American Idol, Week 1–Girls

Again, so sorry I missed last night guys. What can I say except that I 1) don’t have a DVR and 2) didn’t have it in me to find all the performances online today, in between all today’s chores.

 

1) Ta-Tynisa Wilson (I’m the Only Girl in the World)- First off, I notice that the girl isn’t afraid of that stage at ALL. That said, she was pitchy…but determined, if that makes sense. The audience seems to love her, but I felt like the last half of the song was about a half step off. The judges aren’t saying anything, so maybe that was just me.

Steven – You did great.

Jennifer – Way to start out the show.

Randy – You look hot, but there are pitch issues. I didn’t quite get it. It was just ok.

 

2) Naima Adedapo (Summertime) - Looking good in a self-designed dress. And her singing…I’m speechless. She has such a perfectly blue-sy, jazzy voice. Because of the genre, though, I’m a little worried she’ll come off as lounge-y. That said, she got a standing O from the crowd, and her fellow contestants. This girl hit it right on the head!

Jennifer – You look like an exotic flower, and you nailed it!

Randy – I enjoyed the second more than the first half, and you NAILED the last note.

Steven – You sound like early Ella Fitzgerald. I love you a lot, and I like ya a lot.

 

3) Kendra Chantelle (Impossible) – A great blue-sy rendition, and she looks great. Confident. Are there any bad eggs this year?!

Randy – I loved that vibrato, reminds me of Lauren Hill. A few notes were sharp, but I liked it.

Steven – I always look forward to listening to what you can do to a song. Beautiful.

Jennifer – You fought your way into this top 12, and you belong here. There is MORE in you, and I hope you let everyone see that.

 

4)Rachel Zevita (I’ve Been a Bad Bad Girl) -  Oh, Rachel. If I don’t look at the screen…this is ok. You are sassy from the shoulders down. Your face looks terrified…and unfortunately, your voice comes out of your face. I don’t know what it is…the whole song is just so low. That said, she NAILED the end…which is the most important part of the song, as everybody knows!

Randy- It wasn’t great. It just didn’t work.

Steven – I loved your strut, loves your moves. A little too Broadway for me, but that could be your niche!

Jennifer – This is the first time America gets to see you. Do you want them to see you as a Broadway performer, or do you want them to see you as a recording artist now. I wish we would have seen a little more of you tonight.

 

5) Karen Rodriguez (Hero) – Well, I would say this girl is playing to her niche! She wants to bring the Latina to the competition…and she sings to the Latinas (and Latinos!) in their language. Possibly a very smart move…but it can get messy. She’s switching back and forth, but doing both very well. (But I have to say something about her outfit…she looks, to my eyes, like 40 year old Soap Opera star. Am I right??)

Randy- I like that you figured out a way to make it you. I thought the Spanish was better than the English!

Steven- A one of a kind sound, and you should get together with Jacob Lusk over there! Fantastic.

Jennifer- Wow. Wow. WowWowWow. That says it all. I love that you changed from English to Spanish and showed who you are and what your flavor is. 

 

6)Lauren Turner (Seven Day Fool)- Great voice…confident on this stage. Man, watching this just makes me happy. She’s NAILING this. A little help with the wardrobe will help, though. The hair, chunky platform shoes and huge belt are making the look weird for me.  

Randy- Yo. Listen – THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT, MAN. I love the whole power, I love the whole blue-sy, soul-sy thing in you.

Steven- Lauren, that was spectacular. Everyone reacted, that was great. Good job.

Jennifer- Obviously, your voice is undeniable. But what I need from you is to GIVE it to me. Get in the face of that camera, and let loose.

 

7) Ashton Jones ( Love Over on Me)– That was just alright for me. It lacked some sparkle, somehow. Confident, though.

Randy- I like you. You’ve got a great stage presence.

Steven- Confidence of a queen!

Jennifer- You have all the makings of a diva! Your confidence is breath-taking.

 

8) Julie Zorrilla (Breakaway) – Oh, I want to love this. Out of everyone, she LOOKS like a winner, you know? If we were casting a Disney movie, she’d be the diamond in the rough. But this song? Rough. Pitchy, no strong melody…oh painful. So sad!

Randy- You didn’t sing it as well as Kelly Clarkson. You want to show yourself in the best light! You need to figure out what will make you special and stand out.

Steven- Great chorus, but the wrong song for you. If you’d taken it up a couple of keys, it would have been better. (I agree!! The song just felt like it wasn’t sitting in her voice right.)

Jennifer- I liked it, but I didn’t feel it was the best I’ve seen from you. It didn’t feel like it was from the heart. (Bless her heart for offering HELPFUL criticism, instead of just saying, “I didn’t like it.”)

 

9) Haley Reinhart (In and Out of Love) – This is a little weird for me. Kind of like…Alicia Keys meets Brittney Spears? A little too cute-sy. But, despite all that, she’s singing it well…it’s just in a style that I don’t totally get. So, I would say she sang well…but the performance was a little young. Make sense? Old voice, young stage presence.

Randy- We loved your husky tone…but this was more like karaoke.

Steven- Just the right amount of style, just the right amount of sexy.

Jennifer- We saw a lot of different colors in your voice – the growl, the playing. You need to get out of your head. Stop thinking about where you’re going to walk and just sing!

 

10) Thia Megia (On My Own) – Some really pretty spots, and some pitchy spots, lots of quiet spots…this is not good, for me. Mostly underwhelming.

Randy- The mark of a great singer, is the quality of the tone of the voice. Your tone reminds me of Michael Jackson. Your voice is infectious. This is what hot singing is about.

Steven- Your pitch is so perfect, it doesn’t matter what you sing. Good job. (Wha..?!)

Jennifer- A quiet, beautiful moment. Captivating.

(Obviously, the judges and I don’t agree on everything.)

11) Lauren Alaina (Hear Me On the Radio) – Oh, this is a country girl if ever I heard one. I am loving this! If Thia needs to prove she’s not 15…it means everyone is still thinking it. Nobody will ever talk about how young Lauren is, because there is nothing in her performance that screams “I might not be able to do this.” That was A.Ma.Zing. 

Randy- You have a natural gift – you can sing anything. I don’t even think you know how good you are. You remind me of Kelly Clarkson meets Kerry.

Steven- You killed me. Your voice goes from here to there, and we haven’t seen the best of you yet!

Jennifer- My little Lauren! You look so beautiful! You don’t even have to try. The voice is just so effortless. It’s amazing how much of a natural you are. Amazing. (My words exactly!)

 

12)Pia Toscano (Come to Me) – Oh, first off *phew*! I mixed her up with Julie Zorilla, from earlier tonight. Pia is one of my favorites…and I thought Julie was her…and that she’d botched it up…and…yeah. Anyhow. This is a great performance! She is singing the song well, but I’m afraid she’s not differentiating herself. Who is she as an artist? Will she sing the ballads and the pop hits like Christina? (Oh, and the last note…was a little flat. Impressive, but flat. Ouch.) (Sorry – I just tell it how I hear it!)

Randy- Yo. This is our first standing ovation of our new season (really??! I saw a few others tonight..) You just put yourself in the TOP with the amazing performers from previous seasons.

Steven- Congrats. Beautiful.

Jennifer- I knew you were a standout, but you’re TRICKY! You were saving THAT for when it counts.

 

To vote, call 1 866 436-57xx (insert contestant number here).

Favorites of the night – Pia, Karen, Lauren & Lauren A.

 

Going home – Julie, Thia

 

What say ye?