Jessica Eisenberg is a writer, actor, singer, teacher, musical director, and managing director for the Prologue Theatre Company in Chicago. On June 6th, Jessica published an article about American Idol runner-ups.
As a professional musician, Jessica used her musical knowledge to write concise and interesting comments about the singers. She looked at the big picture and ranked the nine runner-ups by their voice and personality. The following is the ranking that the author thought was correct.
9. Blake Lewis
8. Katharine McPhee
7. Justin Guarini
6. Diana DeGarmo
5. David Archuleta
4. Bo Bice
3. Crystal Bowersox
2. Adam Lambert
1. Clay Aiken
Jessica said of Clay:
(Season 2) Clay didn’t need any bells and whistles or lighting effects to get to this spot in this list. With one of the most impeccable voices we’ve heard on the show, all he really had to do was sing. He still has the vocals that have really only been rivaled by David Cook in range and consistency. No one on this list can match the finesse and power of Clay Aiken’s belting range, not even Adam and his constant falsetto. (Of course, we don’t know if Clay can scream, but how much screaming do we really want to hear?)
Do you agree with the ranking of the runner-ups? If not, how would you rank them?
To read the entire article and leave a comment, visit:
Boy did she nail that one having Clay Aiken #1!! I'm not sure if I totally agree with the rest of her rankings, but it was a very interesting read!
Clay is the best singer Idol ever had. I would rate him #1 among all idols not just the runner ups.
I'd rank order them differently, placing Bice and Archuleta higher while moving Lambert, Bowersox, and Guarini to lower positions. But I agree 100% with her choice for the #1 spot!! Clay Aiken is Numero Uno with me, that's for sure!
i agree clay is a great idol. He sings well, has the personality and is good looking and does good for the world.
I took these to quote from the article:
"impeccable voice
finesse and power of Clay Aiken’s belting range"
I'll add, it's a true pleasure to listen to Clay.
Good advice for any novice singers, all he, Clay, has to do is sing. That's what it's all about.
No question about who the #1 is! However, I would rate Archuleta higher than his position now.
Lambert will move down to # 5 on my list.
Clay is #1 for me period! They are just now stating what fans have known for the last 7 years.
Clay is my #1 for sure. I also like David Archulta and Bo Bice. I am also very proud of Diana Digarmo for all the Broadway work she's done.
Musicfan,
Interesting article, which I added to the Carolina blog as well. I certainly agree with Eisenberg's choice of Clay Aiken at the top of the list. IMO, none of the others come close to his voice and success.
Have an awesome week! Wonder what's around the corner? *g*
Caro
Except for David Archuleta, Adam and Crystal I don't really know these guys… I'd switch the 3rd and 2nd places. I like Crystal Bowersox a lot. She's a quiet, confident singer songwriter with some powerful vocals and she's not show-off-y.
I think I probably enjoy Adam's personality more than his vocals…not into the screaming much plus I like my men to sing low rather than in falsetto. (and , well, Clay can do both. 😛 Bridge Over Troubled Water still gives me the shivers.)
Interesting. Thanks for posting this! Always good to know people outside of the Clay fandom rate him high.
I agree most definately that Clay is #l. But, I would put Kelly Clarkson in #2 and change Adam Lambert to #5. Some of those people should not even be on that list. Clay IS the best singer ever on AI.
I don't know anything of the other runner-ups..but definately Clay should be #1. He has the most beautiful voice…and as she says…who needs screaming..Clay doesn't scream…Clay's tone is perfect to me… I never tire of listening to him sing.
I would put him number one among the winners too. He has such a brilliant voice!
I agree with the number 1 spot. Many of the others I would change. For example, Katherine McPhee would be higher on my list, #4 or #5, and Adam Lambert would be lower, #6 or #7.
I agree with you nebclayfan, he should be number one among the winners.
Of course Clay should be #1. I doubt anyone else received '80 percent of the vote every single week he was on'. America got it right! (Just too bad the one phone line and only 2 hours of voting time didn't allow Clay's millions of votes OVER Ruben to get counted!)
I'll just agree that Clay is #1 and I feel he is #1 overall, not just runner-ups. Several of them have good voices but Clay's voice is a once in a lifetime thing that comes along. Am I prejudiced? Nah! 😉
Surely agree with #1 and #2, as they possess the best voices ever on Idol, winners OR runners up. Both have engaging personalities too, but Clay has the ability to cause warm fuzzies! LOL
David A. and Katharine, and maybe, Crystal, have better voices than all the rest on the list for me. Bo seemed to be a great guy though.