American Idol - Top 20

Now that American Idol has chosen its top 20, it's time for the viewers to vote.  Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

Girls

1) Kree Harrison.  She didn't get much air time during the auditions, but really made up for it with great singing during Hollywood and Vegas weeks.  I like the low-key vibe that she gives out, plus she is primed for one of those major TV makeovers.

2) Candice Glover.  I thought it was a shame that she didn't make it last year, but she came back even better this year.  One of the strongest voices this year, but she has to start picking more daring songs instead of the typical Aretha/Whitney/Mariah R&B ouvre.

3) Angie Miller.  It's amazing how well she sings considering that she is partially deaf, and I liked the original song she sang in Hollywood.  She needs help in the clothes department, though. 

4) Breanna Steer.  She hasn't had a lot of air time, but her version of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" during Vegas week was great and a nice change from all the ballads. 


Guys

A lot of the guys that I like have been eliminated already, and I do suspect that the producers are really attempting to stack the deck in the girls' favor.  The judges have eliminated guys who have great voices, but who the producers fear will cruise on their looks and charms for weeks, like Johnny Keyser and Jimmy Smith.  Nevertheless, I did like two of the top 10:

1) Devin Velez.  He has guts and a great voice, without the attitude (*cough*Curtis Finch, Jr.*cough*).  Let's hope he doesn't fall into the Karen Rodriguez trap and only becomes memorable for singing in both English and Spanish.

2) Nick Boddington.  His Vegas cover of James Morrison's "Say Something Now" was surprisingly weak, but he has shown enough flashes of brilliance that I hope he sticks around and gets stronger.