American Idol Top 9: Lil Rounds Disappoints

Following her knockout "American Idol" audition in Kansas City, Lil Rounds seemed like an early favorite in the competition. She sounded great, and the judges loved her. So, what's gone wrong? On the March 31 performance show, Rounds failed to impress yet again. Her song choice of Celine Dion's "I Surrender" was criticized by all four judges.

Ironically, in the clip preceding her performance, Rounds acknowledged that she had chosen poorly in previous weeks and therefore had expended particular effort in selecting this week's song. She thought "I Surrender" would prove to be a good and popular pick that would improve her standing in the contest.

As the song began, Rounds, wearing a long blue dress and with her hair uncharacterically straight and down, stood at the microphone to deliver her performance. The beginning was weak and on the shrill side, though as Rounds proceeded she gained power and improved substantially. She remained in one place throughout the song, and when it concluded she received the typical loud applause that greets almost all contestants.

However, the judges did not react as enthusiastically as the crowd did. First to speak was Randy Jackson. He expressed his disappointment in Rounds' choice of song, though he added that she sang it "really, really well." Kara DioGuardi then agreed on both points. Paula Abdul noted that they didn't want "adult contemporary Lil." To wrap it up, Simon Cowell called the song a "safe" choice that was far too old-fashioned to benefit Rounds. Cowell's comments in particular rang true.

Although I'm a fan of Rounds and believe that she's more than capable of a breakout performance that would put her among the front-runners, I was very disappointed with her singing this week. I thought it was one of her weaker efforts and she failed to make the song her own. She sang the lyrics without putting any special meaning into them, and her effort lacked the spark and magic that would distinguish her from the pack. Although several other singers also fell flat this week, I feel Rounds could be in real danger of elimination.

If Rounds survives this week's elimination, she needs to do a much better job of picking future songs. She would do well to cultivate a more youthful, contemporary image and to choose more upbeat songs that suit her voice. With several underwhelming performances in a row, she has gone from being a front-runner in the competition to an also-ran. It isn't too late for her to recover, but it will be difficult and seems unlikely to happen.