Ashthon Jones

Hometown: Valdosta, GA

Currently Resides: Nashville, TN

Age: 24

Our Overly Hasty First Impressions: The hair and the look instantly make us think back to Nadia Turner, who the judges clumsily attempted to reshape into a soul/R&B singer, rather than the quirky, esoteric rocker chick she wanted to be. Ashthon, though, seems to be embracing the soul/R&B trappings and she's doing it fairly well. A major reservation, though: "Idol" producers have never shied away from showcasing singers who can hit the big notes, so it may be telling that both times we were treated to Ashthon's rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," we've heard the build-up (i.e. the easy part) and they've cut away before the chorus. The fear is that if Ashthon had actually brought the house down -- Jennifer Hudson or even LaKisha Jones-style -- on the chorus we'd have seen that. So actually maybe Ashthon is more of a Syesha Mercado. She had a good "American Idol" run, even if we haven't heard from her lately.