1. Bo Bice - Remedy (The Black Crowes)
2. Jessica Sierra - On the Side of Angels (LeeAnn Rimes)
3. Anwar Robinson - I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly)
4. Nadia Turner - I'm the Only One (Melissa Ethridge)
5. Constantine Maroulis - I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt)
6. Nikko Smith - Can We Talk (Code Red)
7. Anthony Fedorov - Something About the Way You Look Tonight (Elton John)
8. Carrie Underwood - Independence Day (Martina McBride)
9. Scott Savol - One Last Cry (Brian McKnight)
10. Vonzell Solomon - I Have Nothing (Whitney Houston)
Sometimes, we can actually tell how well the contestants performed just by looking at their queue number during performance night. The ones starting and ending the show will always deliver the showstoppers; Crowd favourites will usually alternate with crowd not-so-favourites with the more bland performances tending toward the middle portion of the show. The contestant anchoring the show's center will usually be a good performer -- perhaps someone who will deliver a shocker -- but definitely not as good as the opener/closer. Hmmm... If you get the impression that I'm simply crapping, then you're probably right~!! LOL. Nonetheless, I think my hypothesis is still pretty sound... and interesting... ;p
Trust Bo Bice to charm us week after week with his rocker antics. If audiences could recall, he was the contestant who initiated the act of running up to the narrow podium behind the judges' table to perform a couple of weeks ago. Since then, everyone else seems to have followed suit. This week, he may have started a new trend; performing on top of the judges' table itself! Very edgy, very risque, very avant-garde -- I loved it! Vonzell Solomon was also quite a sensation this week. So far, she had always been labelled as an above-average performer but this week, she pulled out all the stops to deliver a rousing rendition of an over-used Whitney song, much to the delight of the audience. While vocals-wise still not as powerful as Jennifer Hudson who sang it last season, Vonzell definitely made her mark this time.
Anwar Robinson and Carrie Underwood remain to be the top two vocalists to beat this season. Their weekly performances may fluctuate in quality -- but most importantly, the "big notes" are always there. Besides the fact that he reminds me of the siamang at the zoo, Anwar's vocals have never failed to impress especially when he started hitting the end-chorus of I Believe I Can Fly. Carrie too, was brilliant in the chorus of Independence Day, and she was very much the star the judges had made her out to be. Shaky starts but big-bang endings -- what more can an Idol-fanatic ask for??? ;)
Constantine Maroulis certainly played to hype with his torchy I Can't Make You Love Me -- complete with smouldering eyes (*yucks!*) and on-stage theatrics (*vomits blood!*) -- This performance had surely gained him top marks in the records of his girly minions. The only other person I can think of with a teenage cult-following would be Anthony Federov; is it just me or did he seem blonder this week??? ANyway, his vocals are not as aggravating as Constantine's but there's just something missing from his singing (like charisma perhaps?? *duh*)... Nevertheless, I'm sure Anthony is trying his best ;p
Poor Jessica Sierra seems to be falling out with the judges this week. Perhaps it was her forgettable song choice and merely-adequate performance. Perhaps it was the disturbing sight of her pudgy neck and bouncy boobies (from previous weeks). Or perhaps, in truth, there's room only for one blonde girl in this competition and too bad, it isn't her... Whatever the case, I still think she's got one of the better voices in this season's AI. Scott Savol is also one who is eager to please but his efforts have always received mixed results. For one thing, I thought his pajama shirt (with bold vertical stripes) this week made him look like an overfed jailbird, but the glasses (NON-tinted! *hurrah!*) was fine. At least, he decided not to throw them around. He does have a good voice but he gotta choose songs that showcase that, rather than try to score a strike with choices that stretch his talents too thinly.
Nikko Smith continues to be an enigma for me; he's got the Stevie-Wonder-upper-register but his performances never fail to leave me clueless. I KNOW this guy has a good voice but why does he keep limiting himself to lesser-known numbers that do not let him truly shine??? The opposite is true for Nadia Turner -- An excellent performer with a dubious voice, she started off in the Top 12 strong and consistent but it's clear that her glamourous novelty is gradually (and regrettably) wearing thin. She is definitely not a match against the better singers in this competition; I'd give her a couple more weeks at most.
Bottom Three predictions: Nadia, Jessica, Scott/Nikko.
