Top 10 Girls
Well, this was definitely a letdown from last night. I mean, there were a few really good performances by the girls tonight, but the vast majority were just so-so, just
there in a way that didn't make them memorable.
And I hate to be petty, but... my first impression when the girls filed by in the intro was, "Yikes, Amanda's hair, yikes!" Bride of Frankenstein's got nothin' on this gal. And why
Ryan felt the need to talk about the fact that
Randy wears a size 13 1/2 shoe... I cannot explain. Also, Ryan's silly thing of not thanking
Simon at the end of the show is just annoying now. He needs to stop. I guess it might have been amusing (to him) the first time, but at this point, it's just foolish.
The two high points of the night came courtesy of Carly and Brooke; I kept rooting for some of my other favorites to pull out show-stoppers, but alas, it never happened.
On to the performances:
Carly Smithson, "Crazy on You": Clearly Carly likes herself some Heart, as this is the second song by them she's done thus far in the competition, and she sure can wail. There's still something sort of irritating about her, although I like the fact that she works at an Irish bar and likes to do hospital corners when making her bed (or something along those lines). Simon told her, "I don't think any of these girls can touch you vocally.... I think you're the girl they've all got to beat," and while I haven't been convinced of that thus far, I have to acknowledge that she's one of the most consistent.
Syesha Mercado, "Me and Mr. Jones": I wasn't really feeling her tonight so much on the verses, but when she let loose on the choruses,
pow! And she's so pretty and charming, I hope we get to see more of her (and I hope she makes some better song choices). Plus, her commercial was kind of hilarious, and her baby cry was just
eerie.
Brooke White, "You're So Vain": She just seems so natural in this genre. If she could sing a Carly Simon song every week, she'd probably sail right through the rounds. How hilarious that Simon thought this song was about him! He
wishes he were Warren Beatty (or whomever Carly was singing about). "I absolutely loved it," said Simon. "It absolutely connected." I'm with him there. As for the fact that Brooke went to beauty school... somehow that's not surprising in the slightest.
Ramiele Malubay, "Don't Leave Me This Way": Remember yesterday when I remarked that no one was singing disco? Well, there ya go. With a voice as big as hers, I can't understand her choosing to sing something like this. The little hula dancer said she didn't want to sing a ballad because she doesn't want to be known as "lullaby" instead of "Malubay"? Give me a break. Simon called her one of the top three singers in the competition, but I'm with Randy on this one, that it was "just really OK."
Kristy Lee Cook, "You're No Good": The "surprise" about her was, again, not at all a surprise - I think the fact that she's a tomboy was pretty much the first thing we knew about her. The song was pretty enough, though not outstanding. Not to sound like
Paula, commenting on wardrobe, but could her outfit have been any shinier?
Amanda Overmyer, "Carry on Wayward Son": Oh, dear. I've always liked Amanda, but this was just not her night. At all. Actually, it was positively painful. And I was scared of her hair. I actually was thinking something along the lines of what Simon said, namely that "everything felt contrived" - for the first time, it just looked like she didn't really want to be there. Though I still really like her, especially after her revelation that she's a bookworm.
Alaina Whitaker, "Hopelessly Devoted to You": Yet again, I'm not crazy about the song choice, but there's no denying that Alaina has the skills. And I find myself really liking this girl, I can't exactly explain why. Her clip on how she doesn't like foods to touch each other cracked me up - in a way, she's sort of like this year's
Kellie Pickler, minus the ditz factor.
Alexandréa Lushington, "If You Leave Me Now": Another one of my favorites who still hasn't shined as much as I know she can. It felt a little like she was restrained by the song, by its slow tempo and subdued melody. But I actually have to take issue with Simon saying that she was coming in and out of the pitch; I thought she gave one of the more note-perfect, if not scintillating, performances of the night. Though I'm worried that his assessment that she's "struggling right now" may be true. And she's the poster child for the Atlanta Fire Department - come on, people! Let's give her another chance.
Kady Malloy, "Magic Man": Oh, dear. Again. This one was probably the worst of the evening. As soon as she said in her clip that Simon would tell her, "You sing opera better than you sing up here," I had this sinking feeling that she was going to be right. And she was - the little snippet of opera was far, far better than what she sang live. But can I just say - Simon's never
heard that song before?! Where was he during the '70s, exactly?
Asia'h Epperson, "All by Myself": I hate to sound like a broken record, but yet again, not such a good choice of song. "It is one of the diva songs of all time," said Simon, "and you have got to be one heck of a singer to pull that off, and unfortunately you're not.... The truth is, you're not that good a singer." I don't know if I'd go that far, but the breathiness issue that we'd heard in her earlier auditions came into play big time tonight as she literally lost the word "by" on her first chorus.
My prediction: Kady should go for sure; I'm worried that Amanda and Alexandréa are in trouble as well.
What do you think? Were Carly and Brooke at the top of your lists, as well? And who will be saying goodbye tomorrow?
Check out all of Simon's best lines of the season in our
Simon Says... the Most Quotable Things! blog.
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