Dancing with the Stars is doing an All Star season and it got me thinking of how amazing it would be to have an All Star season of American Idol. We have had so many amazing singers on the show, and after nine seasons, I’m sure some of them who are less successful would come back and compete for best male American Idol season ever! With this talented group it doesn’t just come down to amazing vocals, they have to have the ability to pick great songs and make them their own. They have to be consistently amazing and be great performers. This is the best of the best! Let’s see who comes out on top!
(12) Justin Guarini: (Season 1) The first man to get a shot at the win, Justin Guarini had an excellent voice and was a great performer. His range was too limited to pull of the big singles during the finals, but he really had a special talent. However, he got more cheesy and overly confident as the season went on, and that keeps him in the last spot on this list.
(11) George Huff: (Season 3) His joyful personality made George one of the most like-able American Idol contestants we have ever had. He had a unique tone and always had fun, energy filled performances. A couple of average performances keep him from making it higher up on this list.
(10) Ruben Studdard: (Season 2) The velvet teddy bear was always incredibly consistent. He always picked the right songs, though sometimes the most obvious songs, and he always stood there smiling as he sang with his great vocal chops. He is definitely talented, but his inability to pull out a huge note and really surprise us is what keeps him from being higher up on the list.
(9) David Archuleta: (Season 7) David had a really great voice for his age and a lot of potential. It’s great to watch his successful career. When he had the right ballad, his vocals were on fire and also very heart felt. His up-tempo numbers were just never as strong. That is the only thing keeping him from moving on up.
(8) Bo Bice: (Seaspn 4) Our first resident American Idol rocker wowed us with his unique song choices and his ability to take chances. He had a good voice and a decent range, and who knows perhaps if he had the ability to change up arrangements and play an instrument, he might have been able to rank higher. He definitely is a great talent!
(7) Michael Lynche: (Season 9) Easily the best male singer of season 9, Michael Lynche had consistently great vocals and could also turn it up a notch with his guitar. His ballads were really amazing and he could light up the stage with his up-tempo numbers. He got accused of being cheesy a lot, but he always rose to the occasion of each theme week.
(6) Kris Allen: (Season 8) He is definitely the most subtle singer on this list. However, Kris Allen could take a song we’d heard before and pull out a version that was humbly exceptional. He had great technique and control, which made up for his smaller range. It didn’t hurt that he knew his way around a piano and guitar.
(5) Elliott Yamin: (Season 5) The ultimate under dog, Elliott Yamin surprised us week after week with the most incredible vocal runs we ever had on American Idol. He had a great tone, and was completely lovable. Every time you thought he might not make it another week, he would pull out all the vocal stops that just could not be denied.
(4) Chris Daughtry: (Season 5) It was hard to decide where to place Elliott and Chris. Both of them were pretty consistent with only a couple minor hiccups along the way. Both of them have great vocal talent. Personally, I like Elliott more and have all of his CDs, but if we’re including performance skills and changing up arrangements, Chris Daughtry takes the lead.
(3) Adam Lambert: (Season 8) I was not the biggest Adam Lambert fan, as I am not into constant singing in the head voice. That said, singing an entire song in your head voice takes immense talent, and so does his falsetto screaming. The only thing that keeps him from beating out the two guys ahead of him, is that he rarely sang a song without pulling falsetto or his head voice. It grew tiresome after awhile. His amazing talent and performance ability cannot be denied.
(2) Clay Aiken: (Season 2) When Clay Aiken’s voice came along it completely stopped the American Idol audience in their tracks. His range seems to have no limits and his vocal agility knew no bounds. No matter how many seasons go by, it is next to impossible to out sing him. His tone and high belt just cut right through.
(1) David Cook: (Season 7) Then David Cook came along. He has a range and technique to rival Clay’s and the ability to effortlessly sing every genre that came his way. Clay always had a little bit of a twang to his tone, and couldn’t effortlessly take on Andrew Lloyd Webber without batting an eye. The other difference is David Cook could really rock out. He wasn’t just a crooner, he is a rock band kind of dude. He also has a way with his guitar and making songs his own. Thus, David Cook is the best male vocalist on American Idol ever!
