TVSquad

(S07E15) The theme again was "Songs from the '70s," and for the most part I think the girls handled it better than the boys last night. And they also remained consistent with their performances last week to the most part. That is to say that the girls who struggled last week seemed, at best, to do only marginally better this week. The only surprises for me were some of the girls who blew me away last week turned around and struggled with their vocals tonight.

Carly Smithson - "Crazy on You," Heart
Background: She works at an Irish bar around the corner from the tattoo shop she owns with her husband. No mention of her MCA Record deal? This was a much better song choice for Carly as her natural voice is pretty similar to Ann Wilson's. She powered through it very well, and while the arrangement was virtually identical to Heart's, it was well sung.
Randy: "You picked a rocker this week ... It was good ... towards the middle, towards the end, but the beginning was a little rough ... There were some sharp pitch problems ... The lower notes give you more problems than the big notes ... By the middle of the song, you got it together. So it was alright."
Paula: "It's great to see that you are healthy ... It takes a fine singer to sing those big notes ... You are an amazing singer and you did an amazing job. It's great to hear you back, healthy!"
Simon: "It was a much better performance than last week ... I still don't think, yet, you've chosen or connected with the right song yet. I think you are, and I'll put it on record, an incredible singer. I don't think any of these girls can touch you vocally. But what you haven't done is chosen that one song that's going to give you the absolute moment ... At the point you do ... I think you're the girl they've all gotta beat."
Jason: "This was an incredible improvement over last week. It was great to see you clearly in your comfort zone. You looked a lot more confident up there and didn't have any trouble with either the range or the power of the song. You should be very proud of that."

Syesha Mercado - "Me and Mrs. Jones," Billy Paul
Background: She's done a lot of commercial work locally in her hometown. She also does a pretty good baby cry (she showed us this). She obviously changed the gender of Mrs. Jones to Mr. Jones, but other than that she was beautiful on the stage. She played to the cameras and her voice was just in a beautiful timber. And let's not forget the all important Idol ending power note.
Randy: "I don't think this was a great song choice for you ... You got that big belting voice ... so pick songs that you can do that on, 'cause when you do that everything sparkles on the stage. When you do those soft little moments ... you seem uninterested. It just goes nowhere for me. Always pick stuff that you can use what you got ... That ... was just a taste of what you got."
Paula: "On those softer notes, that's where you tend to go off, but when you power it's, like, piercing through. It's great. So you fall off pitch a little bit when you go into the softer notes. I like what you did, though. I like the interpretation you did and the choices you made."
Simon: "I thought it was a bit indulgent. The song obviously wasn't written for a girl so it was probably a bit of a silly choice to have done that. I was put off as soon as you started it. It's not a song that's really designed for your voice anyway so you can't really do that huge note at the end. I don't think that was a particularly clever choice for you."
Jason: "I'm not gonna lie, I am pretty sick of the single power note at the end of these performances on this show. It's as if you guys want to remind us that you're good singers and you think that even if you screwed up during the song, you can hit us with one big blast at the end and we'll just forget all the rest of the song and love it based on one note. I agree that this wasn't the song you should have chosen, but I still think you proved throughout it that you have a fantastic voice."

Brooke White - "You're So Vain," Carly Simon
Background: She went to beauty school and enjoys doing hair, seeing it as an art form. Halfway through that program she started singing and never finished. Brooke had an acoustic guitar tonight and chose a song that worked very well for her vocals and performance style. Considering how much Brooke channels Carly Simon without trying, it was probably a no-brainer for her to pick a Carly Simon song tonight. She didn't try to do anything amazing with it and just sang it, which turned out very nice.
Randy: "It was a great song choice ... I always felt like you had this whole Carly Simon vibe ... I don't know if you brought anything different to it."
Paula: "This was the perfect song for you. It totally suits you ... I like what you did to it. What you brought to it was familiarity and everyone was singing it. I really loved it."
Simon: "I absolutely loved it. The absolute perfect song for you. It was one of the rare occasions where I felt the artist had genuinely chosen the song. It absolutely connected; I thought you sang it very well. The song didn't sound old-fashioned. This is why we put you through into the latter stages."
Jason: "This is one of the best performances you've given us yet. You sang that song as if you'd written it, you were so comfortable inside of it. It's rare for a cover song to sound every bit as genuine and authentic as the original but you've pulled it off. Excellent, excellent job!"

Ramiele Malubay - "Don't Leave Me This Way," Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Background: She used to Polynesian (Hula) dance when she was young and has been doing so for twelve years now. Ramiele has the best command of the tenderness in her voice of any of the girls so far tonight, as she showed in the opening of this number, before kicking it up a notch for the up-tempo portion. She switches effortlessly from power to soft. She is also the first to represent the disco craze of the latter '70s. She struggled with her song selection this week, changing it four times. Concerned that she was getting the nickname "Lullaby."
Randy: "This was a little rough for me ... It was just okay for me vocally ... The song choice for me was weird ... It wasn't my favorite choice for you, it was just really okay."
Paula: "You're also one to beat here. Your vocals are truly amazing. I feel kind of the same way. It just was a song that you power through. It's the same notes and I feel like you didn't get to perform your magic. Having said that, you do haev truly one of teh most amazing voices."
Simon: "The trouble with that song is that I've heard it so many times ... Last week you showed more personality; you stood out more. This was one of those performances that I'm not going to remember so well ... I think you're terrific ... one of the top three best singers in the competition ... It just wasn't one of your best."
Jason: "You have one of the most consistenly beautiful and amazing voices in the competition. It was a strange song choice, especially with the disco arrangement, but you really did a good job with it. Maybe you didn't bring that same level of "WOW!" as you had last week, but you didn't do anything to hurt yourself either with that. Good job!"

Kristy Lee Cook - "You're No Good," Betty Everett
Background: She's a tomboy, loving sports, athletics, fishing, etc. She does everything outdoors that most guys do. She can't walk in heels but enjoys getting dressed up, too. I really didn't like her shimmy walk down the stage at the beginning nor most of her movements during her performance. It all looked kind of karaoke. Vocally she wasn't anything special either. She did the Linda Ronstadt arrangement and didn't really blow me away with it.
Randy: "That's 100% improvement over last week ... It was a better song choice for you. I thought that you did it really good. I was looking for some braekout moments and I didn't really quite get it ... It was pretty in tune, too, so I liked it."
Paula: "You're back. It was good to hear you this way. It was a good song choice for you. Real good."
Simon: "I couldn't even remember what you sang last week, which tells you that it didn't work. Whereas this week I agree ... it was a huge improvement. My only worry ... is I don't exactly know what type of singer you really are. I have a feeling that if you were to go down more the country route, you're going to find it much easier to make a statement, which I'm not sure you quite did with that song ... You've got a lot of potential."
Jason: "You sang it pleasantly enough and I don't have any complaints about it, except that it didn't really touch me. It's as if you clinically sang it on key and followed all the notes and the rhythm perfectly, but it was emotionally empty for me. I think I was actually bored with it. You need to find something you connect with more so that you can reach out and touch the audience with your performance."

Amanda Overmyer - "Carry on Wayward Son," Kansas
Background: She loves reading. She likes biographies of rock icons. You can't ever be overeducated. I do not like her lion mane hairstyle, but vocally she was amazing and showed some vocal diversity. That said, when she wasn't belting out the chorus, her softer voice wasn't as good as I feel it needed to be. I hate to say that I was pretty disappointed over all as there were parts where it was downright not good, as if she was in a bar band. Her outfit was fantastic though, as not too many women could pour themselves into those pants and still look amazing.
Randy: "It wasn't the right song choice for you; way too much melody ... It has too many instrumental breaks in it for a singer .... Also, there was way too much melody in there for a bluesy girl. The verses were very pitchy."
Paula: "You've got some moves; you can dance ... Do what fits right, what feels right and not worry about anything else. You're special. You are needed in this competition. You are a brilliant, brilliant artist, This was not the right song."

Need more American Idol? Get an inside look at Season 7's contestants and think back to these scathing (and hilarious) Simon Cowell quotes. Also: Who do you love? Rank the contestants!

Simon: "In your film (before the performance) you came over as very natural, very cool. Then everything felt contrived from what you wear, fro mthis terrible hair, from the indulgent song, everythign. None of it felt natural or real. It was like you're in your own little world, with actually quite an ugly song. I couldn't wait for it to finish. I really, really didn't get that. And if you want the popular vote, you're not gonna get it by doing that."
Jason: "I'm gonna have to agree that this was a down week for you. It was downright painful at times during the verses. I mean, your pitch was all over the place but on the right note. I think they hit it on the head that you need to stick more to your blues vibe when you can. If the song isn't arranged that way, then make it that way. Stay true to the singer you are, because that singer can be amazing. Tonight, you weren't."

Alaina Whitaker - "Hopelessly Devoted to You," Olivia Newton-John
Background: She doesn't like the food on her plate to touch each other. I can't say that it's as weird as she thinks it is, because I'm exactly the same way. Is that really so weird? Alaina blew me away last week with the power and control her voice possessed. This week, she showed some more of that, but her performance was as bland as 99.9% of Carrie Underwood's performances on Idol as well. Maybe that means she'll win.
Randy: "I don't think that was the right song for you either ... The verses were really pitchy ... Even when you belted, the song is so restrained that ... you overshot it a little bit; it was a little sharp ... It wasn't my favorite for you."
Paula: "I think you did a real good job with it. I forget how young you are and how mature you are at the same time ... I don't think this was as bad as [Randy] thinks."
Simon: "I like you ... My problem is ... it's almost as if your grandmother prepared you for this audition ... Everything about you is very, very old-fashioned ... There is a way of being sixteen, seventeen and actually making yourself current. It was all a bit pageant-y ... I actually think you're one of the dark horses in this competition ... You've got to sort yourself out and become relevant."
Jason: "Relevant appears to be the the new 'pitchy' this season. You've got a good voice, but failed to stand out with that performance. You were great last week, and I remembered you going into this week because. If you'd performed this song last week, I might have forgotten you were even still in the competition."

Alexandrea Lushington - "If You Leave Me Now," Chicago
Background: She was a poster child for the Atlanta Fire Department, singing at various awards ceremonies for years. One of the years, she sang at "Ground Zero" a couple months after 9/11. Unfortunately, Alexandrea took a step down from her performance last week, having pitch problems throughout her performance, singing and looking a lot less comfortable. Last week, she commanded the stage. Even she knew it didn't go well and got emotional during and after the critiques.
Randy: "It was just so safe for you ... You are one of my favorite performers ... You should never make safe choices."
Paula: "I feel that you did let go. You did your own arrangements. You stretched it; you made it your own. I've never heard a female take on that song ... I've been impressed with you from day one because I've always said you're relevant and you're important in this competition."
Simon: "I was a big, big fan of yours in the early stages of the competition. I think you're struggling right now. That song has never been covered and I don't think it's been a hit outside of when it was originally released for a reason .. There's nothing you can do with the song ... You were inconsistent with the song. You were in tune, out of tune. You looked uncomfortable with it and it just wasn't you ... It was boring."
Jason: "This just didn't work at all, Alexandrea. You're much, much better than what you just showed up there and you proved it last week. My worry is that if people don't remember how good you were last week, you could be in trouble after that performance. You performed the song as if you'd just learned it and, quite honestly, as if you didn't really like it either. Find songs that you really enjoy and feel so we can enjoy it with you."

Kady Malloy - "Magic Man," Heart
Background: She has been singing opera since she was nine years old. She loves to sing opera in the bathroom. Kady decided to try and grab our attention by coming down the stairs to open her performance. I didn't like the dress she was wearing at all as the enormous multi-colored stones down the middle of it were incredibly distracting. Or maybe she was trying to distract us from her sub-par performance. Ann Wilson is an incredible vocalist and if you're only so-so, don't sing a Heart song. She also popped in a little Britney-like moan.
Randy: "I love that song ... [On] the verse, you just never quite found the notes for me ... It didn't work."
Paula: "When you powered it you sounded great. On the low notes you lost a little bit. I think you sing opera really well ... Really define yourself as the artist who you are. I'm not quite sure yet that you've found that right song."
Simon: "I'm struggling as much as you're struggling here ... Everything you do on film is fantastic ... The opera was very good. Then you come out here almost like someone trying to impersonate Christina [Aguilera] now, singing at the back of your throat with a song I've never heard before, which has no melody. I just don't think it went anywhere."
Jason: "First of all, I can't believe Simon has never heard that song. Seriously, how hard is it to prep the judges with the original recordings before these shows. And how can Simon not know some of these songs he's admitted ignorance to. On to Kady. It's pretty simple. If you can't sing a Heart song at least as good as Ann Wilson, then don't even try. Period. You needed to pick a better song because that song just exposed your weaknesses as a vocalist. And I don't think you can afford those kinds of mistakes at this point in the competition with where you are among the girls."

Asia'h Epperson - "All by Myself," Eric Carmen
Background: She was a cheerleader through middle and high school and loved it. You've got to give the same spirit, energy and personality as you do with a singer. Asia'h slowed it down tonight and straightened her hair for a more serious song. I think her lower register missed a few notes here and there, and I think her mic fritzed out when she hit the chorus the first time. It wasn't until halfway through the performance that she seemed to really find herself, but she still shouted at least one note and it wasn't pretty at all. These girls need to find the diversity and range to sing all different kinds of songs. Oh, and Asia'h gave us the big Idol ending power note. Randy pointed out that she's been sick, so can we forgive some of the scratchy pitch problems because of that? She has a pretty amazing vocal history on the show already.
Randy: "I know you've been sick .. but I gotta tell you ... A very difficult song to sing, Celine [Dion] sang everything out of it ... Highest degree of difficulty, you did a really good job with it."
Paula: "It was great ... You had problems in the low notes, but you know what, the ending, that's what it counts on this song ... You brought it home."
Simon: "It is one of the diva songs of all time and you have got to be one heck of a singer to pull that off and unfortunately you're not ... The truth is you're not that good of a singer, so yo shouldn't have attempted that song. You've got to be incredible. You almost got away with it, but the song was too big for you ... so in my opinion, it showed up and I think it was a silly decision."
Jason: "Nerves? The song? Sick? I don't know what it was but you are way better than the girl we just saw up there. You were one of the top girls in this competition, and one of my early favorites, but tonight a few of the other girls may have just caught up to you, or even moved a bit ahead. If it's because you're sick, then you need to get better in a hurry because it's only going to get more intense. That said, I do hope your around next week as you are an amazing vocalist ... usually."

BEST OF THE NIGHT
Carly Smithson, Syesha Mercado, Brooke White

SHOULD BE WORRIED
Kristy Lee Cook, Alexanrea Lushington, Kady Malloy

WHO'S GOING HOME
Last week I went 1-3 and you all went 2-2 (based on your votes to the review posts).

Boys: Luke Menard, Jason Yeager (I could see Michael Johns getting a surprise exit)
Girls: Alexandrea Lushington, Kady Malloy