American Idol – Top 12 Girls

Here’s a question for you: was Ryan introduced before the show last year? Because I don’t remember the voice that we’re hearing at the beginning of the show this year. It seems like Ryan was the one to introduce the judges last year. Maybe? I don’t know why I’m concerned about his, really – clearly I like to concern myself with things that DON’T MATTER AT ALL.

Also, I would just like to say that JLo’s make-up is perfection tonight. PERFECTION.

Ta-Tynisa Wilson – “Only You” – On a non-singing note, I’m starting to get the impression that the short skirts with crinolines underneath are gaining popularity with the younger set. And as far as the singing goes, I think that this song was a lot for Ta-Tynisa to tackle on her first Idol outing. She was flat in parts, and while she was energetic, at times it felt like she was rushing to catch up to the music.

Naima Adedapo – “Summertime” – I so appreciate that she didn’t try to do a repeat of Fantasia’s version of this song. She sounded great, put a nice little jazzy twist on things and seemed comfortable on the stage. There was a lot of spinning and twirling, but I think that’s probably part of her quirky style. And I love that she doesn’t sound like everybody else…she’s unique, and unique is good.

Kendra Chantelle – “Impossible” – I had no idea that she has such a crazy range. What she lacked tonight was confidence – reminded me a little bit of how Carrie Underwood just awkwardly stood there and sang the first few times she was on the show. I didn’t even mind that Kendra picked a ballad to sing on the first show, and I think she could be a real force if she makes it through a few more weeks.

Rachel Zevita – “Criminal” – I bet you didn’t know this, but “Criminal” is one of my all-time favorites – one of those songs that takes me right back to a very specific time in my life whenever I hear it. So I was excited to see that Rachel chose this song. That being said, I thought this performance was a little over the top – the cape at the beginning, the Broadway-ish arrangement – and it lost some of the magic of the original version. I think that Rachel is better than what we saw tonight.

Karen Rodriguez – “Hero” – There are few Idol song selections that fill me with as much fear and dread as “Alone” by Heart, “Hero” by Mariah Carey or any Whitney song. Karen went with what was initially a straightforward version of “Hero” – and then she broke into the Spanish. Pretty smart move if you ask me. She did a pretty good job with the notes and all that – but language variations aside, there wasn’t much original about the arrangement. Her voice sounded lovely, though.

Lauren Turner – “Seven Day Fool” – The Louisiana girl did her home state PROUD. Her performance was bluesy, soulful and memorable. She’s got to get used to being on the big stage, but her voice is huge – so rich and so different – and she has the potential to go a long way. Loved it.

Ashthon Jones – “Love Over Me” – So Ashthon decided to go with a ballad, and y’all know how I feel about that. The good news was that her ballad had some big notes to show off her big voice. The bad news was that she tried to interact with the crowd a lot, and that was a distraction (at least to me). I also thought the song was sort of hard to follow (I need a verse, a bridge, a chorus – and this felt more like two verses with something strange in the middle).

Julie Zorrilla – “Breakaway” – The Kelly Clarkson shoes are some mighty big shoes to fill – especially on the show that discovered Kelly Clarkson. Parts of this performance sounded nasal to me, and on the chorus it was sort of glaringly obvious that Julie’s voice isn’t nearly as strong as Kelly’s. By the end it felt a little bit like average karaoke – sort of all over the place and flat and not good. It’s a shame – because I think Julie is DARLIN’ PLUS. Just wasn’t her night for singing.

Haley Reinhart – “Fallin'” – She was so into this song that it made me a little uncomfortable a couple of times – I wondered if she was going to pull a Sally O’Malley and KICK and STRETCH and KICK. She hit the notes that she needed to hit, but it didn’t really sound much different than Alicia Keys’ version. If the arrangement had been just slightly more original, I think I would’ve liked the performance a lot more. Good for her, though, for tackling a big song and doing a nice job.

Thia Megia – “Out Here On My Own” – This was one of the first power ballads I ever heard, and I sang it into a hairbrush MANY times when I was growing up. I loved the simple arrangement; it highlighted the strength and the control in Thia’s voice. She was fantastic. And as a sidenote, might I add: adorable dress.

Lauren Alaina – “Turn On The Radio” – I was excited to see Lauren tonight just so I could see how she was wearing her hair (straight? curly? up-do?) and which accessories she’d chosen (hair flower? bracelets? big ring?). She picked a good song for her voice and her style, and she was so comfortable on stage that I forgot I was watching a 16 year-old. She was born to sing.

Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You” – I don’t like this song very much, but I understand why she picked it. It showed off her big voice, and she did a good job (and a great job at the end). I wish the arrangement had been different or quirkier or something – but she nailed it, no doubt about it.

Best of the night: Laura, Thia, Pia
Might need a wildcard: Ta-Tynisa, Rachel, Julie

What did y’all think?