AI7 Semifinals - Top 8 Women (3/5/08)

The girls surprised me tonight! Besides the obligatory Whitney & Celine, they tackled Phil Collins, Journey, and Queen! (though Queen won that battle) And my favorite was a huge surprise...

Asia'h - "I Want to Dance with Somebody" I don't think anyone was surprised she picked Whitney. Randy & Paula loved it, but I agreed w/Simon (!) that she didn't measure up.

Kady - "Who Wants to Live Forever?" When Ryan announced that Kady & Amanda were coming up with Queen & Joan Jett songs, I cringed, figuring either one would massacre Queen. Kady certainly met my expectations. Paula, however, said this was her best performance so far. Simon said she has no personality (while performing; in contrast to her videos) and is somewhat robotic (but, but... I thought he *liked* Carrie & Ruben? heh.)

Amanda - "I Hate Myself for Loving You" Finally she shows us why she's here! This was a good fit, and she sang it well. The crowd & judges all loved it. My 3rd fave of the night.

Carly - "I Drove All Night" Another good choice! Wow, when she does rock(ish) I really kind-of like her; let's hope she sticks with it. Randy & Paula loved it, but Simon, familiar only with Celine's version (broken record, much?) did not.

Kristy- "Faithfully" Wow!! *LOVE* this! I love the song, but liked her country/pop take on it and the glory notes and I just thought she sounded really, really good! Randy & Paula agreed & said it could be a hit country single. Simon didn't like it & said she and the performance were forgettable.

Ramiele - "Against All Odds" Aww, when the guys didn't do this last night, some of us hopefully assumed it had been sent to the 'Overdone on Idol' pasture, never suspecting a girl would bring it out. Oh, well, there's always next year. Rami did *not* do this song justice. Weird arrangement, and she flubbed the lyrics! ("to wait for you is against all odds"?!) Paula liked it; Randy said she overthought it; Simon said it was predictable & not up to par for her.

Brooke - "Love is a Battlefield" Another shocker, and even more shocking is that it was such a good fit for her voice! She did it acoustic style, sitting on the front of the stage accompanied by a guitarist. Very, very good! All the judges liked it, though Paula wished she had added more of the band after the beginning.

Syesha - "Saving All My Love for You" Syesha doing Whitney? Who would've guessed?! ;-) It was good, but still... waaaay overdone song. The judges liked it.


So... Kristy was my favorite, followed by Brooke and Amanda. Strange! I think Kady is a lock for the boot, but the 2nd is up in the air between several (kind-of like the guys). Here's hoping for a funtastic 80's medley (with choreography!!) tomorrow!