Top Ten Women (10-1)

Right to it tonight…Gina up first
Gina: “Alone”…she did a nice job, great stage presence once she got going…great start to the night….didn’t help that the background singer was off pitch…great song choice for her. Judges: Randy: Liked it Paula: excellent job, really good Simon: good choice of song, felt vocals sounded forced. She did a great job, good way to start the show. She had fun on stage too…
Alaina up next…”Not Ready to Make Nice”…good stage presence…good tone, played to the camera well. Judges: Randy: tuning and pitch went away, not good. Paula: hard song to sing, pitch was off. Simon: like Randy taking part in 100 meter Sprint, ¾ way through the race he would run out of steam and that’s what happened to her. She looks great, not sure the ‘look’ will save her. I think she’ll be safe for next week.
Lakisha up next…and She’s NOT ready to make nice….”Midnight Train”..the song is great, but it seems a little too like the original for me, she’s hitting all her notes, but she’s playing it very safe tonight. I’m disappointed. Judges: Randy: that was hot. Paula: loved it. Simon: interesting dance at the end, didn’t think it was as good as last week. She can afford to believe and start acting like a big star. Didn’t like the outfit…Fashionsense with Simon Cowell will premiere on the E! Network Sunday at 9…next up, Melinda….
Slowing it down with “Funny Valentine”…great on the low notes, very Patty LaBelle like tonight, I believe we have a new front runner, at least for the night. Kudos to the band as well, great arrangement. Judges: Randy: unbelievable, is the one to beat. Paula: loved the phrasing, applauds her Simon: THAT was incredible. The best vocal this year. A breath of fresh air…I agree with Simon, Melinda came to win, amazing performance.
Antonella with Celine(yawn)…after the break.
Pitchy, flat, and headed home…”Because You Loved Me”…not a good song for her, painful to listen to…can’t wait for the fashion advice from Simon…ooh, that high note was painful…and so was her dress…Judges: Randy: completely wrong song, pitch all over the place. Paula: made leaps and bounds from last week. Simon: Vocals not good enough, thought she was worse than last week. Aaah, she pulled a Jennifer Hudson mention…the audience didn’t vote for Jennifer Hudson, and she can exit stage left with the green dress and may tomorrow night. Well, the good news is…Lakisha is safe...for now. 5 down, 5 to go…Antonella is the weakest so far, followed by Alaina, then Gina, Lakisha and Melinda at the top this week. I haven’t heard anything totally WOW caliper yet tonight from the women….
Jordan Sparks is in the six spot…
…great poise on stage…a little pitchy, she got caught up in the piece before the performance. ”Reflection”…did a good job on that song, liked the ease on the end…wow…Judges: Randy: great talent. Paula: brilliant girl Simon: wasn’t her best, excellent compared to others. Dedications got to her tonight, she’s only seventeen, very good. Dedications are getting to the girls a little more than the guys, but I hope it didn’t cost her, she should be back…apparently Jordan can’t count to add to the emotion…all she has to do is sing well…and she sang well enough…
Stephanie up next…”Dangerous Love”…tough song to sing, but she’s doing a solid job, great stage presence, lots of vocal changes and she made 99% of them flawlessly….Judges: Randy: proved she should be up there…little Beyonce like…Paula: fantastic, brilliant Simon: agree with Paula, not just taking part, coming out putting her mark down, thought it was terrific. I love the fact that Paula has entered her ‘adjective only’ part of the evening and she has taken Simon with her. Stephanie just did one of the best performances I’ve seen so far this year. Her and Melinda have done the right songs and have had the best performances so far.
Leslie up next…she’s promising a Flapless performance…she started out pretty good, band kept it low…not sure about the whole not singing words thing…Judges: Randy: little pitchy, liked the acapella. Paula: back in her element. Simon: been whacked by three or four voices before her, was better than last week. Leslie did a good job tonight, returning to the jazzy style, she was more comfortable on stage. Haley up next.
“Queen of the Night”..rollin’ with some Whitney…she’s having fun on stage…not so sure the song fits her, but she’s doing a solid job, it was okay for me..Judges: Randy: wasn’t great, vocally not on point. Paula: better than last week, get to see her personality. Simon: A for effort, little manic, verging on insane at one point. She is one of two or three very vulnerable girls tonight. Haley didn’t do anything with that performance to separate herself from the three (Melinda, Stephanie, Lakisha) ahead of her to stand out. I hope she is around for another week.
Wrapping the show tonight, Sabrina…with some Whitney…little pitchy…she figured it out though, sounds like she’s trying to force it a little, seems very pitchy to me…Judges: Randy: very nice Paula: big contender, bravo Simon: very good, don’t confuse power with shouting. It was okay for me. It’s tough to do a Whitney song without being compared to Whitney.
The night overall was solid, some women came down a little from last weeks performances, others really made it a point to stand out..more in the recap in a bit…