Allison Iraheta: A Star is Born.

In a week that teetered precariously between downright mediocrity and a sea of sucktitude, Allison Iraheta was the one bright light on American Idol. Inkie Fingers wrote a great recap of the show, and I pretty much agree with her, except I think she was too nice. Jeanine Vailes was horrible, Kai Kalama was karaoke personified, and Adam Lambert belongs in musicals, not on American Idol.

The one singer that stood out last night was 16 year old Allison Iraheta. While they didn't show much of her in the auditions leading up to the top 36, she is definitely a stand out. I'm not sure where that rockin' voice comes from, but this girl can sing. As Randy said, she "blew it out the box". Her rendition of "Alone" by Heart was incredible. While I can't predict if she'll win or not, I think she'll go far in the competition.

Another point I'd like to make is that in general, women should not sing songs that were originally written for men, especially not pop songs where the arrangement is pretty much a straight lift from the original. While I agree with Jennifer's point that the change in lyrics is ridiculous, I am coming at it more from a musical perspective. Songs written for men tend to sit higher in their range, so they have an impact and cut through (especially in the chorus). When a woman tries to sing the same song, it sits too low in her register and her voice gets lost in the mix, sounding muddy and lacking in energy. Prime examples from this past week's show are Jeanine Vailes singing a Maroon 5 song, and Mishavonna Hensen singing a Train song. Casey Carlson had the same problem last week when she attempted a Police song. When will these ladies learn?

Look for Megan Joy Corkrey and Matt Giraud in the Wild Card show. And for dog's sake, let's hope that next week's group pulls their musical socks up and doesn't waste our time like the majority of singers in this weak ass group. Sheesh.