I like Danny Gokey and I was pleased to hear that he is touring with Sugarland. It’s a terrific opportunity for him. I had kinda worried about what genre of music Danny would get into. I think that he chose wisely. Several Idol singers have done well in country music. Danny is the perfect, corny guy for the job. With his voice and personality he should be around for many years.
There were no surprise eliminations this week. Michelle, Haeley, John and Jermaine left. I had all of them in my bottom three for their respective genders. There will be some drama next week. While the other bottom three contestants (Lacey Brown and Tim Urban) will most likely be on the chopping block, they will have to lose two others to make up the final 12. Here are this week’s power rankings:
16:Lacey Brown– She has been on the short list to get ousted since Hollywood Week, and she is a very long shot to make it past next week. Her voice isn’t strong enough to keep up with the stiffening competition, but she has survived well past what I would have expected. Good for you, kiddo.
15:Tim Urban– He seems to have a good fan base, but I don’t see him surviving next week either. He did a safe song this week and was barely holding it together. He is a good candidate for a train wreck next week.
14:Alex Lambert– It’s going to be hard for him to follow up this week’s performance. He has a top five voice but he is still green as hell. He is another candidate for a train wreck, but if he can hold it together he might shoot up in the rankings.
13:Katelyn Epperly– Like Alex she will have a rough time backing up this week’s performance. Unlike Alex she doesn’t have a distinctive voice to fall back on. She is more polished, but she is as likely to be boring as she is to be amazing.
12:Todrick Hall- Idol lost three of their five black singers this week, which might help him next week. I like his creativity, but he needs to sing better and try to get on the good side of the judges.
11:Katie Stevens– She is having an identity crisis not of her own making. The judges don’t know what to think about her, and they keep blaming her for it. I can see some confusion creeping in, and that can’t be good for a teenager that suffers from nerves as much as she does.
10:Didi Benami– She is showing Lil Rounds nerves and confusion. I believe that she felt very good about her “Lean on Me” performance, and was honestly shocked and discouraged when she got hammered by the judges for the second straight week. She needs a strong performance next week, and even more importantly she needs some positive feedback from the judging table. It’s not too late for her to get back in the mix, but she is sliding badly.
9:Michael Lynche– He’ll coast until he’s up against the best singers, then he’s toast. I have him at nine, but I actually expect that he’ll make it up into the five-seven range before he is ousted. I have him this low because I don’t believe that he has any shot at all of winning, while the contestants above him have at least a punchers chance.
8:Paige Miles- With the lack of dominating contenders she might be a late developing darkhorse. She is a wild card who could win, or be out of it next week. She might also get some support from the voters that were disenfranchised in tonight’s “Black Singer Massacre”.
7:Soibhan Magnus– No longer a dark horse, Sha-Von is a contender for the top five and almost a lock for the tour. Her largest problem is her lack of stage polish. She is more polished than someone like Alex, but she is far from a professional. She is a wild talent, and she grows on me more and more every week.
6:Aaron Kelly- Like Mike he will probably coast into the top 10 before it gets hard for him. Unlike Mike he has enough voice to give himself a shot at making it to May.
5:Lilly Scott– She needs to perform better, but her niche is a strong one. If she can find a good arrangement (for once) she is very capable of having a “moment”, and announcing herself as a true threat for the title. Her voice isn’t nearly as strong asCrystal’s, so she needs to effectively use her quirky stylings to out finesse her. Kris Allen did it last year, so you never know.
4:Casey James– If his voice was a little bit better he could win this in a walk. I fear that Casey will have some rough weeks as the show moves past the tour line and gets serious. It’s not a lock that he will outfinish Mike.
3:Lee Dewyze- If he had Casey’s charisma HE would win it in a walk. Lee has had too many pitch problems for me to feel comfortable about him, but his voice stands out in the crowd.
2:Andrew Garcia– The best combo, and the most well rounded of the males. I don’t worry about the last couple of weeks, not yet. I am expecting a command performance next week.
1:Crystal Bowersox– Not just the favorite; at this point she stands alone at the top. She is the only contestant that hasn’t had any pitch problems, and the only contestant that has shown the ability to change gears organically and consistently. She has the best voice, and the most control over her voice. She is the one contestant that is most likely to do something amazing at any time.
