American Idol 02/17/09: The first 12

The 36 contestants selected last week have been broken down into three groups of 12. The first group performed tonight. Kicking things off was Jackie Tohn. Her high energy performance couldn’t make up for a poor song choice. I like her voice, just not on this song.

Up next was Elizabeth City’s own Ricky Braddy. One word: awesome How come we haven’t seen this guy before?

Alexis Grace chose an Aretha Franklin tune and made it her own. Hard to believe this kid is only 21. I think she’s going to go a long way in this competition.

A little country was next, with cutie pie Brent Keith. The song didn’t really show off his vocals but I suspect his looks will keep him around for a while

Sixteen year old Stevie Wright appeared to have a case of the nerves tonight. Her voice was shaking and her breathing was strange. I don’t think she’s ready for this.

Another North Carolina singer, Anoop Desai, diesn’t look the part but this kid has a wonderful voice and tremendous control. (And I didn’t think he was a little sharp.)

Forgettable was the first word that came to mind when watching Casey Carlson. She was trying too hard to be cute and not really singing the song. The arrangement was realy bad.

I just like roughneck Michael Sarver. He picked a good, fun song and I think he nailed it.

Too bad Ann Marie Boskovich’s voice doesn’t match her looks. She picked a big song and didn’t deliver.

Stephen Fowler has a very nice voice. I wonder if all of the contestants are having trouble hearing the band. His pitch was a little off as was his rhythm.

Drama queen Tatiana Del Toro chose to sing a Whitney Houston song. That should give some hint of what she was up against. She actually did a decent job. Her voice isn’t the problem here.

Rounding out the first 12 was Danny Gokey. He sang one of my favorite songs, Mariah Carey’s Hero. Probably the best performance of the night! What a great way to end the evening.