American Idol Top 20: First Impressions with Rankings

Hello! As you can see….American Idol has been on since January…and I do not have a single entry on the show. This is because I wanted to sit back and observe this new format. It’s kinda strange because the girls and guys are basically not competing against each other…not until the top 10. Well, this may work in favor of the girls this year…..anyway, so let’s get started.

So, I’m going to jumpstart my American Idol blog entries with my first impressions of the top 20 finalists. I’m also going to be revealing my faves and ultimate faves in the process.

Girls.

1.  Kree Harrison- Probably my ultimate favorite of the season. There’s just something special about her voice…pierces the soul..her voice is sooo reminiscent of Carrie Underwood’s, which is probably what captured my attention in the first place.
2. Angela Miller- Angela is the first contestant that gave me goosebumps in the competition with her Hollywood solo performance of original song, Set Me Free. I can see her going really far in the competition. Her voice has this quality that reminds me of Kelly Clarkson..very effortless. I’m kinda hoping for a Kree-Angela finale. :))
3. Amber Holcomb- Goodness!! Vocal Control!!!! This girl is an excellent technical singer. I’m really feeling this dark horse vibe from her…she can probably take the whooole competition if she continues picking the right songs…she can earn more fans in the process….
4. Candice Glover- Coming off of last year…I really expected Candice to do pretty well and I think that so far she’s been delivering. My only problem is that I really need a goosebump moment from her…she needs to take liberties with that big ol’ voice she possesses… I’m a bit worried that people will eventually get bored of her.
5. Adriana Latonio- Yay for a Filipina contestant this year!! :) She gave a solid performance during the Sudden Death round, which resulted in standing ovations from Keith Urban and Randy Jackson. I’m a bit worried because she had noooo airtime before the Sudden Death round….but I'm confident that the Filipinos will back her up… I have no idea how consistent she is though…she might pull a Jasmine Trias who was stellar in one performance and mediocre in the next..or she might be a Jessica Sanchez who was stellar throughout ..well, let’s just watch and see!
6.  Breanna Steer- This girl really surprised me because I didn’t really know how she would sound. I honestly thought she was just cannon fodder…However, she has this gorgeous tone. I’m not sure about the likability factor..but I think she’s very marketable.
7.   Zoanette Johnson- I’m starting to really like Zoanette!! I think it was the Circle of Life performance, which gave me goosebumps!! :)) Lion King has a very special place in my heart! If she continues delivering these performances, she might be a threat to the crown!! My only concern is that she has the tendency to go all over the place…a Hot Mess!! Hahah
8. Aubrey Cleland- Now, I like Aubrey… I think she has a great image and a very current sounding voice. My only problem is that I think the judges overrated her performance of sweet dreams. I think that it was totally the wrong song for her voice.. :( she has a sweet sounding voice, which could go really well with folk-motown type songs…she was struggling with the Beyonce song especially with the high notes…the lower notes on the other hand were gorgeous. :) I waaaaant Aubrey to do good in the semi finals..because I actually want her in my top 10.
9. Janelle Arthur- Janelle is a sweet country singer with a pretty face…but that’s just it.. her voice is not so impressive. I mean..she’s no Carrie Underwood…I don’t think she’s a Lauren Alaina either. She has the potential to get into the top 10, but I don’t think she’ll be going very far. What she has going for her is that likability factor.
10.  Tenna Torres- I don’t think that Tenna should’ve made the top 20 in the first place….she picked a really really good song, which I think tricked the judges into thinking she had a good performance…her high notes were irritating and she was struggling a lot..but this is not to say that she has such a gorgeous tone…very Mariah-esque.

Guys.

1. Vincent Powell- I’m in the mood for a gospel singer! :) Love Vincent’s voice and tone!!!
2.  Burnell Taylor- I didn’t like Burnell at first but he’s starting to grow on me. He’s got a lot of stage presence..and I think his voice is really solid.
3. Curtis Finch Jr.- Now, I prefer Vincent to Curtis..and it’s totally a personality thing.. I think that Curtis is as strong a singer (if not stronger) as Vincent…but his personality just rubs me off the wrong way.
4. Devin Velez- Another great voice here. What worries me is that he might lose his stride and start picking the wrong songs…He might get eaten up by the big gospel singers.
5. Charlie Askew- Not the greatest singer on the show, but he’s very entertaining to watch. He has a very unique voice as well. He may be the novelty act among the guys this year. :))
6. Nick Boddington- Honestly, Nick would’ve been in my top 3 after his performance of Stars back in Hollywood. His performance during the Sudden Death rounds however was very disappointing :( I honestly thought that he didn’t deserve to make it to the top 20 (would’ve preferred David Willis, Josh Holiday, Bryant Tadeo to him). But I’m hoping that he makes a come back.. (maybe he could sing Stars again..heheh)
7. Elijah Liu- I know there’s been a lot of Elijah hate. I honestly think that it was just the song choice last week… I watched some of his youtube vids and I think that he’s worthy of his place in the top 20.. I think he has to prove his worth on the show though.
8. Cortez Shaw- Ridiculous range….great image…He has the tendency to over-sing. I think he has to pull back a little and pick better songs. If he has these small issues fixed I think that he could sail through.
9. Paul Jolley- I know a lot of people like Paul…I mean..i think his voice is powerful…it’s just that I think that he thinks he’s a country singer…he’s not…and his cover of Tonight I Wanna Cry was incredibly awkward..the phrasing was not good..he should stick to Clay Aiken stuff..He’s a balladeer and not a country singer.
10. Lazaro Arbos- :((( I think his performance was terrible….and I totally feel for Lazaro and his story..but I think at this point being objective is very important…I tried watching the performance back to see if there were any redeeming factors… :( the only redeeming factor I found was his story..but this is not Oprah..it’s American Idol, a singing competition. 

American Idol Season 9 Review #3: Top 10 Boys

Supposedly the girls night to perform, the boys took the stage instead due to Crystal Bowersox’s health condition. Going straight to the point, most of the performances tonight were leagues better than last week’s. Below are my individual performance critiques.

Michael Lynche (It’s A Man’s World)- He actually did really well tonight. He was in his element. The song was quite bland, but was a great song choice for him, I believe. He displayed showmanship. Contrary to being an “opening” performer last week (according to Simon), tonight he seemed to be more like the lead. Good way start off the show. Rating: 8/10

John Park (Gravity by John Mayer)- This was a better song choice for John Park. He was ok, but he didn’t bring much. He didn’t add anything new to the song. He wanted to be genuine and authentic. Unfortunately, I could not believe it. Quite bland, sad to say, but miles better than last week’s performance. Rating: 6.5/10

Casey James (I Don’t Want to Be by Gavin DeGraw)- It was a good song choice. I could totally see him doing music like this on a future album. However, like John Park, I feel that he didn’t add anything new. Well, he did all the cool guitar tricks and stuff, however I think this is a big step back from his last performance. He created such a high for himself with “Heaven” that he failed going up from there. It was just ok. Rating: 7.5/10

Alex Lambert (Everybody Knows by John Legend)- Way better now. He seemed more confident and relaxed (probably because he had his guitar). Nevertheless, he really performed it tonight. Once again, he has a great and unique tone to his voice that I really like. He clearly stepped it up tonight! It was legit! My favorite performance of the night. :D Rating: 9/10

Todrick Hall (What’s Love Got to Do With It by Tina Turner)- STOP making song unrecognizable!!! Just sing!! Todrick clearly has a great voice, he just does not showcase it. I suggest, if he gets through to next week, that he just sing a simple song, not doing anything to the arrangement. I think he’s in danger though. :/ 5/10

Jermaine Sellers (What’s Going On by Marvine Gaye)- Jermaine has really really gone downhill from his audition. He tends to be screechy and boring now. I think he’s in danger as well. Pick the right song and don’t over sing. Rating: 5/10

Andrew Garcia (You Give Me Something by James Morrison)- Sorry to say, Andrew just couldn’t live up to the hype that the show built for him. I think he’s going to be like Ramiele Malubay in season 7, who started off really great, and went downhill starting top 24. This song showed the limits and weaknesses of Andrew’s voice. I guess his frontrunner status is fading. Love the song though! Rating: 7.5/10

Aaron Kelly (My Girl by the Temptations)-I honestly did not like this song choice for him. Although he brought something new to it and made it his own, I thought that the performance was a bit off and all over the place. He is good, and I personally see him going far in the competition, but he has to know what kind of music he wants to do and this song won’t help him. The song seemed old for him as well. I think he should’ve just done something more current in the Pop Country genre (something by Carrie Underwood or Lady Antebellum??). Rating: 7/5/10

Tim Urban (C’mon Get Higher by Matt Nathanson)- I liked the song choice, but I just didn’t feel the performance in general. He added nothing new to the song, but it was not a bad performance. I personally think he should’ve left last week. I fear that he will be staying for a while courtesy of the teen fan girl vote. Rating: 6/10

Lee DeWyze (Lips of an Angel by Hinder)- I thought Lee was overrated last week. However, tonight I do see the potential in Lee. This song by Hinder was a great choice for him. He even tried going out of his comfort zone by stepping out without a guitar …props to him for doing that! This performance felt real. I think he’s a dark horse, personally. Rating: 8/5/10

Here’s my ranking of the Top 10 boys based on the individual ratings:

1. Alex Lambert

2. Lee DeWyze

3. Michael Lynche

4. Aaron Kelly

5. Casey James

6. Andrew Garcia

7. John Park (eliminated)

8. Tim Urban

9. Jermaine Sellers (eliminated)

10. Todrick Hall

Based on my ratings, Jermaine and Todrick are goners. I personally think that John Park is in danger as well. I absolutely want Tim Urban to just go, but I think he’ll be saved by the “cute” vote or something.