A Dose of Reality: American Idol 6: Women's Week 2
by The Trades Staff
Published: March 1, 2007
Last week, the women easily outshone the men. But this week, a lot of men stepped up to the plate and stepped up their game. Will the women still keep their competitive edge?
Andrea, Chad, Molly and Paul give you their opinions below. If you want to give them yours, use the Contact Us link at the bottom right of the page.
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Gina Glocksen
"Alone"
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Andrea writes: Amazing song choice. I thought it fit her perfectly. Of course there are going to be some pitchy parts -- going first sucks! She stayed true to herself with this choice, her natural husky tones were showcased -- all in all, a fantastic performance.
Chad writes: She picked an excellent song but didn't sing it all that well. It was shaky at several points. The ending wasn't perfect but, depending on the other girls' performances, it should be enough.
Molly writes: A strong opening from Gina. It was a good song and a good style for her. It wasn't terribly interesting or Idol-worthy, but that's okay, we're still in the early rounds.
Paul writes: First of all, the tight red dress was really working for Gina. Gina picked an amazing song -- a few seasons ago "Alone" was the song that helped catapult sweet li'l "aw shucks" Carrie Underwood to the next level. And Gina definitely did it justice too. There's something very appealing about Gina -- she looked and sounded really good.
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Alaina Alexander
"Not Ready To Make Nice"
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Andrea writes: Please answer me this -- why is she still there? This is not a karaoke competition, and that is what her performance was. The song was way too big for her vocally, and Simon got it right -- she ran out of steam halfway through. She's also a terrible performer. A point was made to me that Natalie Maines might not have been able to make that song so
fantastic without having lived through it. The song screams for experience, and Alaina, unfortunately, has none.
Chad writes: Another good song choice not sung perfectly. At a couple of points, I couldn't even hear her over the background singers. On top of that, her dress was hideous. I'm tired of Alaina, and I'd be happy to see her go.
Molly writes: Oh, I do love this song. Alaina didn't do a horrible job with it, but she just does not have the strength and intensity in her voice to pull it off. She tried hard, and probably lost a couple of notes because of that effort, but it just didn't work.
Paul writes: Alaina's personality and look strike me as really generic. And she sounded pretty bad -— especially when compared to Natalie Maines, who is amazing, especially on that song. The song was just way too big for Alaina. When the best thing Paula can say is "it wasn't that bad," you know you're in trouble. Bye, Alaina.
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Lakisha Jones
"Midnight Train to Georgia"
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Andrea writes: A little more subdued than last week, she still came through with flying colours. It was a good song choice, and while it didn't showcase her pipes like last week's phenomenal performance, it was still one of the evening's best. She's a natural performer and she will make it, with or without this show.
Chad writes: Not as good as last week, but Lakisha is still an incredible performer. She has great stage presence and an incredible voice. Lakisha is definitely a front runner to win this
competition.
Molly writes: This was the most mellow we've seen Lakisha thus far, and she proves once again that she has It. She glides through the song beautifully.
Paul writes: Loved Ryan’s comment about Lakisha's sexy legs. Yeah, Ryan, you’re straight. Wink wink. How cute was Lakisha's grandmother with her walker? "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a rather obvious choice for Lakisha, and it's been done to death on this show (remember Paris Bennett?). Lakisha
is a great singer, and she’s going to make it into the Top 12 without a problem. But I thought she was a little boring tonight. And Simon was right about her outfit. She looked like a giant cantaloupe.
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Melinda Doolittle
"My Funny Valentine"
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Andrea writes: I hate this song. Even when my Season Four hottie Constantine set the camera on fire with his smouldering gaze, I still flinched a little. That being said, she hit all the right notes, sang her heart out, had amazing emotion, and gave it her all. She's a star. Plain and simple. She's sticking around.
Chad writes: I didn't like the song choice but she sang it well. I don't think her stage presence is as good as Lakisha, but she can match Lakisha's voice. The other girls, so far, are non-factors.
Molly writes: I'm not crazy about this song, and I didn't care for Melinda's rendition. It seemed overdone. I will say that it's the best I've heard her.
Paul writes: Melinda dedicates her song to her best friends, the Gayles to her Oprah. Which would make them Melinda's lesbian lovers. As for "My Funny Valentine," it needs to go to the song graveyard and die. It's not my thing. But Melinda sounded great. Last week Lakisha got all the props -- but I thought tonight, Melinda way outsung her.
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Antonella Barba
"Because You Loved Me"
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Andrea writes: Well, I prayed for her to get better this week, and ... she did. But not by much. Do struggling performers not understand that you have to be right on and a very strong singer in order to sing a Celine Dion song? Another vocally disturbing performance; keys and pitches were flying
all over the place. She's gone.
Chad writes: Without any mention of the racy photos, Antonella came out and sang poorly. There have been worse performances, but it was not good. Combined with the bad publicity, she may very well be leaving us this week.
Molly writes: It was probably a good song choice for her, but she just doesn't have the vocal chops for this competition. And those high notes? Disaster.
Paul writes: Antonella's doing Celine. This is going to be absolutely terrible -- I can't wait. Antonella says the song's going to show her off. Nothing shows Antonella off quite like those pictures that are all over the internet. You know, the ones of Antonella -- or a gal who looks a lot like her -- naked and performing, ahem, intimate acts. Poor Antonella. It's gotta be rough to have your dirty laundry aired in front of all of America. If it's any consolation, this is exactly the kind of thing that could land a gal a spot on The Surreal Life. As for Antonella's singing, she was terrible. I don't know how Antonella made it this far. But it's time for her to go home.
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Jordin Sparks
"Reflection"
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Andrea writes: What a great song choice for her. She really amazed me this week. I knew she had pipes, but combine that with the emotions coursing through her and she was unstoppable. She's got a ways to go agewise, but vocally, that girl has got it. She's got my vote too.
Chad writes: Very, very bad start. Decent middle. Decent ending. I didn't like the song. The performance was unimpressive and very boring. Putting the emotional elements aside, I didn't hear anything worth remembering.
Molly writes: Jordin demonstrates that she deserves to be in the Top Twelve. But personally, I would have preferred a little less of the vocal flourishes.
Paul writes: Jordin has a really sweet personality, and an amazing voice, especially considering she's only 17. It was a good song choice, and Jordin sang the hell out of it. One of the best of the night.
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Stephanie Edwards
"Dangerously In Love"
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Andrea writes: I didn't know this song, but I think she did a great job at it. You know she's good -- she knows she's good. Vocally, performancewise, she gave it all to us and left it on the stage. Come on, America -- you know she's Top Twelve material.
Chad writes: Wow. I absolutely hated this song. The arrangement was really awkward. I thought the entire performance sounded ridiculous. The very end was decent but that's all.
Molly writes: I don't know if it was the backing or just how Stephanie was singing, but something about this song didn't hold together. Stephanie did a lot better last week.
Paul writes: I've never heard this song before. Stephanie sounded good -- but something about her isn't working for me. This girl is just not interesting.
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Leslie Hunt
"Feeling Good"
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Andrea writes: Weellllll ... I love the song? I think she was boring this week, and wasn't too impressed with the scatting. Even though that's what she was doing during the auditions, to do it the same week Blake did, seems a little copycat. Nothing original about this performance, save the scatting. I think if she stays, she'd better pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Chad writes: She picked an excellent song which I love ... and ruined it. The beginning was ok but the rest was just a disaster. If I didn't love the Michael Buble version so much, it might not have been so bad ... but it was bad. Really bad.
Molly writes: I had never heard this song before AJ sang it last night and blew me away. I thought it suited Leslie better than "Natural Woman" last week, but honestly -- and I'm shocked to say it -- AJ eclipsed her. She suffered in comparison.
Paul writes: Leslie's another one who's just kind of boring. She's like an accountant gone wild. What was up with the scatting? I thought Leslie was unbelievably awful. Go home, Leslie.
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Haley Scarnato
"Queen of the Night"
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Andrea writes: Whitney? Geez ... these girls are aiming high tonight, aren't they? She had fun, which counts for something, but it won't count for much. She's good, but a very very bad song choice. The judges were right: too many background vocals.
Chad writes: That was a fun performance, it sounded good, and it was a good song choice.
Molly writes: The good news is that Haley showed versatility. The bad news is that it wasn't quite as good as last week, in my opinion. And I'm also concerned that so radically changing style is going to make her harder to remember and that she'll lose votes on that basis.
Paul writes: That whole thing about her boyfriend Bobby not liking her being away ... I smell some domestic abuse going on. Picking a Whitney song wasn't the smartest move, and "Queen of the Night" happens to be one of the crappier Whitney songs. Haley's singing? Could've been worse. It was better than Alaina and Antonella.
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Sabrina Sloan
"All The Man That I Need"
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Andrea writes: Pimp spot for Sabrina and well deserved, if I do say so. She's got one of the strongest voices in this competition. Another Whitney song, but this one was done right. Although I did think she was straining for the higher notes this week.
Chad writes: Good voice. Good song. Plain and simple.
Molly writes: After last week's powerhouse performance, it's not surprising that Sabrina was batting clean up this week. Once again, she brought it. If she keeps this up, she'll be nipping on Lakisha's heels.
Paul writes: Sabrina is a very beautiful woman. She picked a much better Whitney song. Sabrina started out strong, but oversang it at the end. But I think Sabrina has potential.
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Previous Episodes:
Week 1: Men's Night | Week 1: Women's Night | Week 1: Results
Week 2: Men's Night
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CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
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