by Gina Scarpa

 

I don't mean to be tough on the contestants of American Idol this season but these are people who want to become successful recording artists. Many of them seem to still be trying to get over their fear of the judges or the living taping or the pressure of singing for America's votes, never mind the fact that they also don't seem to know who they are as an artist (with a few exceptions). Tuesday night, the men took the stage and made a definite improvement from the week before and last night, it was the ladies' turn and many didn't take that step forward that the judges were hoping for. Here's how it went down.

Crystal Bowersox - "Long As I Can See The Light" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
After some concern that Crystal might not perform at all due to her health issues this week and landing in the hospital, she hit the stage last night clearly having taken the notes she received after last week's performance. No longer was Crystal the girl that you could see outside any subway station in any major city across the country. She's that original rocker that we started to love in Hollywood. I think she could be a little more current because I don't know what place a 70s classic rock sound has in today's music scene but you never know...

Haeley Vaughn - "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
I get that Haeley is trying to make the songs her own in the competition but here's the thing. Just because you add a riff or change up two or three notes here or there in a song doesn't make you original or good for that matter. Those are harsh words for the teen contestant but not only has she not been delivering since hitting Top 24, she's "excruciating" as Randy bluntly put it. If she hangs around for another week, she needs to dial it back big time.

 

Lacey Brown - "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer
I want to like Lacey so badly but she has yet to really wow me. She does have a great personality, as Ellen pointed out, and she most definitely chose a better song than last week but there's no star power going on. There's really not that much to say about it. It was a decent song choice and an okay performance. That's about all there is to it.

 

Katie Stevens - "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae
Whereas I want "I Don't Wanna Be" retired forever from Idol, this song can go right with it. I feel like I've heard it too much from Idol hopefuls in the last two years and that's enough already. It wasn't a great choice for Katie and Simon wants her to show them what kind of artist she wants to be. She's 17... does SHE even know?

 

Didi Benami - "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers
This is one of the few times I disagree with the judges. They're really giving Didi a hard time but I like her and I liked her rendition of "Lean On Me", even if it's one of my least favorite songs in the world. Not least favorite because it's not good; just because I've never been more tired of a song in my life. But I like that she tried to change it up, show some soul, and I thought that she sang it pretty well, too. In this case, I think the judges were too harsh and a little unnecessarily.

 

Michelle Delamor - "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed
Speaking of one of the few times I disagree with the judges, Simon and Kara really liked this performance but I have to side with Randy and Ellen. I don't get going from Alicia Keys to Creed. If there was ever a contestant that wasn't showing who she is an artist, this would be it. I don't get where Michelle is going but I'm a little worried we're not going to find out either.

 

Lilly Scott - "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
First of all, if they ever make a movie about Lilly Scott, I want Zooey Deschanel to play her. I really like Lilly a lot because Lilly is just being Lilly. While she takes what the judges say into consideration, at the end of the day, she's not going to mold who she is to become some product of the record industry. She earns my respect there. Didn't love the song choice but she sang it extremely well and is definitely a standout this season.

 

Katelyn Epperly - "The Scientist" by Coldplay
My son plays in a biddy basketball league and sometimes, one player will try to throw a pass to another player on a fast break, miss him by miles, and the ball will bounce right out of bounds. From the stands, I yell, "Right idea!" That's how I felt about Katelynn's performance last night. Right idea, not a great execution. Ellen nailed it: that rendition was WAY TOO SLOW. I was just thinking, "Are you not listening to this, Katelynn?" I applaud the piano playing and her vocals on it (most of the time) but really, the arrangement was just an absolute snore.

 

Paige Miles - "Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson
Last week, I thought Paige was pretty original with her performance of "Alright Now". I don't think I can say the same for this week. It sounded like she basically copied the original version with a few minor tweaks and adjustments that honestly, didn't enhance the song at all. Kelly sang it better, plain and simple.

 

Siobhan Magnus - "Think" by Aretha Franklin
What a change for Siobhan to go from Chris Isaak to Aretha Franklin in the matter of a week. "Think" started off kinda rough but ended well enough that she should definitely have solidified her place for another week. Siobhan is such a space case but she's also really likable and the girl can sing. That's what this is about. Singing. I wish everybody in this competition knew that.

 

SEE ALSO
American Idol Season 9: Top 10 Male Performance Recap

 

Be sure to tune in to tonight's live elimination episode of American Idol, tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

For more American Idol links, visit SirLinksALot.net