How do the Season 7 contestants stack up against other competitors in the music business?
David Archuletta - sung in the styles of Bryan McKnight, John Mayer, Bryan Adams
He has a very nice tone. Very pure and lovely to listen to. However, he is fairly awkward when it comes to performing. Hasn’t exactly found is “niche” yet. Especially when choosing songs and making them “his own.” His youthfulness may hurt him when it comes to putting out a record. I fear that his album would be a mix of random genre’s. He is not yet on the same level as his musical competition. Give him a few years though, and he will shine!
Syesha Mercado - sung in the styles of Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Fantasia
She has a good voice. Yet, here’s her problem…she pales in comparison to her musical competitors. She doesn’t have the endless ranges of Whitney or Beyonce. She doesn’t have the emotional connection of Fantasia. This alone ruins her in a competition that is not blown away by mediocre. They are looking for STANDOUT talent. And Syesha has disappointed.
Carly Smithson - sung in the styles of Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion
Carly has almost the same problem as Syesha. She pales in comparison to her musical competitors. It’s a sad thing, but it’s true. While these two ladies may indeed have better range abilities than say, Brooke White, they have the unfortunate comparison to greater vocalists. And again, Carly does not deliver when it comes to connecting emotionally and delivering a chill-bump performance.
Kristy Lee Cook - sung in the styles of Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Carrie Underwood
I know a lot of people are raving about her past few performances. And while she has improved, she is still the weakest female contestant in my opinion. It would not be fair to let her get by on doing “country-twists” to every song. She, too, is not nearly as good as the top female country artists out right now. No way could she stand a chance against Idol Winner Carrie Underwood, what makes anyone think she deserves the title of this season, whom some have coined the “most talented” season of all?
Brooke White - sung in the styles of Carly Simon, Carol King, Joni Mitchell
This, my friends, is the perfect example of a contestant who knows who she is and what she is capable of and goes with it. She may not win this competition, but she will go on to produce a singer/songwriter album, that WILL in fact stand a chance against her musical competition. Wanna know why? Because their isn’t any competition! She is reproducing the beautiful sounds of Carly Simon and Carol King. Ladies full of passionate music. Brooke has every ounce of passion in her to deliver a wonderful album. (My only advice…watch those squeaky high notes)
David Cook - sung in the styles of Our Lady Peace, Nickleback, Daughtry
Okay, okay. David can rock. We get that. However, how many screaming rock songs can go on ONE album? For those that are diehard fans, you may not have any problem with an entire album of “yeaaAAaahhHHhhsss!!”. Yet, a casual buyer will probably opt for more diversity by his major competitor, Daughtry. Chris Daughtry sang the guts out of some awesome ballads, (”If You Really Love A Woman,” still rings strong in my mind two years post-Idol). In order to gain new appreciation, he’s going to have to sing something with a more difficult melody. And quit ending on the same note in every song. Yeah, it was good the first three times. But it’s all beginning to sound the same.
Jason Castro - sung in the styles of Jack Johnson, Jeff Buckley, Brudda IZ
Let me try to be completely unbias. Jason Castro RULES!! Whew, okay sorry, let me try and make this work. Jason just blows me away in his ability to stay completely true to WHO he is, and therefore shying away from having to suffer comparisons to…anyone. He cannot be compared. He is Jason Castro. The Daydream kid. The Hallelujah guy. The laid-back dude with the ukulele. The kid with the dreads. I can understand that not everyone is going to like his acoustic/folk/latin vibe, but not everyone enjoys country, R&B, or rap either. Yet we can all appreciate talent when we see it. I think Jason is a gem. It’s amazing to me that he came into singing at a much later age than everyone else. Yet, he’s shining so bright. He’s my choice to win this whole thing…
Feel free to agree or disagree with these thoughts. And post your own!
