She’s one of the youngest Idol contestants this year, but Katie Stevens takes on Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry. And fails.

Look, here’s the thing. It’s a Fergie song. Therefore, it’s not that difficult to sing. But Katie is barely in tune throughout the song. The performance is middling, but the vocals are just pathetic at this stage of the competition. I know she’s young, and she’s got a lot to learn, but that’s the point: she’s outgunned by the older contestants. A lot of the younger ones are this year.

To muscle in on the metaphorical madness – it’s like watching Bambi going up against a graceful full-grown doe (deer-speak for Katie versus Crystal Bowersox). Katie doesn’t stand a chance. To make matters worse, she’s caught in a confusing genre war between Kara and Simon. Kara wants to claim her in the name of pop. Simon wants to remake her as a country gal.

It’s also worth mentioning that the judges were suspiciously gentle with Katie. Had it been another contestant, they’d have been crucified for that vocal performance. Perhaps they don’t want to rattle her fanbase into voting for her, so a false sense of security, some complacent voters might not pick up the phone at all. And then another dud goes home.

I should point out after the last sentence that I like Katie Stevens. But she’s not up to caliber right now, and she’s showing no signs of sorting out the crippling tuning problems that are ruining her performances. She needs to break off, take singing lessons and apply for next year’s X Factor USA.

Judges’ comments

Randy: I don’t know if it was your best performance. It was a little sharp, a little pitchy here and there. But what you did that was cool was that you actually listened to us, you picked a younger song. Even the outfit is younger. So I’m liking that you’re at least listening.

Ellen: I think it was your best performance so far. I thought you sounded great. And you look great and you’re evolving, changing and you’re like the Dakota Fanning of American Idol. I liked it a lot.

Kara: This is the lane for you. Pop with R&B leanings. Today you actually moved like you felt the song. It was a different Katie. This is where you belong, this is your vibe. You still got mad pitch issues, but this is where you belong.

Simon: I think you meeting Miley was probably the best thing that could have happened to you. There way you looked tonight compared to the pageant horror outfit we saw weeks ago, it’s chalk and cheese. Do I believe that you’re believable in this area? I’m still not sure. I would still go with the advice I gave you before, because I think you could find a loyal market. I think that you’re competing right now in a very difficult place.

Performance video

Watch Katie Stevens sing Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry on American Idol: