America Bids Goodbye to American Idol Hopeful Ramiele Malubay

On Wednesday night, we said goodbye to Ramiele Malubay while she made her last performance on the American Idol stage. The diminutive singer had hung in there for several weeks despite a number of disappointing performances, but at last it was time for her to bid America adieu.

After a good long cry on Kristy Lee Cook's shoulder (OK, she couldn't quite reach her shoulder, but this is a family forum) and the requisite nostalgia video, Ramiele took the stage one last time to sing "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" and did a decent job of it. I have to say, it always impresses me when they manage to push back the tears and perform after the emotional experience of being voted off American Idol.

Was it time for Ramiele Malubay's American Idol stint to end? I'm sorry to say that it is. I had high hopes for Ramiele when I first heard her sing-she has a huge, powerful voice that doesn't seem like it could come out of that tiny little body. I even had her as one of my draft picks in my American Idol pool at work.

However, as the weeks wore on, my faith in Ramiele faded. While she's wonderful in short bursts of singing, she doesn't hold up to an entire song. At this point in the competition, there are so many good singers (this is a very talented season), and contestants have to have some pretty stellar performances if they want to be the next American Idol. Ramiele just didn't deliver on too many occasions, and it seems that much of America was as ready to say goodbye as I was.

Could Ramiele Malubay have done anything different to stay in our good graces and claw her way back for another week or two? Unfortunately, I think not. She doesn't have what it takes to keep up with balladier David Archuleta or rockers Carly Smithson or David Cook. Although her vocal talent is undeniable, she needs some more work before she will be able to put out the quality of performances of the other American Idol hopefuls. I still have high hopes for her to have a singing career, perhaps singing Disney songs.

At least she's better than Taylor Hicks.