Disappointments All Around

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with the outcome of last night's performances. My favorites did so-so yet others did well. Others just sucked as usual.

One that did pleasantly surprise me was Gina Glocksen. Her performance of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" was her best vocal and performance yet. For perhaps the first time in six weeks of live performances, Gina sang like she truly believed she deserved to be the next American Idol. Sure, it didn't hurt that she picked the most gorgeous ballad performed on the show this season, or that she was pitch-perfect from both a technical and an emotional standpoint. But it was Gina's confidence that transformed her into something resembling a true contender. And not even her unfortunate pink and gold top, which looked as if it were stitched together from old blanket ribbons, could block her newfound mojo.

Of course, one performance does not a Kelly Clarkson make. Heck, it doesn't even make a Paris Bennett. But Gina's strong showing serves notice that it's too early to call this season a simple race between only Jordin, Melinda, Lakisha, and Blake. Any one of them could decude to take a nap midway through this Idol season, allowing one of the dark horses to sneak right past them.

As much as it pains me to say it, LaKisha Jones disappointed me again. It's not that I don't like her or I don't enjoy her big, supple singing voice because I really do. But think about it: Tonight was Gwen Stefani night, or more specifically "Gwen Stefani and Her Inspirations Night," and those inspirations apparently included the Police, Cyndi Lauper, the Cure, and the Pretenders, not to mention the No Doubt songbook. So LaKisha goes out and picks...Donna Summers' "Last Dance"? Sure, LaKisha finally looked the part tonight. But I just can't shake the fear that she has very little musical imagination, that she'll never be comfortable covering a song by anyone other than an iconic black female vocalist. And even worse, that compared to said vocalists LaKisha is merely presenting a Xerox, and her cartridge is running low on ink. Couldn't she have chosen anything better?

Of course, the same applies to Melinda Doolittle, seeing as she also trotted out a Summer number ("Heaven Knows"). Yes, She delivered it with her usual technical proficiency, but she somehow managed to leave me feeling just a little bored. She needs to diversify her musical selections a whole lot more. Maybe I'm holding Melinda and LaKisha to a higher standard than their rivals but I just can't shake that feeling about them.

Tonight, it was Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis who had me dreaming ahead to fall 2007, wondering what exactly their debut albums might sound like, what producers they might work with, and what they'll wear in their respective videos. Jordin chose No Doubt's "Hey Baby," a song that would not crack anyone's list of the 10,000 Best Vocal Showcases in Pop Music. But I could not stop smiling from the moment the infectiously enthusiastic teen took the stage and made the song her own. I have officially joined Team Jordin! Blake Lewis played it cool and sexy and toned things down a bit this week. His rendition of the Cure's "Love Song" was great. Sure nailing the song's simple melody is akin to walking on stage and hitting the Staples Easy Button but he still nailed it.

Phil Stacey really surprised me a lot with "Every Breath You Take." He sounded really good although, Paula nailed it when she told Phil he's got to put personality and color into not just the chorus but also his verses. On the plus side, the Idol stylists seem to have discovered that Phil is an actual contestant, not some omnipresent new stagehand, and are dressing him accordingly. At this point in the competition, I'd actually rank Phil as the season's third best guy. I'm still not sure he's got the heartthrob factor to outlast Chris Richardson or the annoying "love me, I'm snarky!" patter to overtake Chris Sligh, but I'm actually starting to think he should. That is until I heard Chris R.'s rendition of "Don't Speak." It was pretty solid and he injected his own style into it. Chris R. definately doesn't deserve to be in Wednesday night's bottom three, which I'm guessing will comprise Chris Sligh, Sanjaya Malakar, and Haley Scarnato.

Chris Sligh was just terrible. Gwen told him he needed to work on nailing the tempo of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" seconds before he took the stage. Sure enough, dude was behind the beat throughout. Sadder still? Hearing Chris deliver the line "my love for her goes oooooon"' while, alas, his ability to hold the note did not. Chris's vocal performance was actually significantly weaker than Haley's tonight, but I've got the sinking feeling she'll be the one going home Wednesday night. Randy and Paula had nothing good to say about her rendition of "True Colors," aside from the latter's patronizing footnote ("pretty girl!"), and Simon branded her "forgettable"' instead of commenting on her tight black minidress. Seriously, though Haley, "True Colors?" If she wanted to pick a ballad, I would have suggested No Doubt's "Underneath It All" or "Running" both of which would have fit her perfectly.

Oh Sanjaya. You have earned a place in my nightmares with your seven-ponytailed fauxhawk, his botched lyrics, and a chorus that conjured up the image of him splashing around in a bathtub. Ew! He also apparently earned the wrath of Gwen, what with her cutting "he chose it, so good luck for him" remark. I'm not exactly sure if the No Doubt frontwoman did much coaching with any of the contestants (it didn't appear that way from the backstage clips), but if she was able to react to Sanjaya's "Bathwater" with anything more than stunned silence, well, she's a stronger person than me. Let's just hope Crying Girl was too busy fielding reporters' phone calls tonight to make time for speed dialing. But, we all know he will be sticking around.