Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jamal Roberts delivering another standout performance on American Idol Sunday night. (ABC Photo)

Well, I guess I’d better revise my picks for a Top 14 on American Idol since two of them — Kyana Fanene and MKY — were already eliminated.

The great news is that Sunday’s episode of American Idol featured a long list of performances I’d watch again purely for fun.

That certainly wasn’t the case after the Top 24 shows. In fact, those episodes had me wondering if this season’s American Idol cast was as good as advertised.

They looked and sounded like it Sunday. And while my Top 14 haven’t changed, we’re starting to see some singers emerge or solidify their status as front-runners.

If Idol follows the format from recent seasons, the Top 10 vote-getters will automatically advance tonight. The other singers will perform, hoping to secure one of four saves from the judges.

Without further ado, here are my selections for that Top 14.

See also …
Song by song grades for the Top 20
The story behind John Foster’s heartfelt tribute

The front-runners

Breanna Nix
Canaan James Hill
Jamal Roberts
Slater Nalley
Thunderstorm Artis

No idea what the judges were trying to tell Thunderstorm Sunday night. The guy’s a pro at delivering a song; Idol need not foist some phony growth arc on his performances. If she keeps performing the way she has been, I’ll be shocked if Breanna doesn’t make the Top 5.

Too solid to send home

Drew Ryn
Mattie Pruitt
Victor Solomon

Victor is flat-out one heck of a performer. The performances from Drew and Mattie have flattened a bit. They need to prove they didn’t peek too soon.

Rising fast

Gabby Samone
John Foster
Desmond Roberts

John ignored all the belting going on around him and delivered the night’s most stirring performance. Gabby’s sprinkled in stardust and seems surprised by the reaction she’s getting, which makes her more appealing. I have no idea how Desmond can sound so good when he’s moving so much.

Some musical diversity please

Olivier Bergeron
Zaylie Windsor

Olivier is getting better and better with each performance. I love Zaylie’s tone. I fear she won’t make the Top 14. If she does, she’d do very well to completely ignore Luke advice about picking songs where she can go big with her vocals. If she wants to stand out among this group, going soft and delivering emotion would be a much wiser route.

On the bubble

Amanda Barise

I remain much less impressed than the judges by some of the belters among the Season 23 cast. Deliver emotion along with the big notes, and I’ll buy in. Serve up sauce with no substance, and I’m out. This isn’t The Voice, where the best vocalist is supposed to win. This is Idol, and the goal should be to deliver a performances fan will love.

That would mean the elimination of …

Baylee Littrell
Che Chesterman
Filo
Isaiah Misailegalu
Josh King
Kolbi Jordan