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Like the guys, this year’s girl’s competition is tough. All of them have great voices, and none really looked out of place on Idol’s big stage. But, last night some sang better than others and some stood out more as performers. Once again, here is a recap with a couple of my musings thrown in for good measure:

First up was Ta Tynisa Wilson singing Rhianna’s “Only Girl in the World.” The judges complimented her performance but for me it was a little shaky and didn’t do much to help her make a mark as a contender for the Idol title.

Naima Adedapo’s sang “Summertime,” a tune that has been performed before by Idol contestants. I enjoyed her performance overall—the vocals were good and she had a nice ease and confidence when she was singing.

Coming up next was Kendra Chantelle singing a Christina Aguilera song “Impossible.” The vocals were very good, but her performance didn’t say much to me.

Rachel Zevita tried very hard to get away from comments to the effect of “not making the song her own,” and “karaoke,” but in the judges eyes it backfired. She did a cabaret-esque version of Fiona Apple’s “Criminal.” For me her performance was refreshing and I think it stood our because it was gutsy and she tried to do something different.

Karen Rodriguez followed with a bilingual version of Mariah Carey’s hit “Hero.” It was a smart move in terms of defining herself against the rest of the field and the vocals were excellent. However, for me it came off as kind of pageant-y and old fashioned.

Next up was Lauren Turner singing “7 Day Fool,” a tune written by Billy Davis but made popular by Etta James. Her blues-tinged voice was an excellent match for the song, and she delivered a confident performance.

I have pretty much the same sentiments for the performer who came after Lauren. Ashton Jones sang Monica’s “Love All Over Me,” and although I wasn’t crazy about her song choice, she delivered a very good vocal and performance.

Julie Zorilla sang “Break Away,” a hit from an AI alum, Kelly Clarkson. It could have worked out as a great choice, but the performance and vocals came out bland.

Haley Reinhart took a stab at Alicia Keys’  “Falling,” another song we’ve heard on Idol before. I have to agree with the judges this time—-it wasn’t the best fit for her and the performance came out so-so.

Coming towards the conclusion of the night’s competition, Thia Megia sang Irene Cara’s “Out Here on My Own.” I didn’t know the song, but I was struck at the pure tone of her voice and the song was a really good fit for her.

Like the guys’ competition, country music came out to represent again with Lauren Alaina singing Reba McIntire’s “Turn on the Radio.” She has a great voice for country music and overall it was a good performance.

Last but not least, Pia Toscano ended the night’s competition with The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You.” I liked the song choice and she delivered a great vocal. But I have to differ with the judges—I didn’t enjoy the performance as much as some of the other contestants’.

In summation: the judges and the voting audience will have a hell of a time picking the top 10. A lot of the differences I picked out between the contestants have to do some of the contestants having a better night than others, some having made better choices than others. This season should be exciting to watch with the quality of the talent on both the men’s and ladies’ sides.

Tonight the competition officially started with the guys taking the stage. Considering it was the first night of competiton, they all sang very well overall. However, some performed better than others and some stood out more than others.

First up was Clint Jun Gamboa singing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” The judges had nothing but praise. I thought he was trying to do too much with the vocals and the vocals didn’t come through like some of the other contestants. It can’t be easy to be the first one performing on the night the competition begins so I’ll leave it at that for now.

Jeremy Baretto followed with Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be (Your Crying Shoulder).” From the get go I can see how he made the cut for the top 24. The vocals had a nice tone and quality and showed a lot more control than the previous contestant. To stay in the competition he’ll have to work on defining himself more as an artist, however for his first time on the big stage it was a solid performance.

I had mixed feelings about the performance from the third contestant of the night, Jordan Dorsey. He picked “OMG” by Usher and Will.i.am. I liked that he picked a recent hit and that he tried to add some dance moves and showmanship. It would have gone over great except the song didn’t suit his voice and, even though there weren’t any big problems with the vocals, it seemed awkward.

Tim Halperin followed Jordan with “Come on Over’ by Rob Thomas. It wasn’t the best fit for his voice and the performance didn’t stick out in my mind once I saw all the performances. He’s another contestant who will have to work more on defining himself artistically if he wants to stay in the competition.

Brett Lowernstern sang “Light My Fire” by the Doors and showed his quirkiness, but also his confidence in who he is and how much he enjoys singing.

James Durbin channeled 80s rockers in his performance of Judas Priest’s “You Got Another Thing Coming.” He brought a great deal of energy, great vocals to which he added his own touches.

Next came Robbie Rosen with “In the Arms of the Angels.” He’s another guy in the competition with a great voice with a nice tone to it, but the performance came off as a bit lukewarm and safe.

Although I’m not a country music fan, I did enjoy listening to Scotty McCreery sing ‘Letters Back Home.” His voice reminds me of the country singers of the 1940s and ’50s, and from the start he’s told the audience what he’s about. I would like to see him try to combine the throwback quality of his vocals with more youthfulness and originality over the course of the competition.

Like Jordan Dorsey, Stefano Langone chose a more recent hit, “Amazing” by Bruno Mars. The vocals were solid, but for me it was forgettable.

The next performer went back in time and picked the Rod Stewart classic, Maggie May. Although this is a song covered by every other classic rock cover band, it was a great choice for him. We got to hear the uniqueness in the tone of his voice and vocal style.

After Paul McDonald came another contestant who’s voice is a throwback, but not to country stars, but to soul and R & B vocalists of the ’60s and ’70s. Jacob Lusk sang Luther Vandross’s “A House is Not a Home.” Like Scotty McCreery, he’s another contestant with a very mature, excellent voice and it will be interesting to see if he can parlay it into something new as an artist.

Finally, last but not least, Casey Abrahms and his dramatic performance of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You,” concluded the first night of competition for the guys. It wasn’t my favorite of the night, but he delivered a solid vocal performance and already looks like he can potentially be one of the frontrunners.

To sum up tonight’s competition, we saw:

The Guys Who Showed us that the Oldies are the Goodies
Scott McCreery
Jacob Lusk
Casey Abrahms
James Durbin

The Guys Who Waved their Freak Flag (kind of, not too much, and I mean in a good way)
Brett Lowernstern
Paul Mcdonald

The Guys Who Played it Safe
Clint Jun Gamboa
Jovany Barreto
Robbie Rosen
Stefano Langone

and finally….

The Guys Who Made Good Song Choices, Just Not for Themselves
Jordan Dorsey
Tim Halperin

Stay tuned as I review the Ladies’ debut in this season’s competition tomorrow night……

—Elisabeth Michaels