Touted to be the season with the most talent in recent seasons the top 12 contestants are finally out, which turns out most of them had been signed by labels and had released records before. I thought American Idol was about discovering unearthed diamonds? Anyway after 3 weeks of catching the semis here's a quick sum up:The Guys
The most impressive of the guys would have to be the three Davids - Cook, Hernandez and Archuleta. Cook is the "Daughtry" his season while David "The Stripper" Hernandez has versatility across genres. I'm just slightly worried about Archuleta though - he might have peaked too early. On the other hand Chikezie has the friendly-but-boring personality while Jason Castro lacks stage presence once without his guitar. Can't fault their vocals but AI is about the complete package.
The greatest disappointment in my opinion is Michael Johns. After being so impressive with this rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody during Hollywood Week he has been giving consistent but lukewarm performances when he was expected to 'wow' everyone.
The Girls
Syesha Mercado and Amanda Overmyer just screams alot during their performance although at least the latter packs a strong distinct personality. Carly Smithson and Ramiele Malubay are the power belters this season and being power belters they will go far into the competition. Kristy Lee Cook pales in comparison to the others in terms of vocals but she is the prettiest among them. Plus she is going the country way so that might work to her advantage. Brooke White has that genuine folksy voice (which reminded me of the likes of Sheryl Crow and Jewel) and proves you don't have to belt songs all the time to have a good performance.
Favourites: David Cook, Brooke White