Here’s my power list for this week. Looking back on last week’s lists is downright embarrassing, but I’m giving it another shot!
UPDATE: Btw, I touched base with my Dress Rehearsal spy! She’s definitely on for tonight!
Rolling Stones week should work out well for Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, and Lee Dewyze, who have all demonstrated an ability to rock. Siobhan Magnus, that little chameleon, will probably make “Paint it Black” her own.
If some of the troubled contestants like Didi Benami, Paige Miles or Andrew Garcia raise their game, we could have a contest. I’m holding out hope for this season, still.
My power list after the jump. What’s yours?
- Crystal Bowersox – Queen Bowersox remains in the lead and should stay there until the backlash begins. OK, hopefully there won’t be a backlash. I’d be very happy with a Bowersox win, but Idol history has shown that it can be difficult for a front-runner to maintain her status til the bitter end. Still, Crystal has a fabulous voice, confidence and stage presence–qualities that the rest of the field only has in parts.
- Siobhan Magnus – Siobhan, queen of the quirky girls, has a huge voice, and seems able to sing anything, from operetta to classic rock. Sometimes, her vocals are unwieldy and, at the age of 20, Siobhan hasn’t developed an artistic identity yet–she’s a bit of a cipher. But her ability to traverse genres may allow her to ace theme weeks, where others might falter.
- Michael Lynche – Michael entered the semi’s with a guitar and a neo-soul vibe that didn’t impress the judges much. Switching to a more traditional R&B vibe earned him the votes, and the judges praise. He’s #3 right now, because he’s the guy with the confidence and the enthusiastic support of the judges. If the themes d0n’t trip him up, he could go deep into the competition.
- Casey James – Casey has been performing well, but the judges have been kinda tough on him. He’s got confidence, a pleasing country twang and impressive guitar skills, whether it be acoustic or electric country/blues/rock. He should do well with this week’s Rolling Stone’s theme.
- Lee Dewyze – I like Lee’s raspy rock vocals, but his performance skills need some work. He’s not comfortable in front of the cameras–but that can change. Lee could blossom as the competition progresses. I thought he might get eliminated last week because he performed first, and got meh critiques from the judges. But Stones week is this rocker dude’s week to lose. I expect he’ll do well.
- Didi Benami – Let’s see if Didi can stay on track this week after last week’s impressive performance of “Rhiannon.” I wasn’t surprised that she survived the blood bath last week, and I’m not mad that she did. She could be one of the saving graces of the season, because she’s got potential, she just needs to stay on the right track now.
- Andrew Garcia – Andrew has got to get back on track soon, or his fan capital will be spent. If he manages to pull out a good performance that pleases the judges this week, he could be good for several more weeks. If he stays back on track, he could go very very deep. However, I’m not sure Andrew is anything more than a one-trick pony who has exhausted all his tricks. We’ll see.
- Paige Miles – I actually had Paige 6th in my power list last week, and believed she’d make it into the Top 12…until she laid that big rotten egg called “Smile”. I thought that was a performance nobody could survive, even a contestant who wasn’t splitting votes. With vote splitting still going on between the girls and some of the boys (Aaron and Tim are probably splitting the tween vote), I think Paige, who’s got the R&B female thing all wrapped up, will survive at least for awhile. If Paige had been eliminated last week, it would have been the first Top 12 without an African American female. It was not meant to be.
- Aaron Kelly – In a recent interview with USA Today, Idol musical director, Michael Orland vouched for Aaron’s musicality, and is expecting him to blossom in the competition. I’ll believe it when I see it. So far, he’s proven to be a talented karaoke singer, who could benefit from some voice lessons. He doesn’t connect to the songs he’s singing, and could use a few more years experience. But what do I know. I’ve got him 9th, but he may be able to coast on his youth and likability. I hope not.
- Katie Stevens – Like Aaron, Katie is also advancing despite some gnarly vocal performances. I think she’s splitting votes with Lacey and Didi, and could survive them both. I fully expect Katie to make the tour.
- Tim Urban – I choose to believe that Tim barely survived last week, and that he’s finally coming to the end of the road. Talent wise, I think he’s the worst out of this bunch, except for maybe Katie and Aaron–but they have youth as an excuse, and more room for growth. Please judges, stop giving Tim easy critiques. He needs to go HOME.
- Lacey Brown – Lacey wouldn’t be the worst singer here, not at all. But she’s the least memorable. I’m still trying to figure out how she survived last week. She gave her best performance of the semis, but it was still somewhat forgettable. Where were all the pity votes for Katelyn when the judges dissed her performance? Lilly has always had problems connecting with the audience, but I thought the pimp spot would save her. Lacey, Didi and perhaps Katie are all fighting for the same middle position, and I think this could be the week Lacey loses out to vote splitting.
