Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

On Tuesday night, we heard from the semi-finalist guys; on Wednesday, we heard from the girls — and we may have met the first female American Idol in five seasons. Chelsea Sorrell, Erika Van Pelt, Jennifer Hirsh, Brielle Von Hugel, Hallie Day, Skylar Laine, Baylie Brown, Hollie Cavanagh, Haley Johnsen, Shannon Magrane, Jessica Sanchez, and Elise Testone all performed live for your vote, hoping to make it into the Top 10.
First up was, 23-year-old country girl Chelsea Sorrell, who hails from small-town Stokesdale, NC (which is 40 minutes away from any mall!). Sorrell sang Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova," and the judges' responses were mixed.

"You definitely can sing, you got a huge big voice, but I'm wondering if that was the best choice," Randy said. "We've kind of seen the Carrie thing; you need to separate yourself out." Jennifer added that song "felt a little bit nasally," but she pointed out that it "sucks to go first." Steven told Chelsea she "sang good tonight," but she needs to watch her phrasing and timing.

Next, we heard from Erika Van Pelt, a 26-year-old mobile DJ from South Kingstown, RI. "Tonight I want to be electric out there, rock really hard, and show everybody what I'm made of," she vowed before singing Heart's "What About Love."

Steven, as usual, was a fan. "Beautiful, Erika," he told her. "There's something magical about having the confidence you had just now. You nailed it." Jennifer was equally impressed. "You are one of our power voices, but I feel like you could have gone even further, knowing you," she said, urging Erika to "let loose" next time. Randy agreed that Erika could have gone the "extra mile," but he raved, "What I love is you show that kind of confidence with the restraint, almost like an Adele kind of thing."

Third in the lineup was 25-year-old Jen Hirsh of Agoura Hills, CA. Jen sang Adele's "One and Only," and the judges loved it. "You're the first person who came out and let loose a little bit . . . I thought you did a really good job," Jennifer said. Steven agreed, saying, "Confidence makes a voice fly, and yours was soaring. However, he said she had a "little trouble with that last little bitty thing." Randy admired Jen's "swag," adding, "I think you're one of the greatest singers in this competition this year." Randy also pointed out what some of you may have noted on Tuesday: Watching the show back, he felt the judges were "a little lenient on some of the boys."

Spunky Brielle Van Hugel, a 17-year-old cheerleader from Staten Island, NY, was up next. "I just want to perform and really inspire people," she proclaimed, before singing Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay." Steven loved it. "You got a great sense of the blues," he said. "That was beautiful." Jennifer said, "This is what I love about Brielle. I don't know if you are one of the big voices in the competition, but you are a true performer. You come out and eat it up." Randy was a little worried when Brielle started out, but she won him over by the middle of the song. "I didn't know you had all that swag!" he exclaimed.

Hallie Day, the sexy 24-year-old waitress/young wife from Baltimore, MD, was up next with Michael Buble's "Feeling Good." Jennifer said that she both looked and sounded like a star. "That had some really, really beautiful moments," Jennifer said, although she added that there were a few moments when Hallie "lost a little bit of control." Steven admired Hallie's "old-timey vibe" (comparing her to Adele), and Randy thought she "sounded great," but he wasn't sure what kind of artist she would be.

Next up, another small-town country girl, 18-year-old Skylar Laine of Brandon, MS, performed "Stay With Me" by the Faces, and the judges had a blast. "This is the first time we've had a rocking, performing, great country singer on the show, like Reba mixed with Kelly Clarkson," Randy raved. Jennifer agreed, comparing Skylar to Tina Turner gone country. "You're a natural-born performer," she said.

Skylar was followed by return contestant Baylie Brown, a 22-year-old from Krum, TX. Baylie sang Lonestar's "Amazed," and the judges felt that it wasn't her best performance. "I'm not sure it was the best song you could have picked tonight, but you're very pretty," Steven said. "It was a little shaky all the way through," Jennifer added. Randy also admired Baylie's beauty, but he said that she "never seized control."

After that, 18-year-old Hollie Cavanagh of McKinney, TX, gave one of her best performances yet, singing Christina Aguilera's "Reflections." "You were one of my favorites from the start, and you did it again tonight," Steven said, suggesting that Hollie should let her hair down next time . . . literally. "I told you last year if you came back you could win — your voice is that strong," Jennifer added. "She's gonna be one of our frontrunners!" Randy weighed in, "You tried to slay the biggest dragon tonight; it wasn't all perfect, but the parts that were perfect were genius."

It was a tough night for 23-year-old Haley Johnsen of Beaverton, OR, who sang the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." "I hope America could hear all the special things you were doing with your voice," Jennifer told her, adding that the song and the way she chose to sing it were not perfect for her. Randy was considerably harsher, saying, "It was a bit of a nightmare for me instead of a dream. It was pitchy all over the place. It's hard to do Annie Lennox, her intricacies are spot-on, and yours weren't spot-on." He added that it was "just a little train wreck-y for me today."

Shannon Magrane — the 16-year-old from Tampa, FL, whom Steven described as "hot, humid, and happening" in front of her former World Series pitcher dad — was up next. "Do we have a wrestling mat here?" Joe Magrane joked, leading Steven to defend himself. "I didn't mean it!" he said, explaining, "It was a moment." Shannon sang Kathy Troccoli's "Go Light Your World," and the judges loved the big performance. "What a way to come out swinging," Randy said. "You're so mad young but so calm and cool and collected. Every time I hear you sing I'm so impressed." Jennifer agreed, saying, "You sing with such passion for a 16-year-old . . . you gave me goosies."

Fellow 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez, from San Diego, CA, performed next, and she was very nervous. Her voice was hoarse this week, and because she had to rest her swollen vocal cords, she couldn't really rehearse. Jessica sang Jennifer Hudson's "Love You I Do," and she earned the first standing ovation for the girls. "I don't know about no doctor, but what is really happening is that girl can really sing!" Randy proclaimed, adding that she's "one of the best of the last two nights." Jennifer admired Jessica's "swag," telling her that she is "so beyond [her] years it's crazy." Steven praised Jessica's "exceptional timing and perfect pitch."

Finally, we heard from 28-year-old Elise Testone of Charleston, SC, who, like Jen Hirsh, sang Adele's "One and Only." Jennifer described her as "one of the best singers, maybe the best singer here . . . I hope America got it, because I know that you are one to watch." Randy agreed that Elise has "one of best voices here," but he noted that it wasn't her best performance. "I hope we see more," he added.