AI9: top 10 Girls Perform

I cheered when I saw Crystal Bowersox in the lineup. She's back, and she's much better! They introduced her last, but she sang first. I guess they were afraid that she wasn't strong enough to wait through an entire evening. It worked in her favor, anyway; the judges, especially Simon, compared the rest of the girls to her for the rest of the evening. Very few measured up.

But some came close. What an evening it was! The girls are well above the boys in talent and the quality of their performances.

As I mentioned, Crystal Bowersox performed first, choosing a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "As Long as I Can See the Light." I don't remember ever hearing this song before. She put a gospel spin on it, and her voice is rich and full. A wonderful performance, one that left the judges in awe. Randy loved that she's not trying to be somebody she's not. Ellen said she has pure, raw natural talent. Kara said she hit a new level, whatever that means. (It was meant well.) Simon thought she chose a great song. “I think we've got a really serious artist with you. Congratulations.”

Haeley Vaughn was up next, wearing another huge fake flower in her hair. It turns out she makes a lot of her own headbands. She's such a charming sixteen-year-old. I wish she'd waited a couple more years to audition for American Idol, because she's just not ready for the big time yet. She chose "Climb", by Miley Cyrus, and it was a mistake. It made it extremely clear that she doesn't have Miley's talent, and they're about the same age. She had pitch problems, and her delivery was flat and boring. Randy “It didn't work for me, man...It was excruciating.” He felt she had no connection to the song at all. Ellen agreed. Kara thought people were rooting for her. But she needs about a year of strengthening her voice. Simon thought it was a complete and utter mess. I think she'll get through, though, just because people like her so much.

Last week when Lacey Brown tortured "Landslide" to within an inch of its life, Kara recommended that she do something like Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me." So that's what she performed this week. Can the girl take directions or what?! But it didn't work. All her weaknesses were still there. Her pitches were all over the place. At first I put it up to nerves, and she did improve a little, but really, she is just not in the same class as most of the rest of the girls. Her voice is just too thin and grating. Randy thought the song choice was good, but he was looking for the words to flash across the screen - it was too karaoke (the dreaded K word!) for him. Ellen thought it was adorable. (Is that like when I say something's “cute”? My kids know that means I didn't really like it.) Kara liked the song (and why not? She chose it), but says Lacey has to step it up. Simon said it was marginally better than last week. But he compared her unfavorably to Crystal.

Last week the judges told Katie Stevens she needed to perform younger music, so this week she chose “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae - an interesting song choice, new and by a young performer, yet still old-fashioned. I thought the jazziness of this song suited her style. She wasn't always on key, though. But compared to the boys, she was amazing. Randy liked her upper register better than her lower. (He's right.) Ellen said she has a great voice, but she doesn't want to hear something she'd hear in her dentist's office. Kara agreed with Ellen. Simon didn't think she was communicating what kind of artist she's going to be.

In the intro clip, Didi Benami showed us some of her warm-up exercises: she meows. I've done meows for warm-ups, and they work well, so I loved this little tidbit of information. But her song choice was "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers. As soon as they announced it, my heart sank. I knew this was not going to go well. She doesn't have the lower register for the beginning of the song, for one thing. She brought some of the melody notes up an octave, where she's more comfortable, but it made the line jump all over the place. She was frequently off key, and she didn't look comfortable at all on stage; she kept making odd hand movements that I found distracting. Randy wouldn't have chosen that deep-rooted soul for her. It showed off her imperfections rather than showing off what she does well. Ellen loves her voice. She didn't like the song choice, though. Kara said it wasn't good. Used the K-word (karaoke). Simon thought she kept the cat theme going through her performance, which I think meant he thought she was shrill and discordant. He said it was a wasted opportunity.

Michelle Delamor chose a song by Creed, “With Arms Wide Open”. I'm not familiar with the song (I tend to change the station when anything by Creed comes on the radio...) I didn't think it was a good choice to display her voice; for one thing, the song doesn't have much of a range. She was a little off-key. And I hated the puffy-skirted dress she was wearing. Randy, oddly enough, liked the outfit; apparently Vera Wang was in the audience, and from what they were saying, I guess that was one of her designs. He didn't think Michelle did enough with the song. It fell flat to him, and I don't think he was talking about her pitch... Ellen said it almost worked, but not quite. Kara said it was her favorite performance of hers ever. It felt believable for once. She took a risk, she has a good attitude. Simon actually agreed with Kara. She didn't choose a safe song, and she made it her own. Maybe if I knew the original song, I'd have appreciated what she did a little better.

The quirky Lilly Scott chose Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, which she accompanied with a 12-string guitar. I really like Lilly. She's got a wonderful, rich voice, and she did this song justice. She's the kind of performer who holds your attention. I know not every note was true, but I liked her anyway. Randy likes how unique Lilly is. This was his favorite performance so far tonight. Ellen said she doesn't know what “it” is, but Lilly has it. Kara said “You just had your first 'moment'.” Simon wasn't crazy about it; he thinks she oversang a little in the middle, and he thinks Crystal was better.

I hadn't really warmed up to Katelyn Epperly yet until tonight. She chose Coldplay, “The Scientist,” a song I love. She accompanied herself on the piano, taking it much more slowly than the original. I still found myself liking the arrangement. It's such a great song. And she has an excellent voice, rich and strong. Randy liked it. Ellen said she kind of fell asleep because it was way too slow. “People can't vote if they're asleep.” Kara "kind of" loves her. Simon thought she did the Natasha Bedingfield version, which Katelyn had never heard. “A million times better than last week," he grudgingly admitted. This is a song I'd consider downloading.

Paige Miles had the courage to choose a song by: Kelly Clarkson, “Walk Away.” Gutsy, doing a song by a previous winner. Last week, I didn't like Paige's performance, and I wasn't sure what to expect this week. She handled the song well, though. She's got a wonderful voice, something I couldn't have said last week. As it turns out, Kara wrote (or helped to write) that song. Randy thought it was too wordy a song; he'd have liked to have heard more of her voice. Ellen loved it. Kara could see her having a hit with that song. But it's really an angry song; she doesn't think Paige should have been smiling quite that much. Simon agrees with Randy that it wasn't a good song choice. She's getting lost in these songs. I liked it, and I think Paige will be here next week.

They saved the best for last, quite an observation, since earlier I would have said they did the best first. Cape Cod's Siobhan Magnus (in the pimp spot) sang Aretha Franklin, “Think”. I wasn't sure her voice was quite big enough for this song, but she really got into it. She did a great couple of high notes, and she was really wailing by the end. I thought it was the best performance of the evening, even better than Crystal's, and I'm definitely planning to download it. Randy said it was “dope.” (I think that's a good thing.) That high note at the end was incredible. Siobhan has an excellent range and her high notes are right up there with Kelly Clarkson's.

I've got a Top Three for the girls: finding good performances, unlike with the boys, was easy. Siobhan Magnus, Crystal Bowersox, and Katelyn Epperly. And almost equally as good: Lilly Scott and Paige Miles.

Finding two candidates for elimination is a little tougher. Obviously Lacey Brown has got to go. But who else? Haeley Vaughn, maybe. Didi Benami was weak, but I'd like her to stay around a little longer. I wish they could eliminate, say, three boys and one girl...that'd be easier.