AI Recaps February 21st
Top 12 Girls (They Don’t Quite Suck as Much as the Boys)
Last night, with the guys, was a big pile of meh. To be generous, I will say I was underwhelmed. I’m hoping the ladies bring their A game. However, I do have one question. Did Paula get into Ryan’s stash of Frost ‘n’ Tip?
Stephanie Edwards (How Come You Don’t Call Me)-At Stephanie’s initial audition Simon mentioned that she reminded him of singers from the 1920s and 1930s. Stephanie does have a very old school sound to her voice-very sophisticated. This is a woman singing, not a little girl. She sings with conviction and worked the stage. I called her the stealth contestant, and I really think she’s someone we should keep our eyes on. Stephanie really raised the bar for the evening.
Amy Krebs (I Can’t Make You Love Me)-And the bar has been lowered. Amy sounded a bit nasally in this song. Plus she was so bland and tepid even though she tried to add some glory notes at the end. Amy comes across like a hotel piano lounge singer. Like Simon mentioned, Amy is very unmemorable. But then again, the judges chose contestants that are very interchangeable.
Leslie Hunt (Natural Woman)-In some featured segments, Leslie has red hair. In some segments, she has blonde hair. Does she have mood hair that changes with her emotions? Leslie sings an iconic Aretha song. And though I love the warm, husky tone of her voice, her moves on stage are so awkward and take away from her performance. She just lumbers along. I did like how she finished the song. She put a bit of grit into it. Something about Leslie intrigues me, and I hope she sticks around. I’m interested in what other songs she might choose to sing.
Sabrina Sloan (I Never Loved a Man, The Way I Loved You)-Personally, I found her Sabrina’s voice to be sharp in some places. However, she did bring the glory notes and melisma to her performance, which always brings in a lot of votes. She also seemed very comfortable on stage. She’ll probably stay. I think she knows what AI is looking for, and will act accordingly.
Antonella Barba (And I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing)-Boy, was she stiff. And her voice was all over the place as if she had no control over it. She seemed so passionless and uninspired. I was more intrigued by her lip gloss.
Jordin Sparks (Give Me One Reason)-Jordin brings a bit of spice to the sugar. And though I thought this song is a bit too mature for her, Jordin’s voice was in fine form. She was strong throughout her performance, though her hand gestures were a bit cheesy. And despite being a teenager, she is miles ahead of Sanjaya. I think she’s going to stick around for a while and this won’t bother me a bit.
Nicole Tranquillo (Stay)-I didn’t know it was drunk karaoke night? Nicole was way too pitchy throughout her performance, and didn’t seem too true to herself. It’s like she’s working too hard to be notable but she’s not delivering. I know she can sing after seeing snippets from her audition and Hollywood Week, but it wasn’t evident in tonight’s performance.
Haley Scarnato (All Coming Back to Me)-This was such a Miss America performance, right down to her tacky outfit and lame hand gestures. The judges mentioned she was very Broadway. Maybe Haley should have auditioned for “Grease: You’re the One That I Want.”
Melinda Doolittle (Since You’ve Been Gone)-I’ve pinned a lot of hopes on Melinda, ever since I saw her audition. Fortunately, Ms. Doolittle (more like Do a Lot) did not disappoint me. Her voice sounded superb throughout the song, and she had great command of the stage. Once again, this is a woman singing, not a little girl. The journey from back up singer to front and center diva has become much shorter. I think Melinda may have to hire some back up singers of her own. And Simon was spot on in mentioning that Melinda has loads of talent, but lacks arrogance. I just love her all around.
Alaina Alexander (Brass in Pocket)-Alaina decided to give it the old college try, but sounds totally Delta, Delta, Delta karaoke night. I was not impressed.
Gina Glocksen (All By Myself)-Gina is definitely in it to win it. I can feel her ambition (and ambition in women is not a bad thing). I wish she’d choose a song that showcased her rock chick vibe, but this song really exposed her powerful vocals. Plus the glory note she gave at the end will garner Gina a lot of votes. I think we’re going to see her next week.
LaKisha Jones (And I Am Telling You)-I was a bit leery about LaKisha singing this song. Jennifer Hudson was so powerful in the “Dreamgirls” movie and definitely deserves her Oscar nomination. And the original Effie, Jennifer Holiday, made this song a Broadway legend. However, LaKisha did not disappoint. I felt chills as she emoted and sang this song for all she’s worth. I actually had to wipe tears from my eyes. LaKisha was that good. She’s definitely the one to watch. And happy birthday to her daughter, Brianne.
To sum up, I was far more impressed by the girls tonight. There were several stand out performances. The guys have a lot of work to do to catch up to the likes of LaKisha, Melinda, and Stephanie. Thursday we find out the two guys and two girls who won’t be joining us next week. And season 3’s winner, Fantasia, will sit a spell with us. It should be an interesting night.
She's so sweet and likable too. I think Antonella is there because of how she looks- I don't think she's a good singer at all or has all that appealing of a personality. I couldn't believe when they picked her over that other girl.
(ETA: 2-5)
