American Idol, Episode 15: "Top Ten Girls Perform"
If you tuned out of last night's episode of American Idol at the halfway point (and I wouldn't blame you if you did), then you owe it to yourselves to watch the video posted above. That was hands down the best moment of the enitre episode. To be fair, it wasn't just Candice Glover that brought it in the second hour of the top 10 girls performing, but she was the stand out. Here is a rundown of last night's performances and my guess as to who will be heading triumphantly into the top 10 on Thursday night's results show.
Zoanette Johnson opened things up and it seems like the judges and America finally saw Zoanette for the mess that she is. I mean, I'd hope that the majority of America knew that before they saw Zoanette disrespect Tina Turner in front of millions of people. I'm not for sure if Zoanette even sang one word of "What's Love Got To Do With It." In Zoanette's case, I'm pretty sure it's "What's pitch, musicality, or talent got to do with it?" Not even the judges could have said anything good about this mess. They tried to bring up Zoanette's "Circle of Life" performance from last week, but I have faith the voting public will kick Zoanette to the curb come Thursday night.
Breanna Steer proved a nice musical palate cleanser. She performed Beyoncé's "Flaws and All." It was a fantastic and unexpected song choice and I thought Breanna sang the song beautifully and she looked gorge. Breanna seemed a little nervous at first, but she quickly took control. I agreed with the judges that Breanna picks different songs, but also picks songs that work well for her voice. This was one of those performances where I was wondering if Nicki was watching the same thing I was. Did a Lil' Kim video pop up on her phone or something. She was way harsh.
Aubrey Cleland performed next. She really impressed during the sudden death round, but her performance of "Big Girls Don't Cry" was a big let down for me. It was a tired song choice. It's a song that has been done to death on the show and it did Aubrey no favors. She still looked like a star, but last night she didn't sound like one. She sounded like the high notes were a little too high for her. She was reaching for something off of the top shelf and she just couldn't reach it. I think all Randy's talk of moments had Aubrey reaching for moments that weren't there.
After Janelle Arthur's lackluster performance during sudden death, I was prepared for her to come back this week and really wow me. That didn't happen. Her performance of Elvis' "If I Can Dream" was a little bit better than last week, but not by much. I kept waiting for a hologram of Elvis to come out on stage like it did when Celine sang this song on Idol. That would have made the performance more lively. I felt like Janelle was really struggling vocally. She veered off pitch a few times. I can only assume the judges really love her and want her to go through. That is the only explanation I can think of for why they each declared that she was back.
Tenna Torres was up next. She spent an inordinate amount of time in her pre-performance package talking about Nicki's comment about her wig. Once she started to sing Faith Hill's "Lost" I could see why. That was horrible. The second worst performance of the night for me, after Zoanette. It was so screechy, the camera mugging that Keith talked about. Maybe Tenna needs to head back to Camp Mariah for a refresher. I have a feeling this is the last we will see of Tenna on the Idol stage.
Angela Miller apparently decided that people saying Angela was just too much so she is now going by "Angie." I'll call her whatever she wants to be called if she continues to sing like that. The show really started for me with Angie's performance of Colton Dixon's "Never Gone." I had never heard the song before, but if Angie released it as a single I would absolutely purchase it. I loved her at the piano. She knew exactly what she was doing. Her voice was clear as a bell, pitch perfect. She was also giving me Kelly Clarkson vibes. I agreed with Nicki. Uncle Nigel, can we just get to making Angie's album already?
Amber Holcomb continued the upswing with a flawless rendition of the late, great, Whitney Houston's "I Believe In You and Me." The Idol judges have said time and again that tackling Whitney is a challenge and most contestants are not up to it. When I heard those familiar strains I became worried for Amber. As it turns out, I had no reason to be. Amber was in control of the song from the beginning. There were times, if I closed my eyes, I could've sworn that Whitney was back and was on the Idol stage. It was very impressive.
Kree Harrison brought another Faith Hill song to the Idol stage when she performed "Stronger." I love Kree's voice. Up until this point, the judges have made it seem like Janelle Harris and even Rachel Hale are the female country singers in the competition. Absolutely not. It's all about Kree. Kree could be on the radio today and I would listen. I am not a huge country fan either. She was even less awkward on stage. If the top 5 only has room for one female country singer, my money is on Kree.
Adriana Latonio performed Destiny's Child's "Stand Up For Love." Odd song choice. Out of all the Destiny's Child songs out there, that is the one that you choose? Ok, boo. It was pretty rough. She seemed flat the whole time to me. She veered off pitch a few times. The song ran away from her immediately like the Road Runner running from Wile E. Coyote. Her voice kind of disappeared when she went down into her lower register. Nicki was on point when she called it pageant-y.
Candice Glover closed out the show with John Legend's "Ordinary People." I'm not sure what to say about Candice's performance. Just watch the video and prepare for the chills. Flawless. Gorgeous. Effortless. Amazing. Candice for the win.
So, based on last night's performances I would say Breanna, Angie, Amber, Kree and Candice will be heading into the top 10. Randy mentioned a Wild Card, which will probably happen, since Randy and spontaneity go together about as well as Idol and genuine emotion.
What did you guys think? Who do you think America will send through?
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