American Idol 2011 - Live Shows, Week 1 - The Boys

1. Clint Gamboa: Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Decent enough voice, but performed like every other Idol contestant. Wailing off-melody is not "making it your own". Still haven't forgiven him for being a cunt in the Hollywood week. The first Steven Tyler-baiting vocal squeal of the night.

2. Jovany Barreto: I’ll Be (Edward McCain)
Hadn't heard the song before, rather liked it and he performed it well, if not impressively. He also has a very hot bod so as long as they keep showing it, he can go through.

3. Jordan Dorsey: OMG (Usher)
An even bigger cunt in the auditions, he just demonstrated how not to do it. A car crash performance which pissed all over the (already poor) melody with terrible vocals. I don't understand why he was put through in the first place. Hopefully America rectifies this.

4. Tim Halperin: Streetcorner Symphony/Come on Over (Rob Thomas)
Easily the weakest vocalist so far. Nothing here screams "star", (I don't even remember him in earlier rounds) but at least it wasn't as painfully bad as Jordan. Shouldn't get very far based on this.

5. Brett Loewenstern: Light My Fire (the Doors)
A very memorable contestant gives a very forgettable perfomance. Yet more weak vocals that only remind you how great Will Young's version was. I don't know what JLo was watching, but it was less Beyonce and more Beverley Callard.

6. James Durbin: You Got Another Thing Comin’ (Judas Priest)
The most obvious Steven Tyler-bait, with the high squeals. Definitely the best vocals so far, though the performance was very much lacking. Needs to work on his stage presence if he wants to be the new Adam Lambert, but definitely one to watch.

7. Robbie Rosen: Angel (Sarah MacLachlan)
Too much trilling for my liking, but there was a good voice underneath, should he ever decide to use it properly. I don't know WTF JLo heard, but GO RANDY!

8. Scotty McCreery: Letters From Home (John Michael Montgomery)
The perfect song choice and performed perfectly for him and his style. It might have had the rest of us reaching for the sick bag, but it was pure HIM. Cheese cheese cheese in a very VERY old-fashioned way- but more than competent, and easily top 3 so far.

9. Stefano Langone: Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars)
He's a very pretty man, but his facial expressions make it look like he's struggling to squeeze one out. That said, it was a very good performance with some of the better vocal choices tonight (but not all of them). Another one to watch.

10. Paul McDonald – Maggie Mae (Rod Stewart)
It's Bradley Cooper doing a camp, drunken Joe Cocker impression. The vocals had a unique smoky quality, though. He should be very safe for a while, possibly another one to watch- but only if the twitchy gimmick doesn't get old. Like Taylor Hicks. Oh, hang on...

11. Jacob Lusk: House Is Not A Home (Dionne Warwick/Luther Vandross)
Darwin bless that man for doing such a dramatically camp diva performance on such a big stage, to such a homophobic crowd as America. The vocals were great, but the song is dull as dishwater. He could be phenomenal, but (despite what the judges say) he hasn't got there yet.

12. Casey Abrams: I Put A Spell On You (Nina Simone)
The bastard lovechild of Seth Rogen and Alice The Goon, and unexpecedly the one to pander to Steven Tyler the most with the squealing and yodelling. At times painful to listen to, but he's a good performer with a good voice.

My pick for the top 5:
Jovany, James, Stefano, Jacob, Scotty.
Wildcard: Paul