Queen of the Jungle y'all... TEAM ZOANETTE!

WWWOOOOO… we’re back y’all! THIS is American Idol… thanks Ryan. I’m excited to see the girls since ONE OF THEM IS GOING TO WIN! I mean right? So far I’m loving that we’re finally seeing some of the peeps they’ve been hiding from us all along. Tonight there are a couple of people they’ve also been focusing on, like Cristabel Clack. Another of my favorites performing tonight is Candice Glover. She is back from last year. So is this week going to top last week’s amazing set of ladies’ performances? We shall see! Will it top last week’s guys’ performances? I could do that in my sleep. First up is Melinda Ademi singing “Nobody’s Perfect”… I looooove this song. Woahhh though… as soon as she comes out, trying to get all funky with it.. she is flat. She seems already tired, and out of breath. Her vocal is sufffering! Sad because she is so into it. In fact, maybe she is too into it… she is pretty diva’d up here. Unfortunately it’s just not working! Too much riffing and craziness. Keith says halfway through the performance she got dialed in to the song, but was nervous for much of it. Nicki mentions that Angela sang the same song last week, and all Nicki could think about was her!! She liked it tonight, but didn’t love it. Wants to see her perform a different artist. Randy says “Uhhhh, Yo, listen, for me… it was okay… right?” Says she didn’t have any amazing moments, nothing that really stood out… she could be in trouble tonight. Mariah says it is a tough night and nerves got to her tonight.

WOOO! Here it is! Candice Glover is back y’all! She was cut last year in this stage and is here to prove her place: with Aretha!! OMG she’s singing “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman”… Get. It. Girl. It is so natural for her. She doesn’t have pitch problems… she isn’t flat… its just perfect. She soars to the high notes with ease and dances all over the song like she could do it in her sleep. She is just so frigggggin good! She is poised and confident and didn’t have to add a bunch of craziness to the song to make it good. The audience is going craaazyyy. Keith said it was a GREAT song choice… and there is something about her voice, and sings back to her that she’s a “natural sinnngerrrr.” YA! Keith is scrumptious. Nicki is boggled that she didn’t make it last year, because she clearly has one of the strongest voices in the competition. Candice’s confidence is worth a billion words, and set her apart. Randy says she’s one of his favorites in the whole competition. He says last year was crazy, but she’s grown a LOT since then. He says the star in her is her voice and she should use it freely and go for it. Mariah definitely agrees that she is a bonafide singer… and Candice says the arrangement was hers! Mariah applauds it… “very nice!” OMG I just love Candice’s humility and personality… so REAL!

Juliana Chahayed is up nexxxt… another one that I don’t exactly remember much of. She reminds me of like a brunette Taylor Swift in her girly little dress and giant guitar. How cute. She’s singing Demi Lovato… how appropriate. She is spitting image of Taylor Swift though…down to the massive guitar and awkward youthful lurking stage presence. She does however, nail the song. She’s totally on pitch, sounds pretty good! She could become a little teenage heartthrob. Hold up… she is only 15 y’all!! Dang… I don’t know if that’s old enough to really compete in this competition, but her potential is jamming. Keith sees the Taylor in her as well as the Demi Lovato. Juliana is totally young and cute. Keith says the guitar is the size of a cello. He says she struggled with pitch throughout the song, but understands that she’s only 15. He likes the purity of her voice “it’s just real.” Nicki says she’s one of the only peeps in the competition with a signature sound to her voice, very recognizable. She says she’s maybe too timid, which works for her shtick, but might not work in this competition. Randy gives it up for her only being 15. He loves the honesty in her delivery… loves that she gives her artistic self, not what she thinks they want from her. Mariah says she has an angelic quality… she wrote down “celestial.” Likes the air in her voice, liked the vulnerability… says it was a beautiful thing.

Up next is Jett Hermano who does her own piano accompaniment. She’s singing Rhianna, and is putting her own twist on it, slowing it down and putting in some really unique quirks. She mostly nails it, but there is some weakness in her higher notes. I think the unique takeaway here is how she really changed this up. The judges seem… maybe surprised, but not blown away. Keith loves the unique arrangement. He appreciates how she took it to another level with her own additions to it. Nicki seems underwhelmed. She thought it was going to climax to something, and never felt that. Randy also expected her to rock out more with it, and was left wanting more. Mariah has always felt that she’s a unique addition to the contest and calls her intriguing. She always has such nice feedback that still isn’t bland.

Ooohhh finally a highly played up contestant: Cristabel Clack! She’s singing Alicia Keys of course, which is what she sang when she auditioned, it really fits her voice. She is doing pretty good, it’s hard not to notice that she definitely is feeling this song. She is pouring all of herself into this. It’s not a perfect vocal, having places where her pitch went a little off, but hey, it was super soulful and you could just FEEL her in that song. Randy gives her a standing ovation… NICKI LOOKS BORED! omg what is wrong with her. Keith loves her voice, loves that “thing in there”… that croaky soul sound. He says she has crazy potential and wants to hear more. Nicki says “ummmmmmmmmmmmmm….???” wow. RLY B? She doesn’t seem excited at all about her, she says the rasp seemed like it got a little out of control tonight.. but “that was about it.” Randy says she was on point.. he loves the rasp. But what he loves the most is that she allowed her self the freedom to just sing the song, instead of overanalyzing every moment of her own performance. Mariah says she’s one of those singers who has sung with many incredible voices. Her favorite was “His eye is on the Sparrow” and loves when she is in her moment.

Quick Twitter shoutout! Do you agree? #idolagree or do you Disagree with the judges? #idoldisagree  DO IT!

Aubrey Clelland is another one that we haven’t seen very much of so far. Tonight she’s singing Beyonce’s  “Sweet Dreams”… omgggg!!! Where has she been all this time??! She is amazing!! Her dress, first of all is bananas fierce. She goes into a very slowed down version of the song which is admittedly not as exciting as the beginning shock factor of “OMG BEYONCE!” As she gets into it, it gets a little shaky and kind of falls into the same trap as her previous contestant: never peaks in excitement, just kind of hangs there, and then is over. Keith loves what the girls are doing with the songs. He loves that they’re taking them to their own place. Nicki. is. obsessed. with. her. OMG. She says for the first time tonight someone came out looking, and sounding like a current artist. RLY? I hate it when Nicki is all about the ‘marketable look’… I mean I get the fact that its what sells, but we’re not there yet and I hate when she reduces people to that… especially when the talent isn’t there to back it up! Randy agrees that she looks amazing, commands the stage, calls it another great performance, but not the perfect song. Nicki butts in that it was the perfect song… omg get off it. Mariah says she is limitless…LOVE how she says a lot with so little.

OMG so cool… the ‘Tweetometer” comes on saying that it’s about 50/50 as far as people agreeing with the judges!

Rachel Hale is from such a small town.. they just got their second stoplight. Dang. She’s singing a country song and thank God for her, no more ‘commercial artist’ ‘marketable’ bull#%& here. Just straightforward great, spirited country singing. She even gets acapella there for a minute with the audience clapping along. She is like a freight train with this song.. LOVE IT!! Totally refreshing. Keith gives a shoutout to the band, and he loves this new side of her. He feels like the song got a little on top of her in parts, but overall he loves her spirit. Nicki asks her where the confidence has come from… loves that she has come alive. “Work it lil lady, yessir.” Randy is happy that she brought the energy, is glad that she is out here having a good time. “PRAYER WORKS” wow…. Mariah agrees, loves her upbeat personality, loves her positive energy. Thinks this song didn’t necessarily showcase “her” the most.

Breanna Steer is up next! She is singing “I Broke the Windows Out Your Car” and …woahh it’s a little off. She’s like a lion tearing apart the song. I know she’s giving her best but the train is rollin off the tracks here. She’s majorly pitchy, and it is like the whole thing is running together. Her shoes are really shiny. Wow… so distracted by anything other than her vocal. The ending goes down, yeah.. I really didn’t like that. Keith says he dated a girl like that years ago, and he believed her when she sang it. Nicki says “WORK. WORK. WORK.” She says that right now they could go out and shoot videos, because they’re totally ready to top the charts now. She says the Jasmine Sullivan song was perfect, and she had her swag on. Wow… I’m just not where Nicki is. Randy agrees that she is amazing, she has the whole package, perfect song choice. Made Keith believe that she’d bust the windows out of his car. Mariah agrees with ALL OF IT. dang I must be crazy because I did NOT hear any of that.

Janelle Arthur is a self proclaimed country girl who has portrayed Dolly Parton in a theater stage show. I don’t recognize teh country song she’s singing… but she’s great. Beautiful voice. This is effortless for her. She’s clearly nervous, there are some moments where her pitch wavers, but she came out strong and definitely is pushing past any errors. As it keeps going there are more errors, but again, with tonight’s talent, it’s nothing new, and she’s got big potential. Keith is hesitant with  his feedback… he says the melody in the chorus is limiting. He sees how she was pulled down by that, and maybe it made it not the best song choice. Nicki clearly was also bored… she said it fell flat, and the ease she usually sings with wasn’t there tonight. She urges her not to try too hard. Randy gives the nervous laugh before he speaks. He says she’s his favorite country singer in the competition. He said it wasn’t the right song choice, and didn’t lend itself to her voice… but he’s still a fan. Mariah is also a fan, and was looking forward to her tonight. They feel like this intimate setting puts people on the spot, but she is rooting for her tonight.

omg warning: Zoanette Johnson is up next y’all. If this were a drinking game, we’d all be taking shots right now. Hell I might need to take one anyway… because I am in total disbelief and confusion as to why she is still here??? I mean Nicki is on the panel, so clearly Idol likes a dash of crazy up in this. She is 20!!?? I can’t even believe it. She’s also from Liberia. Shocking realizations here folks. Tonight she is singing … LION KING??!!  Yes folks, she’s giving us “The Circle of Life” tonight. It just stays exciting with her doesn’t it. Randy is fist pumping… honestly, she couldn’t’ have picked a better song! She is almost like.. spitting into the microphone. Her voice is so deep.. aaaaahahah!  She is just much too much too much. I don’t think her voice sounds good… but she’s on pitch!! She’s just so 500% about it you can’t deny her. This is the first time I’ve seen a sense of coherency in her vocal. No not a sense… actual coherency. She really did that one.. omg… OVATIONS FROM THE JUDGING PANEL. This is just something else. Keith loves that he has no clue what she’s going to do, and wonders if she even knows sometimes. He calls her the Queen of the Jungle. Nicki says “Who gon check you boo? You just served it.” Nicki is proud of her for bringing Idol to her family in Liberia… calls her unforgettable. Says the song is a smart choice because it matches who she is and where she’s from, and she’s proud that Idol can give a shot to people with nothing. OK here it is, Randy says this is the reason she’s here: her spirit. It’s what the judges see in her, when everyone else thinks she’s just crazy. OKAY, thank you for clearing that up Randy. He says they’re all up there feeling something from her, she brings some realness that they can’t deny no matter how out of control she is. Mariah says her spirit is too big to be contained… and despite that she doesn’t fit into a cookie cutter personality, she defies expectation, and fits her own mold. OMG BEST MOMENT EVER: Ryan (who is 2 feet shorter than her) wipes her tear!!! OK, she definitely brought the HOUSE. DOWN.

OKAY… time to deliberate. First up for their news is Zoanette… I mean I feel like this is a no brainer? ( I can’t believe i’m saying this!!) Randy gives her the news that she made it rhough!! She is on her knees y’all.. in her leopard dress. She is too hilarious. Next up is Melinda, which unfortunately is also another no brainer… but not like Zoanette’s! Mariah tells her she has a long road ahead of her, but tonight is the end of her road on Idol. The audience is shocked! Rly? Julianna is up next, and Keith says he liked that she played the guitar… and he thinks she should do it more. Unfortunately tonight it’s a NO! Wow he was out with that real quick! Aubrey is up next… I mean the judges won’t let this little pretty money maker go. Nicki tries to act dramatic… she says if it were her say she’d stay.. oh and it is going her way… she’s staying!! Cristabel is up next for results.. okay they BETTER LET HER THROUGH. Seriously.. her and Janelle were amazing! OMG Randy isn’t playing around: “you didn’t make it babe.” RLY? They’re going to put their other little moneymaker face through. Candice is up next! OK, can they just please get real here… she has to go through! Mariah says she’s through… THANK YOU MIMI. Her and Zoanette share a wild hug… LOL.. love it.

Ryan calls up Jett for her news… sadly I had already forgotten that she sang tonight!! That can’t be good. Keith wants to commend her for her artistic choices… a clear no. Tonight’s the end for Jett! Breanna is up next… and with 2 stools left, she’s going to get a YES… and it makes me sad because I liked Janelle and Rachel. Nicki talks her up again and says she loves her shoes. She plays up how she can always come back, please Nicki you’re terrible with this… let her know that she’s staying. I hate that they’re cutting one of these other girls in favor of this girl… who is NOT AS GOOD. UGH. I feel like Rachel is going to be out because they were really beaming over Janelle. Both are super thankful, super sweet girls… WHY why why does it have to be like this. Randy is doling out the news… he says they both did a fine job… wasn’t Janelle’s best night. Rachel brought them to a crossroads with one spot left. This was a tough one for them… Rachel is cut!! Janelle is through! It’s about 53% who agree with the judges. Well this 1 right here is a big DISAGREE. But Candice is through so I’ll cut my complaining. Tune in tomorrow for the guys y’all! And we out.