Heh ... yes, I'm on the Melinda train! I think she's been ready for the Big Time for a while now. I think only her different looks and her self-confidence (or lack thereof) have kept her down heretofore. Her entire range is impressive, from low to high. So often a singer is lacking in one area or the other, but she seems to have fully developed her entire range, and she's cute as a button, too.
Lakisha: I also like her an awful lot. She has great, great natural talent. It will be interesting to see if she can pull ahead of Melinda. I agree that the judges could have given her some constructive feedback ... but perhaps they didn't want to affect the voting negatively.
Jordin ... is absolutely darling! She's like a big Newfoundland puppy. She also has tons of talent, but her youth is an impediment. She sounded terrific last night but had trouble with the seriousness and sort of imperious bearing one needs to pull off that song. Gina, by contrast, had the attitude down completely. I thought Gina presented her song better though she did not impress me vocally the way young Jordin does.
Sabrina ... is the one whose bandwagon I'm not on, even a little bit. She is very attractive, and technically has a good voice -- but her voice sounds thin and nasal in the upper registers. I much prefer a more "rounded" sound. A good voice teacher could correct the thinness up there, helping her voice open up and "bloom," but I'm sure Sabrina doesn't think she has anything to correct. :)
Jordin: Sings Pat Benetar. Gives a spirited, coltish performance. She's cute and young, two things that work in her favor. Very flat in spots and appears to be reigning herself in instead of lettin' us have it. It was at those times that she went flat. Is she scared of what she could do with that big voice?
Sabrina: I don't know this song and don't think it's very coherent. I heard most of it as being off-key, but that could have been the song, not her singing. I agree with the judges that she was shouting at the same level instead of using her voice to color the song. Think the makeup that they are using on her nose is helping her appearance!
Skankarella: Simon was right. She cannot get better. I dislike that open-mouthed Tourette's syndrome wink she does several times during the song. Noticeably off-key in many spots. I don't think it's wise of Her Skankiness to sing big hits. All I can do is think of the original artist and how they must be LOLing when they hear her version. Honey, your 15 minutes are up.
Haley: I'm sure she's a nice enough person, but she is just not right for this competition. If they had some kind of Amy Grant sing-alike hour, I'm sure she'd do well. Next!
Stephanie: Great dress! I like the song and she sang it well. She sounds just like Beyonce; I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. She's cool, polished and looks like she's having a great time singing for the studio audience, not just the camera.
Lakisha: This song sounded like "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going"- Lite. She's got a thing for that defiant groove. It fits her like a glove. And I thought she looked very nice. Classy.
Gina: Girl, you better go out there and do some aerobics, cause you ran out of breath half way through! She can rock, but she was overly physical at the beginning of the song. She should have built it up slowly so that she had something left by the "YO!" part of the song. I'm not a big fan of Evanescence; in fact, I liked Gina better than the original.
Melinda: This one is a joy to see. She makes you believe what she's singing every week. And those shoes were fierce!) To me, she's the most complete performer that we've seen on Idol since Kelly. The only thing she's lacking is the knock-out looks...
Best:
1. Melinda
2. LaKisha
3. Stephanie
4. Jordin
Who Should Go Home:
Haley, Antonella
Who Will Go Home: Haley, Sabrina
At this point I think her feigned lack of self-confidence is an act. She is miles ahead of the competition and nobody who lacks self confidence could sing the songs she does with the confidence that she has. She could not have even attempted that song last night unless she knew she was one hot singer. There was no lack of self confidence. She knows she's good great.
She's coy... But I'm not going to hold it against her. Her humility is refreshing, even if it's false humility.
Sabrina ... is the one whose bandwagon I'm not on, even a little bit.
Me neither. She's one diva too many. And she pales in comparison to Melinda, Lakisha and Stephanie--in talent and personality.
Sabrina might be a "shocking" elimination tonight.