Ranking the ‘Idol’ Top 20
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- February
- 26
1. David Archuleta—“You Better Shop Around” was the most memorable song for the right reasons. I’m a little wary about giving him the top spot, though. In addition to suffering from Melinda Doolittle’s “AwShucks Syndrome,” the 17-year-old’s precociousness might turn off viewers down the line.
2. Carly Smithson—So much raw talent. If she can abandon her bad habits—ranging from making poor song choices to yanking the mic away from her belting voice prematurely—she could make a serious run.
3. Syesha Mercado—Asia’h Epperson’s performance was better than Mercado’s “Tobacco Road” last week, but I still think Mercado’s the greater threat.
4. Asia’h Epperson—Her unique tone worked well on the raspy “Piece of My Heart,” but her success depends completely on song choice. One wrong move and her breathy, nasal voice could be exposed as, well, breathy and nasal.
5. Michael Johns—Maybe the most likable contestant of my Top 5, Johns likes to take chances with his songs. Who else in this crew would sing “Light My Fire” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” with a credible yet tongue-in-cheek style? Song choice risks paid off immensely last year for a guy by the name of Blake Lewis. Don’t expect any Aussie beatboxing, though.
6. Alexandréa Lushington—Surprising vocals, but needs to tone down the ‘tude.
7. Alaina Whitaker—The best yet perhaps most forgettable Blonde Girl performance of last week.
8. David Cook—A rock-infused rendition of “Happy Together” was good… but wow, we’re already at the eighth slot. Raise your game, David!
9. Kady Malloy—I still think Malloy’s voice was the richest, most textured of the girls to make the Top 24. This week is huge for the Britney impersonator: Pick a stand-out, mind-blowing song or get ready to pack your bags.
10. Jason Castro—The Dreadlocked One’s comfortable, laid-back approach to “Daydream” was by far the best among contestants who got no face-time prior to last week (the others: Jason Yeager, Garrett Haley and Luke Menard). But is a glorified frat party strummer really “Idol” material?
11. David Hernandez—“Midnight Hour” wasn’t perfect but I award him points for degree of difficulty and natural talent. He’s running out of mulligans, though.
12. Brooke White—Starting last week, face time per contestant evened out dramatically. That might be bad news for White, whose earnest, goodie-two-shoes backstory might not be enough to even get her to the Top 12.
13. Robbie Carrico—To open this week, Carrico gets my Meh Award, which I will bestow on any “Idol” contestant that doesn’t strike me one way or the other. Last week’s Meh Award recipient was Colton Berry, who was eliminated. Be afraid, Carrico.
14. Kristy Lee Cook—So cute. Like, ridiculously good-looking. But not good-looking enough for me not to call her take on Aretha Franklin’s “Rescue Me” the “most soulless, emotionless version of that song I’ve ever heard.” I do think she’s better than what we’ve seen, though.
15. Danny Noriega—Sanjaya Alert! Sanjaya Alert!
16. Amanda Overmyer—Screamy screamy scream scream.
17. Chikezie—His vocals were actually pretty nice last week, but wow, he couldn’t have made himself look less cool with his song choice, outfit or back-talk to Simon Cowell.
18. Ramiele Malubay—Sorry, but were the judges even listening to her rough vocals in her lower register? Suspicious.
19. Luke Menard—Zzzzzz.
20. Jason Yeager—Cruise. Ship. How he stayed afloat last week, I’ll never know.
(Photo by Michael Becker/FOX.)
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 12:10 pm by Chris Serico.
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