American Idol Season 9 Top 24

Although this blog is supposed to be about my journey through the life of a struggling musician/actor, I've been tossing around writing my own recaps for AI Season 9.  So, as I come up on some fairly big auditions (for me anyway), I thought I toss in some recaps.

Last night, the Season 9 Top 24 was named.  Here are my thoughts...

Girls:

Ashley Rodriguez, 22
Audition Song: "If I Ain't Got You" Alicia Keys
I can't quite put my finger on why I don't like this girl.  She's just a little too polished, maybe.  She also is very generic.

Ashley and her Berklee band, Blaque Lyte (that spelling is annoying)


She also looks too much like Jordin Sparks.


Crystal Bowersox, 24
Audition Song: "Piece Of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
This girl has talent.  Why she chose American Idol, I have no idea, but I'm sure she will make this season interesting.  I know they will clean her up a little, hopefully give her a teeth whitening treatment, cuz man, are those brown front teeth distracting!  She's different from the little jazzy, emotionally fragile girls they chose.

If she performs like this on the show, she'll go far! (and I love her boots)


Didi Benami, 23
Audition Song: "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
The love child of Megan Joy and Brooke White.  Emotionally fragile, jazzy, beautiful, and blonde.  She's been getting a lot of producer pimping...we'll see how she handles this...A little controversy that she has ties to a frequent Kara co-writer...a few peeps are calling her a plant...

This is the only pre-Idol video I could find, so not sure how she sings outside the pressure of Idol...




Haeley Vaughn, 16
Audition song: "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood

She's cute, she wants to be a black country superstar...she knows who she is, which is unusual for someone that young, and we all know how well that worked out for Allison Iraheta (buy her album, Just Like You).  The problem with Haeley, she sings more like Taylor Swift...that's not gonna work on AI.

Here's her 1st Hollywood song.  Not surprising she doesn't have many vids up...


Janell Wheeler, 24
Audition Song: "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals
I don't like her.  I don't like her voice, I don't like her image, I don't like her boyfriend, Tim Tebow.

This could be on Gokey's album...inspirational shlock...


Katelyn Epperly, 19
Audition Song: "Syrup and Honey" by Duffy
She couldn't come up with a better backstory than "My parent's are getting divorced"?  Her voice is unremarkable.



Katie Stevens, 17
Audition Song: "At Last" by Etta James
Another one who has everyone's backstory...I have a sick grandma...Being touted as a wonderkind...She has a big voice...I won't write her off until I actually see her perform.

She could be Diana DeGarmo 2.0.


Lacey Brown, 24
Audition Song: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
LOVE HER!!!! I can't believe they picked Megan Joy over her last year!  Her voice is so unique.  She has very unusual phrasing.  I can't wait to see what she does on the show.

Skip to 1:40 to hear her sing.


Lilly Scott, 20
Audition Song: not aired
I love this girl too!  Her voice is outstanding.  Not much else to say.



Michelle Delamor, 22
Audition Song: not aired
Not sure what to think of this girl, since we haven't heard her sing a note...cannon fodder?

I assume this is her...she can sing...sounds a lot like Ashely Rodriguez...


Paige Miles, 24
Audition Song: not aired
Another one that they have barely shown...seems to have a strong alto...



Siobhan Magnus, 19
Audition Song: not aired
This girl needs a stylist bad!  She's cute and has a strong rock belt.

Hopefully her voice has grown since she played Belle...


Guys:

Aaron Kelly, 16
Audition Song: "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
Oh, Aaron Kelly...If only they'd told you to come back in two years once your voice finished changing.  As of  right now, you have absolutely no chance of winning this...you are not Archuleta 2.0, as much as they want you to be...



Alex Lambert, 19
Audition Song: not aired
Oh, you of the glittery last name, you are cannon fodder...with your ukelele.  Sorry, that's already been done by Mr. Castro...



Andrew Garcia, 24
Audition Song: "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5
Already controversial, a bit Gokey-like, but he seems more genuine, in his reactions and in his musician-ship...but at this point in the season last year, Gokey was still tolerable to me...so we'll see...His youtube vids are fun.

I love this girl he's singing with too...




Casey James, 27
Audition Song: "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer
Um, he stripped in his audition, has numerous drunk driving convictions, and is total frau-bait.  He is talented, but looks like a mash-up of Bo Bice and Bucky Covington...I'm sure he'll make the tour...



Jermaine Sellers, 26
Audition Song: "One of Us" by Joan Osbourne
He was on BET's Sunday's Best, has a tendency to oversing, but this could be his chance to make it big in the gospel world...hey, it worked for Mandisa...



Joe Munoz, 20
Audition Song: not aired
This season's Who?  They've shown nothing of him...didn't even know he existed til they named him to the top 24...cannon fodder? Or Kris Allen?

If this is him, why were they keeping him a secret?  A lot of melisma, but in there is a good voice...if this is him...


John Park, 21
Audition Song: "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" by Donny Hathaway
LOVE HIM!!! A true, pure baritone.  He's cute.  Already, call me a ParkBench already...I hope he's not Anoop 2.0 and burns out...



Lee DeWyze, 23
Audition Song: "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
Could be David Cook, could be gone next week...He seems like a good ol' Midwestern boy.  That's a easy way to charm the audience.  Worked well for Cookie and Kris Allen...



Micheal Lynche, 26
Audition Song: "Unchained Melody" by The Everly Brothers
I could go either way...he seems like a nice guy, kinda boring...His wife had a baby while he was in Hollywood, which guys in Iraq and Afganistan do all the time, except they are in a war, not trying to get on a reality tv show...



Tim Urban, 20
Audition Song:  not aired
Didn't originally make the Top 24, but because Chris Golightly made a big mistake, he gets to be on the show...I didn't like his David Cook cover, his vocals seem weak, but I can see the teen girls loving him...



Todrick Hall, 24
Audition Song: Original song by Todrick
Oh Todrick, of your child-scamming, back-flipping, and Oprah pic ways.  You self-professed non-trained dancer...we'll see, sir, we'll see...



I guess this is from the musical he wrote...


From his other musical "CinderellaROCK".


Tyler Grady, 20
Audition Song: "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
He's got a 70's vibe that fits in well with what Adam Lambert started last season.  He already has a frau fan group, The Grady Bunch, gross.  Poor, poor Tyler...



When it comes down to it, I vote for who's album I would buy.  It's gonna be a season, that's for sure...