Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Garrett Jacobs performs during the pre-taped semifinals on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Do you like what you’ve heard from the Top 12 guys on American Idol?

If so, you’re in luck, because you can easily hear more. Six of the 12 male singers still in the competition have already released music.

Next up for the talented dozen: The Season 16 semifinals when take place over the next two weeks.

Each of the next two Sunday episodes of Idol will feature 12 singers performing solo with a hope of nailing down a spot in the finals.

The Monday night shows will feature celebrity duets. More on the celebrities later.

For now, let’s recap which 12 guys will be competing in the semifinals. And who’s already released music.

This Sunday on Idol, we’ll be hearing from Cade Foehner, Trevor McBane, Dominique, Dennis Lorenzo, Michael J. Woodard, Brandon Diaz and Johnny Brenns.

Ada Vox (aka Adam Sanders), 24, San Antonio, Texas, entertainer

You’ll remember him as: The young man who made it to the Top 50 of Idol Season 12 as Adam and has returned for Season 16 as drag queen Ada Vox.
Released music: No
Assessment: When Adam showed up minus Ada for the Green Mile, it raised the question of whether he’d advance as Adam or Ada. Well, judging from photos of the pre-taped Top 24 round, Ada is back. That performance of “Creep” in the showcase round was pretty special.

Brandon Diaz, 21, Ashburn, Va., college student

You’ll remember him as: You might not. Among the guys in the Top 12, he and Dominique Posey are the singers who’ve gotten the least screen time.
Released music: It doesn’t appear so.
Assessment: He showed off a brilliant falsetto in the blind auditions. And the Berklee student has plenty of performing experience; he fronts Brandon Diaz ‘N Soul, which he describes as a progressive R&B/funk group.

Cade Feohner, 21, Shelbyville, Texas, college student

You’ll remember him as: The long-haired rocker who has a dream catcher attached to the end of his guitar. He’s a former rodeo rider too.
Released music: He recorded music with Johnson’s Lost Crowes, which you can hear on Reverbnation, but the band doesn’t appear to have released it to iTunes.
Assessment: Singing show performances don’t get much better than Cade’s cover of “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man in Hollywood or his version of “No Good” by Kaleo in the showcase round.

Caleb Lee Hutchinson, 18, Dallas, Ga., musician

You’ll remember him as: The guy who does a good imitation of Luke Bryan and says he comes from “a family of great listeners to music.”
Released music: Yep, a five-track 2016 EP called “Country Music.”
Assessment: No heart-wrenching back-story for Caleb. Just nice, deep, soothing country vocals that will delight the show’s fans of the genre.

Dennis Lorenzo, 26, Philadelphia, Pa., singer:

You’ll remember him as: The singer whose dad was murdered on the streets of Philly when he was young. Dennis says he was headed down the wrong path to until his grandparents gave him a guitar when he was 16. He’s relocated to L.A. where he was homeless for a while.
Released music: Yep, a five-track 2017 EP called “Dennis Lorenzo Unplugged” with a very much singer-songwriter feel.
Assessment: That showcase performance of “A Song for You” came off as classy, professional and featured an excellent vocal.

Dominique (Posey), 26, Birmingham, Ala., legal secretary

You’ll remember him as: He’s the legal secretary who gave all the judges goosebumps with his audition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.”
Released music: It doesn’t appear so.
Asssessment: His audition was excellent, but as is the case with Brandon, we’ve hadn’t seen many of Dominique’s performances.

Garrett Jacobs, 17, Bossier City, La., high school student

You’ll remember him as: The young man who FaceTimed his grandmom, “Honey,” after earning his golden ticket.
Released music: No
Assessment: Remember, a white guy with guitar won eight of the last nine season of Idol on FOX, and this 6-foot-3 high school football player has major heartthrob potential.

Jonny Brenns, 18, St. Augustine, Fla., college student

You’ll remember him as: The young man who auditioned without his family’s knowledge and has struggled to get his father’s acceptance when it comes to pursuing music.
Released music: Yep, a five-track singer-songwriter EP called “Myriad,” and singles “Chase the Sun” and “Blue Jeans.”
Assessment: He auditioned with “Blue Jeans” and was oh-so-impressive on day one of Hollywood when he performed “Somebody Else” by The 1975.

Marcio Donaldson, 28, Compton, Calif., server

You’ll remember him as: The young man who opted to take care of his sister’s son rather than see the baby put in “the system.”
Released music: Yep, an EP called “24” in 2013.
Assessment: Dude is talented, but needs to turn off the waterworks. How will he ever make it through a concert if he cries at the end of every song?

Michael J. Woodard, 20, Philadelphia, Pa., bowling alley attendant

You’ll remember him as: The young man who described himself as “awkward” prior to his audition. Katy described him as “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and it’s beautiful.”
Released music: On iTunes or Spotify, only a years-old cover of “Closer.”
Assessment: He’s not quite the musical ingénue the show has implied. At age 14, he won a televised competition called “Majors and Minors” that featured Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson and Jordan Sparks as mentors. Vocally, he’s done well every time he’s been featured.

Ron Bultongez, 21, Plano, Texas, entreprenuer

You’ll remember him as: The young man whose family came to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa to flee the civil war there.
Released music: Yep, a five-song EP called “Thank You Plano” and a pair of singles, “I Don’t Understand” (2016) and “New Cycles” (2017).
Assessment: It looked like the classic case of back-story better than talent until he turned in a sublime cover of Phillip Phillips’ “Home” for his Hollywood finale.

Trevor McBane, 22, Savanna, Okla., goat farmer

You’ll remember him as: The young man who runs a goat farm with his 81-year-old grandmother and named his calf Simon Cow.
Released music: Yep. He’s lead singer for a band called Consider the Raven that released a three-track EP in 2016.
Assessment: He’s unmistakable with that beard and all-black attire, but we haven’t heard much of him lately. He showed off a nice rasp when he auditioned.

Ron Bultongez during the pre-taped semifinals on American Idol. (NBC Photo)