Quirky Girls Rule The ‘American Idol’ Top 24 Season 7 Cast

In the past on American Idol, the female standouts have all been blowhardy divas--think LaToya London, Jennifer Hudson, Melinda Doolittle, and winners like Kelly, Fantasia, and Jordin

Quirky Girls Rule The 'American Idol' Top 24 Season 7 Cast

Tuesday night the search for the next American Idol got serious, but it actually was an evening when quirkiness reigned supreme. The top 12 girls, perhaps the series' strongest female dozen ever, competed live for the first time, and while there has been much hype in the blogosphere over early predictions that the females will dominate Season 9, judging from Tuesday's performances it doesn't seem like the stars of this season will be the typical wannabe Whitneys of seasons past.

In the past on American Idol, the female standouts have all been blowhardy divas--think LaToya London, Jennifer Hudson, Melinda Doolittle, and winners like Kelly, Fantasia, and Jordin. But now it seems like the ones to watch are quiet ones--or at least the ones who sing quietly but carry a big guitar. The American Idol set Tuesday night kind of looked like the site of a Lilith Fair festival, filled with guitar-plucking granola girls, and the divas were for the most part the most-forgettable singers of the night. And when the coffeehouse types tried to impress with diva stylings, it totally backfired (see Wheeler, Janell). My, how times change. .

So without further ado, here's how all the girls did, according to the judges and according to, um, me:

Paige Miles - A contestant who's not gotten a lot of facetime this season, Paige finally got her chance to shine by being the first top 24 singer to perform. This was a tough position for Paige to be in, but to her credit, she showed no signs of nerves or discomfort (even though it was later revealed that she was sewn into her dress and hadn't been able to use the bathroom for five hours, so I guess it's a very good thing that she sang first). Paige, one of those aforementioned big-voiced soul-diva types that are surprisingly rare this season, went with a surprising song choice, Free's classic rock tune "All Right Now" (a song, incidentally, performed early in Season 7 by future winner David Cook). It was a risky song selection that divided the judges. Simon Cowell flat out told Paige she has the best vocals among all the girls this season but didn't think her "wedding singer" song did her voice any justice. Kara DioGuardi, on the other hand, thought the rock-goes-soul performance was "brilliant." Randy Jackson didn't like the song either, but said it did show she's "got this powerful, big voice." Ellen DeGeneres commended Paige for being "so there, so present" and hiding her nerves. And as for my opinion? Well, I thought Paige's "All Right Now" was just all right. She sang it capably, particularly during that showoffish glory note at the end, but overall Paige's ho-hum performances reminded me of past seasons, before contestants started getting more original and breaking out of the Idol box. Paige is good, but this kickoff performance didn't have much kick to it, and in a season packed with strong female contenders, she may get lost.

Ashley Rodriguez - Another diva type, Ashley did a song by "Simon's girl" Leona Lewis, "Happy," but it didn't make the judges very happy at all. Kara argued it was too big a song to take on, saying that while there were some "nice moments" in Ashley's version, "there were definitely moments that weren't great." Randy griped that the song choice made it too easy for Ashley to be (unfavorably) compared to Leona, and therefore the song did not define her as an artist in her own right. Ellen agreed it was predictable, telling Ashley, "Just take a risk. Do something that's not safe." Simon was, of course, the harshest critic of all, calling Ashley's performance "clumsy" and saying, "I think you're going backwards. I don't feel you as a contemporary recording artist, just as someone who sings other people's songs--not very well." Ouch. But you know what? I agreed with Simon. I'd assumed Ashley was going to be one of this season's standouts, but after this I am not so sure. Her performance was full of bum notes, and she didn't even have that superstar stage presence I expected from her. Tonight, Ashley was a surprise, and not a pleasant one. It just goes to show: You never know with this program.

Janell Wheeler - A sweet little thing and one of my personal early favorites, Janell took a risk by performing Heart's "What About Love," a big, BIG song originally recorded by the almighty Ann Wilson, a woman Kara rightfully declared "one of best rock vocalists ever." Said Kara: "Heart is TOUGH. Ann Wilson is not this type of singer." Kara pointed out Janell's many bad notes during the song's octave-climbing coda and told her, "I like you, but the song was way too big for you." Randy concurred, saying, "That wasn't my favorite song choice for you. You've got a very different, interesting kind of voice, and this song didn't work for you." But Randy did nicely add, "I still got vibes from you." Ellen's critique was mostly kind and inconsequential, but Simon said, "You gave it 100 percent effort and probably delivered 65 percent." Simon had a few nice things to say ("There were moments in the song when I did like your voice" and "I think you're going to survive this week"), but overall he was pretty negative, and overall, I agreed with what he had to say. I loved Janell's inventive Hollywood Week cover of Estelle's "American Boy," but Heart is pretty much untouchable, and almost any Heart song can put a giant spotlight on a singer's shortcomings. I don't believe this was a risk that paid off for Janell, and I feel she should have done something more squarely in Caillat/Bareilles-songstress territory. Maybe she will next week, if Simon's prediction of her ultimate safety proves correct.

Lilly Scott - Among this season's guitar girls, ex-busker Lilly Scott is my favorite, and her unexpected performance of the Beatles' "Fixing a Hole" was the first standout of the evening (and the first song with musical instrument accompaniment). It was adorable and quirky and just oh so Lilly, a real "this is who I am" statement of intent. "That's what we're talking about!" exclaimed Ellen. "You stand out because you're not like everyone else!" Simon (wrongly, in my opinion) questioned Lilly's star power but declared Lilly's performance the best of the night so far. "I actually felt that you sang this song because you like this song and it portrayed you as an artist, rather than as a song that will just get you through to the next round." Kara raved, "You're believable; you come from your heart. Everyone is going to remember you tonight!" And Randy gushed, "I love that you're like a real indie artist and you don't care what people think of you. You're not affected. I love the honesty!" I was so excited that Lilly delivered on her promise from earlier in the season. I just loved her song choice, her voice, her cute green sundress, everything about this girl. I hope she goes far and never has to busk for her supper ever again.

Katelyn Epperly - This was one of the biggest surprises of the night for me, and quite pleasantly so. Katelyn did another Beatles song, "Oh Darling" (if only the performances on Season 7's disastrous Beatles Nights had gone this well), and this golden-girl teen revealed a whole new side of her personality. I had no idea she could be so womanly, so mature, so sexy, so sultry, so bluesy! Kara didn't like Katelyn's red-lipsticked "makeover," but Randy did, and I thought Katelyn looked as fabulous as she sounded. Kara and Randy did agree on Katelyn's singing, however. (Kara told her, "You know your voice very well. You know exactly what you're doing. You really switched it up in a way that improved the song!" and Randy liked how Katelyn focused on tone and melody--not indulgent runs.) Said Simon: "Even though there were elements where you were beginning to scream, I actually like you. You're quirky, interesting, brave. You're going need an awful a lot of work, but I like you a lot." I personally didn't like Katelyn that much before, but I sure like her now.

Haeley Vaughn - An insufferably perky teenager who pierced her nose to celebrate her successful Idol audition, Haeley had been previously called "annoying" by Simon, and on this night I could see why. The pop-country contender, dressed in a frilly, ruffly party dress more fit for a 6-year-old than a 16-year-old, took on yet another Beatles hit, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and she was eardrum-bleedingly shrill throughout, not to mention grinning maniacally like a Disney character on a Red Bull bender. Kara said her fun and engaging stage demeanor compensated for her many technical issues and Randy praised her unpredictability and her boldness, but Randy also diplomatically described her top notes as "not as pleasing as they could be." Ellen gave a throwaway compliment, "Just as someone who likes music, I enjoyed it." (This only fueled arguments that she's a layperson not qualified to judge this competition.) Simon was the most ruthless, likening Haeley to "a windup doll who never stopped smiling" and describing Haeley's performance as "verging on terrible" and "a complete and utter mess." Ellen countered weakly with, "If it was a mess, it was a hot mess!" But I can say, as "someone who likes music" herself, I did not like Haeley's performance. At all.

Lacey Brown - Lacey has been one of my Season 9 favorites for a while, but I sadly feel her chances on this show took a downslide when she chose to sing Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." It's a gorgeous, heartcrushing ballad that normally makes me cry, but this time my tears were for what might have been for this once-promising contestant. Lacey's entire performance, while seated on a stool just to make it even more dull, fell totally flat. "I thought that was terrible," said Randy. "I thought that was pitchy all over the place." Added Ellen, "I think you're better than that. I know you're better than that." Simon called Lacey's performance "indulgent" and "boring," and griped, "I thought it was quite depressing. After 15 seconds I was working out how much longer we had to listen to it." (Simon did offer one out-of-character, almost Paula Abdul-like compliment, "You've got nice eyes," but this ain't American Eye-dol.) Kara wisely suggested Sundays and Sixpence None the Richer songs for future covers, should Lacey advance...but after this travesty, I'm afraid she won't. I love Lacey, but I didn't love her this time around. What happened?

Michelle Delamor - A girl who's clearly going for the "diva spot" according to Kara, Michelle bravely took on Alicia Keys's "Fallin'" and for the most part nailed it, note-for-note-wise, but I found her performance blah and forgettable. Ellen thought it seemed too safe, Randy advised her to take more risks, Kara said "there were moments when it wasn't great," and Simon told her, "You're a very professional singer so it sounded close to the original--but not as good as the original. There wasn't one moment when I said, 'Wow.'" I too was far from wowed. I saw stuff like this back in Season 6, when the top 12 was overrun with large-lunged divas like LaKisha Jones. Hasn't the show evolved beyond that point? I'd personally rather have the requisite "diva spot" go to Paige Miles, if such a quota must be met.

Didi Benami - Another one of my favorites this season, Didi sang a fitting song for her style, Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am," and her voice was creamy and gorgeous throughout. But she seemed awkward onstage, almost sleepwalking through her performance, and the song was too close to what she does herself--singer/songwriter type fare--to set her apart. "I think you are a good singer, but there's too many people trying to sound like the same person, which is Adele and Duffy," barked Simon. "What I'm missing is a spark here. No one's going to remember that." Randy said Didi's "sleepy" song had "no oomph" and asked, "Where's the star factor?" Kara was a bigger fan of the song choice and argued that Didi did switch it up to make it more unique, but ultimately agreed with Ellen that Didi didn't make the greatest first impression. I hope Didi gets a chance to make a second impression, because I like her and think she has great promise.

Siobhan Magnus - Coming across like a classic old-school torch singer with a flower in her hair and a lump in her throat on a cover of Chris Isaak's slow-burner "Wicked Game," Siobhan completely floored me tonight. I was stunned by her huge voice and smoky tone, even if she blatantly ignored Ellen's earlier advice to seem more "youthful." Ellen actually like Siobhan's performance, declaring it "good enough to forget this was a singing competition," i.e., good enough to seem like a real concert. Added Kara, "I kind of liked you on that song. It got a little nasal at times, but you're really in the moment; it feels real. I can feel the connection. You're living it and breathing it on that stage." Simon (who called Siobhan "a funny little thing") and Randy didn't think the Isaak song showcased her huge pipes as well as the Stevie Wonder song she belted out in Hollywood Week, but Siobhan explained that she wanted to show that she has a softer side, and I personally thought "Wicked Game" really displayed her wicked stylistic range. I'm keeping my eye on this girl.

Crystal Bowersox - A dreadheaded coffeehouse indie girl through and through, totally too legit to quit in every way, Crystal had one hand on her harmonica and one hand on her guitar during her soulful rendition of Alanis Morissette's "Hand in My Pocket," and I definitely think she improved upon the original. Her voice had a lovely, gravelly, Natalie Merchant-esque tone to it, and it was obvious that this girl is the real deal (Randy compared her to Melissa Etheridge, Bruce Springsteen, even Bob Dylan). Kara and Simon were less impressed than Randy, however. "You were good tonight. I think you have greatness in you, though," said Kara. "There are thousands of you doing this outside subway stations at the moment," added Simon, who thought the Alanis cover was too predictable and suggested Crystal cover someone like David Bowie later on. "David Bowie would be fun," mused Crystal with a glint in her eye. I hope she takes Simon's advice. "The Man Who Sold the World" would rock!

Katie Stevens - Singing last, probably not coincidentally in the final "pimp spot," was this super-overhyped teen, who's gotten on my nerves by milking her Alzheimer's-grandmother sob story more blatantly than Danny Gokey ever exploited his widower status last season. Yes, the girl can sing, but she's not all that and a bag of whatever kind of chips are an Idol sponsor this year. This week Katie crooned "Feeling Good," a song that has felled many a singing competition contestant before (check out this blog on the "Feeling Good Curse" for details), and she struggled with it as well. Ellen thought Katie's performance was too conservative for a 17-year-old, not at all current or modern, and Simon shockingly agreed with Ellen. "It was like your mum and dad had dressed you and given you the song for this audition," he groaned. Simon also rightly called the performance "pageanty," while Kara and Randy called it pitchy. Randy also advised Katie to "young it up! You can only be 17 once!" We'll see if she gets to perform on this show more than once..

So now it's prediction time. Which of these 12 hopefuls will be the first to take that walk of shame off the American Idol set for good? As much as it pains me to say this, I fear it will be Lacey Brown. However, I don't think Haeley, Ashley, Michelle, or Paige should unpack their suitcases just yet, either. Tune in Thursday night to see if I'm right, and on Wednesday night to go through this whole rigmarole again with the top 12 guys..



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