Semi-finals: Top 12 Girls Perform

Welcome back blog readers!

Tonight we finally get to hear the top 12 girls for Season 9. Before the performances begin, lets cover some of the things discussed at the top of the show:

First of all... the selection of the top 12 is back to the old format from Seasons 4-7. Girls sing, guys sing, we lose two each week for three weeks. Last year they tried the original format from seasons 1-3 (randomly selected groups, three make it through each week and then we have a wild card week). I think they probably got negative feedback about doing this last year. I do like this format bettter. We get to hear all the singers every week, and I think that is important for us to see thier growth and to keep them all fresh in our minds.

Now on to the judges. Ellen looks so natural sitting at the judges table! I love it! (Although I do have to get used to not seeing Randy at the far left of the table...)  I also loved the video with Simon touching Ellen's leg. Hilarious! :-)

Also a new addition to the semis this year... contestants are now allowed to play thier instruments at this stage in the competition. Before they had to wait until they made the top 12. I think this is a good change as well. Again, it helps us get to know them better and shows their growth.

Now on to the performances!

Paige Miles- "All Right Now": Haven't seen or heard much from her at all... so I'm excited to hear finally hear her sing. She is very contagious with her smiles. I want to be friends with her! Her song choice is very interesting. Didn't expect this girl to sing a classic rock song like "All Right Now". I really would have liked to see her do more with it. Some of her riffs and runs seemed a little too forced. Would have liked to see more natural-ness up on stage. Maybe it was going first, and the first time performing live on the show. That last note was pretty impressive though! Simon saying she has the best voice out of ALL of the girls? REALLY? Hmmm... then why didn't the producers show any of her so far? There are definitely some other voices that I am looking forward to hearing more than Paige.

Ashley Rodriguez- "Happy": OK... so what I've seen so far of this girl during auditions and Hollywood week, this girl just sort of bugs me. She seems too fake and put-on. During tonight's interview clips she seemed a little more relatable though. I didn't like the story about Simon knocking Jordin Sparks though! She's my girl! Back off Cowell! It is interesting that after that story, she would then choose a Leona Lewis song... which is the X-Factor contestant that Simon pimped and then ended up winning the show. OK... so on to the vocal. This was painful to me. I agree with the judges that this song was just to big for her. She doesn't have the chops to make that happen. The song is actually a GREAT song... but only if you are strong enough to do it. It was very karaoke to me. I agree with Simon that I think she may be in trouble with this performance.

Janell Wheeler- "What About Love?": This is one of the girls that I have been waiting to hear. Of what I have seen of her so far, I REALLY like her. She seems real, enjoyable, and authentic. Ever since her acoustic version of "American Boy" during Hollywood week, I was pulling for her to make the top 24. I love the song she chose, but Heart songs are BIG. I mean... like Carrie Underwood "Alone" big. Janell wasn't quite to that caliber with this performance. There were some shaky notes in there for sure. I wish she would have done something a little lighter... more of a coffee-house vibe. I think that is her gig. She needs to go in that direction and I think people will connect with her more. The judges were mixed. I'm kind of mixed. I think she'll make it through though... unless ALL the other girls are amazing.

Lilly Scott- "Fixin' A Hole": She is another that I really started to like during Hollywood week. She's memorable. She's got something cool about her... and I'm really looking forward to this performance. Her interview clips show that she really is a professional and is ready for the industry. Will the vocals show that she is ready? With this performance, I'm not 100% sold. First of all, I will give her credit for picking something different and not being predictable. I always appreciate when someone performs a song that has never been done on Idol before. She did put her own little vibe on it, that's for sure. The vocals weren't the best (especially the beginning which was all over the place)... but once she got in a groove it improved. By the end, you could tell she had a sense of ease on the stage. My favorite judges comments came from Randy when he said she wasn't affected... but it was authentic. I think that is very true. This authenticity will keep her safe to next week.

Katelyn Epperly- "Oh, Darling": So far, the only thing I've been impressed with is Katelyn's hair. It's gorgeous. And big. And it's her signature. Will her voice be be gorgeous, big and signature? Well, I will say it was a good song choice that fit her. It fit not only her voice, but her stage presence. She was able to sell that song... which is important. She wasn't just singing it... she was performing it. I was actually super surprised with how much I liked it. It was my favorite so far tonight. Now, will this song be something she could turn into a hit on the radio right now? No. But it definitely showed off her performance skills. And as we know from previous seasons of Idol, that its not just about vocals, its also about performing.

Haeley Vaughn- "I Wanna Hold Your Hand": OK... she's super likable. She's also super unique, being the "black country girl" and the "girl with the lisp". I have to say that after the first four bars of the song, I went "wow" in my head! There were some sour things in there for sure... but when it was good, it was REALLY good. She was doing technical things with her voice that no one else has done so far tonight. And to be SIXTEEN? She seems way stronger than she should be for her age. I do have issues with the lisp. I know that she can't help it... but I'm not sure how long into the season I'm going to be able to hear it and get over it. I disagree with Simon when he says it was verging on terrible. I think he's completely wrong. I love that Ellen's reply was "If it was a mess, it was a hot mess". This is why I love Ellen. To me, Haeley was the most memorable of the night so far. Not necessarily the best... but the most memorable. She has great stage presence, and makes me want to hear more.

Lacey Brown- "Landslide": I'm glad to see this girl have the resilience to come back after making it SO close last year. After seeing what a (sometimes) disaster Megan Joy was, I can't help but think that Lacey must have been a better choice for Season 8. Well... after hearing Lacey sing, I think it was pretty much a draw between her and Megan. I didn't like this at all. I can't see her having a long lasting career in music. The vocals weren't there. She's cute, sure. The look is good. But she doesn't have the star quality needed for the show. "Nice eyes" says Simon? Really? That was such a Paula comment. Is Simon getting soft? Her eyes may have looked nice... but what about that 70's living room curtain she had wrapped around her?!?! Seriously? I think that Lacey could be in trouble after this performance.

Michelle Delamor- "Fallin'": She's another one that hasn't been featured as much as other so far. What I do know, I have liked, but she seems a bit boring though. I hope she can make up for that. "Fallin" is a big song choice... and one of those songs that has been sung MANY times on Idol. She did change it up in certain parts which was refreshing. It's definitely a song where she could "knock it out of the park dawg"... but it wasn't quite there. Was it good? Yes. Was it enough to get her though to next week? I think so. But I'm not rushing to iTunes to buy it. I do appreciate that she is gracious and happy. I think that gives her some connectedness that maybe some of the other contestants may have lacked. I personally think she's done enough to make it... but I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't get through.

Didi Benami- "The Way I Am": I have really liked her so far! She's likable & cute. After the first chorus I got chills. To me, this is exactly what a first week performance should be. The song choice was great. It fit her voice and persona. She gave us some personality. She was subtle and unforced when needed, and then pushed herself to hit some big notes in places. I personally loved it. I am confused with the judges comments. I really expected them to love it just as I did. I really feel like this was the best of the night (so far). I completely disagree with Simon when he said she didn't give us something original and memorable. This is the first performance of the night that has made me want to pick up the phone and actually vote (and by the sounds of it, I better do so... because the judges seem to think that she's on the bubble).

Siobhan Magnus- "Wicked Game": This girl bugs me so far. Maybe its her name (ummm... Shavon = Siobhan??! WTF?) But I think its just her attitude and personality. It bugs me. It's not likable. But that's just me. And the performance? Not digging it. The song choice was different... but I not in a good way. The vocals were forced. The low register at the beginning was odd. I feel like at this point in the game you have to engage me from the beginning to the end, and she really lost me from the start. I have to give another WTF to the judges!!!? Did they really just give this girl a good critique after knocking Didi? Ummm... to me, this was night and day. I guess that is why they are paid the big bucks and I just write my little blog. (Someone please comment and tell me that I'm not crazy about this....)

Crystal Bowersox- "Hand In My Pocket": Coming into tonight, I think its safe to say that this girl is a front runner for the girls (and possibly for the whole top 24!). This girl is the real deal. Will she be right for this show? Will she be comfortable on stage? Ummm.... the answer is YES! This song choice was great... the harmonica was great... the vocals were great. Her naturalness is engaging. She may have not been the most in-your-face, but that is whats endearing about her. The little looks she gives the the camera are just enough to draw you in, without being fake. This girl will be around for a while. I'm so confident in that, that I don't think I even have to write anymore. :-)

Katie Stevens- "Feeling Good": Katie is great. We know that already from what we have seen. I just want to know if she can go from "girl with talent" to "girl that can be a star". So first of all... song choice. Katie, Katie, Katie... have you not watched previous seasons? Do you not know that "Feelin' Good" is one of those "kiss-of-death" songs? People who sing this song get kicked off. I can count at least four times that this songs has been performed during this stage in the competition. I want to hear something different. I unfortunately think this might be Katie's downfall. I don't see her picking songs that will take her to the next level creatively. I think she will pick safe songs. Were her vocals good? Sure... but it wasn't something too memorable. Thankfully to her backstory and previous footage, I think she will make it though to the next round without a problem.... but next week... please Katie... give me something memorable.

So here is my (personal) ranking of the girls tonight:
1. Crystal Bowersox
2. Didi Benami
3. Katelyn Epperly
4. Haeley Vaughn
5. Lilly Scott
6. Katie Stevens
7. Michelle Delamor
8. Janell Wheeler
9. Siobhan Magnus
10. Paige Miles
11. Lacey Brown
12. Ashley Rodriquez

PREDICTION: I think the only girls that are 100% safe are the top six of my list above. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the girls 7-12 go home. I do feel strongly that Ashley will be one of the two to leave. The next spot is a draw for me between Lacey and Paige. Paige's performance was much better, but we just don't know as much about her as we do Lacey... And I feel that with Paige performing so early on in the show that people may forget to vote for her. My gut is telling me that the first two girls to go home will be the first two singers of this show: Paige & Ashley

What do you think? Please feel free to leave comments!