Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Top 7 of Gabby Samone, Mattie Pruitt, John Foster, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis (ABC Photo)

Next up on American Idol: two nights of Disney music.

And by the time the Sunday and Monday episodes end, American Idol will have a final three for Season 23.

If it seems like Idol has had more Sunday-Monday episodes back to back this season, that’s because it has.

But that’s a good thing. When Idol got a later start this year (early March as opposed to mid-February), I feared it would mean less live shows and fewer chances to vote.

Instead, Idol added an extra two Monday episodes to the end of the season.

Which is just splendid, because it means at least one of the spring singing shows still has some sense of legitimacy.

And, yep, that’s a none too subtle swipe at The Voice, which deserves to get trounced in the ratings by Idol for an additional two weeks.

Enough griping. Let’s move on to ranking a very talented American Idol Top 7.

Song by song grades for the Top 8
Song by song grades for the Top 10

1. Thunderstorm Artis, 29, Nashville, Tenn. (1): I don’t think Thunderstorm will win American Idol. Too many people seem to resent the fact that he made the finals on The Voice and is now on another singing show. But I’m keeping him at number 1. Why? On paper, Thunderstorm singing Journey looks … well, not so appealing. Then Thunderstorm flips “Faithfully” on its head, making it a tribute to wife Faith in one of the more touching moments on Idol this season.

2. Jamal Roberts, 26, Meridian, Miss. (2): I do believe Jamal has a good shot at making the finals. His emotional performance of “I Believe” on Monday should have boosted his prospects. Folks, it’s not a great song. But, like Fantasia, Jamal turned it into a worthy listen, as he’s done time after time on the Idol stage.

3. John Foster, 18, Addis, La. (4): Singing a country ballad on Monday should have bolstered John’s chances among Idol’s country-loving fan base. Revealing he has a girlfriend named Brooklyn … perhaps not quite so much. Just joking. Unless I miss my guess, this guy is finals bound too.

4. Breanna Nix, 25, Denton, Texas (6): She flubbed some lyrics Monday night and still delivered one of my favorite vocals of the night. And one of my favorite moments from Sunday’s show was when Carrie Underwood said her performance was diva-like and Breanna cracked a bemused smile, as in, ‘Me? A diva?’ You gotta know moms all of the country are voting for this young woman every night Idol is televised.

5. Gabby Samone, 22, Baltimore, Md. (5): She is Idol’s diva-in-the-making and she was ascending nicely until her “Hero” stumble on Monday. The judges said they were impressed. I thought it was easily Gabby’s weakest performance since voting started. I’ve also been disappointed by her predictable song choices. With a spot in the finals no where near guaranteed, Gabby should be looking to shock viewers with a shockingly good song no one would ever expect her to sing.

6. Slater Nalley, 17, Atlanta, Ga. (7): I have a hard time gauging Slater’s level of fan support. He donned a cowboy hat last week and a red cowboy shirt with white fringe Monday, but he’s not really a country artist. His voice cuts through on everything he sings, but he’s most effective doing originals, something the theme weeks prohibit. Slater + Disney doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven, but we’ll see what happens.

7. Mattie Pruitt, 16, Engleville, Tenn. (8): She needed the judges’ save to make it to the Top 7 and, honestly, I thought she might be eliminated Sunday, when Kolbi and Canaan went home. An emotional ballad helped her that night. Part of me would suggest that route again. Another part of me would advise Mattie just to have fun and cut loose in what might be the final appearance of an impressive run on the show for someone who just turned 16.