American Idol - Back to the 50's!

So, we're down to the final 11, after Melissa McGhee was kicked out last week (she was my 2nd choice prediction to be kicked out, after Kevin Covais)

And this week, the final 11 definitely benefited from the coaching given by the legendary Barry Manilow, who taught them "how to tell the story in their songs". That's a Manilow forte - I know because I sing his songs in karaoke. Rather well, if I may say so myself. ;) (Okay, okay - so I'm an oldie,...)

My predictions (and rankings) after seeing the performance of the final 11, are as follows:-

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1) Mandisa - she sang Dinah Washington's "It Don't Hurt Anymore" with the sort of vocal prowess that would make the original, pale in comparison. Best vocals and best performance for the night - without doubt.

2) Katherine "McPheever" McPhee - she belted out "Come Rain or Come Shine" flawlessly, with the confidence, maturity and control of someone well beyond her years. On top of that, she looked great tonight and she made it look effortless, with smiles and all. Definitely, top 3 material, still.

3) Chris "The Rock Improviser" Daughtry - the thing about Chris is that he can improvise on any song and give a rock or alternative slant. His rendition of an improvised version of Johny Cash's "I Walk The Line" was just amazing. He's not as versatile in changing music styles like Mandisa and Katherine, but he stays true to his rock/alternative style - which he is strongest at.

4) Paris Bennett - She is, to my opinion, the hardest working girl in American Idol. Singing "Fever" - she gave an amazing and energetic performance and showed off her vocal prowess and mature performance style. She even dressed the part and looked like she came from the glamorous 50's. Regardless of whether she wins or not, someone please give her a recording contract!

5) Elliot "Sweet Tone" Yamin - This man has one of the best voice tone in the competition. It's sweet, it has a wide range and it makes him a very versatile singer. Singing "Teach Me Tonight" which is a rather complex song to sing, he just wowed the audience, with his voice and soulful singing voice.

6) Kellie Pickler - I do think that this country girl is a bit of a bimbo (she could not tell difference between minx and mink) but make no mistake - when she is singing that is country music related, she's virtually unbeatable. Tonight she sang Patsy Kline's "Walkin' After Midnight". Not a great performance, but certainly a strong and powerful one, compared to previous week's performance.

7) Lisa Tucker - Again, my biggest disappointment of the week. The problem with Lisa is that she keeps picking songs, which are too easy for her powerful vocals. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is a good song, but it doesn't show off her range and what she's capable of. Last week, she was in the bottom 3 because of her choice of song. This week, she could be there again, if she's unlucky. I want to see her buck up, because this girl is certainly top 3 material.

8) Ace Young - Ace surprised me again this week. Even with his pretty limited vocals, he did an improvisation of "In The Still of The Night" and suited it to his voice. The gamble absolutely worked! The song was given a fresh lease of life, his rendition was sweet and his main strength, the falsetto, gave the song a beautiful end. Hope to see more surprises from him.

9) Kevin Covais - This is probably the first week that I'm not rooting for him to be kicked out. And to give due credit, Kevin performed well tonight - with a boyish rendition of Nat King Cole's "When I Fall In Love". It was good and he gave it a unique slant. And for that, he deserves to survive till next week. But he may still be in the bottom 3.

10) Taylor Hicks - singing "I'll Fade Away", Taylor injected his usual energetic soul into the song, but I felt that it was a bad song choice. Limited range, repetitive lyrics - there was just not much scope for him to show what he's got. He sounded average. Bottom 3 material for this week, I feel.

11) Bucky - by far, the country boy's worst performance tonight with his "Oh Boy" rendition. And oh boy, it was just pure bad. I agree with Simon - it was like watching karaoke. A bad one. I think he deserves to be kicked out this week.

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Let's see whether my predictions are correct. To me, the top 3 are in a class of their own, but the rest of them, will still be great entertainment in the next few months. And America may always surprise you. :)

Simon predicted the top 3 in the competition, during an interview. I suspect that it will be Mandisa, Katherine and Chris. Not necessarily in that order.

(And Pixie, if you happen to find out, like you usually do - don't tell me before Thursday night's show, okay? Save a little suspense for me - keeps my Thursday nights interesting. ;))