As a new Empire rises, another Idol continues its slow descent. This is season fourteen of American Idol. Fox was smart to schedule to launch the fledging primetime soap behind its veteran reality competition, giving the buzzy newcomer a strong marketing push right out of the gate. Empire‘s audience went up every week it aired, with March 18 finale reaching a height of 17.6 million viewers (6.9 A18-49), becoming the top-rated new series in a decade. In comparison, Idol‘s most recent airing on March 19 brought in 8.51 million viewers (1.8 A18-49).
With Empire finished for the spring, the show must go on. American Idol expands into two hours, featuring a new crop of fresh-faced contestants singing for your votes. Ever the dutiful Idol fan, here is my ranking of this season’s Top 11 finalists, from my most favorite to least favorite (and one of the worst Idol finalists in history). Click on the singer’s name to watch their best performance thus far.
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Sarina-Joi Crowe: Before we get to the real Top 11, I’d like to take a moment to pour one out for arguably the most talented singer this year, Sarina-Joi Crowe, who was eliminated after an uncomfortably sharp rendition of One Republic’s “Love Runs Out.” Damn you, Ryan Tedder! Why is this elimination so heartbreaking? Sarina-Joi possessed more potential than most of the remaining finalists will ever realize on this show. Poor Sarina-Joi finally made it as a finalist after auditioning for four years, only to be taken from us way too soon.
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Tyanna Jones: I hate it when the judges incessantly and incredulously parade around the ages of young contestants during critiques (“Dude, you’re only 16 years old!”). But with Tyanna, DUDE, she’s only 16 years old! Tyanna owns the stage like a consummate professional. While she’s unfortunately not invincible, she’s able to swim through her performances effortlessly. Her performance of Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope,” for example, was a breezy joyfest. Tyanna exudes a cool and commanding confidence while dripping with a bold panache. And don’t forget: she’s only 16 years old!
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Clark Beckham: Clark is the very definition of blue-eyed soul, as filtered through the Idol lens. He’s a talented and handsome,22-year-old street performer whose musicality shines through with both the piano and the guitar. I’ve taken issue with many of Idol‘s WGWG (White Guys with Guitars) in the past (see winners Lee DeWyze, Phillip Phillips, and Scotty McCreery), but Clark’s undeniable respect for the music he’s playing sets him apart. While at times, his performances may have erred on the side of being too slick, Clark continued to show great promise with his recent acoustic arrangement of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.”
[To be quite honest, the order of the next five contestants, from Joey down to Quentin, is pretty interchangeable. Heck, I’ve changed it three times over the course of writing this list. It just goes to show you that with a talent field this deep and this even, song choice is crucial. The wrong song could make or break you. RIP SJC.]
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Joey Cook: Here’s Miss Quirk with a capital Q. During the semi-finals rounds, I wasn’t buying what Joey was so peculiarly selling and I rolled my eyes at every one of her quirks: the hair touching, the wide side-eyed wonderment, the irksome garbled vowel pronunciation. Everything changed with her performance of Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” Armed with a Postmodern Jukebox arrangement, all of her stylistic choices felt organic and her stage presence became fully realized. It all just clicked. The more Joey takes risks and taps into the grounded, emotional core of a song, the better.
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Qaasim Middleton: Qaasim is a vibrant showman. Don’t believe him? Just watch. Qaasim is strong singer. Don’t believe him? Well…actually, it’s ok to doubt him on that one. He’s a firecracker of an entertainer and his passionate command of the stage generates enough electricity to light the entire Idoldome. Unfortunately, stripped of his theatrics, Qaasim’s vocals don’t quite measure up. I call it the Adedapo Effect. Remember season 10’s Naima Adedapo? Her reggae-inspired numbers included dance breakdowns, rapping, and (on the live tour) even cartwheels. However, once she put her vocals front-and-center, she was swiftly voted out. We’ll see how long Qaasim can hang in there by the skin of his dancing. I am going to enjoy watching him breathe life into each performance along the way.
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Jax: Jax has long been considered a front-runner, but I’m just not fully in her corner yet. While some may hear a distinctly rich timbre, I hear a greatly affected slinkiness and whereas some may see a confident performer with a flair for the dramatic, I see a young musician trying hard to make an impression. But hey, I did a full 180-degrees on season 10’s Haley Reinhart, so stranger things could happen with my opinion on Jax.
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Adanna Duru: Without a doubt, Adanna has a powerful voice, throwing her heart and soul into every performance. Her leave-it-all-on-the-stage attitude is refreshing, but she needs to keep her emotions in check. When her wild stage presence gets the best of her, Adanna’s pop/R&B vocals are tricky to maneuver, but when she taps into that fire, her talent radiates with heat.
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Quentin Alexander: One word comes to mind when thinking about Quentin: #haunting. Here’s another: #moody. Quentin is a powerful and riveting presence with a keen sense of who he is as an artist. Not to mention, his carefully curated New Orleans-inspired fashion sense always makes a statement. Quentin’s velvety vocals compliment his suave persona, but he also possesses an unfortunate tendency to waver on long notes.
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Rayvon Owen: Rayvon is a smooth, smiley, and sleepy (read: boring) singer. Graced with a buttery falsetto, Rayvon knows exactly where and when to deploy it to its greatest effect, but onstage he simply meanders. Rayvon is blessed with one of the best voices left in the competition, but his performances desperately need substance, depth, and, most importantly, a jolt of urgency. Vocal dexterity alone won’t propel him past his competitors for very long.
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Nick Fradiani: Old Man Fradiani is an ancient 29 years old and in his most recent performance of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” (song choice, people, song choice) revealed that he gives off major Chris Daughtry vibes. Luckily for him, his age works to his advantage. Nick’s Alice Radio adult contemporary performances are greatly polished, allowing his maturity to shine through.
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Maddie Walker: Maddie is a Country Pageant Princess, whose big, bright eyes can’t help but illuminate the fact that there’s nothing really behind them. She can hit the notes and voice possesses a sweet twang, but she hasn’t quite formed her artistic identity past that country inflection. She’s young, impressionable, and is nothing more than an imitation of the genre she adores.
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Daniel Seavey: Let me tell you a story. The summer after I finished first grade, my family and I went on a Caribbean cruise. I entered a talent competition and sang “Puff the Magic Dragon” a cappella. Halfway through the performance, I blanked on the lyrics and the emcee got the entire audience to sing along with me to close out the number. Cute, right? I won first place. (As did everyone else in the talent show, but that’s beside the point.) This, my friends, is Daniel Seavey.
He’s a 15-year-old kid who is in way over his head. Daniel has coasted along on his cuteness factor, which he, himself, admitted to having. Ick. His performances are simply excruciating. Daniel’s a one-trick foal still going through puberty. Watch as he attempts and fails to hit high notes! Marvel at his over-rehearsed movements as he “feels” the music! Witness him mumble through forgotten lyrics! Daniel should have waited five years to audition for Idol. There’s talent down there somewhere, but thanks to his string of consistently painful performances, Daniel Seavey is one of the worst American Idol finalists in history. This kid does not deserve to be on my television.
Man, what a downer. Let’s end on a positive note, Sarina-Joi Crowe SLAYING Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best”:
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