Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Top 14, including: front row, from left, Nya, Julia Gagnon, Kaibrienne Richins, Abi Carter, Kayko, Mia Matthews, Emmy Russell; back rown, from left, Jayna Elise. Roman Collins, Jordan Anthony, Will Moseley, McKenna Breinholt, Jack Blocker and Tristan Harper. (ABC Photo).

Hasn’t American Idol assembled an incredibly talented Top 14 for Season 22?

I mean, the Sunday and Monday episodes of Idol were chock full of superb performances.

But the sad fact is, the Top 14 will become a Top 10 by the end of Monday night.

Will the reprieve be short-lived for the four singers saved by the judges last week?

Or will Roman Collins, Nya, Jayna Elise or Jordan Anthony do enough to bump out one of the 10 singers voted through?

The Top 14 will sing songs by members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Sunday, then cover Billboard #1 Hits on Monday.

Here’s how Idol Chatter is ranking the Top 14.

1. Will Moseley, 23, of Hazelhurst, Ga.: He’s only been singing for four years. He started singing to improve his guitar skills. But every time he takes the stage, he sounds like a polished pro ready to step into a recording studio and make hit records.

2. Triston Harper, 15, McIntosh, Alabama: Exceptionally talented, extremely likeable and, I believe, destined for a country showdown on May 19 for the Season 22 Idol crown. His Sunday performance of “Hope,” an original, was just incredible.

3. Kaibrienne (KB Richins), 20, Henefer, Utah: Here’s my hope for Kaibrienne. She performs a series of songs that put her unique tone and rasp front and center. She makes the May 19 finale and stuns the audience with a tearful, but slightly more composed performance of “Girl I Am Now,” her great debut single.

4. Abi Carter, 21, Indio, Calif.: Confession: I wasn’t as dazzled as the Idol judges by her platinum-ticket winning audition. But Abi has won me over since with those lovely vocals and heartfelt performances. And her debut single, “It’s All Love,” is the best original we haven’t yet heard on the show.

5. McKenna Breinholt, 25, of Gilbert, Ariz.: She has her own warm, wonderfully unique tone. And a unique advantage in a competition like this. She spent years singing with Cinematic Pop, a group that specialized in transforming — and recording — popular hits with the help of an orchestra and talented vocalists like McKenna.

6. Mia Matthews, 18, Centre, Ala.: She spent her life performing in family bands. Now we’re watching her transform into a solo female artist on Idol. She might be the most improved artist on this list. Her joyful reaction to the crowd’s enthusiastic response to her performances certainly makes her easy to root for.

7. Emmy Russell, 24, Nashville, Tenn.: Hold it, I’m seven singers in and just getting to Emmy, who’s already dazzled us with three of her originals? That’s a sign of how incredibly talented this Top 14 is. I’ll be especially interested to watch her cover approach, specifically to see if Emmy leans country for Idol’s big country fan base.

8. Julia Gagnon, 21, Cumberland, Maine: This looks to me like a season of Idol where fans are leaning more toward emotional story-telling than singers who belt. But Julia’s performance of Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor” on Idol first live show Monday night was downright fierce. And if the singer-songwriters start stealing votes from one another …

9. Kayko, 23, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: Kayko’s biggest problem is that originals are off the table during theme weeks like the two coming up. So far, he’s been showcasing originals almost exclusively. And to good effect. His new EP “Poser” climbed to #31 on the pop album chart after Monday’s show. That’s more impressive when I add that Taylor Swift was sitting in about half the spots ahead of him.

10. Jack Blocker, 25, Dallas, Texas: To me, seeing Jack voted through was one of Monday’s biggest surprises. He’s been solid throughout. But to this point, he’s best known as the singer the Idol judges rejected, then reconsidered and sent to Hollywood after being urged to do so by the backstage crew. If you weren’t aware, he’s released some great original music both under his name and as the duo Rightfield.

11. Roman Collins, 24, Long Beach, Calif.: My suggestion to Roman: Give us all that passion. Give us all those vocal fireworks. Dial back slightly on the worship director vibe. But that might not be possible for Roman. I know this: The sportsmanship he showed when Triston got the last sure spot in the Top 14 Monday night was flat out inspiring.

12. Nya, 27, Manhattan, N.Y.: I’ve never questioned Nya’s star power of vocals. I was beginning to think she’d be forever stuck in the land of predictable singing show standards. Then she delivered a smoldering performance of Tyla’s “Water” on Idol’s first live show. That’s the Nya I’m hoping to see from this point on, and hopefully beyond these next two shows.

13. Jayna Elise, 22, Washington, D.C.: Her performance of Mariah Carey’s “My All” on Sunday’s show was one of her best yet. And I’ll always remember what a great sport she was in Hollywood Week last year. But that won’t win her votes on Sunday or Monday, so she’ll need to keep performances like “My All” coming every time she steps on the Idol stage.

14. Jordan Anthony, 18, Perth Australia: The only international singer left in a season in which American Idol went surprisingly international during the early rounds. Jordan needs to be more consistent but might benefit from having a genre lane — male pop singer — all to his own now.

See also …
American Idol voting goes lives