Let’s be honest, after 40 songs since this field was broken down into a dozen guys and gals both Carrie and Bo have stood out. In our final rankings they stood 1-2 among contestants lasting over two weeks (Joseph Murena was by far #1 when he was cut in the second round for the men) with Carrie .01 ahead of Constantine Maroulis. In other words, I had high expectations for this finale. We don’t give out scores of 8 very often (Bo averaged 7.12, Carrie 7.09) but both of them had earned a couple from us. On this night they really weren’t close to impressing us. Carrie’s Idol provided “Angels Brought Me Here” was clearly her best showing, while Bo’s Idol song “Inside Your Heaven” was more suited for him. Still, neither provided the show stopping vocal I had anticipated and probably would have gotten from Constantine. Their offerings of “Independence Day” and “The Vehicle” did absolutely nothing for us, garnering the same mediocre scores we had previously given them. Carrie got a higher score from norcaldoll the first time around actually.

When all is said and done, Idol got what it wanted with a country vs. rock finale. They got the winner they wanted too with a cutesy blonde haired girl who is a stark contrast to Fantasia last year. When looking back, this season did have a lot of talent with the extension of the age limit and qualification of people who had previously been under contract with a record company. Assessing the four seasons of performers, this is how I would rate them:

1-Clay Aiken (season 2, 2nd): He has the best pure vocal by a mile of any male performer in the show’s history.
2-Kelly Clarkson (season 1, winner): If not for her presence in the first season, the show would have had no credibility from the start.
3-Constantine Maroulis (season 4, 6th): It was totally unfair for the public to vote him out when his band got a record deal.
4-Kimberley Locke (season 2, 3rd): She should have been battling with Clay for the title and is the most underrated Idol.
5-Carrie Underwood (season 4, finalist): I see her as a great country/pop singer who won’t be great live but will be excellent in the studio.
6-Ruben Studdard (season 2, winner): At some point he should do songs from Disney or other animated movies, he is suited for that.
7-Tamyra Gray (season 1, 4th): It is a shame that she didn’t battle Kelly for the first title, but singing isn’t her only talent.
8-Latoya London (season 3, 4th): If she had been in season 4 around fellow older contestants she might have won it all.
9-Jennifer Hudson (season 3, 7th): Looks (notably her weight and crappy hair) hurt her with the voters, but she could bring it.
10-Bo Bice (season 4, finalist): Great classic rocker who has shown the occasional ability to really deliver a solid vocal.
11-Joshua Gracin (season 2, 4th): He gets a bad rap, but the fact remains that he is one of the more successful former Idols.
12-Diana DeGarmo (season 3, 2nd): She lucked her way into the finals and really never showed standout ability.
13-Fantasia Barrino (season 3 winner): Her sound is unique, but that doesn’t mean it was very good.
14-Jessica Sierra (season 4, 10th): The voters judged her looks instead of her talent so we never saw her upside.
15-Joseph Murena (season 4, semifinals): We may never know how good he could have been, but I think he had top 4 ability.