Will is cute (although I hate his hairstyle), and he has a pleasant voice. However, we in the viewing audience can only judge based on what we see coming across our TV screens. To me, Will appears not to be taking this competition very seriously. He has a lackadaisical, almost disconnected stage presence, and he's picked fairly easy songs.
Is this due to his age? Maybe, but I don't think so.
Elliott -- I've decided that, to me anyway, going strictly by pure singing voice, he's the best of the guys. Too bad he has little charisma and stage presence. As I've noted several times before, an excellent voice, alone, does not make a star. The history of show biz is littered with people who had excellent singing voices, but who were not star material.
One example that comes to mind is Marni Nixon. Who? Marni Nixon, the woman whose voice you hear singing in some of the greatest musicals of the 1950's and 1960's. It's Marni Nixon's voice you hear for Debra Kerr's Anna in 'The King and I' (1956), Natalie Wood's Maria in 'West Side Story' (1961), and Audrey Hepburn's Eliza in 'My Fair Lady' (1964).
At this point, Elliott is to this year's AI what Marni Nixon was to those films. Excellent voice, but not a leading-man type. Maybe the makeover artists who work with the top 12 can do some magic with him.
Chris -- he showed his limitations last night. He's beginning to come across as a one-trick pony. The song choices he makes on the theme nights will make or break him. What he does, he does extremely well, though.
Taylor -- always interesting. We can't forget that this is SHOW business. Taylor usually puts on a good show. I don't think his voice is all that much, but he makes up for it with showmanship and the ability to project a sincere connection to the music he sings.
Ace -- I DO NOT LIKE FEMININE VOICES ON MEN. Period. Falsetto is like nails on a chalkboard to me. What Ace does, he does well, I suppose, but I'm incapable of appreciating it. However, the fact is that light, high-pitched male voices are what sells in the pop genre. Go figure.
Bucky -- he has something. Maybe just his very nice eyes and the way his smile lights up his face, but he has something. Too bad he comes off as such a clod. He's sort of the Gomer Pyle of this year's AI. If he makes it into the top 12, I hope the AI makeover artists do some really good work on Bucky, because there's a handsome guy with a good voice and some charisma hiding underneath the pony tail and grungy clothes.
Gedeon disappointed this week. He is ultra-limited. If he makes it into the top 12, I think he'll be one of the first guys to go home. PeeWee and Will don't belong in the top 12.
My unranked top 12:
Katharine, Mandisa, Kellie, Lisa, Paris, Melissa, Chris, Taylor, Ace, Bucky, Elliott, Gedeon.