American Idol 2014 - Top 9 Post-Show Power Rankings

The American Idol Top 9 tackled a wide variety of different songs on "I'm With the Band" Week, and it resulted in a group of contestants who seemed a lot more comfortable on the stage than they've been in recent weeks.

Of course, because I spent most of the night reviewing Survivor: Cagayan (recap/review here!), I ultimately missed the show. I normally remedy this by watching on DVR later, but thankfully, Rickey has been lightning fast getting the videos up tonight, so I've been able to watch along. And, as an added bonus of sorts, the videos in question lack the judges' comments, so my opinions aren't going to be influenced in any way (even subconsciously!) by theirs. These are not predictions on who I think is/isn't going to be in the bottom 3. These are just my own personal, subjective rankings based on my immediate gut reactions at the end of the show.

Let's get to it!

Credit: FOX

1. Caleb Johnson, "Dazed and Confused": Here's the thing with Caleb -- I loved this performance more than anything else this week, and more than most of what I saw last week, but this is reminding me why we kind of need more specific themes. Left to their own devices, contestants like Caleb will just do the same thing every week. He's done at least two songs that sounded exactly like this, and while there's value in staying in your comfort zone, I think Caleb has a ceiling on how far he can get doing these same sorts of smoky, theatrical rock performances. I'd love to hear his quieter side, something that required him to maybe stay put and not wander around so much. "Edge of Glory" came close, but you could kind of tell he was busting at the seams to just rock out, and I think that instinct is holding him back a bit, since he could be doing so much more with his voice if he just dialed it back on the performance aspects. With that said, HOLY HELL, CAN THIS GUY SING. His voice has so much nuance to it that I could imagine him doing just about anything with it, from quieter covers at the piano, to EDM-type tracks with a rock infusion, to even something acoustic but high energy (like Paramore's cover of "My Hero" by Foo Fighters, for instance). I honestly believe he's one of the few who can curtail the inevitable Alex Preston victory, but if he's going to make it all the way, he needs to mix it up and deliver a more diverse array of performances. I know there's more to him. (Hell, "Skyfall" proved that.) But this isn't a winner's catalog. Not yet. He could bring rock back to prominence on Idol and end this season in a confetti shower like David Cook -- or, he could end up being the surprise fourth-place finisher like James Durbin or Chris Daughtry. I don't want to see that happen, so I hope he branches out. I know he's got way more we haven't even seen yet.

2. Alex Preston, "Don't Speak": Here's the thing. Of this week's performances, it was one of my favorite. Yes, he completely flubbed the lyrics at the start, but he made up for it with an arrangement that made the song feel relatively fresh again, and he performed it with his own characteristic originality. But Alex is one of those guys whose performances are better when you're not actually looking at him. This has nothing to do with physical attractiveness and everything to do with how irritated and disconnected he looks from what he's singing. If you just listen to him, it sounds like a guy who's really into what he's doing, like he has a real emotional connection with the song. But if you look at him, it's another matter entirely. He just looks so constipated (i.e., restricted and sluggish; not loaded up with burritos) that it can occasionally be hard to really get into the song with him. Now, with all that having been said, I absolutely loved his performance this week, from the opening taps along his guitar, to that lovely vocal flourish on the long note at the end. He's going to get better at allowing his face to reflect his internal connection as the competition goes on, I know he will. But what kept him from the top, for me, was simply that he seemed to just want the entire thing to be over with. And this was the first week where it was pronounced enough to notice.

3. Jena Irene, "Bring Me to Life": Jena is one of the strongest female rockers the show has had. Not as good as Allison Iraheta or Carly Smithson, but better than Gina Glocksen and Nikki McKibbin. And she's also one of the best onstage performers of this season, controlling the stage and interacting with the crowd as if she isn't even fazed by their presence. It's really terrific to watch, and makes her performances interesting even when her song choices leave much to be desired. Here, I couldn't fault the vocals, since she hit every note and did it with the kind of passionate connection that hardly anyone else bothered to convey this week. But it just didn't blow me away. It was merely just good. While not a condemnation, I do think she's capable of much better. With any luck, she'll be here next week to show it, because she truly is one of the best pure vocalists in the competition.

4. Majesty Rose, "Shake It Out": Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Well, half of it. It's kind of becoming a running theme with her, where the first half of the song is really strong, seated comfortably in her lower register. But it almost always falls apart the minute she starts dipping into her higher register. I don't know if it's simply that her confidence has been shaken from multiple bottom 3 appearances, or just the same old nerves any contestant would feel getting up on that stage, but it sounds like she has no control over her voice once she gets to the tail end of the song. She's frequently sharp and falls out of pitch, and I think she knows it, which results in this defeated expression crossing her face. It happened last week during "Wake Me Up," and it happened at the very end of this performance. She just looked like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world but on that stage, like a blindfolded inmate waiting for the firing squad to let loose. I really hope she gets it together, because she deserves to be there. She's one of those singers that's just hard not to root for, even when she stumbles. Hell, she's in this spot on the list right now by virtue of the first half of that performance being good enough to override the second. I seriously enjoyed that first minute or so (and enjoyed everyone else a bit less).

5. Sam Woolf, "Hey There, Delilah": This was Sam's finest hour, in my opinion. I don't think it gets said enough, but Sam really does have a lovely tone, and he pretty much never misses a note. He's not the most diverse contestant in the competition, nor is he the most original. But he's very good at his specific, low-key, "super sincere open mic guitarist" style of performing. It's enough for me to believe in what he's singing even when he seems to lack any meaningful connection with the lyrics whatsoever (like "We Are Young" last week). In a sense, he's reverse-Alex, in that his earnestness and sincerity makes up for safe performances. And that's what this was, safe. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. There's something to be said for variations within one's wheelhouse, and I feel he did enough with the arrangement and vocals here, while still remaining comfortably in his own lane, that he deserves credit for branching out.

6. Malaya Watson, "The Long and Winding Road": This was basically the most confounding song choice of the night, for me. I honestly have no idea why she picked this. Of course, the conviction with which she sang this almost sold me on it. But her voice didn't really fit with this song, in my opinion. I think she might have actually been better served bringing it down a notch to the song's original key, where she could have indulged a bit more in her lower register. But as it was, this was all over the place. Granted, this really wasn't a bad performance by any stretch. She still has a very powerful voice that stir emotions if it's paired with the right song ("When I Was Your Man"), and she really is one of the best onstage performers in the competition for how she works the stage and plays to the audience (in fact, I think she's right there with Jena and Caleb, on that score). It's just that the vocal wasn't as tight as it might have been if she'd picked a more fitting song. I simply didn't get this. With that said, I found this just interesting enough to keep her out of my bottom 3.

7. Dexter Roberts, "Boondocks": I've only ever liked one of Dexter's performances since the Top 13 began ("Lucky Man"), and yet, I was kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It wasn't great or anything, but it was just fun enough to get me on his side for a week. I still don't think it's going to be enough to keep him out of the bottom 3 or anything, but I'd say he did a solid job at delivering a vocally-sound, high-energy performance. There weren't really other contestants in this season who conveyed that "Good times" / "Alright, now we're gonna have some fun" vibe that Dexter gives off, which is partly why I think he's still here. He staves off the seriousness of the competition by lightening the mood. And sometimes, that's all it takes.

8. Jessica Meuse, "Rhiannon": Jessica is one of those singers whom I like in theory more than in execution. There's a lot about her voice that recalls a classic rock style we don't really hear on the radio anymore, and for that alone, my mind races with possibilities of what she could do. But then she gets onstage and delivers performances that are, frankly, really bland and flavorless. Her first week in the competition was her strongest, since "The Crow & the Butterfly" showed a darker, more emotional side that we hadn't seen from her since she was being nagged to death by Stephanie Hanvey's mom. However, she hasn't really matched that colorful, gritty quality since. In fact, you could be forgiven for forgetting what she sang from one week to the next, since it all tends to blend together a bit. There were some nice moments here, particularly when she went into her upper register, and it came across almost like a preview of what she could be doing if she pushed herself a little more. If she branches out with more daring songs, and more unique arrangements and vocal choices, she could really be a contender. I mean, hey, she's one of the few contestants left who hasn't been in the bottom 3 yet. But this was simply boring as hell, even if it was technically proficient.

9. CJ Harris, "If It Hadn’t Been For Love": Love his tone. Always have, always will. But I've pretty much given up all hope of CJ ever singing on pitch again. I don't know if it's the ear monitor that's throwing him off or what, but he always seems as if he's just slightly to the left of whatever harmony he's trying to nail. And it's become a problem so pronounced that it's turning me off to him. Which is kind of a shame, since he was one of the early frontrunners dating back to Hollywood, in my mind. In fact, I was ready to call this guy the winner just before the Final Judgment. However, in retrospect, that now seems kind of insane, given that he hasn't really delivered on the promise of those early, pre-live show performances. I liked CJ a lot. Still do. He's a likable guy, and someone who's certainly very talented. In many ways, he deserves his Top 13 spot, and his spot on the tour. And hey, this was definitely better than last week. But if he can't get his pitch back on track, I don't think I want to see him make it any farther than this.

So those are my immediate post-show thoughts. What did you think of tonight's show? What are your rankings? Sound off in the comments and let's see where everyone stands!