Ranking the Top 13

So after Thursday night's episode, we now know the top 13. A few notes about that episode. One, we don't need 2 hours to inform us of the contestants moving on. Could have easily been done in an hour. Ugh. Also, I found it interesting at the end when Ryan asked JLo, "Do you know how many you're going to select?" Ryan, I don't know if you got the memo, but it was always going to be 3 additional "Wild Cards" that the judges would pick.

I'm sad that Rachel didn't make it through, but she really didn't deserve to after that version of "Criminal" by Fiona Apple. And I'm also disappointed that Tim didn't go through, since my good friend Karen had a crush on him. I don't know if he could sing or not, but I enjoyed hearing Karen swoon over past contestants such as Casey James and Tim Urban. Don't know who she's going to be crushin' on this year.

Anyway, here is my ranking of the 13 that were selected by the judges. I don't think you'll find a surprise at either end, but the middle was kind of tough to choose the order. I reserve the right to denounce any of this as the season goes on. :^)

So here goes!

13 - Paul McDonald: I'm sure Paul's a nice guy, and I have a friend on Facebook who says that someone she knows is friends with Paul. However, there is something about Paul that drives me bonkers. It's a combination of his voice, his mannerisms, and his affectation. And that look. I think he’s one of those guys that people swoon over in coffee houses all across America because he’s so “different”. I think he’s awful, and judging by the way everyone else seems to think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, he’s either pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes, or I’m just plain wrong. I don’t think I’m wrong, though. He’ll probably make it to the upper portion of the competition because everyone loves him, but I sure hope not. If he wins, I’m never watching Idol again.

12 – Ashton Jones: Yeah, she sang that song from Dreamgirls, and it was OK. I have heard it better. I think she tries to be the diva too much, and there are much better singers in the competition. And I would probably have picked someone else for that last spot. That said, she’s not terrible but not my cup o’ tea. I don’t see her lasting that long in this.

11 – Hailey Reinhart: Another contestant I was kind of surprised got voted in by America. I though her version of “Fallin” was a little all over the place. Not a huge fan, but who knows. Maybe she’ll win me over. We’ll see.

10 – Scotty McCreery: Listen, I actually like this kid. He is no worse than anyone else with that style of singing who is on the radio today. That said, he’s very limited (I feel) in what he’ll be able to pull off. And while I don’t mind Country, it’s not my first choice when it comes to music. I think this kid has a future, but he isn’t near the top of my list from the 13 that were chosen.

9 – Thia Megia: While I thought she did a fantastic job this week, to me she doesn’t have the presence that some of the other contestants have. I also think she’s going to be limited in that she’ll probably sing the ballads really well, but I don’t know about other types of songs. Again, I could be way off, but I wouldn’t put her in the upper echelon.

8 – Karen Rodriguez: If Karen keeps sings songs like “Hero”, she’ll probably do well with America, but not me. I can’t stand Mariah Carey, and I wasn’t really that impressed with her rendition. It was solid, but to me, nothing really memorable. I do think she’s got a good voice, and will certainly have her moments. Again, like Thia, I look forward to seeing her sing things other than the syrupy ballads.

7 – Jacob Lusk: Great voice, but tends to go a little crazy at times with it. Control, control, you must learn control! Sorry, that was my Yoda talking. Plus, he’s jumping around on stage like a maniac doesn’t help. Not knocking his voice, but to call him the equal of Luther Vandross after one song on Idol is insane.

6 – Stefano Langone: I was definitely impressed with his singing on Thursday night’s show. He proved that with the right song, he could beat anyone. I think song choice will be critical – singing Bruno Mars was a mistake, I think. But he can sing, no doubt.

5 – Casey Abrams: This is where it gets tough. I suppose someone could say that Casey is faking it, much like Paul. However, I enjoy watching Casey bring something different to the Idol stage. Yes, he looks like Seth Rogan. And yes, his version of “I Put A Spell On You” wasn’t as good as people made it out to be. BUT I really am entertained watching this cat, and think he will go far. While I’m not comparing him at all to Taylor Hicks, look what happened to him when he made it into the top 12…he won it all! And he was certainly not the prototypical Idol contestant.

4 – James Durbin: Yes, he’s reminiscent of Adam Lambert. And yes, similar to someone like Jacob Lusk, he probably will be expected to be the rocker to Jacob’s gospel singer. But as long as he brings it like he brought it to the stage with his rendition of Judas Priest, I’m good with that. I like his background story too, although I don’t think that’s influencing me in any way. The guy can sing. I just hope he doesn’t go off the rails too much like our friend Adam Lambert did a few seasons ago.

3 – Naima Adeapo: I have enjoyed listening to Naima since day 1, and was thrilled that the judges picked her to stay in the competition. I love her style and her voice, and really look forward to hearing her evolve in this competition. I think she’ll go very far and will have some really jaw dropping performances.

2 – Pia Toscano: Talk about coming out of nowhere, I really didn’t know much about this woman until she belted out “I’ll Stand By You”. I think it was one of those Idol “moments” – if she’s capable of doing that in week 1, who knows how good she’ll turn out to be? My only concern is I didn’t hear much of her during Hollywood so I’m not sure how consistent she’ll be. But I would like to think she’ll pick up where she left off last week. We shall see.

1 – Lauren Alaina: From the moment she sang in her audition, I had a feeling this 16 year old would be one of my favorites. And now that she’s in the top 13, I think she’s going to win it all. She really does have a great voice for someone so young. And unlike Thea, I think she’s more apt to keep up on all musical styles, not just ballads. While I though her pink dress during the Top 24 show was atrocious, I do like her style, her look and her voice. I think she’ll get better and better each week. She’s my pick for this season’s Idol.