Top 8 Girls - Let's Bump Down the Tempo

Eight performances crammed into one hour! That's the way I like it! No boring intro clips, we get through it quickly and there's still time to watch LOST afterwards! Hooray!

First up is Katie Stevens, singing Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway." Wow. This is the third straight week we've heard a Kelly C. song. Katie actually sounds a lot like Kelly tonally, but...eegh. This really isn't that great. It doesn't feel like she's in the moment. Her nerves are still getting the better of her. The judges are all underwhelmed, and they remind us again that Katie doesn't know who she is as an artist. After going first and giving us that, I think Katie may be in trouble.

Siobhan Magnus gets a short interview with Ryan where she tells us she picked The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" in honor of her dad. It starts out nearly a cappella, though there's more of a backing track halfway through. I give it a wow. Such a great voice for such an odd girl. Good control, good enunciation, she makes the song her own...hey, she's got it all. The judges love it, of course, but Simon's a little skeptical because there was no big glory note. Who cares, Simon? She's easily going to the finals.

Just like that we're jumping ahead to Lacey Brown, singing Brandi Carlile's "The Story." Hmmmm. Not bad. Lacey seems a lot more confident this week, and we're hearing more of the quirks in her voice that the judges love so much. It's not the most exciting song choice, but it's definitely a good performance. Hey, I'm happy for her. As I've said before, Lacey comes across as very likable. The judges give her her due props. After that universally-panned version of "Landslide" the first week, we might actually see Lacey in the Top 12! Who'd-a thunk it?

Time for perhaps the best technical singer in the competition, Katelyn Epperly. Tonight she's playing the keyboard for Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Uhhh...no. This is awkward. The vocals are shaky and seem disconnected the entire time. Even my brother thinks she's not feeling it. It's a good song, but I don't think it did Katelyn any favors. The judges agree with me (and my brother), saying she didn't connect at all. Simon, the curl-o-phile, does compliment her hair though.

Didi Benami's up next with Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon." The original is a midtempo song, but Didi decides it's better as a slow acoustic thing. Unlike Katelyn, Didi really seems connected to her song. While it's a tad on the boring side, I would once again say it's pretty good. I think we're getting a good idea of who she is as an artist. The judges are positive, and Kara uses the opportunity to pimp her song that Didi sang in Hollywood again. We know, Kara. We know. We don't care either.

Paige Miles decides to keep up the sleep-inducing pace by singing Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." I guess after the two uptempo performances bombed I can't really blame them though. Paige is a little goaty tonight, but the notes are there more or less. Some of her pronunciation gets a little strange as things progress though. It's not bad, just miles away from great. The judges tear it apart, saying it was boring and a terrible song choice. I'm surprised Paige lasted this long, so she may be in trouble tonight.

Going second-to-last is Crystal Bowersox. Dang it! I picked her to get the pimp spot last week! That's means it'll be Lilly! You know what's even worse? I originally picked Lilly but switched it to Crystal at the last minute! Next time I'll stick with my gut! Anyway, Crystal's singing Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" and rocks the bluesy electric guitar with it. Very, very good. Way cooler than Jordin Sparks' or Kristen McNamara's version. Even my brother likes it. Too bad this sort of early peak all but ensures she won't win this competition. That's OK, though; Crystal probably isn't cut out to be an American Idol winner anyway. The judges love it, and Simon even steals Randy's "million billion percent getting through" line. What a wild and crazy night it's been.

The pimp spot (as I just mentioned) goes to Lilly Scott. Oh, Lilly. Why couldn't you and Crystal have switched places? She's getting her quirk on this week to Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." She's playing the mandolin instead of the guitar this time. Eh. It's OK, I guess. Certainly an interesting song choice. There's just nothing about it that wows me. I have a feeling Lilly's belting face is going to get annoying by the time this season is over. The first three judges slather her with love, as is their job, but Simon brings the truth, telling her it was just so-so. Ha! I just noticed Lilly's taller than Ryan! I know Ryan's short, but usually he's about the same height as the girls. Lilly must be bigger than she looks.

My performance ranking:

Crystal (8.1/10)
Siobhan (8/10)
Lacey (6.5/10)
Didi (6/10)
Lilly (5/10)
Paige (4.5/10)
Katelyn (3/10)
Katie (2.5/10)

My picks to go home: Katie and Paige.

Katie hasn't lived up to the hype, and Paige didn't give the audience much reason to pick up the phone this week. I think we'll be bidding them a fond farewell on Thursday.

See you tomorrow! If Michael Lynche gets the pimp spot I'll at least be one for two!