A.I. Grades

Decent show last night. As always there were some winners and there were some losers. Here are my grades:

1. Red Head: B-. She is a good singer and has a good voice and as I always say, does not sound at all like she is 16 years old. Still, the performance of that Aerosmith song wasn't great. It was just alright for me. Nothing really spectacular about it.

2. Noop Dogg: A-. Perhaps his best performance so far. Great song choice with Adams, "Everything I Do, I do it for You." He nailed the vocals (as he normally does) but more importantly, he was dressed half way decent and he gave a very good performance. He sold the song to us. This is what he needs to do. Continue with the slower songs and give it the R&B flavor. He has a very smooth voice and it suits R&B. I really enjoyed the performance and it should help put Nooper back in the running. Given that he has been in the bottom three the last couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see if he finds himself there again after giving such a strong performance.

3. Lambert: A. When I heard he was going to sing "Born to be Wild" I didn't think it was going to come across that great but he did a very good job. Once again, he put on a great performance. The guy knows how to look and act like a rock star. It's a talent and a credit to him. He does a great job with the lighting and working the stage. He knows how to get the crowd hopping and it's something that you have or you don't have. It can't be taught and it's something that he certainly has.

4. Gokey: B-. He sang "Endless Love" and he just didn't sell it. It was good that he tried something different but that song requires more of a "tender" voice and he just doesn't have it. Also, he has that perpetual grin on his face and it doesn't work when singing that kind of song. The vocals were just okay for me too. Probably the worst performance I have seen from him.

5. Giraud: B. He tried to back to the piano which was a good idea. It's one of his stronger points. The song started out good but as Randy mentioned, he screwed it up at the bridge of the song. He tried to do too much with it and it didn't work. He should have just kept it softer and he would have been okay.

6. Kris: C+. I didn't know the song he was singing so it's hard for me to compare it to the original but it all just seemed pretty weak to me. The vocals were weak and the performance was weak. It looked like he was trying to be tender but came across kind of cheesy.

7. Rounds: C. The worst of the night. She took a classic song and try to give it an R&B flavor. The problem was that it was neither classic nor R&B. It was kind of just in the middle of those two and it didn't come out well. I am a little sympathetic towards her because I think she is trying to take the judges comments and work with them but it isn't working and she is further losing herself. The only good thing is that she looked pretty good. I know that that is a Paula comment but that's about the only good thing from her performance yesterday.

In conclusion, I expect Rounds, Kris, and probably Giraud in the bottom three with Rounds leaving. It's time for her to go. She has just lost herself and can't seem to recapture what it was that got her to this place.