American Idol Commentary - Gals Doing All They Can

I can say this much for the girls last night. I think they each honestly did everything they could in their power to win our votes last night. Sadly, for some, it's not close to being enough. And there were no big surprises here, as it only proved what we we've been saying for the past few weeks.

Lakisha Jones. She wowed us so much the first week, and continues to, but there's no way to top that first song. Yet, I Have Nothing is the perfect song choice. While we all keep pleading, please no more Whitney, Lakish brought it, so it's okay. And it was the perfect song to get closer to that week one performance, as it allowed her to show that angst. She definitely has a gift, but it comes out, slaps us in the face and says howdy when she's able to get a little angry in the song. This girl's got something to say, and one of these weeks she's going to find a song even more perfect than her performance in week one, with the voice, emotion, etc. There's something she's trying to tell us.

Melinda Doolittle. Simon nailed it with her. I don't think she's so much trying to tell us something, but she's just having so much fun and enjoying every minute, and we're lucky enough to ride along with her. She's coming out and showing something a little different every week. She's got a few things locked up in there as well, though. You don't sing backup that many years, pining for the front spot, without having something you want to get off your chest. Now that she sang the old theme song for Enjoli perfume, though, it's left me wondering if they even make it anymore.

Gina Glocksen. This is what we were waiting for. The edgy rocker chick. Every year the show seems to want one, but the only one to last to the top three was Nikki McKibben. This one could be the one to last. She's edgy enough to make her different, although like Simon said, she might be too edgy with her choices. I don't think Evanescence is that edgy though. Hole, yeah, that's a little edgy for the Idol voters, but not Evanescence. If she can pull a Chris Daughtry, and take each genre, no matter what it is, and find a way to put her own unique edge on it, she'll do fine.

Jordin Sparks. Still cute as a button, but she pulled off the perfect thing here. Before she got categorized as too cutesy, she won us over with a Pat Benatar tune. There's no way she'll ever rock it out like Gina, but she showed us a different side to her. She's still really young, and sometimes her voice shows it, but she's fun to watch. Her exuberance is catchy, and I feel good just watching her, whether she's singing Disney or Benatar.

Stephanie Edwards. I like her, but I agree with the judges that she could become lost in the other powerhouse voices. She sang a great song for her with Chaka tune, but sounding like Chaka isn't enough. Sounding like Whitney isn't enough either. But Lakisha blew it out of the park by putting Lakisha into it, her own personality. And with Stephanie, she isn't showing us who she is yet. Perhaps it's some of that old shyness she talked about creeping in, keeping a safe distance from us, and not letting us find her behind the door just yet. The problem is she'll be so lost in the other voices, that she'll leave before she feels safe enough to show us who she really is.

Sabrina Sloan. She went back to her strength of picking good sultry songs, perfect for her. Yet, she showed last week, that when she doesn't choose the perfect song, she falters. I think she'll have some trouble with the genre weeks of American Idol, as each of the genres doesn't have the perfect Sabrina song in it. As with Stephanie, we're not really sure who she is yet.

Haley Scarnato. Recognizably, Simon said it very rudely, but he's right. You aren't memorable enough. If Stephanie can become lost in these voices and personalities, certainly she can be as well. While she did everything she possibly could to find a song choice that is fitting to her, and wouldn't show her faults, it's not enough to make us vote for her. At the end of the day, we're not talking about her. We're talking about how great the others are and how badly someone else is. The song choice, while being perfect for her, just isn't enough to make us think she's special enough to deserve our votes.

Antonella Barba. Where to start? Ignoring the picture controversy, while not saying anything to dispute its existence and their validity, she dresses in thigh high boots and a short dress, so everyone automatically thinks about her in the pictures. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with that. I still wear short skirts with boots, but I'm not trying to get people to notice something about me. She should be coming out there with a look that doesn't highlight her looks, and sing a song that so blows us away, that that's all we can think about. Yet, now that she gave up the songs that were bigger than her, the voice just isn't good enough.

This is the thing with both Antonella and Haley. They both started out with different passions, and when those fell through, they decided they'd just sing then. While being good amateur singers, they aren't good professional singers. Those are the people that have been doing it their whole life. If not doing it, then at least dreaming of it. Haley was so injured she couldn't do gymnastics, so turned to her amateur hobby, singing, thinking she'd make a new career. Antonella doesn't do gigs when she's home from college, she gives violin lessons. That's where her passion is and what she enjoys. It's what's inside her, yet it's like someone told her somewhere along the way that she was so pretty, she shouldn't be wasting it on playing an instrument. I bet if she came out tonight with her violin, she'd knock our socks off, and we wouldn't think about her pictures, her clothes, anything, just her playing. It's what's inside her, and she can't change that.

The first four on this list are a lock to make it. The last four are questionable. Stephanie and Sabrina should make it, but I'm not sure if they can beat the Antonella voting machine. Leaving tonight will be Haley and either Stephanie, Sabrina, or Antonella.

BTW, I did a search, and Enjoli perfume is still on the market.

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