Were are down to the top 8 so I guess it’s time to pick my horse in the Idol race. I just have not been enthused about the show this year. To be fair it’s not really this years cast that has me tuned out, it really started last year where I just really didn’t click with anyone; Most of last years cast was just plain boring. The whole revamped beatbox thing was lame. I mean we did that in the eighties right? So what was so new and hip about rehashing it for the Idol audience in 2007? I didn’t catch the prelims this year with the exception of a couple of standout auditions I watched on Youtube, and I don’t think I missed much. So with the top 8 now in place I’ll do a recap of what I have seen and I’ll make a top three prediction. David Archuleta is a cute kid with an outstanding voice, not much on stage presence though and frankly I’m waiting for him to move from stage center and use that great big new set Idol has provided. Actually, I don’t think he can sing and move simultaneously, he tried it once and forgot the lyrics. Still he has a wonderful instrument and may be the best young “still in high school” contestant ever. That and a rabid fan base almost ensures his place in the top two. David Cook, it took me some time to “get” him but now I really love the strength in his voice, he is the “rock voice” this year and he is really great. I can already see him getting the “Daughtry Treatment” you know a band, and a video. David C. seems very likable (unlike Mister “I won’t compromise..except now I wear eye shadow”.) and musically knowledgeable. He picks great arrangements that highlight his vocal abilities. Kristy Lee Cook, this years Kelli Pickler, minus the personality, plus the sexual innuendos. Every week she assumes she is going home and plays the pity card. This week she wrote on a napkin “Kristy’s Seat” when Ryan asked her about it she said she just assumed that she was going to be in the bottom 3, so she made the sign. I’m not sure where she is going with this, but it made for a very awkward moment. By the way she was right… As a singer, for me she is forgettable and all the flag waving and pandering won’t change that fact. Michael Johns, is very talented but it seemed to take him sometime to find his voice or how he wanted to showcase himself on Idol. But the last two weeks he has proven to be a really strong singer with a nice soulful quality to his voice. The last two weeks he has warmed up to his surroundings, really owned the stage and had some memorable performances. He is a also a very good looking guy and that has taken lesser talented past Idols pretty far. Honestly, until the Queen performance week, I don’t think he clicked with the audience. He and Carly have another distinct disadvantage..they are not from the US, which kills the whole hometown voting connection. In fact I have noticed that this year, Idol has played down the whole hometown connection thing. I have a theory on that, which I’ll discuss later. Brooke White, you just want to like this girl, she seems so honest as a performer and as a person. She is at her best behind the piano, and she seemed a little lost without it on Beatles week two. I hope she sticks to what works but at the same time, works on being as emotive when she sings as she is when she speaks. To win, she will have to trust herself vocally a bit more and take some risks or run the risk of becoming boring.  Syesha Mercardo, I haven’t really loved Syesha yet. I don’t know if it fair to her but there have been some big voices in Idols past, Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia to name just two. Now it’s probably not fair to compare her to Idols from the past but people do, and the bar has been set really high for this type of performer. I don’t yet have faith that she has the range vocally, to sing the big show-stopping ballad. I also don’t think she has the willingness to “get ugly with it”..see past Idol divas for an example of what I mean. It doesn’t actually mean you have to look ugly but you can’t be overly conscious of how you look when you are reaching for a note, it’s really about believability and I’m not feeling that she is “feeling” the songs she sings. Jason Castro, Ah yes, the dreaded (locked I mean) one…I’m sure he has a strong following among the young girls and I want to like him I really do, I’m a sucker for singer-songwriter types, but I don’t hear any real vocal ability beyond average here. I could see/hear this type of performance at a coffeehouse in Chicago any night of the week. He most often plays the guitar and like Brooke seems most comfortable when he accompanies himself but unlike Brooke he almost seems too relaxed and at times not really into the whole AI scene. If he could find a way to wow us vocally he could be a contender, he has a ready made popstar look and attitude. Maybe the best is yet to come with Jason. Carly Smithson, I can’t figure out what direction Carly is coming from; one week she is great and then the next she is forgettable. I know she is a seasoned performer so I expect a top notch performance and with the exception of Dolly week and The Beatles “Come Together” she has been forgettable. She has been the victim of some bad press and I think it has affected her performances. I hope she pulls it together because she has a really incredible voice but again I’m not buying into her as a performer. She hasn’t grabbed me with her interpretations thus far. Still, she is probably the top female contender.

Notes on the already released contenders:

Amanda Overmeyer, I really liked her style but I knew she wouldn’t last long. She was the best performer on the show this year but we know everything there is to know about her, as a performer, in other words I couldn’t imagine her doing anything too different than what we saw, week to week. I do think she will make records because there is a market for what she does, I’d probably buy it for sure; but Idol powers would have never crowned her because they wouldn’t know how to market her to the masses.

Chikezie, I have to say that I enjoyed him on Beatles week one but I could not figure him out after that. He has a really nice voice and it would sound great in a recording studio, but he needs to find his niche. He also made the cardinal sin of singing a Luther Vandross song. That is sacred territory, among many who are true R&B aficionados and it did him in. His choice to perform a song so closely identified with a singer makes me believe he got some bad advice from the AI folks on song selection. Also, he was one of the few real amateurs in the competition this year and that worked against him.

David Hernandez, again bad press kind of did him in. Although a disastrous first performance on the big stage didn’t help. I just think he was more at home with the older R&B stuff. That’s where his vocal abilities came through. I do think he took a risk by moving around so much during “I Saw Her Standing There” and unfortunately it came off like a Broadway number. Actually I could kind of see him on Broadway.

Ramiele Malubay, I loved the quality of her voice, I just think she was over matched as a performer by this years contestants. She, like Chikezie, is what Idol used to be about, undiscovered talent. But now, there is no time to grow as a performer week to week. You have to be ready day one. Ramiele was getting progressively better at commanding the stage but she ran out of time. I also think she was not showcased at all by the show. This is one tool Idol uses to help the viewers pick the winner that AI really wants to see. Little tricks like lighting, camera angles and wardrobe make some look ready for the big time and some look like talent show participants. Ramiele’s wardrobe was horrific, I know she is short but they dressed her like a twelve year old. Nothing she wore gave you the impression that she was ready for the big time.

So who are my top three, well right now they are the two Davids’ Archuleta, and Cook, and with both Carly and Brooke already taking a turn in the bottom three it’s a toss up but I’ll pick Brooke for the last spot in the final three. I really think this year will be the first all male final. I’m not picking a winner yet but all the stars are aligned for his name to be David.