Top 10 Songs of 2021

  The Top 10 songs of 2021!!

2021 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

Levitating - Dua Lipa

This completely infectious pop dance jam was at the top of the charts at the beginning of the year and it stayed there for the entire year!!! It's so good that you just wanted to keep hearing it again and again.     

Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

At first you started to hear it thinking it was just a fun commercial for Applebee's, but then you kept hearing it and realized it was an all-around country pop dance music sensation.   

Leave The Door Open - Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic 

Thank goodness the music industry has Bruno Mars saving the pop music scene with his retro R&B/funk stylings. He truly knows how to make great music like no others.       

Take My Breath - The Weeknd

His song last year officially became the biggest Hot 100 hit of all time and he followed it up this year with another hot song to illustrate that he is a master at crafting an amazing pop song.          

Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

While his ballads are sweet and nice, it was very enjoyable that Ed came back with an uptempo pop song that added more range and versatility to his catalog to keep us tapping our toes.         

Kiss Me More - Doja Cat

She has turned out to be more than a one hit wonder coming back with another song that is pure pop music toe tapping pleasure.         

Save Your Tears - Ariana Grande and The Weeknd

He was the dominant force in pop music for two years now, but this song was stalling on the charts until the pop princess with the golden touch joined in for the remix causing it to shoot to #1.        

Heat Waves - Glass Animals

This is a song that I kept hearing in the background and slowly liked it more and more. It's subtle, yet catchy.    

Easy On Me - Adele

Adele is that rare artist who has undeniable crossover mainstream appeal with the general public unlike anyone else. While other artists can be love em or hate em polarizing, Adele brings all music fans together. Even when the song is simple and understated it's a smash hit.  

Butter - BTS 

This K-Pop super group is here to stay - or at least for another year. This hit was even bigger than their breakthrough song last year. Another slice of boy band magic that is keeping their army of fans happy.        

Top 10 Songs of 2016

The Top 10 songs of 2016!!
2016 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

We Don't Talk Anymore - Selena Gomez with Charlie Puth

Selena is at her most likeable on this buoyant pop track. It's catchy and everything else you want to hear on repeat all year long. Perfect for dancing a west coast swing.     

Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande

The title track from her outstanding third album is continuing her streak of delivering catchy hooks, and powerhouse vocals, but this time there is a new level of maturity and sophistication. Perfect for dancing a Viennese waltz. 

Can't Stop The Feeling - Justin Timberlake

Justin is a master at following the pop music formula and delivering an across the board crowd pleasing dance party anthem. Fun for all ages!!! Perfect for dancing a hustle.   

Cheap Thrills - Sia

She's still hiding her face, but for another year she is serving up strong vocals on a great song. Perfect for Dancing a samba.    

Cake By The Ocean - DNCE

The Jonas Brothers never gave us a pop anthem that was this good. And who doesn't want to dance and eat cake by the ocean!!! Perfect for Dancing a hustle.     

24K Magic - Bruno Mars

Bruno has taken his pop music sensibility and paired it with the classic 80's funk sound of Rick James and Teena Marie. This is a retro jam that is refreshing to hear back on the airwaves.    

Side To Side - Ariana Grande

This girl is just working with the best songwriters and producers because everything she releases is better than what everyone else is doing. This time there is a reggae bounce to the groove and it is infectious.    

Send My Love - Adele

Admittedly this is my least favorite track on her album 25, but compared to the rubbish that other artists are releasing this is a true gem of amazing vocals and musicality.    

Closer - The Chainsmokers

Everything on the radio in 2016 sounded exactly like this song. While most of those other songs are tiresome drivel, this one rose above the rest and didn't totally suck.   

7 Years - Lukas Graham

It's a good song. Nice vocals. Lyrics that you can understand and that aren't stupid. The rest of the songs that came out this year were really bad. 

2016 Year End Charts

The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2016 is 25 by Adele.

There was only one Miss American Idol finalist who made an impact on the 2016 year end charts. It's no surprise at it is The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood.  The latest release from Carrie Underwood, Storyteller, finishes out the year at #36. She also comes in strong ranking at #98 with her Greatest Hits: Decade #1.

Over on the Top Country Albums chart for 2016 Storyteller lands at #4 for the year while Greatest Hits: Decade #1 is at #25.  

The Top 5 singles for 2016 on the Billboard HOT 100 are: #1 Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, #2 Sorry by Justin Bieber, #3 One Dance by Drake, WizKid and Kyla, #4 Work by Rihanna and Drake and at #5 Stressed Out by 21 Pilots.

There weren't any Miss American Idol finalists who were able to make a showing on the 2016 Top Billboard HOT 100 hits of the year.

Over on the Billboard 2016 Top Artists of the Year chart the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, can be found at #29. If you only look at the Top Female Artists of 2016 she ends up at #9. And if we look at the Top Country Artists of 2016 Carrie Underwood comes in at #5.

The Top 10 Songs of 2015

The Top 10 songs of 2015!!
2015 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

Shut Up And Dance - WALK THE MOON

When you are teaching people to dance there's a saying that goes, "less talking, more dancing". Why just stand around listening when you can take what you have learned and put it into action! This song brings that saying to life in the most wonderful way! Perfect for dancing a hustle.     

Focus - Ariana Grande

This first single from her third album is continuing her streak of delivering catchy hooks, great beats and powerhouse vocals. Ariana sure looks great doing it as well. Perfect for dancing a samba. 

Ex's and Oh's - Elle King

This song has a great beat, fun and sexy lyrics and who would have thought it would come from Rob Schneider's daughter??!!! Perfect for dancing an east coast swing.   

Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd

This song sounds like it could be from a 1978 Steve Miller Band album, and that's a very good thing! Too bad the rest the "music" from The Weeknd is so unbearably awful. And things were looking so promising on his collaboration with Ariana Grande, Love Me Harder. He should have quit while he was ahead.   

Drag Me Down - One Direction

I don't care if the group has broken up or is taking a break. I am just happy to have all of the great pop songs they have given us!    

Cheerleader - OMI

The summer was filled with the tropical sounds of trumpets playing over a conga beat thanks to this refreshing song. And as a former cheerleader there is no way I could resist it!   

Lay Me Down - Sam Smith and John Legend

Of course something very good was going to result from John Legend, the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 2005 teaming up with Sam Smith who won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2014. This ballad is heartfelt and captivating and their voices sound amazing and pure.   

Hello - Adele

Q: Why did Adele cross the road? A: To say Hello from the other side!!!! And she came back to say it after being away for a few years with this outstanding song.   

Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars

Quite simply everything all in one place to satisfy the masses. Perfect for dancing a cha cha.  

What Do You Mean - Justin Bieber

Just forget how much you can't stand Justin Bieber and enjoy a very good pop song. Perfect for dancing a cha cha.

Candice VS. Kree

Tonight Candice Glover will go head to head with Kree Harrison in their final face off for the Season 12 Miss American Idol crown. They will each sing three songs. The first one will be selected by the American Idol producer, the second song will be their debut single, and the third song will their own choice of their favorite performance from the season.

The Idol producer's selected the 1997 hit from Sarah Mclachlan, Angel, for Kree to get started. This song is very sad and forlorn so it set her up to be even more dreary and meloncholy than usual. It was good, but Kree's voice lacks a unique quality that sets it apart and makes it stand out. Not a good start for her.

The Idol producers selected the 2008 hit from Adele, Chasing Pavements, for Candice to get started. This song is a good sample of the kind of music that could be hits for her in the future. It showed off her voice perfectly and it is just the right blend of pop and R&B to appeal to a wide audience. Very good start for her.

The original song for Kree is called All Cried Out and it is a wonderful country ballad that showcased her voice and style better than anything she has done all season so far. There was finally some emotional depth to her interpretation and her vocals were the perfect fit. If she can pull together an album with stuff like this, she might actually have some hit potential after all.

The original song for Candice is called I Am Beautiful and it is a triumphant anthem of empowerment and acceptance. Candice had total command of every lyric as though she connected personally to each word. This song is very current and will fit right in to what radio is playing these days. Her voice was wonderful on it.

For her favorite song of the season Kree selected Up To The Mountain, which I think was a mistake. Simply  put, the Season 9 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Crystal Bowersox, did this same song during her finale and she flat out did it better. Kree's voice is flat and plain in comparison. Kree needs to stop doing covers and stick to original material selected just for her.

For her favorite song of the season Candice selected I Who Have Nothing, which was a stellar choice. The fact is that Candice has an exceptional vocal range and she can truly step up to the plate and easily handle a challenging song like this. She tore the roof off the theater with her amazing and impressive encore performance.

This year my prediction for the Season 12 Miss American Idol winner is that I think Candice Glover SHOULD win, but I think that Kree Harrison WILL win.

The Top 4 Sing

The Top 4 finalists will all sing two songs each. The 1st one will be anything of their own choosing and the 2nd will be a song from a one hit wonder.

Celine Dion spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with The Power Love. Amber Holcomb completely radiated star quality with her flawless interpretation of this song. She looked beautiful in a sleek jumpsuit and sounded amazing. Wonderful!

Drake is a current hitmaker on the charts and Candice Glover used her outstanding voice to re-imagine one of his hits and make it her own. She has the ability to quite literally sing anything and be vocally impressive.

Kree Harrison, unlike the other finalists still left in the competition, hasn't grown very much. She started out good, but she is still stuck at the same place. Where the others have evolved and stepped up their range and performance style, Kree is the same old boring performer who is stagnating with her blank expressionless style.

Jessie J is another current hitmaker serving up a range of ballads and dance songs. Angie Miller is also an artist who is capable of delivering a broad range of musical styles. The song Who You Are was the perfect choice to represent the kind of artist Angie can be. Her musicianship at the piano was fantastic and her vocals were heartfelt and powerful.

Kree and Amber paired up for a duet on Adele's Rumor Has It and they both sounded very good. Amber easily has a more commanding stage presence than Kree. Then Candice and Angie showed them how it's done with their version of Rihanna's Stay. They are both better singers than Rihanna, so this was much more dramatic and powerful than the original.

Richard Harris is an accomplished actor who was a one hit wonder in 1968 with MacArthur Park that later become a huge disco smash by Donna Summer. Amber Holcomb demonstrated more of her start quality with this vocal tour de force. She looked and sounded confident and current even singing this song that is 45 years old!

Samantha Sang hit #3 with her one and only hit Emotion in 1978. Candice Glover did her best to inject some  new life into this song with some strong vocals, but she is starting to settle into a smooth jazz groove. We know she is good, but she has to be careful not to coast.

In 1967 Procol Harum hit #5 with A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Kree Harrison got up there and served up another shade of boring. Her vocals are simply good, but they aren't distinctive and unique enough that will set her apart from the pack of other artists out there. And to make it worse, she has no personality to speak of.

We have to go all the way back to 1955 to find the one hit by Julie London that peaked at #9, Cry Me A River. Angie Miller exuded classic beauty and style with a lush and lovely rendition of this timeless song. Her vocal range was the most dynamic and impressive that it has ever been. She sounded crystal clear and totally pure.

This is an outstanding top four, but the one who is out of her league is Kree Harrison. She was already in the bottom two last week, and this week she should be coming to the end of her journey.

Artists of the Year - Adele

Adele

Adele started out 2012 completely sweeping the Grammys winning both Record of the Year and Album of the Year. After that her album, 21, simply continued to dominate for the rest of the year. None of the new releases in 2012 even come close to the numbers that she has reached. In a very rare feat in this day and age, she has sold over 10 million copies of 21. For this reason alone, she has earned her place amongst the 2012 Artists of the Year.

The only new material that Adele released this year was the wonderful theme song to the latest 007 James Bond film, Skyfall. It is a grand and lush ballad that fits perfectly in the tradition of great bond themes. 

2012 Year End Charts

The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2012 is 21 by Adele. This is quite a significant accomplishment as it was also the #1 album for all of 2011.

There were some very strong showings from the Miss American Idol finalists on the 2012 year end charts. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood comes in at #14 with her album Blown Away. The fifth album by Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, Stronger, lands at #24. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #32 with his debut album Clear As Day. Break The Spell from Season 5 Miss American Idol 3rd Runner Up Chris Daughtry is the #53 album of the year. The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Adam Lambert ends the year at #188 with his album Trespassing.

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood had the #5 Country Album of the year with Blown Away. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #8 on this chart with his debut album Clear As Day and the Season 10 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Lauren Alaina lands at #34 with her debut album Wildflower.

The Top 5 singles for 2012 on the Billboard HOT 100 are: #1 Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, #2 Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, #3 We Are Young by fun., #4 Payphone by Maroon 5 and at #5 Lights by Ellie Goulding.

Just missing the top 5 is the Miss American Idol finalist who makes the highest showing on the year end singles chart, Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is at #7 with Stronger. Also landing in the top 100 songs of the year is the reigning Miss American Idol, Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips with Home at #49. The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood is on the year end chart with two songs - at #66 with Good Girl and at #70 with Blown Away.

The Miss American Idol winners also had an impressive showing on the Billboard 2012 Top Artists of the Year chart: The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson lands at #16 while The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood comes in at #31. The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #93 and the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips ends up at #95.

Finally, coming in at #16 on Billboard's list of the Top Soundtracks of 2012 is Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson on Think Like A Man while landing at #18 is the Season 5 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Katharine McPhee on the Smash soundtrack.

The Top 10 songs of 2012

The Top 10 songs of 2012!!
2012 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

No other song in 2012 completely saturated social media the way this one did. It's a completely fun and catchy pop jam everyone and their brother felt compelled to video record themselves dancing and singing along with it. While all of the homemade videos were entertaining, the official video was still the best of the bunch. Carly is looking cute daydreaming about her sexy neighbor while he mows the lawn and fixes his car, but it turns out that he ends up giving his number to the cute boy who plays guitar in her band! And to top it off, we learned a super fun line dance to this at Charlie's so it really was everywhere!

Glad You Came - The Wanted

I first heard this song on Glee when the Warblers performed it in a competition. It sounded awesome and it made me want to hear it again. Then when this version started to get radio airplay I started to like it even more. The guys voices harmonize so perfectly to the beat and the lyrics have you singing along.

Titanium - David Guetta

The empowering vocals by Sia combined with the hard driving dance beat deliver the most inspirational and motivating song of the year. This is a must on every work out playlist.

Lights - Ellie Goulding

This is the absolutely perfect song and video for playing loud while grabbing your hairbrush and dancing and singing along. The video is exactly how you would imagine your debut in the spotlight would be as you perform this song for your millions of adoring fans.

Skyfall - Adele

Exactly what a James Bond theme song should be. Lush and sensual strings embrace the mysterious and romantic lyrics. Adele provides the vocals in the grand tradition of Bond girls to perfection. 

What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

At first I thought someone was doing a remake of Summer Nights from Grease, but then it turned into a fresh and exuberant gem that is completely new and different. Still, it was an awesome part of many Summer days and nights in 2012.

Part of Me - Katy Perry

What an exciting night it was when Katy performed this song for the first time at the Grammy awards. It was no surprise at all that it shot to #1 the very next week. In 2012 she proved that she is still the master at serving up the perfect combination of a catchy pop song with an amazing video. This time Katy enlisted in the Marines in a sincere tribute to our veterans.

Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

You can't help but tap your feet and sing along with this pop rock slice of musical entertainment. There are a couple of videos for this song, but my favorite one has the zombies attacking the kids at the drive-in movie.

We Are Young - fun.

This is another song that the cast of Glee introduced long before the original became a hit. fun. has a style that completely goes against the current trends in pop music and they make it work with dramatic vocal arrangements and lots of orchestration. It's a welcome addition to the music scene.

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye

When you first heard this you may have thought it was the come-back single from Sting, but honestly, that's never really gonna happen. New artist, Gotye delivers an emotional vocal to go along with the creative performance art video. 

The Top 7 - two songs

Each of the top 7 finalists will sing two songs tonight.

Hollie Cavanagh got things off to an amazing start with her outstanding rendition of Adele's Rolling In The Deep. It was the biggest #1 hit song of 2011 as well as the Grammy winning Record of the Year. Hollie used her impressive vocal instrument to raise this song to an even higher level. It was confident and entertaining.

Colton Dixon kept things at a high energy pace as he rocked out his own version of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance that peaked at #2 in 2010. He definitely made it his own while still staying true to the dramatic performance art vibe that Lady Gaga originally created.

Elise Testone did her best to compete as she performed the Alicia Keys #1 hit from 2007, No One. But rather than presenting an effortless expression of her talent she seems very strained and forced.

Phillip Phillips kept things in the strained and forced direction as he attempted to sing the song that Usher took to #1 in 2001, U Got It Bad. Instead of being able to demonstrate any range or levels of dimension in the song, it was just unpleasant from beginning to end.

Jessica Sanchez brought the night back on track with a musical master class worthy interpretation of Alicia Keys #1 hit from 2001, Fallin. Her voice is pure, powerful and passionate. She looks like a seasoned professional as she takes the microphone and completely owns the stage.

Skylar Laine provided a down home country version of Lady Gaga's 2011 #1 smash Born This Way. The vocals were good and it was a perfect fit for her image.

When Fantasia was crowned as the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner in 2004 she hit #1 with her first single, I Believe. Joshua Ledet used this inspirational anthem to showcase his ability to be up there with the winners. It was an ideal match for his vocal range and it showed off his talent at his best.

Hollie Cavanagh makes singing clear and perfect notes look so easy. She has a true gift and it comes through every time she is on stage. And Wow! she looks so cute in her outfits and high heels. This time it was an adorable pink mini while singing Dusty Springfield's Son Of A Preacher Man that hit #10 in 1968.

Earth Wind and Fire had a #8 disco hit song in 1978 with September, but Colton Dixon re-imagined this jam as a piano driven ballad. This arrangement was a smashing success to connect him to an even bigger and broader audience.

When Marvin Gaye hit #1 in 1973 with Let's Get It On, he made history with one of the sexiest songs of all time. Elise Testone was completely lacking in any connection to this song with this awkward performance.

Wilson Pickett hit #21 in 1965 with In The Midnight Hour. This song fit the narrow, limited range of Phillip Phillips perfectly. This is all that he knows how to do, but even this was weak and boring.

Otis Redding made a classic out of his #25 hit Try A Little Tenderness from 1966. Jessica Sanchez delivered a rousing new classic version for 2012 with her vocal throw down performance. It was raw and emotional while still being a cut above the rest.

Skylar Laine gave the fans another country version of a popular favorite. This time it was I Heard It Through The Grape Vine that Gladys Knight took to #2 in 1967. Skylar is starting to go on auto-pilot doing the same thing every time regardless of the song.

A Change Is Gonna Come hit #31 in 1965 for Sam Cooke. Joshua Ledet provided more of his classic soul vocals on this great song. Each note was packed with determination and sweat.

My prediction for the bottom three this week is an easy one: Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone and Skylar Laine. All three of them have nothing new to show us and no ability to grow into bigger and better music artists. It is time for these three to fade away and let the remaining stars in the competition shine. Elise should finally be the one going home.

And the Lucky 13 are....

The Top 25 is going to get chopped down to only 13 finalists moving forward in the competition.

Based on the votes from America, this is the Top 10:

Phillip Phillips
Jessica Sanchez
Holly Cavanagh
Joshua Ledet
Heejun Han
Shannon Magone
Skylar Laine
Elise Testone
Colton Dixon
Jermaine Jones

In my opinion, it's a very mixed bag. The best thing is that America got it right by voting for Jessica Sanchez to be moving forward. She is the clear front-runner. It is also very nice to see Jessica joined by Holly, Skylar, Elise, Joshua and Colton. All of these contestants have very good voices combined with fresh, entertaining and fun personalities.

The others, though, are going to have to work very hard to win me over into thinking they belong here still. Heejun should have never even made the Top 24, so I can't figure out at all why people are voting for him. He comes off as rude, insincere, offensive and an all around unpleasant jerk. As for Phillip, Shannon, and Jermaine: they are all very over-rated by the judges. The judges gush over them no matter what they do and it feels like they are force feeding them onto the viewers. The judges can keep repeating that they are the best things ever, but I still haven't seen it from these finalists yet.

So with three more positions to fill the judges asked six of the remaining finalists to sing for their lives!

The first to get another chance was Jen Hirsh who totally squandered this opportunity by serving up a bland and boring vocal performance of a forgettable song.

The next was Jeremy Rosado who served up an emotional rollercoaster rendition of the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood's I Know You Won't. While there's no way anyone will ever be able to match her exception vocal performance, Jeremy tugged on our heartstrings and proved himself once again as the most genuinely likeable young man the Idol stage has ever seen. He hit some of the big notes very well and ended the song in tears just like he surely affected many of the fans in the audience.

For some reason the judges wanted to hear Brielle Von Hugel sing again and she gave her best effort with Adele's recent #1 smash Someone Like You. The few glimmers of good singing were far out numbered by the not so great stuff that we never want to see or hear again.

There is no confusion at all with understanding why the judges next selected Deandre Brackensick to sing for his life. He has a clear and pure vocal range that is effortlessly impressive. He is able to easily transition to every note on the scale unlike anyone else in the competition. He applied his skills and talents to Georgia On My Mind and it was simply musical and vocal perfection.

There is also no confusion regarding the fact that Erika Van Pelt was asked to step back into the ring. She poured every ounce of her heart and soul into her powerful performance of Edge of Glory that Lady Gaga took to the top 10 last year. She is the genuine real deal and it comes through every time the audience is blessed with hearing her sing.

The final opportunity was given to Reed Grimm. He performed Use Me that Bill Withers took to #2 in 1972. While he may not have a future as a recording star, this energetic young man is very talented and dynamic on stage. He has a great sense of showmanship and he's a lot of fun to watch.

I am happy to report that the final three slots were all given to very worthy contestants:

Erika Van Pelt
Jeremy Rosado
Deandre Brackensick

Unfortunately there wasn't room for Creighton Fraker to be included on the Miss American Idol stage one more time and that is a real shame. He is clearly a very talented young man and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

The Top 12 girls take their first shot...

Tonight we get to know what the top 12 girls can really do - they can pick any song they want to present themselves to America for the first time:

The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood had a huge hit in 2009 with Cowboy Casanova that went on to win the CMT Video of the Year. Chelsea Sorrell has a very nice girl next door look and can also sing pretty well, but she doesn't even come close to how outstanding Carrie is.

Heart took What About Love to #10 in 1985. Erika Van Pelt went through the motions and did an acceptable version of the song.

Adele included One and Only on her 2012 Grammy winning Album of the Year 21. Jen Hirsh tried to make this wonderful song her own, but she ended up missing the mark.

Otis Redding took Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay to #1 in 1968. Brielle Von Hugel genuinely thinks that she is a bluesy, soulful rocker chick but it wasn't convincing from this performance at all.

Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson included Feeling Good on her 2011 album I Remember Me. Hallie Day provided a very classy and powerful vocal interpretation of this inspirational anthem. Very good.

One of Rod Stewart's earliest hits was Stay With Me in 1972. Skylar Laine was totally on fire as she served up a very convincing rendition complete with a sparkling short dress and moves to impress.

Lonestar to Amazed to #1 in 2001. Baylie Brown is an exceptionally beautiful young woman. Her looks are simply stunning and she dazzled in a lovely long gown. I don't even remember if she sang....

Christina Aguilera performed Reflections on the soundtrack to the Disney animated film, Mulan. Holly Cavanagh may appear to be small and meek, but when she opens her mouth to sing she is a giant of epic proportions. This is a song with many big notes and she was able to rise to the challenge with ease.

Eurythmics took Sweet Dreams to #1 in 1983. Haley Johnsen was totally an alterna-goth-rock grrrrrl out there showing off for the crowd. It was kinda good, but mostly all over the place.

Go Light Your World was just an all around wrong song to be performed tonight. Shannon Magrane clearly has no interest in being a real life mainstream pop superstar.

Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson performed the song Love You I Do in the film, DreamGirls. Jessica Sanchez rose above all of the competition with her completely excellent version of this song. She has everything it takes to be the next American Idol from her exceptional vocal range to her commanding stage presence.

Adele's One and Only was already performed tonight, but this time Elise Testone got it right. She sat at the piano and truly brought the song to life with her thoughtful vocal interpretation.

Now it's up to America to vote and you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/.

My top 5 will be: Hallie Day, Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, and Elise Testone.

And Jessica Sanchez is my early favorite. :)

The Top 13 boys take their first shot...

Tonight we get to know what these top 13 boys can really do - they can pick any song they want to present themselves to America for the first time:

Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera took Moves Like Jagger to #1 in 2011. Reed Grimm reinvented this piece of dance pop and turned it into a freestyle jazz extravaganza. It was an impressive example of his fun showmanship and style.

Aretha Franklin took Think to #7 in 1968. Adam Brock did his best to channel the black woman that he believes is trapped inside of him with this performance, but the reality is that he's just a white guy with limited vocal talent.

Earth Wind and Fire never released Reasons as a single. Deandre Brackensick sang this album track in his falsetto with some pretty good skill and he belted out a great note at the end.

Paramore's Decode was included on the 2008 Twilight soundtrack. Colton Dixon expressed that he is the height of teen fashion with his hair and style, and his vocals were pretty good also.

Sara Bareilles included Gravity as the closing track on her 2007 release Little Voice. Jeremy Rosado is a very sweet young man with a good vocal range. It's a nice combination.

The Jackson 5 took Never Can Say Goodbye to #2 in 1971. Aaron Marcellus provided a pretty standard reading of this wonderful R&B jam, but he failed to elevate it to a higher level.

Hunter Hayes released Storm Warning in 2011. Chase Likens is a very handsome guy who could be a big country star. He has a great voice and performed this recent hit very well.

Cyndi Lauper took True Colors to #1 in 1986. Creighton Fraker is an outstanding talent who can convey an impressive depth of emotion with every beautiful note that he sings.

Phil Collins took In The Air Tonight to #19 in 1981. Phillip Phillips took a risk and re-interpreted this song as a bluesy guitar driven jam. He is very like-able so even though it was almost unrecognizable it still worked.

Adele just hit #1 a few weeks ago with Set Fire To The Rain. Eben Franckewicz is only 15, but he has a smooth and clear vocal range. He may have bitten off more than he could chew with this current and familiar hit, but he managed to pull it through.

Heejun Han takes the description "bad personality" to a whole new level as working with special needs kids and singing about angels doesn't help to dig him out of the hole at all.

Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson included You Pulled Me Through on her Grammy winning debut album. Joshua Ledet belted out this anthem with his best gospel wail and brought the house down.

Luther Vandross won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2003 for Dance With My Father. Jermaine Jones has a very deep voice and served up a pretty good version of the song.

Now it's up to America to vote and you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/.

My top 5 will be: Reed Grimm, Deandre Brackensick, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker, and Eben Franckewicz.

And Creighton Fraker is my early favorite. :)

Artists of the Year - Adele

Adele

In 2008 Adele won the Grammy for Best New Artist. She had earned the respect of the music industry, but her debut album and single were still very much under the radar and far from getting mainstream acceptance.

All of that changed in 2011 with the release of Rolling In The Deep, the first single from her second album called 21. The song had a slow build at radio and on the sales chart, but once people started to know about this amazing song, there was no stopping it. It eventually went on to spend 5 weeks at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100, but the bigger story is with the album.

Since it's release, the album 21 has been in the top 5 every week while other new releases have come and gone. This has lead to 21 being the first album in over 6 years to sell over 5 million copies!

And the momentum is showing no signs of slowing down. The second single, Someone Like You, also hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 and the third single, Set Fire To Rain is on it's way to the top of the charts also. In addition, with the recent announcement of the Grammy nominations, Adele is the front runner with nods in all of the top categories including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

If you have somehow not heard this music, climb out from under your rock and find out for yourself that all of this praise and recognition for Adele is very rightly deserved.

2011 Year End Charts

The #1 album on the Billboard charts for all of 2011 is 21 by Adele. None of the Miss American Idol finalists managed to even get into the top 40 on the year end albums chart. It turned out to be the newest one who was able to get closest - The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in at #57 with his debut album Clear As Day.

Further down at #74 for the year is R&B release by Season 3 Miss American Idol finalist and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, I Remember Me. And even though it was only out for a few weeks in 2011 the fifth album by Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, Stronger, lands at #126. A second collection, American Idol Season 10 Highlights, from the Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, checks in at #174 while the third album, Play On, from The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, is still going strong three years after it's release at #176 for the year. And not to be forgotten, the season 9 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Crystal Bowersox, sneaks in at #181 for the year with her debut release, Farmer's Daughter.

The Top 5 singles for 2011 on the Billboard HOT 100 are: #1 Rolling In The Deep by Adele, #2 Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, #3 Firework by Katy Perry, #4 E.T. by Katy Perry and at #5 Give Me Everything by Pitbull and Ne-Yo.

The Miss American Idol finalist who makes the highest showing on the year end singles chart is the Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson at #68 with her duet with Jason Aldean Don't You Wanna Stay. Also landing in the top 100 songs of the year is the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood at #82 with her duet with Brad Paisley Remind Me.

2011 is definitely the year that American Idol turned into American COUNTRY Idol as there was much more successes to be found on the year end Billboard Country Singles chart where Kelly is at #19 with Don't You Wanna Stay, Carrie is at #26 with Remind Me and also at #50 with Mama's Song and Scotty comes in at #63 with I Love You This Big.

With the less than stellar Miss American Idol successes on the albums and singles charts, they also had a modest showing on the Billboard 2011 Top Artists of the Year chart: The Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery, comes in the highest at #81, The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson lands at #91 while The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood comes in at #99.

Finally, coming in at #8 on the Billboard's list of the Top New Artists of 2011 is Season 10 Miss American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery.

The Top 10 songs of 2011!!

2011 has been a great year for fun pop songs getting into the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 Singles chart. Here's my Top 10 favorite songs of the year:

Last Friday Night - Katy Perry

No other song this year fully captured the pure joy that pop music can bring into our lives better than this 5th consecutive #1 smash hit from Katy Perry's outstanding album Teenage Dream. The beat is bouncy, the lyrics are fun and the video is quite simply the most amazing star-studded entertainment masterpiece EVER! The electric neon fashions of the 80's are back in full force along with Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman and Kenny G. And the video not only co-stars both Artie and Blaine from the cast of Glee, but they also covered this great song on an episode of the show this year!

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera

When you take the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 1999 (Christina Aguilera) and pair her with the Grammy winner for Best New Artist in 2004 (Maroon 5) you are destined to have a huge hit on your hands. While these two acts combined forces as hosts of the music competition show The Voice, the best thing to come out of it had nothing to do with any of the contestants. It was this incredible musical collaboration that starts out paying tribute to the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, but ends up just being a pounding beat that makes you want to get up and dance the night away.

Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

If you wanted to get the dance party started this year, you needed to look no further than the very appropriately titled Party Rock Anthem. It lived up to its name exceptionally well and could be played multiple times through the night and people would be sweating and dancing to it every time with no complaints. Did you know that LMFAO actually stands for Laugh My Fabulous Ass Off?

Rolling In The Deep - Adele

The first single from her second album can be taken as a literal declaration that Adele is going to have it all not only this year, but for many years to come. She was very rightly honored with the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008 and this song showed that she can keep on getting better.

Give Me Everything - Pitbull with Ne-Yo

All the right pieces in all the right places, expertly executed by talented artists who look and sound great doing it. It's catchy, danceable and everything it should be.

S & M - Rihanna and Britney Spears

Even without the glitz of this high profile pairing of pop princesses, this naughty little number is still a hit in every sense of the word (hit me baby, one more time!). And the fact is that everything Rihanna touched was at the top of the charts this year. Thankfully the jams were infectious tracks like this one.

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Lady Gaga for releasing this genuine anthem of empowerment for all the young gays and lesbians to know that it not only gets better, but in this day and age, it really IS better. This song is a joyous celebration and it inspired an outstanding episode of Glee.

Just A Kiss - Lady Antebellum

This is a beautiful ballad that once again exemplifies the wonderful songwriting and vocal talents in this group. They know how to connect with the audience right to our hearts.

Without You - Usher

After cranking out the best hits of his career in 2010, Usher teamed up with DJ David Guetta to keep up the good work. This is another club friendly dance jam that helps to make up for all the unpleasant arrogance that Usher used to be known for.

Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner returned to the top 10 this year with this impressive pop song that is sure to be just a taste of what she will be giving fans in 2012.

The Top 7 sing the 21st Century

The Top 7 finalists were able to select any song recorded since the turn of the century:

Leann Rimes won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1996, and as recent as 2010 she was nominated for a Grammy for her high energy performance of Swingin'. Scotty McCreery tried to give his own spin to this hot song. He slowed down the arrangement and essentially sucked the life out if it. There was no personality in his tepid rendition.

Current hitmaking rockers, Muse, had a hit in 2010 with Uprising and it was the perfect song to allow James Durbin to show that he can just as easily be fresh as he is classic. He displayed amazing vocal range and personality.

Adele won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2008, but it wasn't until this year that she hit the top of the Billboard albums chart with her second release 21. She also earned her first top 10 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 with Rolling In The Deep and Haley Reinhart provided her least messed up performance of the season so far with her cover. She didn't totally butcher it, but you could tell she was really trying to with her totally awful growl thrown in there just to remind us that she's more of a comedy routine than anything else.

Luther Vandross won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2003 for Dance With My Father and Jacob Lusk actually interpreted it very well. He showed some amazing vocal restraint for a change and was more watchable than usual.

Maroon 5 won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2004 and Casey Abrams chose to sing their very first hit, Harder to Breathe. In his case he is just getting harder to watch and harder to listen to. Creepy does not even begin to describe his unpleasant stage presence. He belongs in the background as a musician - if that.....

Ne-Yo hit #7 in 2008 with his pop smash, Closer. Stefano Langone took our breath away with his vocally fantastic performance. He is completely ready to be in the spotlight on stage and in front of the camera for hot music videos. He gave us American Idol perfection! His dance moves are slick and impressive and he belts out the big notes with effortless ease. Not to mention the fact that he looks so handsome in the most stylish fashions. :)

Sara Evans had a big hit with Born To Fly in 2000. It's a fun song, but Lauren Alaina failed to give any personality to her take on it. Her voice is mildly good, but nothing exceptional. She doesn't seem to know what do with herself on stage so she just stands there appearing to be scared and nervous.

My prediction for the bottom three this week is Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery. I'm giving Haley a free pass this week because she restrained herself to do a respectable job on a song that I really like. If we're really lucky, by my not predicting her to be in the bottom three we may finally get rid of her! So of the three boys I predicted to be in the bottom, I think Casey and Scotty will be safe because they have enough fans who will stick by them no matter how creepy or boring they are. That leaves Jacob to be the one going home this week.

Another American Idol GRAMMY win!

The 52nd Grammy Awards was a very fun presentation of musical entertainment filled with exciting performances. Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Lady Antebellum were the highlights of the live action on stage. In addition, there was a tribute to Michael Jackson that included two of the greatest Miss American Idol Finalists ever. There was a performance of MJ's Earth Song by Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson, Season Three Finalist Jennifer Hudson and the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner Carrie Underwood.

Carrie looked stunning on stage and both she and Jennifer sounded great. This was the only time that Carrie was on stage tonight although she should have enjoyed the pleasure of having her name called as the winner of the Best Country Collaboration Grammy for her duet with Randy Travis, I Told You So. This is the 5th Grammy that Carrie Underwood is adding to her collection of awards.

It should have been the night for her to get her 6th Grammy, but she ended up not winning the Grammy for Best Country Female Vocalist. After winning it three years in a row, she handed the torch over to Taylor Swift. The only other Miss American Idol finalist who was nominated for a Grammy this year also did not win. Season One winner, Kelly Clarkson, lost out on getting her Grammy for Best Pop Album for her latest release, All I Ever Wanted. In this case the Grammy went to the Black Eyed Peas.

Since one of Carrie's Grammy wins is the honor of Best New Artist, it's also interesting to see who is the latest to be added to this elite group. In year's past the Grammy for Best New Artist has gone to music superstars such as: Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Maroon 5, and of course, the standard was set by 20 years of platinum albums and #1 hits, Best New Artist winner, Mariah Carey.

Last year's winner was British artist, Adele. Although she is very talented, her win hasn't translated into having huge hits. This year the award went to hit making country act, The Zac Brown Band. They have two of my favorite songs: Chicken Fried and Whatever It Is. Of the nominees this year, they were easily my choice to win. My choice would have been a little different if it weren't for a rule that disqualified the amazing Lady Gaga from getting nominated for the award that seemed to have her name all over it. Turns out she was nominated in the dance category last year and therefore she couldn't be considered a new artist anymore.

Her loss was good news for The Zac Brown Band so I guess it all worked out in the end. :)

Idol ACTION this week

Season Six Miss American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is still at #25 on the Billboard HOT 100 with her latest single Battlefield. It's continuing to make sales and airplay gains so it should get some more upward action in the coming weeks.

Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has dropped out of the top 40 with her second single, I Do Not Hook Up, and is starting to work the third single from her album, All I Ever Wanted. It's getting more recognition for sounding like Beyonce's Halo, than sales and airplay at this point, but let's keep watching for Already Gone to have some chart impact in the coming weeks.

Apart from her recent chart performance Kelly Clarkson is doing much better these days with the announcement that she will be a featured performer on the VH1 Divas concert coming up on September 17th. She'll be joining a fresh young group of Divas for the concert including Leona Lewis, Adele, and Miley Cyrus. It's not really the group of legendary Divas the concert has had in the past, but if you can't get Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Diana Ross, it's a pretty good line-up. It looks like the current chart-topping female vocalists Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift weren't available. Personally, I think the Divas concert would be amazing with a set list of all Miss American Idol finalists: Kimberly Locke, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, The Supreme Miss American Idol - Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, and Jordin Sparks. It would be great to throw in two of the best Divas of all, Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert!

On the Billboard Album chart it came as no surprise that Season Five Miss American Idol 3rd runner up, Chris Daughtry, made a very impressive debut at #1 with his second album called Leave This Town. His first album was the best selling album for all of 2007 and this new one started out with one week sales of 269,000. The new album by Jordin Sparks will be making it's debut on the charts very soon, so we'll see how she compares....

American Idol Grammy Winners!

First I have to express my disappointment that Jordin Sparks was denied her first Grammy win. She ended up losing in the Best Pop Collaboration category to the biggest winners of the night, Robert Plant and Alisson Krause. They won Record of the Year and Album of the year also, but there's no way they should have won the Pop Collaboration award. Their song was absolutely in no way a POP song. It shouldn't have been nominated in the category in the first place. Jordin Sparks' duet with Chris Brown, No Air, is a huge pop hit and they were clearly robbed.

Carrie Underwood has been on an amazing winning streak since was crowned the Season Four Miss American Idol. For the third year in a row she has won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance Female. Her performance of the winning song, Last Name, was amazing as usual. This Supreme American Idol gets better looking every time she makes an appearance! I hope she releases some new material in 2009 so she can be a contender for even more awards. If she doesn't release anything new, that will possibly allow for the very deserving Leann Rimes to get some awards for a change.

I can't mention Carrie Underwood and Leann Rimes, two former winners of the Grammy for Best New Artist, without informing that this year's award went to young British diva, Adele. Her song, Chasing Pavements, has gotten a lot of airplay on VH1, but not so much on the radio. It might get a surge in sales and airplay now that she is an award winner so we'll see if Adele can improve her chart performance. This is a very significant improvement from last year's tragic mess known as Amy Winehouse getting the Best New Artist award.

While Season Three Miss American Idol Winner, Fantasia, did not win in her category for Best R&B Collaboration, Carrie Underwood was joined in the Grammy Winners Circle by Season Three Finalist and Oscar Winner, Jennifer Hudson. Her self-titled album was honored with the Grammy for Best R&B Album. After accepting her award, she impressed the audience with a spectacular show stopping perfromance.

Season One Miss American Idol Kelly Clarkson is still at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 with My Life Would Suck Without You. She is surely a contender for a Grammy nomination next year.