Well I guess I was wrong last Thursday! Over 52 million votes were cast last week for the Idol TOP 7 and I thought for sure that there would be plenty teenie-boppers voting for Stefano, but that was NOT the case. The bottom 3 of Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone, though not shocking, was a bit of a surprise to me as I thought others deserved the fate of the Bottom 3 more than these three. I was glad to see Haley ushered quickly off the stools by Ryan Seacrest and put to safety on the couch with the others, which left Jacob and Stefano. At that point I was thinking it would be Jacob going home, and that Stefano would move on, but Stefano was sent packing, leaving Jacob to sing another week. So we now have the TOP 6, as we head into a very narrow niche of music for this week's show, the 'Carole King Songbook'.
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| Legendary Singer-Songwriter Carole King |
With all that said, I'll re-rank the TOP 6 based on performances to date and where I think they stand going into this critical and difficult week of the competition:
- James Durbin- I think his stock is rising and surpassed Scotty last week by being more daring and creative with his song choice and overall performance. He could very well struggle if he falls into the trap of 'bad song choice' this week. This will not be an easy week for him!
- Scotty McCreery- A close 2nd but behind James after yet another just OK and very safe performance last week. He should do OK this week.
- Casey Abrams- Not because I think he deserves this spot, but because the judges and Idol continue to pimp him to validate their 'judges save', and he seems to have the following out there in America with the voting. He'll make a Carole King song work this week I'm sure.
- Haley Reinhart- I think her stock is UP, she continues to turn in impressive performances, and she's surpassed Lauren Alaina. In my honest opinion, she is far more talented and a more overall 'balanced' performer on stage than Lauren. I think she'll shine with the right Carole King song, minus too much of the growling, but still keeping it very 'bluesy'.
- Lauren Alaina- I think her stock is falling and she will continue to lose support. She should have been in the Bottom 3 this past week, and although she has not been there yet, I look for her to end up there this week. Song choice is critical for her this week.
- Jacob Lusk- He's had two BOTTOM 3 finishes in a row, and I think his stock is DOWN, so look for him to be in the BOTTOM 3 again this week, tough songbook for him to take on, and I don't think he'll fare well at all come Wednesday night.
OK.....that's my thoughts on the SUPER 6 Idol contestants left. What are your rankings? Who's on TOP of your list? Who do you think will make it to the Finals? Let Eddie Idol know your thoughts. More from EI after the contestants perform on Wednesday night......until then, Eddie Idol is......OUT!
I've thought Scotty McCreery has been the contestant to beat for quite a while now. He's more authentic than any other contestant this year (despite being only 17), and he delivers consistently each week. He may have been 'safe' with his selection last week but it was done extremely well. My big concern for him when he made the top 24 was that he would 'get lost' on the stage and not know how to appeal to the audience, but he figured that out pretty quickly. He does have to worry about the crossover vote, trying to get appeal from fans of other genre, but considering how large the country music base is in the U.S. along with the teenage vote, and he's got some strong natural voting.
ReplyDeleteDurbin is quite talented, but kind of all over the place in the rock genre. I think that confuses some fans; while the judges praise him for his versatility, it makes you wonder what would his album sound like. Randy has said 3 or 4 times this year for Durbin, after he performed radically different songs, 'Dude, that's what your album should be like'. This is where 2011 is missing Simon Cowell, because Simon would question what rock style should we expect from Durbin at this point? I know I don't know; he's very good, but as Eddie Idol points out, song selection is important for him.
Casey is extremely talented; he's not a music style I prefer, and I think he'll lose out in the end because he won't be mainstream enough, but he is very talented. I'd disagree with Eddie Idol on the judges impact on keeping Abrams on the show; America votes for who they like, and really have never followed the judges opinions too much, particularly on praise. I think America does listen to the criticism, but not too much the praise.
I think Durbin, Abrams and McCreery will be the final three (they were in my final four, with Pia, when they started the top 24, so I haven't changed much there).
I see Jacob going home soon, then a toss up between Haley and Lauren. Carole King songs should favor Haley, so if Haley does not do well this week, I will be surprised.
Good points all the way around Ray, and the most sticking point is the Simon Cowell one. Simon is sadly missed for both his constructive and rather blunt criticism. It's much harder for America to vote when we get all the 'loving comments' each and every week from the judges. Rarely do they come down at all on anyone for a mediocre or poor performance. So.....little direction from thoise who are supposed to be 'experts' leads to much confusion for those voting.
ReplyDeleteI do think it will be Durbin vs. McCreery for the finale, and it will be a huge clash of styles. Country boy vs. Rocker, all over the place or not for James, it's east vs. west! Which will be interesting for the voters. Country folks are die-hard loyal, but I think James will get plenty of support from many age groups PLUS the sympathy vote for the disabilities he grew up with and still fights. Let's see how it plays out, starting with a very interesting week of Carole King songs Wednesday night, which could really challenge some folks, and really help some others.