Will Melinda Win American Idol?

He called her first song choice "a little confusing for me."

"Love You Inside And Out" features a falsetto melody and is written for a group. Melinda's goal was "to make it work for a solo."

What Melinda Wore:

Melinda looked great in trim jeans and an armful of beaded cuff bracelets. Her lightly feathered hair and black peasant top gave a subtle nod to the disco theme without going totally Bee Gees. In the second set, Melinda appeared in a more feminine--but equally form-fitting gray dress with cap sleeves. She topped it with a multi-strand black pearl necklace. The total look was classic and graceful.

Did the American Idol judges agree with Barry Gibb?

Randy Jackson: "This is gonna be interesting." "Another solid performance."
"I'm not jumping up and down, but it was good."

Paula Abdul: "I think we're looking for something that's gonna wow us."

Simon Cowell: "Melinda, I think what Paula is trying to say is that she wasn't impressed by it."
"I expect incredible tonight."
"That was more of a background vocalist performance--not a star's performance."
"You are better than that."

Melinda proved better than that in the Top 4 episode's second performance. She chose the ballad "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart."
In rehearsal, Barry Gibb questioned, "Why not sing the whole song?"
Melinda explained that she omitted the verse "How can you stop the rain from falling?" because she is "very careful about words." She didn't want to allude to losing, even subconsciously.

Her tactic appears to have worked for the American Idol judges. Here's what they had to say about Melinda's performance of "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?":

Randy Jackson: "Great song, great vocals, great ending."

Paula Abdul: "No doubting, a great song."
"Vocals isn't all of it. Throw all of your technique away and surprise us."

Simon Cowell: "You don't understand any of that, do you? Because I don't."
"The second half of that song has put you into the semi-finals."

Melinda Doolittle's hometown fans certainly hope so!

--->Want more American Idol background? Check here for more on Melinda Doolittle, episode by episode!