American Idol' recap: Season nine Top 8 girls perform

The season nine Top 8 girls performed on "American Idol" Tuesday, March 9, 2010.

The clear favorite for the night was Crystal Bowersox, who the judges just couldn't find the words to explain how amazing she is as a performer. Kara believed she was a perfect example of knowing yourself as an artist, and Ellen said she was running out of adjectives to describe Crystal's outstanding performances.

On a less happy note, Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly were not among the judges' favorites for the night. On a night when the singers really need to bring everything they had, the judges felt Paige and Katelyn's performance fell flat.

I think America may hold on to Katelyn, but I don't see Paige making it past tomorrow night. Her performance on Tuesday was no where near where it needed to be to continue with the competition.

The performances

Crystal Bowersox - "Give Me One Reason," Tracey Chapman

Simon - Absolutely will be in the Top 12; Most improved artist
Kara - Can tell that she knows exactly who she is as an artist; Really excited because she can see who she would be on a record
Ellen - Best performance of the night
Randy - Loved the song, performance and honesty; Hot

Didi Benami - "Rhiannon," Fleetwood Mac

Simon - Head and shoulders above anything else they had heard that night; Felt it was a wow moment
Kara - One of her favorite moments of the show so far this season
Ellen - Lovely performance; Liked what she did with the song
Randy - Better than in the past but not the best she can do

Katelyn Epperly - "I Feel the Earth Move," Carole King

Simon - Liked her hair; Sort of like request night at a restaurant
Kara - Missed the connection to the song
Ellen - Not enough for a Top 12 performer
Randy - Didn't see a connection between Katelyn and the song; Nothing special about the performance

Katie Stevens - "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson

Simon - Looks a lot better than she did two weeks ago; Needs to figure out what kind of artist she is; Made the song a little gloomy; Impressed with how much she is trying to make their advice work
Kara - Would be great on the radio; Seems like she doesn't know herself as an artist, yet
Ellen - Right song for age; Didn't see the personality; She was singing but didn't look like she was feeling the words
Randy - Not great; Like karaoke; Too big of a song

Lacey Brown - "The Story," Brandy Carlile

Simon - Sang the song really well; Like listening to something on the radio; Still waiting for the right song connection
Kara - Made it look effortless; Really showed how she got where she is
Ellen - Best performance to date; Perfect song choice; Sounded like it was written for her
Randy - Best performance from Lacey in a long time; Very cool

Lilly Scott - "I Fall to Pieces," Patsy Cline

Simon - Brave choice of song; Didn't have the wow factor for the last song of the night
Kara - Actually made Patsy Cline seem current
Ellen - Loves the voice, the originality and the style
Randy - Loved the performance; Thinks she is in the zone right now

Paige Miles - "Smile," Charlie Chaplin

Simon - Horrible choice of song; Arrangement was awful
Kara - All wrong
Ellen - Was not uplifting or inspiring; Missed seeing Paige's great personality; Not the right song
Randy - Song was too big for Paige; Too much like a banquet hall performance

Siobhan Magnus - "The House of the Rising Sun," The Animals

Simon - Not a huge fan of performance; Didn't feel she did anything different with the song; Under impressed
Kara - Unique and different in a good way; Always surprised by Siobhan; Really liked the performance
Ellen - Was captivated by the performance; Spectacular; Loved that she made the song current
Randy - Loves the risks she takes; Thought the performance was hot

Next episode (Wednesday, March 10, 2010): The Top 8 boys perform

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