Rocker chick loses her charm

The thing we would be surprised to know about Ramiele Malubay is that she used to Polynesian dance. She demonstrates some hula moves and says that she's been dancing Filipino cultural dances and Polynesian dances for about 12 years.

Finally, some disco. Now, I'm not generally a fan of disco, but how can you have a 70s theme without at least one disco song? And there are a few that I happen to love. Ramiele sings one of them, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston. Now I know the song was recorded by someone else before her, but Ramiele is clearly singing the disco version made famous by Houston.

I have to say, last week, she blew me away. I actually felt like she was the only girl who could give David Archuleta a run for his money. And while I love her song choice, her performance is only so-so. For starters, the contestants have full use of the stage. She's singing a song that is meant to be danced to. Se could have performed a little, moved around the stage or something. I mean, she just finished telling us that she's been dancing for 12 years - she could have done something to make the performance really pop. Besides that, the vocal weren't what they were last week. I mean, she's still really good, but it's almost like she's taking a break tonight, maybe feeling safe after she blew them away last week. I don't know. It just wasn't what I was expecting - it was actually a bit lazy, for me.

Randy says it was rough because she was so good last week. He says it was OK vocally and that he didn't like her song choice. He says there are so many other songs that would have suited her better. Paula says her vocals are amazing, but that she agreed with Randy, it wasn't a good song choice for her. Simon says he too agrees. He says the trouble with that song is that he's heard it so many times at weddings and stuff like that. He says she was much better last week, that she showed more personality, that she stood out more. He says this was one of those performances he wouldn't really remember. He tells her he thinks she's terrific, one of the top 3 singers in the competition but that this performance wasn't one of her best.

Ryan asks about the song choice and it turns out Ramiele changed her mind like four times on what song to sing. She says she had chosen a couple of ballads but was afraid people would start calling her Lullaby instead of Malubay.


Kristy Lee Cook says she thinks America would be surprised to know that she's a tomboy. She says she enjoys being outside and getting dirty - she loves fishing and softball and athletics in general. But she says it's still nice to dress up every once in a while, even though she still can't walk in heels.

She sings the Linda Ronstadt version of "You're No Good" and I'm not crazy about the song - it's just so repetitive. I mean, how many times do you have to say "You're no good" in a song? It's just too much for me. Plus, Kristy Lee is clearly a country girl - why didn't she sing some country song instead? Maybe some Dolly Parton or something. I mean, I think she sings the song well - I just wish she had chosen another song, that's all.

Randy says its a 100% improvement from last week. He says it was a good song choice for her, but he was waiting for some breakout moment and it never came. He says it was pretty in tune and he liked it. Paula says it was a good song choice and that she did good. Simon says he couldn't even remember what she sang last week, which tells you it didn't work, but that this week, it was a huge improvement. But he says his only worry with her at the moment is that he doesn't know how to label her yet, he doesn't know what type of singer she really is. He says he has a feeling that if she were to sing some country, she'll find it easier to make a statement, which she didn't do with this song, but that she has real potential.


Amanda Overmyer says that while America already knows that she rides a Harley and is a nurse, they may not know that she's a real bookworm. She likes to read quite a bit, biographies of rock icons and things of that nature. She says she believes you can't ever be over-educated and that reading is a really good form of entertainment.

Oh no - they've turned her into a joke. She comes out wearing some crazy pants and her hair is hairsprayed all out so the blond is showing - it looks almost like the rays of the sun. She looks really awful, like a caricature of herself. I don't know why she would agree to come out so overdone, I can only hope she does a good job. She sings Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son," a song I've never heard before. I kind of wish she had avoided the rock thing this week. I mean the verses of the song seem to be kind of soft, but unfortunately, the verses are where she falters, kind of going in and out of tune. In the chorus, she comes alive, but all the charm of last week is gone. She seemed so genuine last week and this week, for some reason, her performance seems kind of fake - maybe it's because they overdid her appearance. I don't know. I'm so bummed because I think she's awesome and she's so bad tonight, I fear it may be her last performance.

Randy says it wasn't the right song choice for her... it seems like song choice is the key tonight. It's come up in almost every critique, if not all of them. He says there was too much melody in the song - I don't get what he means at all with that, but he also mentions that the verses were pitchy, which was hard not to notice, so I can't disagree with him there. He also adds at the end that it wasn't the right look, but doesn't elaborate. Paula totally contradicts herself. During Hollywood week, the judges all suggested that she stop singing Janis Joplin, that she needed to show her versatility, but now Paula mentions how Amanda had said in an interview that she didn't plan to do Joplin again and tells her not to worry about that - that she needs to just sing what feels right. Talk about confusing. Simon says that in her interview, she came across so natural and cool, but that in her performance, everything felt contrived, from what she wore, the terrible hair, the indulgent song. He says none of it felt natural or real and that he couldn't wait for it to finish.