Last night the boys failed to make much of an impression. Here's how the girls attempted to make the best of this opportunity to impress me:
Stephanie Edwards is a 19 year old college student. She has the look and the style of a more mature performer. Alicia Keys is a great example of that kind of vibe, as found in her R&B hit from 2002, How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore. Stephanie isn't quite in the same league as Alicia yet, but this is only the first week. Her voice is good. Mildly Impressed.
Amy Krebs is a 22 year old optomitrists assistant. Let's hope the doctor will take her back after she is voted off. Bonnie Raitt managed to take I Can't Make You Love Me to the top 20 in 1992. Amy didn't manage to do anything special with her very weak interpretation. She lacked the personality and the vocal style to make a significant impression.
Leslie Hunt is a 24 year old dog walker from right here in Chicago. That means I have to like her, right? Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul because she made classics out of numerous songs including the top 10 smash from 1967, You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman. Leslie let the dogs walk all over her with this one. Her voice is merely good, and it's not good enough to handle a song of this caliber. Rather than lifting it another level, she just let it sit there. Not Impressed.
Sabrina Sloan is a 27 year old professional singer. She seems to have a better handle on what it takes to make an Aretha Franklin song your own. This time it was another top 10 anthem from 1967, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You. Sabrina has the vocal ability and experience to seriously raise the roof. And she's very attractive and seems to have a nice personality on top of it all. Impressed.
Antonella Barba is a 20 year old Jersey Girl. It's no surprise, then, that she would choose to sing a song by Aerosmith for her first chance on stage. It became the biggest hit of their career when their I Don't Want To Miss A Thing debuted at #1 in 1998. The lack of vocal power is likely to cause this to be the end of Antonella's American Idol career. She seems very sweet and she's quite attractive, but I don't think it will be enough. Not Impressed.
Jordin Sparks is a 17 year old high school junior. When Tracy Chapman hit #3 in 1996 with Give Me One Reason, it was a light pop folk song. This young girl managed elevate the song to a completely different place. It was a vibrant vocal showcase with her hands on the microphone. She's the kind of contestant who we will be able to watch grow and improve week after week. Impressed.
Nicole Tranquillo is a 20 year old voice major. She clearly has a dynamic vocal range that can handle a Chaka Khan jam, but she really doesn't have the look to go along with it. This was the perfect example of choosing the wrong song to make your first impression. I think the performance went over everybody's heads and she failed to connect. She's talented, but came off as weird. Reluctantly impressed.
Haley Scarnato is a 24 year old who sings in a band. When you combine a dramatic producer like Jim Stieman and a gifted vocalist like Celine Dion, the result is the #2 mega smash from 1996 It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Haley has a big enough voice to handle it, but she didn't take any risks to make it her own. Was that a fatal mistake? Probably not. She looks and sounds good enough to stay in the game. Mildly Impressed.
Melinda Doolittle is a 29 year old back ground singer. After tonight she should never be in the background again. The Aretha Franklin catalog made another appearance in the form of the 1968 top 5 smash Sweet Sweet Baby Since You've Been Gone. She has the kind of voice that can take command of the song and the stage. She belted it out with energy and power and left me Impressed.
Alaina Alexander is a 24 year old waitress. Have you ever seen the video for Brass In Pocket, the top 20 song from 1980 by The Pretenders? In it, Chrissie Hynde plays a waitress and it's quite possible that Alaina will be playing one again very soon. It's a great song and as much as she pleaded with us to see that she's special, it didn't quite work. She has a good voice, but she's in a competition with some better voices. Slightly Impressed.
Gina Glockson is another 22 year old from the Chicago area. And once again, that doesn't mean that I'm automatically gonna like her. Eric Carmen spent three weeks at #2 with All By Myself in 1976. Celine Dion tried to compete in 1997, but her version stalled at #4. Gina has a capable enough voice to wrap around this powerhouse song, but she has a lot to live up to. While she didn't completely ruin it, I can comfortably say she was better than the other Chicago girl. Mildly Impressed.
LaKisha Jones is a 27 year old single mother. And she is very brave and very confident. She stood center stage and dared to perform the song that got Season Three Miss American Idol 6th Runner-Up Jennifer Hudson nominated for an OSCAR!!!! It's the career defining song that makes DreamGirls a musical extravaganza - And I Am Tell You I'm Not Going. LaKisha has the voice and the presence to be a success in whatever she decides to sing. Impressed.
The boys had better rehearse like crazy this week, because the girls are lots better. Even so, two of the girls must go home tomorrow and I expect it to be Amy Krebs and Leslie Hunt.
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