The time for American Idol viewers to take the reins and start voting for America's favorite singer is here, and here are the 24 people who will begin vying for those votes.
Out of eight previous American Idol winners, there have been four guys and four girls. Who will break the tie this year, the men or the women?
If the contestants stay true to who they were during Hollywood week, my vote will go to one of the girls. While many of the male contestants are extremely talented, I fear a trend has developed within the last few seasons of American Idol. Many of the males are too similar to previous American Idol winners and favorites.
Most of the guys either remind me of Chris Allen, David Cook, or Chris Daughtry. One sounds like Ruben Studdard, two have styles similar to Danny Gokey, and one is a stand out for me.
Among the girls, however, there are four with unique styles. That will be a refreshing change of pace for me this season. All of them are fantastic singers, but we know that there are many other reasons voters have for choosing their favorites.
The Guys
Aaron Kelly and Alex Lambert remind me of Chris Allen, while Aaron also reminds me of David Archuleta.
Andrew Garcia is sort of a more laid back Danny Gokey. Casey will be the rocker for the guys this year but I think he will have to step it up to gain the popularity of Chris Daughtry during his run on the show in season five.
Early on in the American Idol auditions, I wrote down Jermaine Sellers because I loved his voice. He reminds me of a younger Stevie Wonder. I look forward to seeing him perform songs in the different themes American Idol will choose this year. He is one guy who could stand up to my favorite girls this year.
Lee Dewyze, for me is a cross between Danny Gokey and Chris Daughtry. I liked him at his first audition, but I was not sure about him after the Hollywood auditions. He is another contestant I will have to see more of before deciding one way or the other.
I do not remember Tim Urban, Tyler Grady, Todrick Hall, Joe Munoz, or John Park from their original audition, or during Hollywood week. I will have to wait until they get to perform before drawing any conclusions about these guys.
Michael Lynche reminds me too much of Ruben Studdard. While I believe that Ruben deserved to win in season two, his career did not take off as other Idol winners' have. It is not a reflection on his talent, but I believe it has to do with what music people were listening to at the time he won. He had problems fitting into the music scene, as if they did not know what category to put him in, or what genre would be the best fit. I fear the same thing may happen with Michael Lynche, also extremely talented.
The Girls
I have already picked my top four girls, and they are Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Haeley Vaughn, and Lilly Scott.
Crystal has the power behind her voice without trying to rock it out like a guy. I am not a fan of the girl rockers, with the exception of Carly Smithson, from season 7. I normally do not care for the wild colored-hair, the chains, or the leather. That is just a personal choice, but if the girls who rock have the voice to match the glam, I might change my mind.
The exception to the hair rule is Lilly Scott this year. I love the hair and I love her voice. She is different without being too different.
Didi Benami reminds me only slightly of Brooke White, from season seven. She has a crossover country/pop sound to me, similar to that of my all-time favorite female singer, Olivia Newton John.
Haeley Vaughn is one girl who is different from any contestant I have seen on American Idol. I love her voice, and her confidence, especially given that she is only sixteen years old. One of my favorites in season six, who I thought was in a league of her own among the girls, was Melinda Doolittle. I still cannot figure out what the voters thought Jordan Sparks had that Melinda did not. She also stood up for me that year because the image that she gave off was one of innocent, humble, and not aware of how talented she was. I thought her voice was unbelievable and that no one that year could come close. I am hoping that Haeley becomes the Melinda Doolittle this year. I would love to see her and my other three favorites, in a fight to the finish as the top four finalists, before this season is over.
I cannot say too much about the remaining girls; Janell Wheeler, Lacey Brown, Katie Stevens, Michelle Delamor, Siobhan Morgan, and Paige Miles, except to say I did not get to see enough of them to voice an opinion. I will say that what little I saw of Ashley Rodriguez and Katelyn Epperly, I did not like very much.
I am excited about the upcoming weeks of American Idol, where I will be able to see and judge all of the contestants on their individual performances. I usually stay true to the ones I pick as my favorites from the beginning, to the end of American Idol. I am also excited to see what themes they will choose this year.
I think Ellen is going to add to the charm of American Idol that accounts for its enormous popularity, and I think she will also help to relieve the sting of fans who will miss Paula Abdul, and I am one of them.
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