Top 12 Girls Recap

Watch out America, here come the girls! Just as the guys this year are mostly rockers and teenagers, the girls this year are mostly blondes and teenagers. Just like last year, I think the guys as a whole have more diversity and personality, but unlike last year, I think there's more talent among them. I don't have as much to say about these performances as I did about yesterday's, but I'll try to make this interesting. If you read my recap yesterday (and you probably didn't), this recap will follow the same format.

The show follows yesterday's pattern. Ryan starts out by telling us that some of these girls have the flu, once again incorporating the company line by telling us that even THE BEST TOP 24 IN AMERICAN IDOL HISTORY isn't immune to it. He then introduces the girls, who walk onto the balcony in the order in which they'll be performing. Carly has the pimp spot, of course. Could they be any more transparent? There's some idle chit-chat with the judges, and once again they show a montage of the girls being said "yes" to, although this time the backing song is Carrie Underwood's "We're Young and Beautiful."

First up is Kristy Lee Cook, she of the two failed record deals. Her song is "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass. For all the early attention she got, she does terribly. She sings a soul song after fashioning herself as a country singer. I suppose there probably weren't many country options on the list of 50 or 60 that fit the theme, but it doesn't change the fact that this performance is completely out of tune and that she doesn't have the voice to pull it off. Randy points out her pitch problems. Paula basically gives her a pass because she's sick and it's tough to go first. Simon just tells her it was a bad song choice and performance. Nothing personal against Kristy Lee, but I hope going first and doing poorly is enough to send her home. The fewer "plants" we have to feel conflicted about the better. The girl still has her horses.

Next up is Joanne Borgella, known by casual fans as "The Plus-Sized Model". She talks about how she's not really a soul singer in her intro clip, which I guess makes her different from most of the black women who usually appear on this show. She comes across like a nice person. She sings Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" and her voice doesn't impress me much (no Shania Twain jokes, please). She seems like she has trouble staying with the music and her voice is a bit uncomfortably high-pitched. Randy says he thought she was nervous, Paula says she liked it but didn't love it, and Simon says he hated it. I think it's safe to say Joanne isn't a frontrunner in this competition.

Alaina Whitaker, this week's early favorite to go home, tells us her birthday is tomorrow and that the best gift she could get is not to be eliminated from "American Idol." That's understandable, but it almost seems like a cheap attempt to get votes. While Alaina has seemed like little more than a nondescript blonde with a decent voice to this point, she actually surprises me. She sings "More Today Than Yesterday," and like Chikezie last night, it starts out slowly. Just when I'm wondering what the deal is with this boring arrangement they're using on the show, the music picks up and the song turns into the foot-tapping favorite most of us are familiar with. Alaina hits all the high notes, and since I already love this song, I love this performance. Randy loves it, Paula said it was the best ending on that song she'd ever heard, and Simon says he thinks the song is corny, but that it was the best performance of the night so far. This girl is not only cute, but she can really sing. I think she made a fan out of several people tonight, not just me.

Next up is blues rocker Amanda Overmyer. She's gained a lot of buzz for being one of the more distinctive contestants on this show, but there are concerns that her novelty will wear off quickly. She announces that she won't be singing Janis Joplin in this competition, which I think is a smart move, since she needs to show America she isn't a copycat. She sings the blues standard "Baby Please Don't Go," which I guess fits the theme because a few bands recorded it during the 60's. She walks out scatting along with the guitar, and already we have the night's second poor song choice. Sorry, but this isn't a singer's song. It has too many instrumental breaks and the few lyrics it has are pretty repetitive. This is the type of song you sing with a band, not in a competition like "American Idol." Despite the out-of-place selection, the judges all praise Amanda for her individuality. I said before that I found her interesting, and I hope she gets another shot next week. If she gives another performance like this one though, I might have to jump off the Amanda bandwagon.

Amy Davis, the other early favorite to go home this week, performs next. She hasn't gotten much screen time, but Josiah Leming says she's really nice. The second straight Hoosier to perform, Amy attempts to tackle Connie Francis' "Where the Boys Are" and falls flat on her face. She must be another contestant with the flu, because I can't imagine them putting someone with such awful pitch in this competition. Randy tells her it wasn't great, Paula says the camera loves her but she's worried about her nerves, and Simon pulls out several of his old standby criticisms (bad song choice, boring, cabaret). Vote For the Worst appears to be supporting her because they don't have anyone else, but I don't think that'll be enough to save her.

Next up is everyone's favorite good girl, Brooke White. She continues to come across as very genuine in her interview clip, and her personality even sort of reminds me of Melinda Doolittle. Once again we have a song that was done by one of the guys last night, as she sings "Happy Together." She does a better job with it than David Cook (then again, I could probably do better than David Cook), but she still has some pitch problems. My mother comments that the song isn't fun enough, and that Brooke moves her arms around too much. Personally, I think she needs a keyboard in front of her to feel comfortable. Randy says she "slayed" it at the end, Paula likes her originality, and Simon says it was good, but comparable to a washing liquid commercial from the 60's. I think enough people like her that she'll be in this thing for a while, but she needs to do better than this performance if she wants to win.

Another contestant with little screen time performs next, the eight-syllabled Alexandréa Lushington. She comes across as pretty mature for her age, and like Joanne, she's another black girl whose musical style doesn't seem oriented toward R&B and soul. She sings "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat and Tears, and all I can say is that this performance is interesting. She seems to miss a few high notes, but her stage presence and outfit (complete with peace-sign earring) make her memorable. Randy and Paula both love it, but Simon doesn't get it. While the judges criticize Alexandréa I notice she appears to have some sort of mole on her chin that's kind of distracting. Simon likes her self-confident attitude, but I think the biggest problem with her lies in something he said: A lot of people probably won't "get" her. Still, I could see her sticking around a while longer.

The Girl of 1,000 Voices, Kady Malloy is next. Her intro clip shows her impersonating Britney Spears, and oddly enough she actually looks a little like Britney. She tells us she's a recording studio assistant and that music is her life. She sings The Mindbenders' classic "A Groovy Kind of Love," which is another song I have a soft spot for, as it's one of my all-time favorites. I actually really like her rendition of the song. There are a few pitch problems near the end, but overall I think it's a beautiful song sung beautifully by a beautiful girl. Randy says he thinks she got lost, Paula wants more life from her, and Simon thinks it was boring. He says that she's great when she impersonates others but boring when she's herself. He also makes some ridiculous remark about a pencil impersonating her, which ends up being Ryan's signal to cut him off. Are they trying to anti-pimp her? I have no idea, but I don't think she deserves to go home based on what we've seen tonight.

Asia'h Epperson, this year's bubbly teen, is up next. She sings the song everyone was probably expecting Amanda to sing, "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. I think she's a little too smily for this song, but she sings it competently with her distinctive husky-ish voice. All the judges love it, and Simon even calls it his favorite performance of the night so far. I think her personality combined with her backstory (her father died while she was at her audition) and the judges' pimping will keep people voting for her a while.

Next up is Ramiele Malubay. I'll give her credit; by mentioning her Filipino heritage as often as she does she's shrewdly establishing a base of voters. I'm not overly impressed with her voice, but she is very good. She sings Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," and though her voice doesn't quite sound like it's all there at times, she's gives a good, tasteful performance. Randy loves it, Paula says she's a force to be reckoned with, and Simon says it wasn't her best, but that he thinks she's outsung everyone else so far. I predict Ramiele stays in this thing a while. Her Filipino fanbase and more solid performances like this one should see to it.

Another semi-plant, Syesha Mercado is up next. In her intro clip she refers to herself as a "working actress." Considering most actors and actresses are struggling to get work, that's not a good way to come across as humble and relatable. She sings "Tobacco Road" by The Nashville Teens, and the line about how "mama died and my daddy got drunk" seems oddly appropriate after she shared with us that her father was a recovering drug addict. Syesha can sing, but there's really nothing original about her. The word "oversinging" comes to mind several times during her performance, and the obligatory pitch problems are there. Randy says it was a little pitchy but he liked it, Paula likes it, and Simon says she's one of the most talented contestants. Paula keeps hitting the desk while the judges are talking for some reason. Syesha will probably last a while, but I think she could leave earlier than many expect due to a somewhat cocky appearance and the fact that divas who turn every song into a beltfest can become grating after a while.

After sitting through all these performances we finally get to the end with the controversial Carly Smithson. Surprisingly, she actually comes clean about her major label past in the intro clip. I guess Nigel knew he couldn't act like it never happened forever. She sings Tony Bennett's "The Shadow of Your Smile" and wears long sleeves, possibly to cover up her distracting tattoos. Carly is apparently sick, as she sounds strained throughout the entire performance. She's definitely got a great voice, but I'm not sure why she chose to go with a lot of heavy belting if she was sick. Was she trying to suggest to the audience what she's capable of when healthy or is showing off just her modus operandi? Randy tells her it was what the show was all about and calls it the best vocal of the Top 24. Paula basically tells her everything about her singing is perfect. Simon, to my utmost surprise, actually tells her it was disappointing and that she's not living up to the hype. Simon gets booed, but Carly herself says sickness is no excuse, so I'm glad someone on the panel was honest about the fact that her performance sounded terrible. Carly's been pimped enough that she probably has a few more weeks in the bank already, but several questions still remain. Will there be (more serious) backlash against her because of her past? Will she get a free pass from Randy and Paula if she has more performances like this one? Will America actually fall in love with her? I hate rooting against Carly so heavily since she seems like a nice girl, but I just...can't...support her. I'm honestly not sure how far I think she'll go.

Now that we've seen all of the Top 24 I can weigh in on the biggest question of all: Is this the most talented Top 24 in "American Idol" history? Sorry, but I say no. Sure, every season has its strong and its weak performers, but few people in this group seem transcendently memorable. I don't see any potential superstars. Perhaps someone will grow throughout the competition, but right now I can't imagine buying the album of any of these singers. This "most talented" business is all hype.

Anyways...let's get to the predictions:

Probably Going Home

Kristy Lee
Amy

Also Vulnerable

Joanne
Alexandréa
Kady

Probably Safe

Alaina
Amanda
Brooke
Syesha
Carly

I'd Be Shocked

Asia'h
Ramiele

Whom I Voted For: Joanne, Alaina, Amanda, Amy, Brooke, Alexandréa, Kady and Ramiele. I'm all but positive that at least one of these girls I voted for is going home, but hey, at least I gave these underdogs something.

Check back tomorrow for a recap of the results show!