American Idol 12: Ranking the Top 10 Girls

Every year I like to take a moment a couple of days before the semifinals begin and really dig deep into some of these contestants. Talent, vocal ability, personality, and other artistic qualities that make a contestant a contender shed light onto where exactly I - as an addicted fantard - stand at this point in the competition.

So, just like every year, based on their auditions down to their Sudden Death performances, I'm stubbornly doing it again this season hoping that I'll get things right this time. Haha.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at these finalists and decide where they really stand. After all, we are about to embark on a twelve-week sprint to the finish line after this. Let’s take a deep breath before hand.

SEASON 10 Ranking
SEASON 11 Ranking (Boys)
SEASON 11 Ranking (Girls)

Let's go to the rankings, shall we?

10. Tenna Torres

Here's a girl who NEVER should have made it this far. I don't know. She clearly can sing, but she has this slightly annoying tone that I dislike and she's probably one of the least capable singers remaining who has yet to deliver a great performance. To me, her Soulmate performance was lackluster, but fortunate enough to be part of the weaker group of girls. LONG SHOT

09. Adriana Latonio

Adriana has a great voice with a lovely tone, but she also has a severe stylistic limitations that makes her come off as a pageantbot. Her song choice of Ain't No Way though a decent song to showcase her vocal ability, added not one iota of clarity to her individual character or musical identity. Add to that the simple fact that she was invisible in the competition until the sudden death round. Unless she creates a big moment for herself this week, I don't see her lasting for another week. POSSIBLE UPSET

08. Zoanette Johnson

Vocally, Zoanette is nowhere near as talented as Adriana Latonio and even Tenna Torres. But, as we all know, that isn't necessarily that important and after her polarizing rendition of Circle of Life, she's now becoming one of the most talked about contestants this season - maybe for all the wrong reasons - and American voters, for some weird reason, like to award different contestants for being outrageous. But how much of this craziness can America take? MOST LIKELY

07. Breanna Steer

Her rendition of Jazmine Sullivan's Bust Your Windows was solid and quite awesome, but her quiet confidence and strong personality may actually hurt her chances in the competition. I don’t necessarily consider her a "diva" in the traditional American Idol sense because she doesn’t have any of the vocal power to back up that image, but looking at the technical side, she is slightly inferior to most of the finalists and her limited screentime prior to last week may reveal an even greater weakness: she doesn’t have a solid fanbase going into the semifinals. Frankly, contestants like her NEVER win American Idol. So, yes, the odds are against her. POSSIBLE UPSET

06. Janelle Arthur

Janelle, the audience will forgive you for singing self-indulgent songs. They are smart enough to do that. But, they won't forgive you for singing songs poorly. Admittedly, Janelle has a fantastic country voice. Apparently, it's not always the most dependable - proven by her major mistep last week - but it's definitely a strong instrument. Now, if she manages to get her act together, she could easily win this competition. The question is whether or not she has been broken by last week's performance or whether she is able to pick herself up and go one more round. MOST LIKELY

05. Aubrey Cleland

Not sure if Aubrey's song choice of Beyonce's Sweet Dreams was kind of inspired - or did she just cover a cover of Jessica Sanchez - but I would like to think that she's more creative and versatile than people realize. I still haven’t seen enough of her voice though to decide if she has what it takes to defeat any of the current frontrunners, but Aubrey could be the winner that the show has desperately been seeking. She has a powerful, moldable, and surprisingly clear voice and looks like a movie star. POSSIBLE UPSET

04. Angela Miller

Paired with a widely well-received performance of her original song, plus initial screen time and high buzz, Angela is in a very nice place despite being pushed down our throats. Yes, plenty of contestants who were pimped to the ends of the earth fell short - Adam Lambert, Lauren Alaina, and Joshua Ledet to name a few - but plenty of others won. We all knew Fantasia Barrino would win Season 3, and she did. Easily. Same with Carrie Underwood. So, I wouldn’t count Angela out yet. After all, every single one of her performances garnered positive reviews from the judges and incredible support across America. She hasn’t had a bad moment yet and is in the best position to win American Idol. So, as long as she maintains her momentum and doesn’t have to fight off Candace, Kree, or someone else from our list, than she is in a damn strong position to become our next American Idol. SHOO IN

03. Amber Holcomb

Did we know this coming in? Absolutely not. A few weeks ago, I would never have thought a girl named Amber Holcomb would be a frontrunner in this competition. But, My Funny Valentines happened and she has changed the game. She has got a great tone with an impeccable vocal control and a personality to boot. Plus, this is a girl who could be a very marketable performer. On this show, you have to be a fierce player of the game and I'm hoping she is one. POSSIBLE UPSET

02. Candace Glover

Vocally, Candace has the most powerful voice in the competition. Her vocal control is indisputable and her vocals are in a different league from the rest of the girls. Her personality is a bit reserved, but she doesn’t shy away from showboating to entertain her audience. The question becomes: how does she outdo himself? Also, will the audience get tired of this return to early American Idol strategy of belting loud notes and turning every two syllable word into an eight syllable word? Candace is currently maintaining her status as a solid, resolute, and steady performer turning in a couple of strong performances coming into the semifinals. Let’s see what strategy she employs over the next few weeks to win this competition! SHOO IN

01. Kree Harrison

Kree has been a very stable contestant, but when she blasted out a stellar rendition of Up To The Mountain, she just earned her space in the Finals. She's a dark horse of a contestant that if she can continue to build momentum and a fanbase over the next few weeks, a Kree Harrison win would look like a very real possibility. Her ability to emote and phrase these songs will be the true testament. She’ll just need to work on opening up and creating more of a recognizable personality for herself in order to endear some of the people currently on the fence. MOST LIKELY