American Idol season 7 front-runners easy to spot

It was boy's night on yesterday's episode of American Idol, and already it's easy to pick out which male contestants will be around for a while. Each of the 12 male contestants had to pick a song from the 1960's to perform. In case you missed last night's performances, here's a run-down of the hits and misses.

The cream of the crop
David Archuleta - If I had to pick a winner this early in the season, David would be it. At just 17 years old, David's performance of "Shop Around" was the best of the night. It was exciting, fresh, and showed off his amazing vocal talent. As Paula said, you don't realize he's so young because all you see is an experienced, talented performer who enjoys what he's doing.

Jason Castro - This is definitely a guy to keep your eye on and was my second favorite performance of the night. His interpretation of "Daydream" held true to the song's original style, but Jason was able to keep it lively and young by injecting some of his personal style into the performance and playing guitar. As Simon said, the backup band was almost unnecessary; it would have been great to hear just Jason and his guitar. This guy has the talent and style to carry him far in season 7 of American Idol.

The Rockstars
David Cook - I had the same reaction to David's interpretation of "Happy Together" as Randy Jackson did, which is to say I had no idea what the song was until he reached the chorus. David's vocal abilities are average by comparison, but he really rocked the song and made it memorable. Overall, the performance was great.

Robbie Carrico - Robbie may be one to look out for in this competition, and is definitely the best of the three male rockers. His performance of "One is the Lonliest Number" was outstanding, and vocally he was skilled enough to pull off this difficult song. Simon questioned Robbie's true identity, wondering if he was really a pop star dressed up like a rocker, but Robbie assured us he is all rock 'n roll.

Michael Johns - This Australian-born hottie really embraced Jim Morrison's persona during his interpretation of "Light My Fire." His performance, complete with a scarf, dark shirt and some Morrison-esque moves to boot, was good but not stellar. He'll have to bring out his own style if he wants to last, but his good looks and Australian accent may help keep him around longer.

The Sleepers
Jason Yeager - Jason's performance of "Moonriver" last night reminded me of the scene from "Dreamgirls" where the clean-cut guy sings a watered-down version of "Cadillac Car." Jason has a nice voice, but I don't think he has the charisma to rise to the top of the competition.

Luke Menard - Ah, my fellow Hoosier. The band almost drowned out his thin voice and the song choice was bad. Like Simon said, the performance was "forgettable."

Garrett Haley - This mop-topped youngster's inexperience just might be catching up to him. He managed to survive through to the end of his performance of "Breaking up is Hard to Do," but I don't think he'll survive much longer in the competition.

Liza Minnelli would be proud
Colton Berry - This kid will have a promising career as a performer, but not as a pop-star. His performance of "Suspicious Minds" was a little over the top, and would best be described as a little "cabaret." Not surprisingly, he mentioned in his pre-performance interview that his vocal coach identified this as one of his weaknesses.

Danny Noriega - His interpretation of Elvis's "Jailhouse Rock" wasn't the best of the evening, but I don't think it deserved the harsh criticism he received from Simon. Danny has a great voice, but the song choice surprised us all and clearly wasn't a good one. The song, paired with his awkward girations, was a little over the top and places him towards the bottom of my list of favorites.

These guys need to loosen up
David Hernandez - Props go out to David for being the first performer of the night; that's a difficult spot to be in. However, his performance of "Midnight Hour" isn't going to put him at the top of list. It's easy to see he has the vocal talent, but he needs to work on loosening up his performace and connecting with the audience.

Chikezie - Who needs a last name with a name like Chikezie? Singing "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" wearing an orange suit that screamed "I love the '70's", Chikezie brought a smile to my face. He nailed the song, he looked like he was having fun performing it, and I think he really connected to the audience. His main drawback is that he comes across too old for a pop star. Maybe it was just that suit...


Tonight's American Idol episode features the ladies, so be sure to catch this one or DVR it if you can. There's a lot of great talent this year!

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