Idol 70 - Alexis Grace

70. Alexis Grace

Season 8, 11th Place

A contestant whose transformation from a perky young mom to a sexpot won't be seemingly complete for the judges until Alexis installs a stripper poll at center stage and works it like a pro. Haha.

Frankly, while I was charmed by Alexis Grace's pre-audition interview, I somehow thought that he rendition of Doctor Feel Good was so darn near unrecognizable - it lacked the subtlety that Aretha's original had. I didn't really expect her to survive the Hollywood week. But when she did, I really thought that Alexis will just be one of the glorified cannon fodders.

Fortunately - or unfortunately - she gave a performance during the Top 36 that was, arguably, stronger than her five female counterparts. Now, while I still contend that her rendition of Never Loved A Man was perhaps a little too much meat for her to digest, I thought when she started riffing I got an unexpected chill. Yes, the beginning was tentative and she had vocal control issues here and there but it was a performance worthy for a Top 12 finish.

Now, Dirty Diana I thought was good although she somehow oversang parts of the song. In fact, Alexis was trying so much toward the end of the number that she almost seemed to run out of air when transitioning from that final run to that last falsetto howl. I don't know. She did nail more than half of her number though.

Perhaps, choosing Jolene for Grand Ole Opry night was Alexis' downfall since her performance only reminded us how much better Brooke White sang it a year before that. I mean, she seemed to botch every note perhaps because she seemed to be trying a little too hard to prove to the judges her worth.

That being said, I thought Jolene was still solid enough to guarantee her a spot on the tour - Top 10.  Now, as solid as she's been on the show, it was somehow difficult to imagine her wearing the Idol crown that season. So, whatever. Haha.

Favorite Performance(s): I like Never Loved A Man better than Dirty Diana, although both were pretty solid performances. 

Never Loved A Man

Dirty Diana

#69 - Season 2 Diva