Girls Shine Again

1. Jordan Sparks – “Heartbreaker” – I love this song, but it wasn’t the right song for Jordin. It didn’t showcase her big voice or personality. She doesn’t have enough of an edge to her voice to sing a rock song. Having said that, she still did great. Safe


2. Sabrina Sloan – “Don’t Let Go” – It was an odd song choice, and while it worked it didn’t do anything for her in terms of the competition. She has a great voice but I do agree that she doesn’t stand out enough for the competition. She would have been better off taking a vocal risk and making herself stand out that way, since it’s apparent that her personality isn’t growing. She reminds me of an older version of Lisa Tucker; big voice, little personality. At Risk


3. Antonella Barba – “Put Your Records On” – Bad, bad and bad. She was just bad. And not in a good way. If Antonella had been up against the boys her performance would have been good. The problem is most of the girls left are just damn good this year. And so contestants like Antonella are simply performing their shadows. As Simon would say she’s really out of her league. At Risk


4. Haley Scarnato – “If My Heart Had Wings” – I’m still debating whether or not it was a good song choice. Some parts felt right and some didn’t. The good thing is Haley got to sing right after Antonella so in that sense she was a star. There’s something I like about Haley and I have yet to put my finger on it. At Risk


5. Stephanie Edwards – “Sweet Thing” – She reminds of a cross between Fantasia and Latoya London. But the problem is she isn’t as good as either of them. Her personality isn’t as big as Fantasia’s and her voice isn’t as big as Latoya’s or as unique as Fantasia’s. At Risk


6. Lakisha Jones – “I Have Nothing” – It was good, real good, but not as good as Whitney. And that’s the problem with singing a Whitney song, it’s rare you can match a singer like that much less overtake them and make it your own. The other problem with Lakisha is that she came out of the gates too strong too early with her spectacular rendition of “And I am Telling You I am Not Going.” For the past two weeks she’s had nowhere to go but down. I think we’re going to learn that Lakisha is a theatrical singer. She needs a dramatic and over the top song to shine every week. Safe


7. Gina Glocksen “Call Me When You’re Sober” – This was a perfect song for her. Finally the real Gina has stood up. She won’t win the competition, but as long as she stays true to herself she may have a future music industry. Safe

8. Melinda Doolittle – “I’m A Woman” – Flawless. Perfection. There’s really nothing else to say about it. But just as Lakisha, Melinda shines when she sings a more theatrical and dramatic song. That will become problem during the theme nights. The good thing is Melinda did not sing perfectly the first night, which means she has room to “grow.” Safe

Who’s Going Home:

The obvious choices to send home are Haley and Antonella, since they’ve had three less than stellar weeks. Sympathy votes usually don’t play a major role until the top 12, but both of these girls the perfect contestants for sympathy votes. Which means others who should be in the final 12 may become vulnerable. I think it’s time for the first shocker of the season. There won’t be any majors shockers in the boy camp because only four of them should make it to the top 12 anyway. For the girls though there’s less room to play around with. Based on talent Haley and Antonella should go home. But if you add personality into the mix Stephanie and Sabrina aren’t quite as safe. Neither of them reaches out to me and screams “vote for me.” At least Haley and Antonella have the “feel sorry for me I suck,” factor going for them. And then there’s Gina who should be in the top 12, but America has never warmed up to previous red-haired-rock chicks. If I have to choose I’d say Sabrina and Antonella leave us this evening.