AI:6 - 12 Fabu Femmes
Now that was a good show!
3 girls completely blew the doors off all the guys.
1 girl completely blew the doors off of those 3 girls.
Who? Read on, Macduff…
Before I get into the rankings & comments, I’d just like to observe that Seacrest seems to be much more blatant in his baiting of the contestants this season, openly soliciting them to fire back at the judges (Simon in particular). I really wish he wouldn’t. I don’t think it serves the contestants well, even if it does make for some interesting viewing. Ultimately, contestants are hurt far more with the voters by the impression that they are disrespectful/sassy — IOW, the potential “sassy” factor damage outweighs the potential sympathy and/or “stand-up-for-yourself” factor benefit.
Ok, once again, the singers made it pretty easy on us by self-selecting into some clear categories:
The Queen:
- Lakisha Jones - “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going†— This was a tour-de-force performance, the kind upon which AI lore is built. Any hubris that Jennifer Hudson was feeling (and, thus, any venom that she was spewing towards AI) should now be clearly & quickly gone. Lakisha. Was. Awesome. Her performance gave me goosebumps. And, on top of it all, she seems like a genuinely nice person (something she shares with the four girls in the next section, btw…). The only thing Lakisha needs to worry about now is that her fanbase might get complacent roundabouts the Top 4 or 5, and she could end up in the “shocking elimination” category with Tamyra Gray, Jennifer Hudson, & Chris Daughtry.
Her Court:
- Stephanie Edwards - “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore†— A wonderful way to start the show. She’s pretty, sounds great, and has a nice stage presence. Stephanie needs to be in the Top 12.
- Sabrina Sloan - “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)†— Outstamdanding! She gets extra points from me because she’s so obviously a fan of the show. Sabrina jumped up, grabbed the bar from where Stephanie put it, slapped it around a bit, and then set it even higher. The second best performance of the night. She also must be in the finals.
- Melinda Doolittle - “Since You’ve Been Gone†— She may look like Francine Frensky, but she sings like a powerhouse! Much like Lakisha (and Kelly Clarkson!), Melinda just blossoms when she starts singing. She is a throwback to the days of Aretha & Gladys. It may not be enough to win her the competition, but it’s certainly enough to get her in the finals, as well as getting her a permanent relocation from the background mics to the foreground mic.
Better Than ALL the Guys:
- Gina Glocksen - “All By Myself†— The best white girl of the night. Simon was, however, quite right in noting that she didn’t quite get the money note. Even so, she was very good. Gina has a powerful voice, a great personality, and cuteness about her that should easily get her into the finals.
- Jordin Sparks - “Give Me One Reason†— She’s young, fun, cute, and spunky. And she can sang! With work, I can easily see her moving up and becoming a member of the Court. The only reason she’s not there now is that she isn’t (yet) quite as polished as the other girls.
The Unfortunate OK (but Probably Still In Danger):
- Amy Krebs - “I Can’t Make You Love Me†— Neither can she make us vote for her. A nice girl with a nice voice, but just too darned blah to make any noise when up against this level of competition.
- Leslie Hunt - “You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)†— There’s something about her that is both compelling and scary. I just don’t think she’ll get the votes necessary to allow her to evolve and improve. Which is a shame, because she’s a more fascinating case than most of the guys. Oh yeah, and it didn’t help her that she sang a song that has become, in AI-land, associated with one Kelly Clarkson.
- Nicole Tranquillo - “Stay†— Nicole has, I think, the best voice outside of the top 6 girls, maybe even good enough to warrant more attention than Gina. And I certainly think she’s cuter than Gina. That all said, I don’t think her personality is compelling enough, nor is her stage presence strong enough to break her into the top 6. She was done in last night by a horrific song choice, and I don’t know if her stubbornness wrt stylings (Randy was being kind with his “too urban” comment…) will do anything but hurt her in the future. It wouldn’t, however, kill me if I end up being wrong.
- Haley Scarnato - “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now†— Let’s get this out of the way - Haley is gorgeous, and she knows how to shop in the tasteful section of the Hoochie House of Fashion. Vocally, however, she is nowhere near good enough to hang with the top girls. And I don’t think she’s got any reserves in the tank, upon which she can draw to make us sit up & take notice.
The Hottie Train-Wrecks (but Probably Still Safe):
- Antonella Barba - “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing†— Wow, that was bad. So bad that even her looks might not be able to save her. There’s something about her that is off-putting. I don’t quite know if it’s naivete, passiveness, or what, but I don’t think she’s got the killer instinct necessary to compete at the level necessary in AI.
- Alaina Alexander - “Brass In Pocket†— Wow, that was even worse than Antonella. So much worse that I actually will be surprised if her looks keep her safe & singing next week. It was so bad that I’m sure that some of the guys were relieved to know that they weren’t the worst singer of this round.
Ok, with that all said, I still think that the girls did a much better job than the boys. Next week will be key in measuring the true talent level of the boys, however, as in the past we’ve seen where one group or the other has really stepped it up in response to an off week. I hope that such will be the case.
As for who will get sent home, I think that any of my bottom 6 girls could be gone, although I would most prefer to see Alaina & Antonella go, if only because they did the worst last night.
Hopefully FOX won’t make the reveal be too terribly drawn out, and we won’t have to hear Seacrest say “… After the break!” too many times.
I’ll be back tomorrow with some summary comments and a look ahead to next week…
-ghp
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