Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jordan McCullough with Ryan Seacrest following his performance Monday night on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Gotta say, I was a little disappointed in American Idol’s Top 12 show.

Every week this season, I’ve been absolutely blown away by at least a couple of performances from the talented Season 24 cast.

Monday night, it didn’t happen once.

Oh, most of the performances were solid. But none were awe inspiring.

I suspect the problem had something to do with the show’s insistence that singers not born until the 21st century sing songs from the 1990s.

When singers are presented with three songs to choose from and don’t know any of those songs, that’s not exactly the recipe for a memorable night of music.

Hopefully, Idol will learn and not repeat that mistake.

This week, the Top 11 sing songs made famous by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Meaning everyone should be able to sing a song they know.

This week’s rankings are as follow. The number in parenthesis shows were the singer was ranked a week ago.

1. Jordan McCullough (1), 27, Murfreesboro, Tenn.: He can sing anything and proved it by tackling a Mariah Carey song Monday night. And he performs everything with passion. You can count on him for a solid performance regardless of theme. Can’t wait to see him rock out.

2. Rae (Boyd) (2), 24, Frederick, Md.: No frigging way she belonged in the bottom two Monday. She’s one of the best singers on the show and loves the stage. If her flamboyant self-confidence is the issue, don’t look for her to change. Wrote Rae after the close call: “Never ever dull your magic and sparkle for anyone.”

3. Hannah Harper (3), 25, Willow Springs, Missouri: Her Monday night performance was her weakest on the show so far. And she still got twice as many video views on it as any other member of the Top 11. In other words, she remains the clear favorite. It ain’t even close.

4. Kyndal (Inskeep) (4), 29, Fishers, Indiana: The judges keep praising Brooks’ magical vocals. How about Kyndal? She has one of the show’s most distinctive voices. A great story-teller, she’s spent the last two weeks demnstrating how well she can command a stage.

5. Keyla Richardson (5), 29, Pensacola, Fla.: She’s received some of the best edits of anyone on the show. Her son’s gotten more airtime than many Top 20 contestants. Fortunately, she’s keeps backing up Idol’s faith with solid performances, including another Monday night.

6. Daniel Stallworth (6), 27, Moss Point, Mississippi: I’m hoping for an unexpected song choice and a superlative performance from Daniel on Monday. I still think he’s one of the most unappreciated members of a very strong Season 24 cast. He delivered one of the top performances Monday night.

7. Philmon Lee (7), 25, LeGrange, Ga.: The vocals were always impressive. But Philmon has stepped up his game over the past two weeks with the help of his fierce stage presence and some help from the Idol wardrobe team. He brought all three judges to their feet Monday night.

8. Lucas Leon (8), 18, Gallatin, Tenn.: Always comfortable on stage in spite of his age, Lucas went country last week and wound up with one of the most-watched performances of the week. With no male country singer on the show this season, that might not be a bad strategy to pursue.

9. Braden Rumfelt (13), 22, Murphy, N.C.: Carrie Underwood said she wanted to listen to his Monday performance again to fairly judge it. Hey, Carrie, it was pretty darn good. The fact that Braden lands this low after that performance is a testament to the talent on the Season 24 cast.

10. Chris Tungseth (10), 27, Fergus Falls, Minn.: I’ve spent most of Season 24 waiting for Chris to deliver the performance that would propel his to front-runner status because he’s a guy who’s very easy to root for. Monday’s performance wasn’t it, and time should be running out.

11. Brooks Rosser (8), 22, Bel Air, Md.: Brooks has an undeniably special voice. But it’s time send him off for lots more performance experience in front of smaller, friendly crowds. He can always audition again when he’s more prepared for the pressure cooker that is American Idol.

See also …
Song by song grades for the Top 12
Most popular performances from the Top 12

Rae reacts to to the judges’ feedback Monday night on American Idol. (ABC Photo)