American Idol 2014 - Top 4 Post-Show Power Rankings
We're down to the Top 4 on American Idol 2014, and "Break-Ups and Make-Ups" Week was an interesting deviation from the norm, as some of the contestants mixed it up with some uptempo tracks, while also remaining in their slowed-down wheelhouses. Basically, with three songs apiece, each contestant had the chance to do something different, do something safe, and do something in their comfort zone. And the result? Each contestant tonight had at least one stellar performance. So yeah, this is a pretty wide open race right now, as I have no idea who's getting the boot tomorrow. I predict we could be in for a shocker. I mean, it was bad enough that my #1 pick from last week's rankings went home, but that utterly ridiculous, insipid twist? And all the resulting controversy surrounding Alex and Jena afterwards? Ugh, that kind of twist needs to never happen again.
But anyway, this isn't really about predicting who will go home (that's what the poll is for!). This is simply about who stood out in one of the better Top Fours we've had on American Idol, in my opinion. If you missed the show, Rickey has a recap up, so check it out. As always, these are not predictions on who I think is/isn't going to be safe when the results are read. These are just my own personal, subjective rankings based on my immediate gut reactions at the end of the show.
I welcome you all to add your own rankings in the comments below! Let's get to it...
Credit: FOX
1. Caleb Johnson: I didn't love "Travelin' Band," but his version of "You Give Love A Bad Name" is the best version I've heard on a singing show since Blake Lewis made it his signature back in Season 6. And "Maybe I'm Amazed" was, in my opinion, Caleb's best performance of the season. So that's two great performances, and one middle-of-the-road performance, which means that, for me, Caleb won the night. And, honestly, that surprises me a bit, given how weary I was last week with his general schtick, as many of his performances were starting to blur together. But these were legitimately good, and were three distinct, different performances, as opposed to just three variations on the same indistinguishable hard rock/metal track. Caleb always impresses me, but his range here was enough to put him over the top this week. (WATCH: "You Give Love A Bad Name" / "Travelin' Band" / "Maybe I'm Amazed")
2. Jena Irene: Part of the reason this is up so late is because I spent so much time going back-and-forth on whether to put Jena or Alex at #2. Ultimately, I went with Jena because I felt she just barely had a stronger night than Alex did. I've never been a fan of "Heartbreaker," but Jena did such a spectacular job with it (that closing note!) that I just couldn't fault her for it. And her showstopping performance of "Can't Help Falling In Love" easily washed away the unpleasantness of "Bad Romance". Jena has grown so much over the past three months, as you can really see her confidence shining through onstage, to the point that her performances feel truly effortless and natural in a way they didn't back during Rush Week. It's still crazy to think America didn't put her through, and that she's only here because of the Wild Card. And it's even crazier to think she might go all the way in spite of it! If nothing else, this week made it clear to me that I wouldn't exactly mind if she did. (WATCH: "Heartbreaker" / "Bad Romance" / "Can't Help Falling In Love")
3. Alex Preston: Despite this placement, I actually loved Alex this week. I thought "Too Close" was cool as hell, and "Yellow" was an interesting interpretation of the original. But "I'm Yours," while cute (thanks to Jillian Jensen singing along in the audience), was a boring, predictable choice for Alex. And vocally, I thought Jena had the better week. But overall, I still find Alex to be the more interesting contestant. He has this quirkiness that hides a certain depth to his artistic sensibilities, and it makes him really compelling to watch and to listen to. Sure, some of his song choices as of late have been safe, but he's been mixing those arrangements up enough to give some sense of who he'd be as a recording artist, and not everyone is really doing that right now. He puts his personal stamp on everything. So even while I didn't feel this was his strongest week, I'm still firmly Team Alex for the foreseeable future. (WATCH: "Too Close" / "I'm Yours" / "Yellow")
4. Jessica Meuse: This is another case where placement doesn't entirely reflect what I thought about a contestant, since I thought Jessica delivered her best performance with "You and I". It was the kind of soaring, powerful, gritty vocal that made me such a fan of hers back at auditions and on through Hollywood Week, and into Rush Week and the Top 13. It's a side to Jessica that hasn't really been seen all that often, and it's worth noting that, across all three of her performances, she's gone out of her way to make sure the emotion of the song can be read on her face. It's remarkable how much she's improved, in that aspect. Yet, despite how good "You and I" turned out to be, I thought "Since U Been Gone" and "So What" were complete messes. I have no idea what kind of thought processes went into those song choices. Maybe she was forced, or maybe the limited song list meant there weren't all that many options. But I'd like to think there had to have been SOMETHING more in her wheelhouse than those two songs. And even if not, I'd have hoped she'd have countrified the arrangement or made it bluesier. She left a lot of potential on the table here, and while she had one stellar performance, it just wasn't enough, for me. (WATCH: "Since U Been Gone" / "So What" / "You and I")
So what did you think of the performances? How would you rank the Top 4? Sound off in the comments!