Idol Chatter & Voice Views

A guy has walked away with the American Idol crown three straight years.

Given the talent listed below, I won’t be surprised if Season 10 makes it four straight years with a male winner.

Besides, Idol voters seem more inclined to vote for guys. In the past three years, only three ladies — Syesha Mercado, Allison Iraheta and Crystal Bowersox — have cracked the top four in their respective seasons.

The fun begins Tuesday night at 8, when the 12 male semifinalists compete for spots in the finals in a special 90-minute episode of Idol.

From my understanding, voters will select five males and five females for the finals. Each judge will then select a wild card representative.

I’ll be blogging live throughout this week’s shows, grading each performance as it happens, so feel free to check in or follow along. A recap blog will follow after each show.

If you missed the complete list of what the guys will be singing and the order they’ll be singing in, go here.

And if you’re interested in hearing pre-Idol music from these guys, go here and click on the name of each contestant. There are pre-Idol videos for most of them.

Now for the rankings — and I haven’t so much ranked the contestants as listed those I think should be in the finals and those I think shouldn’t — in no particular order.

Oh, and by all means, if you disagree, let me know by commenting below.

Finals bound

Tim Halperin: OK, so the last three winners of Idol have been David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze, all good-looking (or so I’m told) singer-songwriters. Along comes Tim, a good-looking (or so I’m told) piano-playing singer-songwriter. It’s not difficult to envision him doing very well if he survives the semis on a show that could be renamed Cute Boy Idol.

Paul McDonald: My personal favorite so far, based more on what I’ve heard pre-Idol than on Idol. Because, let’s face it, we’ve heard precious little from Paul on Idol. If you haven’t yet, check out his work with the Hightide Blues and Grand Magnolias. The combination of that voice and “Maggie May” could be a match made for Idol magic.

Jacob Lusk: A gospel singer with the vocal range and talent to dazzle us. But can he control all that talent and passion and deliver a performance that will make fans at home embrace him. And, more importantly, vote him into the finals. In terms of fan pages, etc., he’s well behind the pack on Facebook.

Scotty McCreery: His “I wasn’t the man I should have been” apology for the Jaycee Bardeaux snub on group day came across as sincere. And he’s just 16. Though that deep voice makes him sound 10 years older. The finals will seem empty without that voice. His “Long Black Train” performance in Vegas was brilliant.

Casey Abrams: Randy calls him the best musician Idol has ever had. Maybe. Regardless, this is a vocal competition, and Nigel says instruments will play less of a role in season 10. Does Casey have the vocal talent to hang? Hopefully, because he’s a character as well as a musician. And the last two season of Idols should have shown us how badly we need singers who also have a personality.

James Durbin: The rocker among the males will tackle Judas Priest’s “You Got Another Thing Comin'” in the semifinals. Note to James: Trust your voice and your range. Don’t turn it into a screamfest. Put him and the other five listed above in the finals, and we’d be guaranteed some great performances and a wealth of vocal diversity.

Homeward bound

Brett Loewenstern: Of the contestants I’ve haven’t listed in the top six, I regret this omission the most. Because at just 17, Brett comes across as a blossoming singer-songwriter with a distinctive sound. And, fortunately for Brett, singers don’t need solid math skills. But Idol seems to have hopped off the Brett bandwagon in recent weeks. If I was selecting the 13th finalist, I’d go with Brett.

Jovany “Can’t Keep My Shirt On” Barreto: OK, folks, we need to nip this Barreto nonsense in the bud. Right now. This week. No offense to Tim Urban, who seems like a great guy. But a few shirtless Internet photos and a pretty smile took him a whole lot farther than his performances deserved last year. Let’s not let the same happen with Jovany.

Jordan “The Jerk” Dorsey: Jordan’s explanation for his group day antics came off as anything but sincere. More like twisting the truth. Well, exactly like twisting the truth. He remains “The Jerk” until he proves otherwise, and I’ll penalize him one grade on every performance until that time. Note to Jordan: You aren’t the next Usher yet.

Clint “Glasses” Gamboa: He’d better pull off something special Tuesday because he’s singing first. And another funky pair of glasses probably won’t help that much. My guess: Jun Bug is heading back to his karaoke bar … or at least not moving to the finals on Idol. After the Jaycee incident, I won’t be crying for Clint.

Robbie Rosen: A decent 17-year-old singer-songwriter who just happened to make the semifinals in a year when Idol has amassed an impressive array of male vocalists. I’m not sure he stands a chance of surviving. I’m sure I’m not thrilled with his choice of songs for the semis (“Arms of an Angel”).

Stefano Langone: Hey, I like Stefano. He seems like a nice, good-looking guy (or so I’m told), who’s been solid whenever we’ve seen him. But I’ve been disappointed by too many males who want to sing pop with a touch of soul over the past two seasons to get excited about a contestant who falls into that category.

Coming Monday — The six gals who deserve a spot in the Season 10 finals.