Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Top 7 including, from left, Gabby Barrett, Cade Foehner, Jurnee, Caleb Lee Hutcinson, Maddie Poppe, Michael J. Woodard and Catie Turner. (ABC Photo)

The members of American Idol’s Top 7 will each take the stage twice Sunday night.

Once, they’ll sing a song associated with Prince. Once, they’ll sing a song from their birth year.

I like the second theme a whole lot better than the first because of the flexibility it offers.

I mean, every member of the Top 7 should be able to select a well-known song from the year they were born that fits their musical tastes.

A Prince song? Well, Caleb Lee Hutchinson is singing “When Doves Cry.” At least it isn’t “Little Red Corvette,” which, curiously, isn’t be covered by anyone.

Here’s this week’s rankings. Two singers go home at the end of the night, leaving the show with a Top 5. And, yep, voting will once again be live.

1. Gabby Barrett, 18, Pittsburgh, Pa. (1): So, each week Spotify prepares a playlist of new music for me based on the artists I’ve listened to in the past. Last Saturday, I’m listening to that playlist and a very, very good country song came on. Curious, I glanced at the playlist. It was “Somethin’ Good,” an original Gabby released last year. Yet another example of how ready she is.

2. Cade Foehner, 22, Shelbyville, Texas (2): Singing a ballad last week was a smart show of diversity on the part of Cade, who had been rocking out in each and every Idol performance. For his Prince choice, he’ll cover “Jungle Love.” My hunch is he’ll be doing the Steve Miller version, not the Morris Day version.

3. Catie Turner, 18, Langhorne, Pa. (3): Though she remains entrenched at number three in my rankings for a third straight week, I would not bet a single penny against Catie winning American Idol Season 16. The latest indication of her popularity: As of Thursday, Her Disney Week cover of “Once Upon a Dream” had been viewed 1.1 million times on YouTube. The only Top 7 contestant close to that figure: Jurnee, with 936,000 views.

4. Jurnee, 18, Littleton, Colo. (5): The Prince theme offers her a chance to flourish where others might struggle. Her Prince song choice (“Kiss”) offers her a chance to re-introduce us to the budding pop star we met when she performed “Bang Bang” during the Top 14 show. Jurnee is the only member of the Top 7 to be voted through after needing a judge’s save the previous week.

5. Caleb Lee Hutchinson, 19, Dallas, Ga. (4): If Caleb can pull off “When Doves Cry” — and there are some acoustic versions on YouTube — it’ll be a feather in his cap. For his birth year turn, he needs a show-stopper, something that launches him from “wow, he’s always good” to “wow, he could be in the finals” status.

6. Maddie Poppe, 20, Clarkesville, Iowa (7): Maddie lands here because Idol fans have always underappreciated talented female singer-songwriters (see Crystal Bowersox, Season 9 as exhibit A). Plus, she showed us how how special she could be with her “Homeward Bound” performance on the Top 14 show and hasn’t quite recaptured that magic since.

7. Michael J. Woodard, 20, Los Angeles, Calif.: I still think this spot should have gone to Dennis Lorenzo. Michael’s got a great attitude and a great voice. He’s also often difficult to understand at times and simply hasn’t mastered the art of stage presence, which would seem key to judges who keep insisting they’re looking for more than a great voice.