Top 12 Preview

So now that we've finally got out Top 12 and the competition gets intense, I think we should take a moment to discuss each individual performer and find out how they're going to do in the competition. Here's my take on this season's Top 12 (in alphabetical order).

Amanda - This year's resident "rocker chick" has had a rough start on Idol already. She's been in the bottom 2 and hasn't had the best critiques from the judges. I feel like she's a one-trick pony and is going to have a really hard time navigating through the various themes each week (can you imagine her singing Gloria Estefan week?) While she brings something very different to the stage I don' t see that carrying her all the way through to the finals. She's already shown that she's pretty vulnerable so I don't see her lasting too much longer. She might do well with Beatles this week but after that it'll be tough.

Brooke - She has actually surprised me. After seeing all the women that made it I thought Brooke was going to get squeezed out because her vocals just aren't as strong as others'. She's got a really nice voice but there isn't a lot of power behind it. She's definitely more of a folky type singer. However, what has really made her stand out (and move towards the front of the pack) is her risks with the songs. The last two weeks she's shown some creativity in arranging songs that would normally not work for her. However, the new arrangements really worked for her and has won over some new fans (myself included). If she can keep bringing the fresh new "coffee-house" vibe to old songs she might go pretty far.

Carly - She is easily the best female vocalist left in terms of power and ease. There is no question that she can sing. However, she has yet to really connect with a song and/or the audience. She just walks up, sings the song, and walks off. If there was no backstory about her previous appearance on Idol or about her record deal we'd know nothing about Carly and would get nothing out of her performances. Also, this blandness isn't just solely on the show. I have her first album and it's pretty easy to see why it didn't sell. The songs are very generic (they don't even have singable hooks) and her voice carries no emotion on them. I think she's going to need to develop some kind of personality when she sings or she's going to go home sooner than anyone thought (could she be our surprise elimination this year?).

Chikezie - I'll be honest, I don't like Chikezie at all. From the first elimination week I thought he was horrible and was surprised he made past that round. His second week wasn't that much better. His third week bored me. I find myself tuning out everytime he's on screen. He has no charisma, his voice sounds exactly like Ruben's (another one who bored me to tears), and he's trying to show some personality by mouthing off to the judges (but always at the wrong time so it looks awkward). After being so close to being eliminated already, I don't see him staying around much longer.

David A. - What is there to say about David that hasn't been said already? This guy is clearly the one to beat. He has a fantastic voice that shows more maturity than most of the contestants left. Plus, he really knows how to get into the emotion of a song and really make you take notice and listen to what he's saying. And then there's his adorable smile and innocent attitude towards everything in the competition. Maybe it's real, maybe it's all an act but right now he's got America in the palm of his hand and we're all just waiting to see what he does each week. The question people are going to have is has he peaked too early with his rendition of "Imagine" or is there more to come? If he doesn't make it into the finals it'll probably be the biggest shock in Idol history.

David C. - Like Brooke, I think David C. has really grown in the last three weeks. When I first saw him I thought he was good but he was definitely a Chris Daughtry wannabe. Each week he got a little bit better until finally last week he blew everyone away with his emo-rock retelling of "Hello". That made stop and take notice about what he was doing to the song and I loved it (as did everyone else). What we need to find out now was if that was just a fluke or a promise of things to come. If it's the latter then we're in for a great ride.

David H. - I'm so happy that David made it into the Top 12 because I honestly didn't think he would. When I saw him in Hollywood Week I fell in love with his vocals. I wasn't disappointed when he started in the Top 24. When he sang the 2nd week I knew that he had finally made it on the radar and would sail through into the Top 12. He has such a strong voice that he can belt out the power ballads but still show off subtle emotion from verse to verse. I think he's hugely talented and should make pretty far down the stretch.

Jason - He is a complete enigma to me. I don't understand while everyone likes him so much. I thought his first performance was ok but it didn't blow me away. Neither did his 2nd. His third was alright but having never heard the song I wasn't sure why everyone liked it so much. Now that I've heard the original version I do have to give him props because that song really came out of nowhere and he nailed it. I do find him interesting though because I keep getting the sense that he just decided to try out on a whim one day and suddenly found himself on the biggest show on the planet. Sometimes he looks like he's just thinking "how the hell did I get here?". I can really see Jason being the quiet guy that no one notices until the dust suddenly settles and he's in the finals. He's going to be one to keep an eye on.

Kristy - The sole survivor of the "4 Bland Blondes". Initially I thought the 4 Bland Blondes were going to make it into the Top 12 but instead it looks like they all split the votes and took each other out. With Kristy left standing she has a lot on her shoulders to make sure the blondes get further along. Her country voice is pleasant to listen to however, Kristy has turned into a blond robot right in front of our eyes. She has no personality(both when she performs and when she's being interviewed). She really needs to step out of her shell when she's performing or she'll go home pretty quickly as well.

Michael - He has become the most frustrating contestant for me this year. When I saw his initial audition I thought he was fantastic and would bring something new and different to the competition. However, since then I have been completely underwhelmed by him. All of his performances have failed to catch my attention or spark any kind of interest. That's what makes it so frustrating, because we've all seen the potential that he has and know that when he finally nails it, it's going to be awesome. However, wanting that and not delivering each week will get tiresome very quickly. He really needs to pull something out of his hat really soon or he's going to be left behind by the Davids.

Ramiele - I so did not want to like Ramiele because I was scared she was going to be another Jasmine (and we've already been through one). However, this little spitfire has (thankfully) proven me wrong. I think she might be female to beat. She has a great personality, she has great stage presence, and she has a powerful voice. As long as she keeps picking good songs that fit her style I think she will do really well in the competition.

Syesha - She is very hit or miss. Syesha has a fantastic voice and reminds me very much of Nadia Turner from Season 4. However, she has a tendency to pick bad (or overdone) songs. She needs to stay away from Whitney or Celine and really try to bring something new to the double because otherwise people are going to get tired of her really quickly.

So those are my thoughts about this Top 12. I do think they're one of the most talented bunch we've had so far. However, based on the last three weeks, I still think that Season 5 was the best Top 12. It'll be very interesting to see what happens tomorrow night now that we can finally compare them against each other. I'm looking forward to it.

If I was to make a prediction right now, here's how it would shake out for me.

12. Chikezie
11. Kristy
10. Amanda
9. Syesha
8. Michael
7. Jason
6. David C.
5. Brooke
4. David H.
3. Carly
2. Ramiele
1. David A.