single spotlight on her, standing in one place and just SINGING really set her apart from the other girls. Also, she CAN sing, which also helps. I'm guessing out of all of them, she didn't get the memo that you're SUPPOSED to be all sassy and strut around the stage, and go out of tune. C'mon, Thia! Get with the program! You're supposed to be like everyone else, remember?! Anyways, I really dig her pure tone and voice control. And, I could see where Randy was coming from when he said her tone reminded him of Michael Jackson. I haven't seen her other performances, but she's kind of the lone frontrunner for me as far as the girls go. 

Lauren Turner: "Seven Day Fool" by Etta James

For some reason, this girl's voice reminds me of Christina Aguilera,'s only she doesn't do a thousand vocal runs in one song. This is a very good thing. If there's one thing the show didn't need last night it was another girl doing vocal runs. I liked her song choice as well as the tone of her voice, which is strong with a bit of soul. She seems to be a bit of a dark horse, since she was kind of in the middle of the show (a.k.a. not in the pimp spot for all to marvel over), but I like that. If she navigates the stage with a bit more confidence next time, and keeps it up with the soulful vocals, she could be a serious contender.

Who I Kind of  Liked:

Pia Toscano: "I'll Stand By You"

If we're going on singing ability alone...Wait. If we're going on the ability to hit the most glorious of glory notes alone, she would win the competition. Her voice at the end was impressive. There's no doubt that she can sing well, and I get why she was in the pimp spot. However, I'm hoping she doesn't keep choosing these typical, karaoke songs that are the breeding ground of glory notes and 'showy' singing. 

Meh:

Naima Adedapo: "Summertime"

I like that her name is fun. Her singing style is kind of jazzy, which I also like. She's also interesting to watch, mainly for her wardrobe choices (Yellow Dress is Yellow!). However, her arrangement of the song was a little cheesy. As Randy put it, she sounded a little "lounge acty." If Simon was still there, he'd probably say she reminded him of a cruise ship singer circa 1976. 

Kendra Chantelle: "Impossible" by Christina Aguilera

While she has great control of her voice, and a nice R&B tone, I couldn't remember what she sang until I rewatched her performance today. She doesn't seem to have as much of a 'story' as the other girls, which could be bad news. She sings better than some of them, but if she makes it to next week, smart song choice in addition to vocal ability will be necessary to make her more memorable. 

Ashthon Jones: "Love Over Me" by Monica

It's not Ash-TON, people, it's Ash-THON. I don't know why that fascinates me so much. 

Anyways, I could basically write the same thing for her as I did for Kendra. Moreover, her song choice came off as a bit limiting vocally. Monica could pull it off, but Ashthon ain't there yet. Although she sang it competently, I'm not sure it was enough to motivate America to pick up the phone for her over the other girls. Her schmoozing with the judges also made me squirm a little bit. 

Lauren Alaina: "Turn On the Radio" by Reba McIntyre

She, like Kendra, has good control of her voice. And it's interesting she went the country route with a Reba song. Uh...that's all I can say. While I'm impressed with her vocal ability, I just don't like her as much as the judges do. 

Did Not Like:

Julie Zorrilla: "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson

Okay, ladies, here's rule #1: Never try to out-Kelly-Clarkson Kelly Clarkson. In fact, it's best to stay away from any hit songs by previous Idols (that goes for you, too, Naima!). That was her first mistake. Second, the arrangement had no arc, making her vocal seem a bit repetitive. It wouldn't have been as repetitive sounding if she had enough vocal oomph to cut through the background music...like Kelly Clarkson. Heck, Kelly Clarkson should've just sang it. Can Idol just pay Kelly Clarkson to stand in the wings, ready to bust it out whenever anybody has the brazenness to sing one of her songs? 

Haley Reinhart: "Fallin' by Alicia Keys

This song gets soooo overdone on this show. Also, some of her mannerisms/faces onstage struck me as kind of cheesy. Speaking of...

Karen Rodriguez: "Hero" by Mariah Carey

CHEEEESSEFEST. The audiences and the judges loved her, but she was more karaoke than anyone last night. The song (overused), the getup (aging), the glory note (predictable), the switching to Spanish (pandering) all seemed a bit too much for me to take. But she's giving the audience what it wants, meaning she's probably going to stick around. Darn.

How many more people are there?

Oh, right.

Rachel Zevita: "Criminal" by Fiona Apple

When I recognized the song, I got my hopes up. But by the end of the song, my hopes were dashed. The arrangement took out the original's punchiness. It all seemed a bit rushed. Also, her vocals were not that great. She gets a point for wearing a cape, though. 

Tatynisa Wilson: "Only Girl" by Rihanna

Maybe it was because of nerves, but girlfriend was OUT of tune. Also, the song itself didn't seem very...singable. Seeing as it's tailor-made for dance clubs, I don't think it was a wise song choice on her part. This girl was setting herself up for a fall because sometimes, even Rihanna doesn't sound good singing that song, and she IS Rihanna. I think it's highly unlikely she'll make it to next week, but if she does, she should focus on singing more than impersonating another pop-star. 

p.s. THIS is partially why I'm wistful for the days of Season 9 in terms of the girls. I mean, just listen to them.

And THIS is the reason why I'm leaning towards liking American X Factor. It's because the British X Factor managed to find someone like her (I'd recommend just skipping to 0:50):

Rambling over. 

What did you think?