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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > February > 20
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
2/20: Top 12 gals, Paula Abdul video
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, here I am, better late than never.
There were plenty of first-night jitters and a few major disappointments, a few high points, a few low points. Overall, a mixed bag. In the end, the men and women are fairly evenly matched, as Simon said. There’s a decent top 12 in there somewhere.
Several of the gals were sick, especially Kristy Lee and Carly, the bookends of the night. It’s easy to pinpoint the two who should go home: Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella.
Here’s how I liked them in order: Asia’h, Amanda, Syesha are the top three. Ramiele, Carly, Alexandrea are my next three. Then Brooke, Alaina and Kady. The bottom three: Kristy Lee, Joanne and rockbottom Amy.
Kristy Lee Cook (“Rescue Me” Aretha Franklin) First up! Horse trainer with the past record contract who sold a horse to audition. She’s not soulful enough for this type of song. It’s very bland. She’s cute but this did feel very amusement park. She ends okay but overall, not great. Randy: “I know the pressure is crazy… it wasn’t your best performance. You had pitch problems throughout.” Paula: “Being sick and first one, that’s a double whammy. Don’t let that get in the way of your shine.” Simon: “This seciton, we get to see what you’re really made of. What did we get that? Not a lot. This song didn’t suit you. Your performance was robotic.” C+
Joanne Borgella (“I Say A Little Prayer” Dionne Warwick) She sang second, a bad spot. The plus-sized model who won “Monique’s Fat Chance” pageant. She is a pretty gal. She reminds me of Mandisa minus the pipes. She has a distinctive voice but it’s not terribly compelling. She simply isn’t drawing me in. Disappointing. Randy: “There are some nerves jumping on this evening. It was pretty good… your voice felt a little shaky.” Paula: “You’ve got to pull it together… I liked it, didn’t love it.” Simon: “I didn’t like it. You’ve got to come out and nail it. What you did there was a very average cabaret version of a cabaret song.” C
Alaina Whitaker (“More Today Than Yesterday” Spiral Staircase”), the youngest contestant. She sang third. She looks a bit like a younger Carrie Underwood. I liked the way she started the song. I’m not so keen on her “louder” voice. But she’s not bad, far better than Joanna or Kristy Lee. Randy: “You sang it with so much conviction and confidence.” Paula: “You nailed it.” Simon: “I think you’re very good. I hated the song though.” B
Amanda Overmyer (“Baby Please Don’t Go” Muddy Waters) The rock-and-roll nurse totaled her car on her way to Hollywood. She seems like a one-note gal with the Janis Joplin voice. We’ll see if she can do something else. Wow! A bluesy song! Great guitar work. How did this end up on the list Nigel created? I actually liked her for the first time. Her hair looks like she stole it from Elvira. Randy: “I loved that. A bluesy rocker chick, doing a little scat thing. I like the trousers, too.” Paula: “I just love everything you do. You’re authentic.” Simon: “I really like you. I like you because I genuinely believe you’re authentic… It was all over the place.” But Paula said, “That’s the song.” A-minus/A
Amy Davis (“Where the Boys Are” Connie Francis) A trade-show model and grad student, she also did Janis Joplin. She started the song really offkey. She is truly pitchy. Bad performance deluxe! Randy: “A lot of country singers scoop up to the notes. Patsy Cline is good. You have to hit it dead on. There were a lot of pitch problems.” Paula: “The camera loves you. Once again, I feel the nerves got a little bit of you. I don’t know if it was the most engaging song for you.” Simon: “It was a very boring song, incredibly cabaret… you need that country twang to make that song work and you don’t have that.” C-minus
Brooke White (“So Happy Together” Turtles) She’s the charming sweet innocent gal with the Carly Simon vibe. She has a very mature voice, not very modern feeling. She’s sweet and likable and that will get her by this week. There’s definitely a personality there, if not amazing vocal skills. Randy: “Front part was not good, back part was good.” Paula: “What this competition is about is originality. You have your own thing.” Simon: “You chose the right song. But there are times I feel like I’m in some washing-up commercial from the ’60s. It was very you. I’m struggling with the relevance.” B/B-plus
Alexandrea Lushington (“Spinning Wheel” Blood, Sweat & Tears) Our Douglasville teen is the seventh to sing. She’s starts very breathy. I like her mid-range but her upper registers are in key but not incredibly strong. She’s very energetic, very together. That’s a plus at this stage. I liked it, didn’t love it. Randy: “You blew the doors off that.” Paula: “You took control of how your entrance would be. You thought about your performance. Dope outfit. I saw more confidence than in any tonight.” Simon: “I didn’t get it. It reminded me of these horrible little shows you see, like some awful musical. I didn’t think the vocals are great.” B/B-plus
Kady Malloy (‘A Groovy Kind of Love” The Mindbenders) A recording studio assistant who can imitate Britney way too well. She’s got pageant-level good looks and her performance is kind of at that level, too. Sigh. Randy: “I loved the Britney thing. This song was okay for me. It was so restrained and controlled.” Paula: “We all knew when we first auditioned you is your personality. I want to see the life of you. Fun!” Simon: “Amazingly, for once, I agree with Paula. That was like night of the living dead.” B-minus
Asia’h Epperson (“Piece of My Heart” Janis Joplin) The gal with the Marietta connection whose dad died really blew me away during Hollywood. Can she do it again? Yes! She’s truly a beacon of light in this fog of mediocrity. She has a spirit that just shines on stage and she has a smoky voice that we haven’t really heard yet in this competition. She’s a keeper, a comer, someone who can win this baby. Easily the best of the night. Randy: “I loved you brought a little bit of you in it.” Paula: “You had some really good moments in that song.” Simon: “For me, it was my favorite of the night. You let go.” A
Ramiele Malubay (“You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” Dusty Springfield) I thought she was a bit overstylized up to this point but she is a looker! She picked a song that Nadia Turner season four owned. (I just watched Nadia’s version on YouTube and that reminded me why I loved her so much.) Technically, Ramiele is excellent. But I don’t feel an emotional connection. I’m not sure why. Randy: “You took your time. It built up. You saved it for the end. Very classy. Almost like a pro. That was hot!” Paula: “You are a force to be reckoned with.” Simon: “I didn’t like you when I first saw you. Then during Hollywood, I thought you were the most consistently good singer. Again, you outsung every single person.” B-plus
Syesha Mercado (“Tobacco Road” The Animals) A working actress, she’s got powerful pipes, even when she had laryngitis in Hollywood. Wow. She chose a rather edgy rock song and gives it a little sexy soul. That last note was a bit off but heck, she really put her heart into it. Phew! Randy: “You definitely can sing. There were a couple of pitchy things. Consistent.” Paula: “Joyful. Fun. Big!” Simon: “It wasn’t your best best performance. It didn’t matter. You are probably one of the most talented girls in this competition.” A-minus/A
Carly Smithson (“The Shadow of Your Smile” Barbra Streisand) Hmmm.. Michael Johns got the crucial last spot Tuesday. Now it’s the other former foreigner with Atlanta connections! This is more proof Nigel & Co. want her in the top 12, come hell or high water. She talks about her past record deal. Wow! It’s out in the open! Did we finally goad them into getting that revealed? Let’s get to it: she’s good. She’s very good, very self assured. Is she my favorite? Not at the moment. Randy: “That’s what this show is all about. I hear you have bronchitis. Guess what. The best vocal of the top 24 right there! Hot! Hot! Blazing hot!” Paula: “You do not even have to power of your voice. Beautiful inflections.” SImon: “I didn’t get it. There is so much hype about you. So much buzz about you. The song was too old fashioned for you.” Thank you Simon for the reality check. B-plus
In other Idol news:
Ratings for the men were 29 million Tuesday night, down only about 1 to 2 percent from the comparable episode a year ago, the smallest gap to date. That’s encouraging for those Fox execs.
Ken Barnes at USA Today noted download sales. “No Air” is the top download among “Idols” at No. 17 and is up to 306K. “Tattoo,” at 25, has sold 1.28 million. Carrie’s “All American Girl,” at 45, has sold 178K. “Before He Cheats,” at 64, has sold a massive 2.17 million. Daughtry has four songs on the chart: “Feels LIke Tonight” at 52 with 133K total. “Over You” at 84, with 878K total. “Home” at 94 with 1.34 mil total. And “It’s Not Over” at 142 and 1.67 mil total. So he has sold four million downloads. Impressive! This on top of his 3.79 million albums sold after moving another 38K (Grammy boosted.). Carrie’s “Carnival Ride” sells another 30K to move up to 1.86 mil and a little more than a month from hitting 2 million. “Some Hearts” moved 21K more and is at a staggering 6.28 million.
Other totals: Kelly’s “Breakaway”: 5.96 mil, “My December” at 751K. Pickler is at 718K, Blake at 264K, Bucky at 325K, Elliott at 494K and three weeks from 500K, Mandisa at 72K, Fantasia at 507K, Bo at 40K, Taylor at 700K, Kat at 367K, Clay at 523K, Ruben at 237K, Constantine at 24K, Paris at 21K and Kimberley at 18K.
And for your enjoyment, the Paula Abdul videe for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” It’s pretty typical as far as music videos go. Nothing special. I’m not sure why it ends with a shot of Ryan, Randy, Paula and Simon.
