American Idol's Top 8 Girls: A Long Way to Go
Brooke White and Carly Smithson turned in strong performances tonight, but it was clear that the American Idol Top 8 girls have a long, long way to go to catch up to the guys. While David Cook and David Archuleta wow-ed us this week and last week respectively, none of the girls have come even close to matching the magic that the guys have brought to the stage.
Watching Idol this season is a little bit like watching the NBA in a lopsided season where the #8 seed in one conference would be the #4 seed in another conference (What up, Denver Nuggets!). However, these underdogs seem to have a tendency to be tough when the conferences come together in the end, so I wouldn’t count the girls out just yet, though it’s hard to imagine who could really wow us from this group of girls.
Where are the McPhee’s?? The Underwood’s?? The Clarkson’s?? I’d even take a Pickler at this point for some fun factor.
One of this season’s pleasant surprises is Brooke White, who I really wasn’t feeling coming out of Hollywood Week. I thought she was very ok and I wondered just how long this whole “I’ve never seen a rated R movie” would go for. Apparently, she really is that kind, gentle, and just nice!
Beneath that Reddi Wip covered (made with real cream) exterior lies the voice and the attitude of a singer-songwriter with a lot of talent. Like Jason Castro did this week, Brooke let go of the guitar and just sang. Specifically, she sang “Love is a Battlefield” with a beautiful single acoustic arrangement that completely changed the tone and feel of the song. Did it work?
Yes it did. It was the top performance of the night, just edging out Carly Smithson’s big vocals on “I Drove All Night.”
Wait, so what about Amanda Overmyer
? Well, the reality is that I think every song she sings sounds exactly the same. I don’t necessarily think it’s bad, but I can imagine how every song will sound before she even starts. “Since You’ve Been Gone?” Yep, sounds the same. “Hot Steppa?” Yep, sounds the same too. “Unwritten?” Yep, that too.
How about Kristy Lee Cook? Who very well might have the hottest body in the history of American Idol since Katharine McPhee?
Ok wait, that was Alaina Alexander.
Don’t I always fall for the hot blondes? No silly, just Carrie Underwood.
The thing about Kristy Lee Cook is that there’s nothing particularly wrong about her voice, but there’s not a whole lot that makes it all that right.
It’s completely agreeable. Tonight, when she reached for the big notes, they just didn’t feel very big. It was missing that LaKisha factor, that Carrie Underwood, that slightly flat Kelly Clarkson doing the Mariah Carey note feeling. When Kristy Lee goes big, it just isn’t that big and it will be tough for her to really wow people without that.
Asia’h Epperson and Syesha Mercado turned in some pretty good performances tonight as well with their fearless takes on Whitney Houston. However, I have the feeling one of them might be going home. Why?
Because it’s 10:53 PM and Kady Malloy’s line has been busier than you’d think all night. Do I think Kady has a chance to back into the Top 12 as a bottom 3 girl again? Yes, I do.
Do I think she’s necessarily earned it so far? No, I don’t.
What we did see from Kady tonight was some of that potential that we saw way, way back in her auditions. While there are a lot of not-so-hot moments, there are glimpses when you hear some a beautiful voice coming from this season’s last true remaining hottie (if Kristy Lee’s head wasn’t so small…).
If Kady stays one more week and really mails one in next week or bombs it, I’m off the bandwagon and it will be the first time that one of my favorites from the Top 24 (or post-Hollywood week, since the numbers have changed over the years) does not make the final three in seven years of American Idol watching.
Season 1: Kelly Clarkson (Winner)
Season 2: Ruben Studdard (Winner)
Season 3: Jasmine Trias (3rd Place)
Season 4: Carrie Underwood (Winner)
Season 5: Katharine McPhee (2nd Place)
Season 6: Blake Lewis (2nd Place)
Season 7: Kady Malloy (????)
Since everyone is saying Kady is going home tomorrow, it begs the question, “Is there still some space on that David Cook bandwagon?“
Here’s my vote count tonight:
Kady Malloy: 5
Brooke White: 1
*hands you an “I heart David Cook” t-shirt*
Welcome to the fold, Dave. We are happy to have you.
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