'IDOL' WATCH: The Top 10 Women

The women were back tonight and ready to perform after last night's last minute switch. The theme was still Billboard Chart Toppers and the night had some songs that were up to Billboard caliber. Others, however, fell flat, as contestants were again plagued by poor song choices. Of all the judges, Randy seemed most frustrated by the multitude of poor choices. Hopefully this is a skill that will come with time and the contestants will get better. Some of the ladies, however, knew exactly where they wanted to be and were spot on in their selection.

First up tonight was a healthy Crystal Bowersox, who seemed fully recovered from whatever maladies may have affected her yesterday. Crystal sang Long as I Can See the Light by Credence Clearwater and added a nice gospel feel to the song. The performance was strong and, as Randy said, Crystal knows exactly the type of artist she wants to be. Simon said he "misunderestimated" (great word!) her. A solid showing to start the night.

Haeley Vaughn was next, singing Miley Cyrus' The Climb. Vaughn was attempting to play off the judges criticism from last week, saying she needed to sing songs that are more her age. Vaughn seemed much more fun and genuine in her performance and her smile was, as always, infectious. The judges found the performance rather disappointing and Kara said she needs some time to strengthen her instrument. The performance was inconsistent, with Haeley getting off on a number of her runs. A better song choice may serve her well in the future, but Haeley needs to nail down her talents if she is to continue on much longer.

Lacey Brown had a much better showing this week, singing Sixpence None the Richer's Kiss Me, Kara's suggestion for her next week. The best part about Brown's performance was that you could tell she was enjoying herself, which made it fun to watch. It was clear Brown liked the song, which helped her interact with the audience and come off as a better performer. She missed some of the notes, but that was secondary to her performance. Brown needs to solidify who she wants to be, but performed much better this week.

Several of the contestants tried to take the judges criticism, including Katie Stevens, although she again did not live up to expectations from her first few performances. It was a positive that she was able to liven up herself as a performer, but, again, the song choice was wrong. Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae was still a much too slow, internal song. It didn't showcase her youth and was, again, a bit boring. Kara said she was frustrated that Katie didn't pull us in right away. The song left the me feeling flat, but Katie has the voice that can invigorate an audience. She should be back next week, but needs to seriously improve to keep up with some of the other contestants.

Didi Benami tried to reinvent herself this week, switching to a more soulful sound with her version of Lean On Me by Bill Withers. Benami is an artist that reminds me of someone like Colbie Caillat, and the song seemed at odds with that feeling. Her belt was strong, but the song missed the mark on the overall performance. Kara told her she was "missing consistency" and Simon called it a "wasted opportunity. Benami has one of the most interesting tone qualities of all the performers and she needs to use this to her advantage.

Michelle Delamor continued the trend of weak song choices, singing Creed's With Arms Wide Open. The song worked at times, but it didn't seem like it is the type of song Delamor would perform as a recording artist. The changes she made to the song weren't bad, but they didn't seem to advance her as an artist. Randy and Ellen found the performance forgettable, but Simon and Kara were impressed with the risks Delamor took. She, as well, should be fine for this upcoming week, as she did perform better than many of the other singers, but it would be nice to see more of what Delamor is as a performer.

Lilly Scott gave another great performance this week, sticking to her guns as an individual. Scott sang A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, adding her indie feel to the big song. Randy called her unique and Ellen said, "You've got IT." Scott and Bowersox are going to be the interesting members of this competition. They don't have the typical "American Idol" appeal, but, because of their skill level compared to the other performers, they will stick around and may cause a bit of an upheaval in what people typically expect from "Idol."

Katelyn Epperly's choice to sing The Scientist by Coldplay gave her a more contemporary feel than she had in past performances, and it worked. Although she accompanied herself at an excruciatingly slow tempo, it was a good performance and her voice worked well for the majority of the song. Each of the judges thought it was a good choice, but commented on the tempo, with Ellen saying she "fell kind of asleep." Epperly likely gave herself a huge boost with her showing tonight.

Playing to the judges, Paige Miles sang Kelly Clarkson's Walk Away, a song written by Kara DioGuardi herself. Miles seemed overpowered by the orchestra and her big voice was lost in the song. Kara commented that the feel to the song was wrong, as it's about walking away and Miles spent the entire song with a smile plastered on her face. But that may have been the least of her worries. Miles will excel with big, belty numbers, and needs to use her voice to her advantage.

Rounding out the night was a much improved Siobhan Magnus, who nailed her performance of Think by Aretha Franklin. The song was good, but Magnus hit an out-of-this-world note towards the end that will likely skyrocket her to the top of group. The note completely overshadowed any issues she had earlier in the song and, as Randy said, "[She] slayed it." Even Simon was able to overlook some of her pitch problems and tell her, "That was incredible." I'm quite glad my prediction from last week was wrong and that Magnus was able to stick around and show us what she can do.

The girls are suffering from the same issue as the boys, in that they both are unsure how to pick songs that will suit their voices and their artistic abilities. Perhaps "Idol" needs to provide a bit more guidance in this department, as it seems to affect so many of the competitors. It's difficult for me to say which of the girls I expect to head home this week, as there weren't any shockingly bad performances. If I had to wager a guess, I would say Brown and Vaughn, as they seem to lack the hook that some of the other performers possess. I think it's safe to say Bowersox, Scott, Magnus, and Epperly have little to worry about on tomorrow night's results show.

Another two men and women will be sent home on the second results show tomorrow night, March 5th, at 8PM EST on Fox.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.

Photo Credit: AmericanIdol.com