Amanda Overmyer
Carry On My Wayward Son
I clap out loud the second Overmyer launches into this Kansas classic. Unfortunately, as the wise man sang, "I was soaring ever higher / But I flew too high," and she goes all Icarus before recovering for the big finish. I like Amanda; she's ballsy, and I like a contestant who seems like she's actually heard the songs she's singing at some point in her life before Idol. But while the good moments are very good, I want her voice (and her slightly stiff stage manner) to be as good as her taste. Still better on an off night than most of the girls on a good one, though; I hope she sticks around.