Tonight and tomorrow night the American Idol 2013 votes are in your hands America. Up first tonight are the 10 girls that make up the Season 12 Top 20. Tomorrow night the 10 guys will sing and then on Thursday the 20 will be cut in half.
Now that we’re in the real competition (sort of), I’ll revive my grading scale for each performance. I’ll review each performance and assign it the letter grade I think it deserves. Oh, and be warned, I’ve decided to not be so easy on the contestants this season. So don’t be surprised if I don’t hold back.
And as always, you can chime in and let us know what you think in our comments section below.
The Top 20 Performances Night One: The Girls
Zoanette Johnson, What’s Love Got To Do With It. At least I according to the music, I think that was the song. As for the lyrics I wasn’t sure. I’ve been a Zoanette fan UNTIL tonight. First of all, don’t mess with Tina’s songs. Secondly, eeeeh. She went from being fun to just kind of bad. I was hoping to see her go to the Top 10, but I don’t think tonight’s going to do it. Grade: F (sorry, Zoanette! I still think you’re hilarious though).
Breanna Steer, Flaws & All. I haven’t really thought much of Breanna, but her cover of Beyonce’s Flaws & All may have changed my mind. I like her tone and the tenderness her voice had. And she has good stage presence. I don’t think the song may have been the best choice since it doesn’t lend itself to any big moments or notes (except for the end), but I still liked it. Grade: B+
Aubrey Cleland, Big Girls Don’t Cry. Eh. I think this was a horrible song choice for her. After your great performance last week, why would you pick Fergie? Ugh. Sing a big song! Half of you are getting cut! Why am I talking to her? Anyway, she’s talented and this wasn’t bad, but it was BORING. She’s better than this song. Grade: B-
Janelle Arthur, If I Can Dream. I like the song choice. I’m not sure if someone I’m unaware of has covered this, but I know it as an Elvis song. So I’ll say that was a risky choice for her. She may have wanted to do something a little more modern. But she should be fine with the votes. As for the vocals, that wasn’t really her best. Not bad, just not great. Grade: B
Tenna Torres, Lost. First of all, I have to say that I had to wait for her name to appear on my screen before I could remember her name. Not a good sign. Her performance night was pretty good, though. I mean it was sort of boring and I don’t know the song, but it wasn’t bad. Does she have what it takes to move on? I don’t think so. I think we’ll say goodbye to her Thursday. Grade: B
Angela Miller, Never Gone. It’s nice to see her at a piano. I like to see a real musician on my screen. Why she chose to sing a Colton Dixon song, however, is BEYOND me. It actually makes me kind of mad. No one knows this song, do they? And on top of that it didn’t even sound that good. Sorry, Angela, this was not a good way to follow up your past two performances, which were great. There’s a reason they didn’t give you the pimp spot this week. Zzzzzzzz. The song wasn’t a bad song, I just don’t think it was a good idea. Grade: B-
Amber Holcomb, I Believe In You And Me. Hm. If you’re going to do Whitney, you’ve got to REALLY do Whitney. And this wasn’t exactly Whitney. And they should’ve updated the arrangement. It sounded like it was being played on a Casio circa 1987. Grade: C+
Kree Harrison, Stronger. Is she a country singer? I didn’t think so, but this sure sounded like it. Her cover of Faith Hill’s Stronger was better than Janelle’s song, if we’re going to compare country artists. I think she’s got a much better sound, but if only one can go on, it sadly probably won’t be her. I liked it. Grade: A-
Adriana Latonio, Stand Up For Love. I think this was supposed to be good, but I thought it was awful. I didn’t know what the song was, but it was very cheesy. Basically the only good part was the last note. Had it not been for the note, this would have gotten an F. Grade: D
Candice Glover, Ordinary People. I never really imagined hearing her sing a John Legend song, but it was very good. Her performance was effortless and she was very connected. She’s immensely talented and I hope America does the right thing and puts her through. And Idol must think so too since she got the pimp spot of the night. Grade: A
I’m not feeling as strongly about the American Idol 2013 girls after tonight. Maybe I’m just being very picky. No one absolutely wowed me. Candice was the best of the night, clearly, but no one earned an A+ from me. I was waiting on that moment. Sigh. Oh well, these are just my opinions. What are yours? Let us know!
Update: We’ve added a photo gallery and a poll below. Vote for your favorites!