Semifinal Girls Make A Few Good Showings

The girls hit the stage Wednesday night, and, just like the guys, they improved their overall showing this week over last (not that hard to do!). There wasn't a showstopping performance in the bunch, though there were some good showings to be had. As for the judges, they continued to be inappropriate, off-base and idiotic.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI9 Top 10 Female Semifinalists.

Crystal Bowersox "As Long As I Can See The Light"
Liza: This isn't a star-making performance or song choice, per se, but she sounded great, and her vocal tone is really pleasing. And it's authentic and believable. We'll see later on the difference between Crystal and others who are more interested in pleasing the judges. The show has got to be relieved that she's still in the competition.
Score: 8.5
Destiny: I agree that this song/performance isn’t a star-maker- it’s not anything I’m going to rewatch/re-listen to, but she sure sounded great. She is undoubtedly one of the top talents of the season.
Score: 8.5

Haeley Vaughn "The Climb"
Liza: Oh my. Her baby voice, Cindy Brady lisp, and overall suckitude are making Miley Cyrus sound like Jennifer Nettles in comparison. What. The. Heck.
Score: 3.5
Destiny: I’m not hating this as much as Liza and the judges. I thought it was a cute song choice for her, though she did struggle vocally towards the end. Not my favorite thing she’s done, but it was OK. And what’s with Kara telling Haeley that she needs another year before she’ll be ready vocally? Uh, honey, then why did you put her into the Top 24?
Score: 6.5

Lacey Brown "Kiss Me"
Liza: Her second note was so out of tune, I cringed. She recovered fairly well, but Randy's right - it was karaoke-ish. And whether actual or coincidental, her perceived pandering to the judges made my eyes roll.
Score: 5.0
Destiny: I liked this performance. I thought Lacey sounded good and was fun to watch. Her voice is interesting and so is her style. She’s definitely in the top half of the contestants (eventhough that may not being saying THAT much this season).
Score: 7.0

Katie Stevens "Put Your Records On"
Liza: And here's another one doing what the judges ask them to do. Um, if you can't figure it out yourself and you have to RESEARCH, you don't belong here. She had some pitch problems and suffered from karaoke-itis. She has a good voice, but there's nothing there. It's just so pageanty.
Score: 5.25
Destiny: There’s nothing here for me, either. It was a boring performance. She does have a nice tone in her voice from time to time, but I have to agree with Liza that Katie’s interpretation skills are lacking. She lacks natural artistry.
Score: 5.8

Didi Benami "Lean On Me"
Liza: I actually liked her interpretation of the song and thought the judges were WAY harsh on her. It's probably not really her thing though, in a way that her song last week was right in her wheelhouse.
Score: 6.75
Destiny: I liked this performance, too! The judges were totally whacked in their high criticism. Didi’s voice has a unique tone that is really pleasing to my ear. Sure, this song may not have been the best choice, especially in a week when she could do any song she wanted, but she put a cool vibe on it and sounded good.
Score: 8.0

Michelle Delamor "With Arms Wide Open"
Liza: And here I thought Lee Dewyze picked a bad song. Ugh! CREED?! It doesn't work for her, she didn't sing it well, and again, she's trying to do what she thinks the judges want. Doesn't she know that the JUDGES don't even know what they want? They're so inconsistent. I mean, why does she get a good-for-you-for-doing-something-different but Didi has to stay in her box?
Score: 4.25
Destiny: Yes, the judges do not know what they want. And their judgment is totally questionable. This was a mess of a vocal performance in every way possible- the worst performance of the entire season. And yet the judges praised her for it! What in the world is their problem? I don’t get them at all.
Score: 3.0

Lilly Scott "A Change Is Gonna Come"
Liza: I was thinking that her kittenish voice wasn't going to make this believable or gritty enough, but I thought she totally sold it. Love the sound of her 12-string guitar too. She knows what kind of music she wants to do, and she has done it each week without getting stale. She's working this competition well.
Score: 8.0
Destiny: I thought she sounded good vocally, but I just couldn’t get into her doing this song. I love this song, but only from someone who is really singing the message of it. I didn’t feel any connection to it from Lilly. But she did shoot off her cool vibe yet again.
Score: 6.0

Katelyn Epperly "The Scientist"
Liza: It was so slow and plodding and went nowhere, and it was so slow that Ellen fell asleep and forgot that she played piano and said she played guitar instead. I do really like her voice, but there were no dynamics to that song, and her emoting looked so calculated the way that she looked into the camera the whole time. She has potential, though, and if anything at least she has good taste in music. This is such a great song (when done the right way).
Score: 6.5
Destiny: I agree that Katelyn has potential. Though I didn’t love this performance, I do enjoy her. She’s fun and interesting to watch week to week. And she has a good voice. But I do agree that she needs to hone in on her signature artistic style. At this point I couldn’t easily tell you what she sounds like or what kind of songs she sings.
Score: 7.0

Paige Miles "Walk Away"
Liza: I'm not sure how to feel about this one. I like that she tries to do upbeat stuff, but her rock-soul thing isn't connecting, and came across a little bit karaoke to me. And that dog whistle note was awful.
Score: 6.25
Destiny: Paige seems nice enough, and she has a nice voice, but I do not find her to have the best voice in the group as the judges do. And anytime someone forces a direct comparison to Kelly Clarkson, it ain’t gonna be favorable. This wasn’t a bad performance by any means, nor was it a standout.
Score: 7.0

Siobhan Magnus "Think"
Liza: Whoah she hit some insane notes! Wow. And it seems pretty effortless for her. Siobhan is such a strange girl but totally endearing. She's going to go really far in this competition. In fact, I'd say she's probably the front-runner at the moment. Her quirkiness will win over other girls who normally only vote for guys. She is the one to beat.
Score: 8.5
Destiny: I have to agree that Siobhan’s unusual personality will take her very far in this competition. She just lends herself to a big fanbase who will love and hang on to every little quirky thing she does. She sounded good on this song, though she didn’t really interpret or sell the message of the song. She should be interesting to watch week to week.
Score: 8.5

Who Should Be Eliminated
Liza: Haeley, Michelle
Destiny: Michelle, Katie

Who Will Be Eliminated
Liza: Michelle, Lacey
Destiny: Michelle, Didi

Flavor of The Episode:
Liza: Judges' Choice
Destiny: Idiot Judges

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