Sunday night saw the final 12 contestants for Australian Idol 2008 perform and it was a pretty strong showing across the board from the idol contestants. Never the less, there is always certain people within the group that have the edge over their competitors and below is my take on it and listed in no particular order.

My Picks

Madam Parker

Wow, is the right place to start with Madam. Another New Zealander that has made it through to the finals of Australian Idol and unless something goes horribly wrong for her will be in the final few.

Chrislyn Hamilton

One of the younger Australian Idol competitors in 2008, however delivered an outstanding performance and is definitely a contender.

Wes Carr

Excellent voice and we’ve seen quite a bit of diversity from him already in his voice. He is also an avid writer, plays the piano and also the guitar.

Mark Spano

Looks like an unlikely kind of a bloke to be on stage, however has so far delivered two great songs and has an excellent voice. I’d definitely be keeping an eye on him to progress through the early rounds of Australian Idol 2008.

Roshani Priddis

Outstanding voice for such a physically small person and after performing for so long, controls the stage and audience very well.

Luke Dickens

The token occa Australian in the competition, a sheep shearer by trade and a music lover by night. An excellent untamed voice that through its rawness delivers some great music.

In With A Chance

Thanh Bui

A solid voice but has delivered some mixed performances. While I think there is a lot of room for improvement, I don’t think he has what it takes to win when compared against Roshani or Madam.

Jonny Taylor

Looks very rock and roll but so far has delivered a bit of a mixed bag. The first performance was a random song choice and then backed it up with a Pearl Jam classic that was performed quite well but didn’t quite deliver. I’d like to see him say in the contest for at least another couple of weeks to see what he has to offer but he is at risk at the moment I think.

Brooke Addamo

Nice voice, looks great on stage but the performance she delivered last night didn’t live up to the original. I suspect that she’ll go through a round but will be one of the contestants that’ll leave early on unless her next performance is outstanding.

Teale Jakubenko

Another solid voice, however not good enough to make it through and I’d expect him to leave the competition in the first few weeks.

Out Of The Running

Sophie Paterson

An okay voice, however slides through key changes a little and has what I’d consider terrible enunciation for a singer which was also commented on by the judges in her latest performance. I’d be surprised to see Sophie go through more than the first two or three rounds.

Tom Williams

Nice enough young man, however as far as I can see so far – his voice isn’t strong enough to win, in my opinion his age and maturity are going to be a problem as well. Unfortunately, all of the young teeny boppers will vote for him as they think he is cute, all the while allowing someone with a much better chance of winning fall by the side of the road. The sooner he is knocked out of the competition the better, welcome back next year I say.