Haeley Vaughn, Lacey Brown Struggle on “American Idol” Wednesday

It took four nights–but the season nine “American Idol” cast finally delivered a strong performance show.

While even the best of the top ten females still lacked the excitement and character demonstrated by standouts from prior years, Wednesday’s show marked the first night of the season in which multiple cast members showed glimpses of greatness. It marked the first night of the season in which the judges’ top 24 selections did not seem utterly insane.

Of course, not all contestants were perfect. In addition to playing host to some of the best moments of the season, Wednesday’s show also featured some absolute trainwrecks.

Cue a review of Haeley Vaughn’s “The Climb.” Many music purists are quick to tear Miley Cyrus apart, but the fact remains that her voice is distinct, passionate and charming enough to render even the most pitch-perfect cover versions of her song inadequate. Haeley was nowhere near that threshold.

The vocals were an absolute mess, spending much of the two minutes in the realm of excruciatingly painful. And even if one wants to dispute calling the vocals the worst ever on “American Idol,” the addition of her utterly absurd facial expressions and corny, out-of-place dance moves ranked this performance below even the worst from infamous contestants like Sanjaya Malakar and John Stevens.

Lacey Brown was barely better in her clear attempt to destroy any credibility “Kiss Me” had as an enjoyable song. She, too, just seemed utterly robotic and lifeless on stage, massacring the word stage presence when she was not struggling with the vocals. The judges were a bit kinder due to Brown’s likable personality–and the fact that the song choice was recommended by Kara DioGuardi–but the end result was a performance that had no business on stage. The breathiness and vocal limitations called to mind the worst of Taylor Swift’s live performances, and not even the country sensation’s biggest supporters would claim she would have a place in a singing competition like “Idol.”

After bombing on “Lean on Me,” Didi Benami will put the power of her fanbase to the test this week. The Hollywood rounds standout totally missed the mark on the song, responding to last week’s criticism of self-indulgence by epitomizing the criticism this week. “Lean on Me” is a big “church song,” and instead of showing that she could have fun and exit her bubble on stage, Benami tried to turn the song into an abstract indie number. Perhaps there is something to be said about her ambition, but if she had no intention of correcting her biggest knock from last week, she should have at least hit a home run with the vocals. She did not, and the judges were right to pounce on it, regardless of how prone she is to tears.

Katie Stevens similarly failed to correct last week’s shortcoming, choosing a song that did nothing to show off her youth and liveliness on stage. While “Put Your Records On” is contemporary, it is inherently dull and was only effective as a single because of Corinne Bailey Rae’s unique vibe. Stevens does not have that vibe, and instead turned on a vocally subpar performance that offered nothing in the way of excitement or personality. Katie can definitely sing, but she spent a second week disillusioning those who bought into the hype during the auditions/Hollywood period.

That was about it for the subpar–the rest of the contestants generally nailed their performances Wednesday.

Most notable was Crystal Bowersox, who returned to dominance with “Long as I Can See the Light.” A shoo-in for monstrous support this week due to her medical emergency, Bowersox had no pressure to excel. She did anyway. The performance was pure, technically brilliant and representative of everything that makes her a force in this competition. There are some aspects of her game that could make winning “Idol” difficult once the competition reaches its latter stages, but as far as the competition is presently concerned, she is the most interesting contestant in the game.

Close behind, however, was Katelyn Epperly with a gorgeous rendition of “The Scientist.” While she ran into some pitch problems occasionally, the performance transcended notes and established her as a legitimate standout. Something about her had previously given off the “good, not great” vibe. That vibe is gone. Epperly was vulnerable yet empowered on the performance, and America is going to have to start taking her seriously. Kara DioGuardi was right to urge Epperly to narrow down a performance style, but if her indecision means more numbers like this one, America will welcome a more versatile Katelyn Epperly.

The judges, interestingly, did not sell Epperly’s performance as well as they did Lilly Scott’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” Scott’s performance was fantastic as well, but something about her act is not resonating. She is technically phenomenal and definitely brings a unique style to the competition, but it all just seems deliberate, as if Lilly selected a vocal style simply because it makes her unique. Even where she showed more musical competence than a contestant like Katelyn and more overall polish than Crystal, there was an element of authenticity missing. Lilly Scott should stay in this competition for a while, but her long-term success will ultimately hinge on her establishing a connection between her inner character and her quirky style.

Quirky, however, could not even begin to describe the utterly bizarre Siobhan Magnus. With interview delivery even more awkward and odd than Allison Iraheta’s gems from last season, it should seem astonishing that Siobhan is on television in front of 24 million people. Unless you have seen her perform. After showing some potential last week, Magnus was a true joy on “Think.” The verses were decent, held back from greatness due to a rather grating nasally tone, but when she lifted up for the power portions of the song, she absolutely brought it. Siobhan’s big note will be talked about for many weeks, and her overall vocal showing made for one of the night’s most memorable performances. If she learns how to position herself as a star when not performing on stage, she could be the real deal.

The judges’ reaction to Paige Miles got a bit messy due to the fact that she sang “Walk Away,” a song performed by “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson and co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi. So, from a context standpoint, it is hard to position Miles against the other girls. Objectively, Miles was a bit more in control than last week, but she still struggles to make an impact. She is quite impressive vocally and definitely has a presence on stage, but she does not do enough to get people talking.

The Michelle Delamor situation is interesting. Her version of “With Arms Wide Open” lacked the power and punch needed to truly make a statement on a rock ballad, but it also featured her tender, gorgeous tone and served as a rather strong overall performance. The problem is that her overall mold as a contestant just does not suit the long-term “Idol” model. “Idol” voters historically root for diamonds in the rough. They want to see singers with enormous potential, whether it comes to vocals, stage presence or style, develop from an incomplete dreamer to a polished star over the course of the season. With Delamor, she already is the total package from a star standpoint–she looks good, sounds good and comes across as comfortable and confident on stage–so there is no obvious reason to “root” for her. At the same time, she is not strong enough in any category to stand out or to deliver an unforgettable performance, so there is also no obvious reason to get excited about her. By no means would an elimination be fair at this point, but Delamor definitely needs to figure out how to make herself vulnerable so that America can get more invested in her quest for stardom.

Top 10 Female Performance Rankings
This is based on an assessment of the performances; it is not a prediction about vote totals.
1) Crystal Bowersox
2) Katelyn Epperly
3) Siobhan Magnus
4) Lilly Scott
5) Michelle Delamor
6) Paige Miles
7) Katie Stevens
8) Didi Benami
9) Lacey Brown
10) Haeley Vaughn