Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Top 10 of (front row, from left) Julia Gagnon, Emmy Russell, Jack Blocker, Kayko, Kabrienne; (back row, from left) Will Moseley, Triston Harper, Abi Carter, McKenna Breinholt and Mia Matthews (ABC Photo)

An incredibly talented Top 10 return to the stage Sunday and Monday on American Idol.

On Sunday, all 10 will sing songs from their birth years. On Monday, a Top 8 will sing a song picked for them by one of the Idol judges.

Voting will be live again both nights via text, the Idol app and the Idol website.

Here’s how I’m ranking that Top 10. Last week’s ranking for each contestant is in parenthesis.

1. Triston Harper (2), 15, McIntosh, Alabama: Triston delivered an incredibly fun performance of “Heartbreak Hotel” on Top 14 night, then came back with a heartfelt tribute to his girlfriend on Top 12 night. Impressive versatility. Especially for age 15. The fact that he’s consistenty doing so well at such a young age is endearing him to fans.

2. Will Moseley (1), 23, of Hazelhurst, Ga.: Back in Season 7, David Archuleta, the guy on the Idol stage Monday, was the young phenom. Season 7 champ David Cook counterbalanced that with unique arrangements of some surprisingly song choices. Will might want to follow a similar strategy. “Night Moves” and his Chris Stapleton cover were solid. But if the goal is to win this thing, they seemed too safe.

3. Abi Carter (4), 21, Indio, Calif.: Realizing head-banging isn’t her forte, Abi sat behind her piano on rock night and delivered a dazzling cover of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” It was one of the week’s best peformances, one worth watching over and over again. And she followed it up with another lovely vocal on Monday. Katy Perry’s response summed it up: “It’s always been you.”

4. Kabrienne (3), 20, Henefer, Utah: She slips a spot from last week through no fault of her own. Her Monday performance of “Wrecking Ball” was especially impressive. If she keeps picking songs that emphasize the rasp and the ache in her voice, and goes a little Kayko crazy on stage, Idol’s princess of angst could find herself in the Season 22 finale.

5. Julia Gagnon (8), 21, Cumberland, Maine: Katy Perry declared that Julia “is back in it.” She never left, of course, but Julia had an especially strong week, scoring one of the top three performances Sunday and the absolute best on Monday (“Something in Orange.”) She might stand out even more with Jayna and Nya gone. Because no one left in the Top 10 can belt like Julia.

6. Mia Matthews (6), 18, Centre, Ala.: I have an inkling that Mia’s popularity is surging. And she certainly looked like a star this week. Could she turn the country showdown I’m anticipating in the finale into a three-way country showdown? I wouldn’t rule it out because her classic country sound is setting her apart in a crowded singer-songwriter field.

7. McKenna Breinholt (5), 25, of Gilbert, Ariz.: The judges did their best to gloss it over, but McKenna’s typically lovely vocals suffered mightily as a result of her illness last week. Hopefully, she’s back to full voice by the time Sunday rolls around. I’d hate to see the Idol outcome of someone so talented affected by something she can’t control.

8. Kayko (9), 23, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: Vocally, Kayko probably delivered the night’s least impressive performance Monday. And no one cared because he was a whirlwind of energy on stage and so much fun to watch covering “Somebody That I Used to Know.” It’s not often that you’ll see Idol’s judges rush the stage and embrace a contestant.

9. Emmy Russell (7), 24, Nashville, Tenn.: Her delicate, intimate vocals are a treat for the ears. But it’s time for Emmy to believe she belongs. And she’s going to have to do it without singing originals because the themes won’t accommodate them on Sunday or Monday.

10. Jack Blocker (10), 25, Dallas, Texas: Always solid never flashy, Jack keeps surprising me with his performances and his popularity. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it again. But I suspect it will take his two best performance yet to make it into the Top 7.

See also …
Song by song grades for the Top 14
Song by song grades for the Top 12