So three down since the live finals started - the first two to go
were two of the least interesting (Kristen O'Connor and Emily Piriz),
and then last night Ben Briley, who I quite liked but despite that, overall so far so good.
I saw this season described somewhere on the internet as 'Indie Idol', which is obviously a heck of an overstatement but also not completely off the mark - compared to last season, at least, there's a noticeably higher level of individuality to the styles of the singers, along with less in the way of generic polish to their singing (also, a lot fewer ballads). Nor are there really obvious frontrunners, at least so far as I can tell - only a couple of them have displayed any real consistency across the four times I've now seen them sing on the show.
That inconsistency has also meant that I've fluctuated a bit in terms of my favourites, but just now it'd go like this (in terms of how much I like them, not how likely I think they are to win) and actually all but the last have at least something substantial going for them:
1. MK Nobilette. Been a bit up and down, but still my favourite, in equal parts due to that first time I came across her with "All of Me" and to the lovely something in the tone of her voice and the feeling that she's at times able to convey.
2. Jena Irene. Something of a sleeper for me. At first I thought her voice was on the weak side and perhaps a bit strained in its unusual timbre - but over these four weeks, she's emerged as a powerful and interesting singer and this week's "Decode" (a Paramore song) was her best yet.
3. CJ Harris. I've been pulling for CJ despite a couple of pretty average performances, because I like his voice a lot and the way he uses it - gravelly, bluesy, soulful. He seems a bit raw to me, but lots of potential.
4. Majesty Rose. Maybe not the strongest singer in the field but definitely the most adorable, big eyes, gap between the front teeth and all, and with the ability to make a song zing when she gets it right.
5. Malaya Watson. Cool, and a powerful voice to go with. I've gone a tiny bit off her because of the lack of control at times, but I wouldn't be at all unhappy if she can go deep into the season.
6. Alex Preston. Sensitive actually-indie-seeming type who I quite like in the context of Idol and who has real talent, though I suspect I'd dismiss him without a second listen if I heard him on the radio. Still, there may be more to him than he's yet shown.
7. Jessica Meuse. I wasn't a fan at first - she seemed to just be belting songs out without much nuance, and not even always fully in tune - but ok, I now get it a bit, especially from her "White Flag". And actually, with the right songs, someone who I can imagine listening to outside the format.
8. Caleb Johnson. Actually I reckon this guy's really good, especially after seeing his most recent one, "Skyfall", and he has been consistent. But this kind of classic rock-ish vibe just isn't my thing. Another who may have more up his sleeve, in which case I could really get behind him.
9. Sam Woolf. Nice voice, a bit bland. Probably a good shot at winning the thing seeing as he's young, nice-looking and inoffensively pleasant-sounding.
10. Dexter Roberts. Just doesn't give me anything - perfectly okay singer, but I find him boring.
To be honest, that list does reflect my own biases a bit, in terms of the singers operating in the territories that I tend to favour outside the Idol context generally appearing relatively higher up.
... and this is how the Vegas odds line them up for the time being (exactly transposing my favourite and least favourite and putting poor MK very far at the back of the pack, which I'm sure is in no small part because of her apparent lack of stage comfort):
(a few weeks back)
I saw this season described somewhere on the internet as 'Indie Idol', which is obviously a heck of an overstatement but also not completely off the mark - compared to last season, at least, there's a noticeably higher level of individuality to the styles of the singers, along with less in the way of generic polish to their singing (also, a lot fewer ballads). Nor are there really obvious frontrunners, at least so far as I can tell - only a couple of them have displayed any real consistency across the four times I've now seen them sing on the show.
That inconsistency has also meant that I've fluctuated a bit in terms of my favourites, but just now it'd go like this (in terms of how much I like them, not how likely I think they are to win) and actually all but the last have at least something substantial going for them:
1. MK Nobilette. Been a bit up and down, but still my favourite, in equal parts due to that first time I came across her with "All of Me" and to the lovely something in the tone of her voice and the feeling that she's at times able to convey.
2. Jena Irene. Something of a sleeper for me. At first I thought her voice was on the weak side and perhaps a bit strained in its unusual timbre - but over these four weeks, she's emerged as a powerful and interesting singer and this week's "Decode" (a Paramore song) was her best yet.
3. CJ Harris. I've been pulling for CJ despite a couple of pretty average performances, because I like his voice a lot and the way he uses it - gravelly, bluesy, soulful. He seems a bit raw to me, but lots of potential.
4. Majesty Rose. Maybe not the strongest singer in the field but definitely the most adorable, big eyes, gap between the front teeth and all, and with the ability to make a song zing when she gets it right.
5. Malaya Watson. Cool, and a powerful voice to go with. I've gone a tiny bit off her because of the lack of control at times, but I wouldn't be at all unhappy if she can go deep into the season.
6. Alex Preston. Sensitive actually-indie-seeming type who I quite like in the context of Idol and who has real talent, though I suspect I'd dismiss him without a second listen if I heard him on the radio. Still, there may be more to him than he's yet shown.
7. Jessica Meuse. I wasn't a fan at first - she seemed to just be belting songs out without much nuance, and not even always fully in tune - but ok, I now get it a bit, especially from her "White Flag". And actually, with the right songs, someone who I can imagine listening to outside the format.
8. Caleb Johnson. Actually I reckon this guy's really good, especially after seeing his most recent one, "Skyfall", and he has been consistent. But this kind of classic rock-ish vibe just isn't my thing. Another who may have more up his sleeve, in which case I could really get behind him.
9. Sam Woolf. Nice voice, a bit bland. Probably a good shot at winning the thing seeing as he's young, nice-looking and inoffensively pleasant-sounding.
10. Dexter Roberts. Just doesn't give me anything - perfectly okay singer, but I find him boring.
To be honest, that list does reflect my own biases a bit, in terms of the singers operating in the territories that I tend to favour outside the Idol context generally appearing relatively higher up.
... and this is how the Vegas odds line them up for the time being (exactly transposing my favourite and least favourite and putting poor MK very far at the back of the pack, which I'm sure is in no small part because of her apparent lack of stage comfort):
Dexter Roberts
|
4.25
|
||
Alex Preston
|
5.00
|
||
Caleb Johnson
|
5.00
|
||
Jena Irene
|
6.50
|
||
Sam Woolf
|
8.00
|
||
CJ Harris
|
9.00
|
||
Majesty Rose
|
10.00
|
||
Jessica Meuse
|
11.00
|
||
Malaya Watson
|
21.00
|
||
MK Nobilette
|
51.00
|
(a few weeks back)
