Real Kato Blog: American Idol, Week 2: The Women

The 10 remaining women compete. There's a lot of weepy ballads and melodrama, and overall, it's a step behind last week.

Gina: 8/10.
It's a decent start. She's a little weak on the low notes. She's on-key until the chorus, where she goes a little sharp. Ouch, the backup singer is off-key too; that doesn't help. But it's a good song choice and a pretty good performance. Randy says it's a good rock song, but pitchy in parts. Paula says excellent job. Simon says it's a good song choice, but the vocals were forced, and he's confused about who she is. He thinks she should be more edgy.

Alaina: 6/10.
She's on key at the start, but it goes off by the middle. It's a pretty safe song, and when she tries to get power, she sounds shouty. Randy says it's pitchy and a mess. Paula says it's pitchy but she's beautiful. Simon says she's like Randy in a 100-meter sprint: she runs out of gas three-fourths of the way through.

Lakisha: 9/10.
She's polished, and gives us another effortless performance. But I think she's playing it too safe by staying in a narrow genre. Randy says it was hot, despite a nervous start. Paula loved it. Simon says it was good but not as good as last week; she needs to start acting like a star. He says she's a phenomenal singer... but her outfit was distracting.

Melinda: 9/10.
It's a pretty nice rendition of "My Funny Valentine". It's sultry and powerful; a little cabaret, but good. She shows some range and some depth with this. Randy says she came out to win it, and she's the one to beat. Paula says it's astounding and out-of-this-world. Simon says she's incredible, and it was the best vocal of the competition, and it's refreshing that she doesn't know how good she is.

Antonella: 5/10.
Hmm, so those porn pictures of her were fake, and she's still here. But maybe porn is a better career choice for her, because this performance is a mess. It's pitchy and karaoke-ish, and just odd. She's cute, yeah, but this is just bad. Randy says it's the wrong song; it's too big for her, and the pitch was all over the place. Paula says it's leaps and bounds from last week. Simon says it's worse than last week, and the vocals were just not there.

Jordin: 8/10.
She sings Christina Aguilera's song from Mulan, and it's... just ok. It's a good Broadway performance, but I don't know that's it's a good pop performance. And to me, she missed the big note. The judges suddenly turn kind after Jordin gets emotional and weepy... Randy says it's pitchy, but it's a good song and that she's unbelievable for a 17-year-old. Paula says she's infectious, and a good human being. Simon says it wasn't her best, but she has massive potential, and that compared to some others (*cough* Antonella *cough*) she was great.

Stephanie: 8/10.
She's just not ever going to excite me, I'm afraid. I find the song boring. It's not a bad singing performance, but somewhat unoriginal, and at times, atonal. Randy says it's much better than last week, but too much like Beyonce's original performance. Paula thought it was fantastic and brilliant. Simon agrees with Paula and says it was terrific.

Leslie: 7/10.
I like that she picks a different kind of song; it's vampy and bluesy. But the scat part is downright unnatural. Randy likes that she went back to her blues-jazz roots, but says it's just a'ight. Paula says she's in her element. Simon says she's doing as well as she can, but she's being whacked by the big voices before her, and that she's not memorable.

Haley: 6/10.
At least it's something upbeat... but it's ordinary and amateurish, and she goes sharp at times. Randy says there's more background vocals than lead vocals, and it's not great. Paula says it's fun, and better than last week. Simon says "A" for effort, but it's manic, verging on insane. He says "you take on Whitney at your peril", and says she's vulnerable tonight.

Sabrina: 8/10.
It's a little loungey, but powerful. There are a few off-notes here and there, but I think Sabrina of all of them is showing the most upside. Randy says there's a few pitch things but it's nice overall. Paula says she's a big contender. Simon says "don't confuse power with shouting"; she was better last week, but she'll be back next week.

Standings:
Lakisha: 9.4
Melinda: 8.6
Jordan: 8.4
Stephanie: 8.4
Sabrina: 8.4
Gina: 8.0
Haley: 6.8
Leslie: 6.6
Alaina: 6.0
Antonella: 5.0

Eliminated:
Nicole: 7/10
Amy: 6/10

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