American Idol 4, February 22: Hits and the Misses

Ryan welcomes us, introduces the boys from last night, the judges, and the girls from tonight. Again, 12 performances to get through, so no time for tomfoolery. On with the show!

Vonzell Solomon, "Heat Wave"

Randy - "Great way to start off... little pitchy in parts but you corrected it with your personality."

Paula - "Got the crowd going... did a good job."

Simon - "I think was a good start... oversang it in spots... I think you could do very well in this competition."

Sting7 - The song that almost did in Kimberley Locke flowed much better from Vonzell. There were a couple of pitchy moments, but like Randy said, she had enough moxie and presence to make them pretty irrelevant. Strong performance, good job.

Amanda Avila, "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You"

Randy - "Alright... it was good... demanding vocal... you hung in there."

Paula - "It was good... wasn’t your best."

Simon - "Most people do well because they sound different... I’ve heard that performance a lot... in my next life I want to come back as your microphone."

Sting7 – The judges were hard on Amanda, I think. She’s a beautiful singer, she had nice control, if not much explosion, but that’s more the song than Amanda. I don’t know if this is the way she wanted to start her Idol campaign, but there are boys in the audience, and they will like her. A lot.

Janay Castine, "I Want to Love You Forever"

Randy - "You looked a little nervous... not your best performance... not sure I loved that."

Paula - "You’re a little showman... you’re a dynamo... this wasn’t right for you."

Simon - "The song was too old... we liked you because you’re young... you’re not 50."

Sting7 - Janay seemed like she was in a wrestling match – a three-way match between herself, the song, and her nerves. I’m not sure who won, really. I like Janay, but this was a sonic mess. I hope her youthfulness and the judges encouraging us to give her mulligan will work. She’s better than this.

Carrie Underwood, "Could’ve Been"

Randy - "What a breath of fresh air... absolutely brilliant."

Paula - "You’ve been good throughout this process and you were good tonight."

Simon - "You are a favorite to win this competition... you know who you are... you have a good recording voice, good job."

Sting7 - Carrie pulls out a Tiffany song that I hope is as close to country as she gets. I’ll just say it, I don’t want a country Idol, and while Simon flat out told Josh Gracin it won’t work, he seems to be pushing Carrie that way, and it annoys me. As for Carrie, she has surprising power. Watch out for her, I think I’m ready to peg her Top Three already.

Sarah Mather, "Get Ready"

Randy - "Fun song choice... you worked it out... I enjoyed it a little bit."

Paula - "Not the best song choice, it’s more for a group, it doesn’t feature a lead vocal... I didn’t get to hear more than one octave."

Simon - "You only get one chance to make a first impression... it was a clumsy, forgettable performance."

Sting7 - I called her a forgettable Denim Skirt Girl, and maybe... just maybe, I was a little hasty. Sarah chose a song that didn’t really let her show range. (Just when I was ready to compliment Paula, she says something stupid like, "it doesn’t feature a lead vocal." Tell Smokey Robinson he wasn’t doing a lead vocal, Paula! But I’ll give her this one, her critiques have been 300% better this season.) As for Sarah, lots of personality, I enjoyed watching her, even if hearing her was a bit forgettable. I think she has more in there to show us, I hope she gets a chance.

Melinda Lira, "Power of Love"

Randy - "I think you’re one of the best singers in the competition... a little sharp in the high spots... I still think you’re a young Kelly Clarkson in the making."

Paula - "Wasn’t my favorite choice of song... you have to watch out for Celine Dion power ballads… I still think you’re a strong contender."

Simon - "Tricky... we’re waiting for a star to come on... that was just (shrug)."

Sting7 - Another song that sounded like a struggle. Paula was right this time – future Idols, stay away from Celine! Back away from Celine! It will only get you in trouble! And with that, I have to tell you, the performance doesn’t register anything for me at all. I still hear Celine in my head. That’s not a good sign.