'American Idol' bits: handicapping the top 24

On top of that, YouTube has full videos of all 24 House of Blues performances, which is a great way to get a feel for each person without annoying "Idol" edits.  (See below) Better yet, after watching all 24, I can confidently say the judges successfully culled the wheat from the chaff. There are no M.K. Nobilettes here, nobody who gives you that "deer in headlights" feel on stage. In fact, there's not a single person I would firmly eliminate from the running.

Even for those whose voices may make you wince, they make up for it to an arguable degree with personality and stage presence.  And for those who aren't quite Bruce Springsteen or Beyonce in front of a live audience, they seem to at least have decent voices.

Bottom line: we can make a passable assessment on the top 24 in a broad sense - far better than we have been able to in the past.

As expected, there are a few that stand out, plenty who are good but could go either way and a handful that seem like long shots at best to make the top 12. The guys appear to be marginally stronger but the disparity is not huge.

If you want to get know them a little bit better, "Idol" also provided clips of their interviews with the judges here.

My general rankings below are not based entirely on my personal likes and dislikes. I'm simply trying to gauge who has better chances at making the top 12 based on how the judges are reacting, how the producers are framing the singers and how they have performed to date. It's entirely too early to call a winner. I was prematurely excited by Sam Woolf a year ago at this point and was quickly disappointed.

Looking at my list below, I am clearly favoring soulful singers vs. singer songwriter and country types.

Michael Simeon - From the moment he serenaded J Lo with "Stay With Me," he has been a keeper with plenty of airtime. He has Matt Damon-esque sex appeal and a wonderful pop/R&B voice. No doubt his mix of MKTO's "Classic" sealed the deal with the judges. (6,620 likes on Facebook, 8,931 followers on Twitter #michaelsimeon) 90% chance

Savion Wright - Multiple tries on "Idol" and he is finally in the top 24. I personally find him borderline milquetoast but he is been getting good edits from "Idol" to date and I feel goodwill and expected solid performances will carry him through.  (10,003 likes on Facebook, 7,734 followers on Twitter, #savionjwright) 85%

Daniel Seavey - He is too Doogie Howser precocious for my taste. But he does have musical skills, as evidenced by his slow burn take on Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" at the House of Blues. Will the remaining tweens still watching the show be voting for him en masse? I say yes. (3,178 likes on Facebook, 13,800 Twitter followers @seaveydaniel) 80%

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Tyanna Jones - She's like a better version of last year's Majesty Rose. Her tip-top "Love on Top" at the House of Blues was a vocal showcase. I hope she can keep it up in the semifinals. (1,683 followers on Twitter @tyannaelise) 75%

Lovey James - Her riveting House of Blues take on Little Mix's 'Wings" solidified it for me. She has plenty of stage experience and has the whole pop package in an Ariana Grande sorta way. (16,629 likes on Facebook, 76,700 Twitter followers @TheLoveyjames) 70%

Nick Fradiani - He has genuine rock/pop commercial appeal. He did a solid job with "In Your Eyes" at his initial audition, followed by a bracing "Babylon" in Hollywood and a wonderful "Drops of Jupiter" at House of Blues. I love his silky voice and I hope others do too. (10,429 likes on Facebook, 6,198 followers on Twitter #nickfradiani) 70%

Qaasim Middleton. He's a performer for sure. He gave the most dynamic show at the House of Blues. I find him overbaked, like he's watched too many James Brown YouTube videos. He overdoes the runs and screeches for my taste but he does have a voice somewhere in all that vocal Playdoh. His goofy charisma alone may get him the votes to get him into the top 12. Or is it his virginity? His wacky mom sure would support that. Smitten Jax? Not so much.  (3,159 Twitter followers @qaasimofficial) 65%

Katherie Winston She is not fundamentally pretty but her voice is the prettiest I've head among the women. I want her to glide into the top 12 but she has had relatively limited airtime and I'm not firmly confident that will happen.  (1,020 followers on Facebook, 1,903 Twitter followers @thekatwinston) 60%

Clark Beckham: I wasn't blown away by his 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World" initial audition but he impressed me more with his 'Try a Little Tenderness" and especially a tour de force "Georgia on My Mind" at the House of Blues. He's so far been very soulful old school. I'm now curious to see what he can do with a modern song. Given his style, I'm not sure he is a lock for the top 12 but I'd like to see him there. (3,162 likes on Facebook, 6,124 followers on Twitter @clarkbeckham) 60%

Sarina-Joi Crowe  She has gorgeous tone but not a lot of airtime to date. Her Jessie J cover at House of Blues was so impressive, I'm optimistic she will make a great impression live. Just a hunch. (1,252 likes on Facebook, 2,445 followers on Twitter #sarinajoi) 50%

Rayvon Owen - He is like John Legend's cousin, a pro. This type of sensual R&B hasn't always done well on "Idol." Will he be too subtle to get votes or will he bring in the ladies?   (4,116 likes on Facebook, 5,977 Twitter followers @rayvonowen) 50%

Trevor Douglas  - He is dorkalicious packed with personality. He isn't really a hunka hunka burning love as he sang in the House of Blues (a serious misfire) but he is appealing. (3,416 likes on Facebook, 20,600 Twitte rfollowers @trevordmusic) 50%

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Riley Bria - He could very easily be the male country rep this year. He's got some charisma and clearly guitar skills. I'm not totally sold on him but he has potential.  (1,779 likes on Facebook, 6,150 Twitter followers @rileybria) 40%

Loren Lott - She is very likable and bubbly with a big voice, something that is in short supply among the ladies. But is she an artist? Her peak performance was clearly her solo round of "Skyfall," which Fox featured in promos. Her "My Heart Will Go On" at the House of Blues was shrill but she did hit the notes. I can't quite tell how she will translate to voters. What song she picks in the semifinals will make a big difference. (2,246 Twitter followers @LorenSharice) 35%

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Joey Cook - We've seen this cutesy Zoey Deschanel routine before on "Idol." Do we need it again? She does do quirky well if you're into that sort of thing, accordion and all. (2,793 Twitter followers @JoeyDeAnnCook) 35%

Less than likely

Shi Scott  - She easily has the most divisive voice in the top 24. It seems very very limited to songs where she can growl, like her House of Blues song "Higher Ground." The judges and the "Idol" producers seem to love her so I have to give her a decent shot at the top 12 even if I wouldn't put her there. (523 likes on Facebook, 4,106 Twitter followers @WhoisShi) 30%

Jax - She isn't quite as oddball as Joey (is that an "x" tattoo next to left eye?) but she does have plenty of vocal affectations that may not necessarily stand the test of time. And her "pause" during "You & I" felt pretentious, not dramatic, as she had hoped. I suspect she'll need to pull off something spectacular this week to move on. (1,130 likes on Facebook, 17,300 Twitter followers @jax) 25%

Quentin Alexander - I vastly prefer Quentin over Qaasim but the fact they have similar names and somewhat similar looks, I'm afraid he will get lost in the shuffle. I'd take him over Savion, too, but Savion will steal votes from him as well. Quentin has a wonderful tone in his voice and a cool look. He just might surprise us. (1,614 Twitter followers @QAlexanderXIV) 25%

Alexis Gomez - She is the lone female country singer and she's pretty good. But I'm not sure the whole Mexican "hillbilly" schtick will make her necessarily stand out. We'll see this Thursday. (1,125 likes on Facebook, 2,283 Twitter followers @theAlexisGomez) 25%

Adanna Duru - She is too showy for my taste, especially her overwrought House of Blues cover of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," but that doesn't mean she's untalented. Something about the fact she is 17 but looks 37 bugs me. That's a bias. I apologize. I think Loren and Tyanna will garner more of the female R&B vote. (17,249 likes on Facebook, 8,592 Twitter followers @AdannaDuru) 20%

Shannon Berthiaume - I am amazed she did as well as she did covering Janis Joplin at the House of Blues considering she had never performed in front of a live audience before. But I'm not certain that will carry her through the semifinals. She seems a little too low key to make a big impression. (1,156 likes on Facebook, 1,575 Twitter followers @shaeberthiaume) 10%

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Adam Ezegelian - After winner Caleb Johnson last year, "Idol" is probably not be keen for another 1980s hard rock throwback. But will voters? He seems much nicer than Caleb but not even as attractive visually. While we can say looks mean nothing in a vocal competition but it ultimately does in "Idol" land. (602 likes on Facebook, 2,076 Twitter followers @AdamEzegelian) 10%

Mark Andrew - He is decidedly okay but given the competition, I can't see him rising above. His Hozier cover at the House of Blues is vastly inferior to the original. (5,142 Twitter followers @MarkAndrewSings) 5%

Maddie Walker - She has a fine voice but resembles a stereotypical pageant contestant.  I prefer just listening to her without looking at her. It's a disconnect for me. Her House of Blues performance of "Big Girls Don't Cry" was fine but I can't really connect who she is as an artist. I believe Lovey (her closest rival) will subsume her. (2,336 likes on Facebook, 7,022 Twitter followers @theMaddieWalker) 5%

Here's Michael Slezak and Melinda Doolittle's take on the best last week. Slezak liked Tyanna Jones. Melinda went for Clark Beckham. Melinda also loves Rayvon Jones but Slezak wonders if he's too subtle.