American Idol's Syesha Mercado: The Next Dreamgirl

Season three of American Idol boasted a triumvirate of belting African American young women - season winner Fantasia Barrino, sultry LaToya London and big voiced Jennifer Hudson.  It was during season three that I watched the show for the first time after stumbling upon Fantasia's performances during the "Top 24" round.

Fantasia, LaToya and the belting voice of Jennifer Hudson captivated me. The tones of Jennifer Holliday, the original Effie White, rang in my ears as I listened to Jennifer Hudson.  But American Idol's lead critic/judge, Simon Cowell, didn't get it.  In fact, Randy Jackson picked Hudson to the top 12 through a wild card selection.

Not only did Simon Cowell not get it, but also barring a couple of undeniable performances, he often berated her and questioned the extent of her talent.  Despite repeatedly delivering amazing performances, Hudson found herself at the bottom of the pack twice within the first three shows of the Top 12.  She would ultimately be the sixth contestant eliminated from season three.

It is no secret what became of that untalented Jennifer Hudson.  Despite her premature exit and Simon's underestimation of her, Hudson went on to win an Oscar, is recording an album with the legendary Clive Davis, and received a public apology from Britain's most critical export, Simon Cowell.

Fast forward to 2008. Syesha Mercado finds herself in a similar predicament as Jennifer Hudson.  In my opinion, she continues to deliver stellar performances that Simon and the American public ignore.  Wednesday night she found herself in the bottom three for the second time in the first three episodes of the Top 12.  On Tuesday, she performed the classic song, "If I Were Your Woman." Correction: she didn't just perform it...sistah girl SANG that song.  In my house, she was by far the best performance of the night.  Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul agreed with my family.  Simon Cowell did not.  He said it was good, but wasn't as good as Paula and Randy thought it was, due largely to his dislike of the song.

Which leads me to my bigger point and why I think Simon and America have gotten it wrong again.  After two weeks of listening to the contestants perform the Beatles, I was relieved to hear a rousing rendition of Gladys Knight's powerful song. But obviously Simon and the rest of mainstream America are not familiar with this legendary classic.  And when the mainstream doesn't know a song from an African-American contestant, they do not vote for them.  Not only did Syesha update the song and make it relevant, she colored it with the virtuoso expression that reminded me of my favorite singer, Whitney Houston.

Now, I am not saying Syesha is as skilled as the young Whitney, but she does possess many of the same qualities.  Here is my list of the reasons why Syesha is the best this season:  (1) she has amazing range; (2) there is a brightness to her voice (some refer to it as the squillo); (3) her belting voice is huge; (4) she is articulate and personable; (5) there is an innate maturity in her presence and singing that separates her from the rest; and, (5) she is drop dead gorgeous. Needless to say, Syehsa is my absolute favorite this season and is also my favorite African-American competitor since Fantasia.  I hope she keeps going in the competition, but even if she doesn't I know that Simon will be apologizing to her too one day soon.

Nathan Hale Williams is the Arts & Entertainment Editor of The Daily Voice.