American Idol 2014 - Top 3 Post-Show Power Rankings
The Top 3 gave it their all on American Idol 2014, and this ended up being one of the great Top 3 nights of all-time, in my opinion. It speaks a lot to how hotly-contested this season is that the rankings this week differ so much from last week's rankings power rankings, which differ so much from the week before that. In short, no matter who gets ranked where, there are no losers here! Nobody was bad tonight, and I'm a pretty big fan of all three of these contestants, which is why this has been a particularly difficult brainstorming session tonight, as I try to figure out who should rank where. Ultimately, I just decided to go with my gut, picking which performers I liked best tonight overall, ignoring everything that came before and whatever might come after on tomorrow night's results show.
You can vote on who you think will go home in our poll, but as for these rankings, I'm not trying to predict who will make the finale or who will go home in third place. These are just my own personal, subjective rankings based on my immediate gut reactions at the end of the show. If you missed the show, Rickey has a recap up with links to full videos of each performance, so check it out.
I welcome you all to add your own rankings in the comments below! Let's get to it...
Credit: FOX
1. Alex Preston: I can certainly understand that, from an objective standpoint, Alex wasn't the best vocalist tonight, even though he did offer some absolutely killer vocal interpretations the whole night through. But the reason I'm ranking Alex here is because each and every one of his performances is crackling with this unique, ineffable energy that's hard to quantify. There was a liveliness and character in each performance tonight that made all three of his performances distinct and independently memorable once the credits stopped rolling. Yes, there were imperfections, but it's all a part of Alex's characteristic rawness. In a way, he feels eminently more relatable to me than any other contestant still in the competition. He's just a guy, and he's not always sure of himself, and it shows. But that adds layers to his performance style, a vulnerability that shone through in "Stay", and made "Pompeii" one of his bravest performances of the season. And "Story of My Life" was every bit as good this time around as it was the first time, in my opinion. I know there's WGWG fatigue after having five seasons of such winners (a streak that is only one year removed from having been broken), but Alex Preston is seriously one of the most unique, unorthodox contestants this show has ever had, and I think he'd make a damn fine winner. (WATCH: "Pompeii" / "Stay" / "Story of My Life")
2. Jena Irene: For my money, Jena delivered the best vocal performances of the night. Granted, I wasn't wild about some of the song choices, but she still managed to come out fighting. It's a quality I've always loved about Jena, not only her determination but her willingness to continue to grow and change as the competition requires. She's fearless in a way not many contestants on this show ever are. And she can do pretty much anything, to boot. Whether it's rock, pop, whatever, Jena tackles it with gusto. If "Titanium" and "Heart Attack" had been all she'd done tonight, I think I would have still put her here, as those were two complete performances. But then she followed it up with "Creep," a rendition that somehow managed to be better than when she did it originally. I don't know if she'll get into the finale or not, but I'd argue her "Creep" was as good as any Final 3 performance that's actually gotten anyone into the finale before. It's clear just how badly Jena wants this, because she never relents and never coasts. Even if she crashes and burns, she fights like hell to do something memorable. And while she doesn't always succeed in achieving that goal, this was one of those weeks where, in my opinion, she absolutely did. (WATCH: "Titanium" / "Heart Attack" / "Creep")
3. Caleb Johnson: I kind of feel bad having Caleb here, since the problems with his performances really weren't his fault. He had vocal damage, and it clearly limited what he was capable of doing during "Demons" and "Never Tear Us Apart". However, "Dazed and Confused" still managed to be an absolutely magnificent performance, matching the Top 9 original. And even though they had their deficiencies, I don't think "Demons" was actively bad. And hell, "Never Tear Us Apart" was a damn good vocal, especially considering the circumstances. Caleb's passion just poured through, as compared to "Demons," where he seemed preoccupied with just making it through the song with his voice intact. I feel Caleb has been the most consistent performer this season, and in any other year, that would be enough to get him all the way to the end. But I have no idea if it will, because, admittedly, he had some serious rough spots tonight. But if I'm being honest, while I would seriously love to see Caleb in the finale just for how balls-to-the-wall he'd go, I don't think he actually needs the title. Caleb is a fully-formed package artist who could front a band tomorrow and wind up with a Daughtry-sized hit if he played his cards right. Sure, I ranked Caleb last this week, but make no mistake: I'm still a big fan of his, and will be interested to see what he does next, whether it's advancing to the finale, or looking ahead to a post-show record deal. (WATCH: "Demons" / "Never Tear Us Apart" / "Dazed and Confused")