American Idol Finale: 7 Non-Finalists Then and Now
After 15 seasons, American Idol bade farewell last week (for now). This has little to do with Singapore, but I did spend my teenage years watching it on Mediacorp Ch 5. As I’m prone to do, I will use this occasion to celebrate contestants who 1) didn’t make the final 2 and 2) who never quite made it “big” (yet), but who have left impressions on me both 1) during and 2) after their Idol run.
I was most engaged with AI from season 5 (Taylor Hicks) to season 11 (Phillip Phillips), so my selection is by no means complete. That’s rarely the purpose here: one individual can never be more comprehensive than a team. I only wish to give encouragement to these 7 contestants who have inspired me with their voices.
Courtesy of Google Images
Season 6 (3rd) (All-time 1st for fewest Simon criticisms)
Melinda Doolittle – Home (Top 12) / There Will Come A Day (Top 6)
Taking into account their competition, Melinda’s exit remains the most shocking. She convinced me really early, and in another year of powerhouses – after Season 3 – this backup singer with humility to spare outsang LaKisha Jones and Jordin Sparks week after week. My favourite performance came in Top 6 week; for quite a while afterwards, I could recite Simon Cowell’s exact compliments! No Idol contestant managed to shut Simon up as well as Melinda.
Melinda Doolittle – Fundamental Things (2009) / You’re The Reason (2013)
For top Idol contestants in that time, Melinda took fairly long to release her debut album. Since then, she has released another EP in 2013, though digital access is rather hard to get. Not quite radio-friendly, but I sense that she loves what she’s doing without needing to be too famous. She has added zip to her performances yet retained her trademark humility, which I believe will take her further than most.
Season 7 (3rd)
Jason Castro – Over the Rainbow (Top 8)
In the year of the Davids (Archuleta and Cook), Jason was best of the rest. He’s forever strumming his guitar to lullabic songs in gorgeous dreadlocks. Those who have listened to Iz’s version won’t be that surprised, but I had only heard the original melody covered fabulously by Katharine McPhee in Season 5. I still feel the refreshingly youthful vibes of his cover of ‘Over the Rainbow’.
Jason Castro – That’s What I’m Here For (2010)
His debut album was well-received, with a lot of youthful love songs – his specialization. This is my favourite of the lot because of its lyrics. I only just chanced upon this video; he sounds exactly like on the CD version! I’m not sure how’s he doing now, except that he cut off his dreadlocks. Omg!
Season 8 (3rd)
Danny Gokey – What Hurts the Most (Top 9)
In my opinion, the most stellar season of all! Although Adam Lambert was sweeping everyone off their feet, Danny was my personal favourite from the start, with his tragic love story from auditions and emotive vocals. Just wait for the *come back to me* portion in this one! Strangely, I wasn’t too disappointed with his exit, because Kris Allen gradually won me over as well.
Danny Gokey – My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me (2010) / Hope In Front Of Me (2014)
I’ve been following Kris more closely than Danny after their Idol run, so I though to look up a few of his new songs. Danny has actually done quite well judging from YouTube views! He kicked off in style with a country record – though Scotty McCreery came soon after – and he now mainly sings Christian songs. Faith notwithstanding, it’s obvious that he still specializes in soothing people’s aching hearts. Way to go!
Season 8 (7th -> 5th)
Matt Giraud – So Small (Top 11)
It really was a stellar season. If Matt signed up for Season 9, he could well have won. I really admired his crazy piano skills and his cover of ‘So Small’ remains one of the most enduring Idol songs in memory. The video says it all: how he’s underrated, how he’s versatile, and how he reminds one of Michael Bublé! Bonus points for that last one! He was the first recipient of the Judges’ Save, though it only kept him for another 2 weeks.
Matt Giraud – See You in a Little While (2011) / Brand New Day (2011)
The sad thing is that he has slipped most under the radar, with no full album released. I managed to find a handful of songs he recorded in River City Studios, and oh boy, how versatile – from emotional to inventive! The *you don’t love me* sequence in ‘Brand New Day’ from 2:50 to 3:55 is just so catchy! I don’t know why no one has signed him up, because he sounds radio-friendly while keeping a distinctive voice. No new songs, but he’s still doing live performances!
Season 10 (3rd)
Haley Reinhart – Rolling in the Deep (Top 7) / The House of the Rising Sun (Top 5)
I thought she had a very curious voice during Top 12, but she was somewhat panned by the judges and landed in the bottom 3. Yet gradually, Haley found a winning formula and became so virtuoso that it was farcical she didn’t make the final in an unpredictable season. From jazz to ballad to pop to soul… it’s amazing what this sultry voice can do!
Haley Reinhart – Habits (2015 cover) / Oops!… I Did It Again (2015 cover)
Her debut album didn’t kick off, but there’s no stopping her joining with Postmodern Jukebox to release a few fantastic covers – covers really show what she can do. ‘Habits’ is my fave of the lot – the b-b-b parts are so intricate (and then the whistling!) – though you will easily find contenders. I’m putting the Britney cover because her impression of Marilyn Monroe feels like a fantastic tribute to Norma, who was imposed the dumb blonde sex symbol image decades earlier. Haley’s releasing a 2nd album; it’s okay if that doesn’t work out, because she will make a really fine career out of covers alone.
Season 10 (11th -> 6th)
Casey Abrams – Nature Boy (Top 8)
This goes down as the most jaw-dropping performance I’ve seen on Idol, and that’s after other jaw-dropping ones from Casey in earlier rounds. I never thought I’d ever see such a musician on Idol, from image to voice to genre. Fittingly, his Judges Save saw one of the show’s most authentic outpourings, and how glad I am that he stayed to do ‘Nature Boy’! Though there were some talents in Season 10, Casey and Haley deserve to win the plaudits.
Casey Abrams – Why Don’t You Do Right (2013 c0ver)
Casey released a full album in 2012, but the pop tunes hardly did him justice, unlike this cover. If you listen to Haley and Casey, you’d think they could complement each other great. Which they do, actually. They have sung songs together on Idol and still do. Casey has also been with the Postmodern Jukebox. His talents lie outside pop though, but I’m sure he’ll keep a loyal following with his eccentricity.
Season 11 (3rd) (All-time 1st in Ovation)
Joshua Ledet – When A Man Loves A Woman (Top 11) / It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World (Top 4)
This is the only season I watched after Mediacorp stopped showing it, and it was so worth it! Jessica Sanchez had great diva covers while Phillip Phillips had a fantastic Top 3 week, but Joshua killed it every week with his raspy soul voice and it became a law for the judges to give an ovation. The judges sometimes overdid it, but these 2 performances are simply legendary. The first one got an ovation half a minute before he finished! I prefer mellow music, so discovering my love for Joshua-flipping-Ledet (in Melinda Doolittle’s words no less) was a stunning surprise. He was only 20, but already had the voice of a legend.
Joshua Ledet – Broken Man (2012) / Soul Man duet (2013 live) / Love Can Do (2015)
And so it’s stunning that he hasn’t yet released any albums. WHAT?! He has put out some heart-wrenching songs like ‘Broken Man’, but the audience in that video must have been deaf. He made it to the White House too and more than held his own with Sam Moore on ‘Soul Man’ (haha ‘man’ again?) and received an ovation from the President (told ya it’s law). He has taken it slow, winning over non-English-speaking natives in Indonesia and Finland. He’s finally preparing an album; let’s hope this goosebumps-inducing voice will see the light of day in our generation.
All these contestants show that even with a fantastic voice, it takes a lot of luck to amass a big listening audience. That’s why we always lament why a singer isn’t more popular. One also often needs to play to the prevailing tastes of our time. But my guess is that many of these musicians are satisfied with their smaller followings, as long as they can make the music they believe in. That’s what’s most laudable.
May your voices keep inspiring those who appreciate, in locality or round the globe.
