Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella left the competition last week, so it's on to the final 10 gals:
Carly Smithson - Overall, a decent performance, marred by strained big notes that went from pleasing to the ear to just sharp noise in spots. I think she needs to pick a song that has less pyrotechnic notes, and more simple melodies and hooks within the song as her voice is built for such songs. I need a little more control from Carly's singing, and reining in her range and just inhabit the song itself.
Syesha Mercado - She's got a nice, wide and smooth range, but I fear her voice is not distinctive enough to separate her from the pack. The song itself was not a good choice, a little too safe and boring, I don't think Syesha connected with the song either, and it stifled her singing.
Brooke White - Enjoyed Brooke's performance, though she needs to ditch the guitar, just sing, baby. What sets Brooke apart is the timber of her vocals that just swells in the chorus and gives you chills down your spine. She doesn't have the widest range and should avoid songs requiring power vocals (any diva song, more or less). Her voice is very smoothing and melodic, which helps in the story-telling of the song. I think she'll do well in the adult contemporary / easy listening side of radio because her vocal style isn't "pop" enough.
Ramiele Malubai - Took forever to get her vocal engines going, but I fear she sort of sounded more like a karoake singer, imbuing the song with very limited amounts of charisma and conviction, so she stayed in an uninteresting groove to the very end, and left little impression on me this time around. She needs to find better songs to showcase her vocal subtlety and range/power. I think I just want her to give a damn when she's performing, and tonight wasn't such a performance.
Kristy Lee Cook - You know, for a pretty girl, Kristy is sort of tough to watch perform because she's got that weird singing stance/squat and facial expressions, plus she botched a few power notes with some weird scratchiness (like phlegm getting dislodged during the middle of a note). I think she's better suited for Nashville Star because that's where her vocals lean, and I think just about everything she sings will have that country lilt and twang to it. The good thing is that her voice is distinctive within this competition, the bad thing is that she sounds like about a thousand other female country singers.
Amanda Overmeyer - Gotta give it up to Amanda for raising the energy level of the show, but I fear she's either a smoker, or just doesn't have enough vocal control for quiet-sounding verses (almost going breathless in spots). The other negative is that she doesn't have the ability to go up and down octave ranges within the melodies of the song, which just makes for flat-sounding, loud, singing at times. Overall, a regrettable song choice that exposed a lot of her weaknesses instead of bolstering her strengths. I don't like her chances for the top 6 for the girls.
Alaina Whitaker - I liked her vocals on this song, though she had one run-up vocal note that got away from her, but she gave a Star Search quality performance, which I'm not sure that's what AI is looking for. I think she's got a lot of potential, and I like that she is willing to let herself go when she sings, even with a ballad. Overall, I found it enjoyable enough to want her to come back next week.
Alexandrea Lushington - I think if she went with a R&B vibe for the entire song that she gave us a glimpse of at the end of the song, the song would have been more interesting, but even with the little runs at the end of notes, I was left unmoved by her performance as she looked very uncomfortable, and sounded uninspired. She could be vulnerable for the boot tomorrow.
Kady Malloy - Tip #1: Don't walk downstairs while you sing. This opening threw her off her game, and she still needs to learn how to perform on stage in terms of being at ease with herself. She's still too nervous, which doesn't allow her to let go and allow the song to flow out of her organically. I think she still has a good recording artist potential, but stage presence is keeping her from giving good vocal performances that are consistent from the first note to the last one. She sings off-balance, and almost needs the entire song to find that center, and that's just not good enough. She has to be centered from get-go, and not reach haphazardly for that balance like a drunken person trying to walk a straight line.
Asia'h Epperson - This song's beginning had all the markings of a disaster, blowing the first chorus, but she kept going, gave us a big finish, but it was kind of difficult to listen to that big long note because she was really digging it out (without the ease of someone else with better range and control), which also exposed her vocal range, so she gets props for trying the hardest song, but didn't have the pipes to back up her audacious attempt.
Rankings - this was tough because no one hit a home run, or even approached a triple, just a really average night for the gals.
Enjoyable
Brooke White
Alaina Whitaker
Middling
Carly Smithson
Under-performed
Syesha Mercado
Ramiela Malubai
Kady Malloy
Kristy Lee Cook
Over-reached
Asia'h Epperson
Amanda Overmeyer
Uninteresting
Alexandrea Lushington
I fear it's probably the end of the road for Alexandrea Lushington and possibly Amanda Overmeyer or Asia'h Epperson.
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