Crystal Bowersox bounced back from an undisclosed ailment (rumored to be diabetes related) by singing an interestingly gospel flavored "Long as I Can See the Light" previously made famous by CCR. While a solid performance, it was an odd choice in a competition where song choice is everything and the majority of viewers are not familiar with the song.
Haeley Vaughn showed off her serious side by performing fellow teen Miley Cyrus's "The Climb". Another pitchy performance with less stage presence than the microphone stand that resided on the stage and I think my ears bled at some point.
Lacey Brown's rendition of Sixpense None the Richer's "Kiss Me" had no spark and left me feeling like I just sobered up and realized that I not only kissed the fat girl, but I slept with her as well (I have no idea what that even means).
Katie Stevens made another poor song choice as she struggled through Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On". At only 17, Stevens continues to sing songs that don't bring out the playful side of this young contestant.
My favorite contestant this year, Didi Benami, continued the theme of the year (and series for that matter) by choosing the wrong song when she tried her own take on "Lean on Me". Benami has a unique voice, but her poor song choice yet again could very well find her home by 10:00 tomorrow evening. Here is hoping that America will give her one more choice.
Michelle Delamor took on Creed's "Arms Wide Open" and while she did okay with it, I was hoping she would really open it up after the first bridge.
Lilly Scott made a very unusual choice when she sang Sam Cooke's classic "A Change is Gonna Come". While a big fan of her, unfortunately I found the song choice a bit too odd and not the right song for her. Still, Scott is by far one of the top performers this season, if not the top contestant this year.
Katelyn Epperly completely surprised me with her solid rendition of Coldplay's "The Scientist". Stripped down and performed only with her at the piano, Epperly reminded me of Alicia Keys. The judges didn't love her, but I feel that Epperly had the best performance of the night.
Paige Miles took a page from original Idol Kelly Clarkson with "Walk Away" which had me forgetting her and the performance just a few minutes after it was over. Miles has a strong voice but she is simply forgettable and seems much older than her age (24). If Miles wants to have a chance in this competition, she needs to find a way to stand out from the crowd.
Siobhan Magnus brought out the Motown inside her with Aretha Franklin's "Think". Magnus has a powerful voice and performed the song well, but yet again, I don't understand the selection of a song that is 40 or so years old. Staying relevant is so important and for someone that hasn't shown a huge amount of personality, Magnus is going to need to step up her game if she wants a chance at winning this thing.
Scott and Bowersox are far and away the best contestants this season and while I am confident that one of the two girls will win this year, yet again we are left with an Idol that will not find mainstream success like past winners Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Daughtry (not a winner, I know, but when you sell more than 6 million copies of your album, you are a winner). No one says you need to sell millions of records to be a "success", but I wonder if either of these girls have more than one album in them.
One last note, the Idol judges deserve an A+ for their most honest feedback in years. Kara consistently provides constructive criticism for contestants to use in future weeks, Simon's cranky as always but continues to provide the most straightforward feedback, Randy actually is adding something of value for the first time ever (well 50% of the time, but that is more than ever before), and while Ellen still seems a bit out of sorts, she does her best to bring the "fan" perspective.
Another mediocre night, but if you want to look at the positive side of this very poor year, four more sh-tty contestants will go home tomorrow night.
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