American Idol 7: Ranking the Top 8

Although David Archuleta came into the competition with arguably the highest pedigree of any of the singers in American Idol 7 it has been David Cook's show week in and week out, with the exception of the first Beatles Week.

The Midwest Kings front man has simply been unstoppable in spite of reports that he may have stolen musical arrangements from the Seattle band Doxology and musician Chris Cornell formerly of Soundgarden and Audioslave.

The reports and the hoopla aurrounding Archuleta, the former Star Search champion haven't unfettered Cook, who is poised to become the first true rocker to win the competition since its inception. But in the past several weeks, Aussie Michael Johns has made his move to the top of the food chain, even becoming the No. 3 overall seller on iTunes charts this week.

The other dark horse in the competition is Brooke White, whose musical pedigree may not be as high other female singers like Carly Smithson and Kristy Lee Cook, both of whom have had record contracts. But White's charm and sincerity is resonating loud and clear to the American public.

Here are the top eight performers in order.

1. David Cook - Week in and week out he has been the most consistent of the singers, using arguably original arrangements and wowing the judges.

2. David Archuleta - The Star Search champion exploded out of the blocks during the first Beatles Week but has yet to capture that same star quality he showed with John Lennon's "Imagine."

3. Brooke White - The beauty school dropout has been consistent throughout the competition but there are questions about her musical versatility. This means she could drop down the list fast if she doesn't make a move in the next two weeks.

4. Michael Johns - The former The Rising front man was quiet to begin the Top 12 but he has been surging of late, eliciting questions of a showdown between him and Cook.

5. Carly Smithson - You can't count out someone who has had a musical journey like Smithson's. Formerly known as Carly Hennessy, the Irish singer once had a $2.2 million contract with MCA Records and it has even been reported that a boss at MCA was none other than current Idol judge Randy Jackson.

6. Kristy Lee Cook - The likeable cowgirl from Oregon has had lots of negative publicity but she nearly stole the show when she sang Lee Greenwood's "God Bless America" several weeks ago. And she has a rabid following much like Sanjaya Malakar, last year's dark horse. She is far and away the dark horse in this competition.

7. Jason Castro - The doe-eyed John Travolta lookalike has a nice-sized following but he does not have the musical pedigree of anyone above him in the rankings. Even so, the Dallas native has a nice voice and is eminently likeable. However, if he doesn't make a move soon he will be swallowed by all of the talent in the show.

8. Syesha Mercado - My gut feeling is that Mercado is out of her league this year. Normally a singer like Mercado would be a shoo-in for the Top 6. But Idol 7 isn't like any other year in its history. There are truly talented singers who are versatile enough to sing just about anything, with the exception of rap. It's simply just the wrong place at the wrong time for Mercado.

For more on American Idol, go to my Web site at www.idlesonfox.com