Say all the mean things that you want about my inner Simon Cowell but if you were paying as close attention as I was, you may have noticed a plethora[1] of artists going on to the Top 24 26 that had already received this Muser’s Seal of Approval. It almost makes me want to declare this season of Idol to be THE MOST TALENTED SEASON OF IDOL EVER. But Simon would never do that as casually as the current panel of judges does (every year).
It does beg the question of how one would measure “most talented”. Is “most” based on the total pool of #1 to #24 #26? Or is it based on the quality of the best of the pool? I haven’t given it much thought, but I am inclined to say that there are a lot of voices worth paying attention to this year. On the other hand, am I seeing a Kelly or Carrie or Jennifer or Daughtry or Adam? To be fair, it’s too early for that. But without answering the question of “greatest”, I am enjoying this season very much and am intrigued by this group’s potential.
After hearing on Sunday and Monday nights that the field was being cut by more than half, I learned that the field was 55 Idolists. That provides some helpful context although it would have been nice to know how many got passes to Hollywood and how many were cut in each round. Anyways, here’s how I mused on the survivors of Showstoppers: The Final Countdown – Round 2. I’m using the same Round 1 Simon Says categories: Simon Says Yes, Simon Says No, and Simon Says Maybe.
Simon Says Yes
- Megan Danielle Easy on Me Adele
- Emma Busse Chasing Pavements Adele
- Elise Kristine Feeling Good Nina Simone
- Dawson Wayne Flying Cody Fry
Simon Says No
- Colin Stough Cold Chris Stapleton
Simon Says Maybe
- Marybeth Byrd Flat on the Floor Carrie Underwood
- Oliver Steele Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears
- Elijah McCormick Believe for It CeCe Winans
- Olivia Soli All By Myself Celine Dion Leaning No
- Mariah Faith I Ain’t Living Long Like This Waylon Jennings Leaning Yes
- Hannah Nicholaisen I Don’t Want to Be Gavin DeGraw
- Nailyeh Serenity Superstar Luther Vandross (Carpenters)
- Matt Wilson Forever Chris Brown
- Iam Tongi Sound of Silence Simon & Garfunkel Leaning Yes
But wait! There’s more! Eleven from Sunday plus 14 from Monday equals only 25 in the Top 24 which is really the Top 26! If you’re still following, there is one more spot in the Top 20-something to be filled. Oh, those Evil Genius Producers (EGPs) are so tricky.
As always, these evaluations are not my predictions of future results and are constantly subject to re-evaluation under the light of my withering musings. I do have questions about many of the Idolists, especially by a number in the Simon Says Maybe category who gave weaker-than-expected performances in Showstoppers (Marybeth Byrd, Elijah McCormick, Olivia Soli, Hannah Nicholaisen, Warren Peay, Tyson Venegas, and Haven Madison). Or is there a place in today’s music world for old soul Idolists like IamTongi and Nailyeh Serenity?
See you next week. I hope you get to listen to some good music.
[1] One of My Daughter Cassandra’s (MDC) favorite words.
Ray's Musings 
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