American Idol 7 - Boys1

Here are my thoughts on the first night of Idol.

There are some amazing voices among the guys this year. But there are a few I'd gladly give the axe to quickly. Let's see who they are. K?

DAVID HERNANDEZ
"In The Midnight Hour"
This wasn't bad, but it was no home run either. I'd say his biggest danger is the fact that he went first. Fans are fickle, and twelve people later they may not even remember he sang, much less what he sounded like.

CHIKEZIE
"I Love You More Today than Yesterday"
I liked the orange suit. I hated the song. It was slow and boring and awful. Any questions?

DAVID COOK
"Happy Together"
I liked this. A lot. It was unconventional and interesting. He doesn't have the best voice among the guys, but I get the sense that he knows who he is and who he wants to be and that's a huge plus.

JASON YEAGER
"Moon River"
Hands down the worst, most bilious performance of the night. It was like Donny Osmond playing the role of a has-been lounge singer. Truly hideous.

ROBBIE CARRICO
"One"
This was good. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of the better performances of the night. I'm sure he'll be around for a while at least.

DAVID ARCHULETA
"Shop Around"
I really like this kid. I think he has more potential than almost anyone else on the show this season. But whether he can reach that potential in ... what ... three months? is anyone's guess. He did well tonight though. He sounded decent and was entertaining. What more can we ask?

DANNY NORIEGA
"Jailhouse Rock"
I didn't completely hate it. That makes me sad because I completely hate Danny. Sorry, kid. I find you annoying to the nth degree ... but I fear you are safe for a little while at least.

LUKE MENARD
"Everybody's Talkin'"
Boring. Forgettable. *shrug* Some were worse so he'll probably still be here next week. He needs to represent if he wants to stay longer than that though.

COLTON BERRY
"Suspicious Minds"
Cute kid. Decent performance. He'll be a favorite of the youngish set and I expect we'll see him around for a while.

GARRETT HALEY
"Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"
This was bad. Very, very bad. I fervently hope that the 'vote for the worst' people don't get hold of Garrett.

JASON CASTRO
"What a Day for Daydream"
Me likey. I liked that he played the guitar (which I think helped him immensely and covered a lack of stage presence). I like that he seems to be just kind-of a regular guy who happens to sing fairly decently. His voice is a little brittle, but for some reason it seems to work OK anyway. And dude - the hair is wild.

MICHAEL JOHNS
"Light My Fire"
This was great. His experience is showing making Michael the one to beat ... for the moment anyway.

Top Honors: I like Archuleta and Michael Johns. Also good were Jason, Robbie, and David Cook.

Pack your Bags: Jason Yeager needs to go home. Now. So does Garrett, though I don't feel nearly as strongly about his badness as I do about Jason's. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if Cheezy Chikezie disappeared as well, but being the sole chocolate cookie on a plate of vanilla wafers will work in his favor probably well into the top 12.

So that's it on the boys. For now.