American Idol Performances Mini Rankdown

[Alex95]

10. Melinda Doolittle "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"

10.0/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwW8mw0ZiM

 

@~Tom~ - 1/20

@FrogLenzen - 3/20

@*Lily - 3/20

@Solaris - 3/20

@hayden98 - 5/20

@Crisis - 7/20

@NGM - 8/20

@taylorkat - 9/20

@*Chris - 9/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 9/20

@.Rei - 10/20

@*Amanda - 11/20

@Steven_ - 11/20

@Elliott - 12/20

@sublymonal - 12/20

@*Diana - 13/20

@Alex95 - 14/20

@JC - 16/20

@*Wallace - 16/20

@1234567890 - 19/20

@goofycilla90 - 20/20

 

Lily

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Pretty much everything Melinda did on Idol was a vocal masterclass, like, holy s**t. This is not a semi-final performance whatsoever, it is just on another level.

 

Solaris

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god she is so good.

 

Hayden

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This was a perfect way for Melinda to enter the liveshows! She showed just how amazing her voice is and she did it while performing a more up-tempo song, which just made it feel even more impressive to me.

 

Crisis

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The long time background singer with very little confidence in herself came out and made a strong first impression with this bad boy. It was such a strong and confident performance; she went out and owned the moment. As great as the whole performance was, my favorite parts were the pre-choruses. Tsk tsk tsk at Simon saying the other 23 contestants should book plane tickets home after LaKisha’s performance (as great as that was) and forgetting about this gem.

 

Chris

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It's Top 24 night and Melinda is letting everyone know that she ain't here to play - she thought it was necessary to wipe the floor with all the other contestants.  And she completely snatched our wig - this was one of her many flawless performances, especially during the semi-finals where she hit a homerun; And there's a reason why no other contestants tried to take on this song ever since Melinda Doolittle slayed the heck out of it. Anyway, this one is the lowest ranked performance of Melinda Doolittle on my final ranking as I preferred the other ones but it was still very good.

 

Kevin

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It was Melinda, therefore incredible.

 

Rei

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This was just flawless vocal wise. Amazing first performance from Queen Melinda.

 

Steven

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Very enjoyable performance from Melinda. She showcased powerhouse vocals while having fun on the stage. I'm glad to see this one make it to the Top 20.

 

Alex

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Not me being down with the floptastic Melinda haters . I love the performance and Melinda really started her season off with a bang here. I do think she absolutely gets overshadowed by LaKisha later in the night, but it was very difficult not to.

 

JC

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Melinda fans have collectively made the most anti-C.Rich comments so even though she's my third fave from the season, I will not be contributing to her win. Not one of her best, but I enjoyed this.

 

Wally

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This is another Melinda performance I could have been fine with missing out in the Top 20. I do really like/love this performance but I much prefer the greatly robbed “I Got Rhythm” and really wish that performance had gotten the votes to make it through. But yeah this was a clear frontrunner of the Round 6 no matter what. It’s also my least fave of hers from the semi finals which isn’t anything bad because she had the most amazing semi-finals run there is. 

 

I do appreciate how Melinda chose a rare and obscure Aretha song to sing rather than a super known/overdone song. I’m not sure how big or popular this song is but I was first introduced to it fromMelinda and of course she did a fantastic job on this. She delivered such strong and powerful vocals and had natural stage presence here. I do like a number of parts that she sings such as: 

 

I tell you that I'll stay true

And give you just a little time

Wait on me baby,

I want you to be all mine

I just get so blue

 

Since you've been gone, baby

(Why'd you do it? why'd you have to do it?)

Since you've been gone

(Why'd you do it? why'd you have to do it?)

 

Baby baby, sweet baby

 

 

I also love those “Baby baby, sweet baby” parts she sings throughout the song too. Then I also love those closing ad-libs she sings while singing “oh baby since you’ve been gone. GONE. GONE. GOOOONNEEE.”  A great performance as always from Melinda!

 

Priscilla

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the support for this baffled me since I didn’t remember it in the slightest

 

 

 

 

9. Melinda Doolittle "Home"

9.9/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOxporV3uOY

 

@*Chris - 4/20

@taylorkat - 5/20

@*Lily - 5/20

@.Rei - 6/20

@NGM - 7/20

@~Tom~ - 7/20

@goofycilla90 - 7/20

@1234567890 - 7/20

@*Diana - 9/20

@Elliott - 10/20

@*Amanda - 10/20

@FrogLenzen - 11/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 11/20

@Alex95 - 11/20

@sublymonal - 11/20

@Solaris - 11/20

@*Wallace - 12/20

@Steven_ - 14/20

@Crisis - 16/20

@hayden98 - 16/20

@JC - 17/20

 

Chris

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Flawless rendition of a flawless song - after all of these years, this performance remains one of my all-time favourite of Melindas.

 

Lily

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Another fantastic performance. I love how she almost looks shocked/overcome with the response after as if she didn't just do THAT!

 

Rei

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Ugh so amazing! How am I supposed to rank all of Melinda performances when they are just flawless. She slayed the chorus in this song. REAALLLLL TO ME!!!!!!!!!! Gets me everytime!

 

Priscilla

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she can do no wrong

 

Kevin

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It was Melinda, therefore incredible.

 

Alex

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Another incredible, showstopping number for Melinda. Her voice is just out of this world. She can do no wrong. I just prefer her more upbeat performances personally. But I still love this!

 

Wally

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Melinda’s “Home” is such a beautiful performance and certainly deserving of being here in the Final 20. Melinda gave such a stunning and effortless vocal here and really brought in a great emotional connection here too. I enjoy how Melinda opened the song up in such a soft and lovely way. But I really love how she takes her time with the song and really progresses it as it continues on. I really love the part where she sings:

 

Oh, If you're list'ning God

Please don't make it hard to know

If we should believe in things that we see

Tell us, should we run away

Should we try and stay

Or would it be better just to let things be?

 

Living here, in this brand new world

Might be a fantasy

But it taught me to love

So it's real, real to me

 

And I've learned

That we must look inside our hearts to find

A world full of love

Like yours

Like mine

 

Like home...

 

 

Wow the way she builds the song up and delivers all of those power vocals is so outstanding! This was one of the many effortless and amazing performances from Melinda. I’m sad not to have this in my Top 10 but #12 will just have to do - but I am certain this will rank well anyway.

 

Steven

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Amazing performance from Melinda! She sang this song like a seasoned pro. She seemed more like a guest performer than a talent show contestant.

 

Crisis

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[Ed. Note: There was a comment on Melinda's appearance I personally didn't feel comfortable posting and edited out. If he wants to post it himself now, he can. I personally just didn't feel comfortable posting it]

Was her humility an act? Maybe. Does any of that matter? Not in a million years, especially with a voice like that! Melinda never made any missteps vocally during S6, and "Home" was very well sung. My favorite part would be:

 

Living here, in this brand new world

Might be a fantasy

But it taught me to love

So it's real, real to me

 

 The problem is the song bores me to tears, although Melinda tried to inject some life into it; hence, it ranks low here.

 

Hayden

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It was a Melinda performance so obviously it was a great! I have to say I actually prefer the studio version to the live version in this case. The arrangement was a touch bit off for me, which is why I’m not ranking it any higher, but I still love this performance overall.

 

JC

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Melinda fans have collectively made the most anti-C.Rich comments so even though she's my third fave from the season, I will not be contributing to her win. Not one of her best, but I enjoyed this.

 

 

 

 

8. Jordin Sparks "A Broken Wing"

9.8/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tSIuK3m9eY

 

@JC - 1/20

@*Amanda - 2/20

@*Diana - 2/20

@1234567890 - 4/20

@*Wallace - 5/20

@Steven_ - 5/20

@goofycilla90 - 6/20

@Solaris - 6/20

@taylorkat - 8/20

@FrogLenzen - 9/20

@NGM - 10/20

@*Lily - 10/20

@.Rei - 12/20

@~Tom~ - 12/20

@*Chris - 13/20

@Crisis - 15/20

@hayden98 - 15/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 16/20

@Elliott - 18/20

@Alex95 - 18/20

@sublymonal - 19/20

 

JC

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Such a queen I hope she wins, still love the moment when she's about to cut a betch after thinking she got shock eliminated at Top 6! 

 

Wally

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I am really glad that Jordin’s “A Broken Wing” made it into the Top 20 via the Round 6 voting part of the game. I definitely got worried for Jordin’s representation in this game for a moment but glad this performance made it here as it’s truly one of Jordin’s best and worthy of being here. Jordin’s “A Broken Wing” was both my favorite performance on Country night and this is definitely my favorite version of the song done on Idol. What I really love about this performance was how Jordin truly connected and sold the story of the song. It’s really impressive with someone so young to connect to a song the way she did. I got chills from watching this. I also love how she put a soulful pop twist on this song with her vocals.

 

Jordin sounds really gorgeous on the opening verse of the song. I love how calm and softly she sings the start of the song. Some parts that stands out from that part of the performance is where she sings:

 

Give a little, then take it back

 

She'd tell him about her dreams

He'd just shoot 'em down

Lord he loved to make her cry

 

He said, Only angels know how to fly

 

 

But then wow the way she belts out that chorus of the song is something truly stunning!

 

And with a broken wing

She still sings

She keeps an eye on the sky

With a broken wing

She carries her dreams

Man you ought to see her fly

 

With a broken wing

She carries her dreams

Man you ought to see her fly

 

SO good!

 

This was truly a stunning performance! Jordin delivered such an amazing vocal and one of my very favorite vocal performances from her! I am not sure where this will rank but I am really hoping this can crack the Top 10…. and I’d like to think this can do so!

 

Steven

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My favorite Jordin Sparks performance. I liked how she took her time with the song and let it build to those big, soaring vocals. It was such an impressive showing from her, and I'm glad this performance is included in this Top 20.

 

Priscilla

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underrated

 

Derek

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Jordin is a good singer. A little green on this season, but you can tell she had lots of potential.

 

Lily

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Lovely! No qualms with this, Jordin did a really nice job with this and had the emotion of the performance down I felt.

 

Rei

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I actually decided that I liked this performance from Jordin the best. Great performance by Jordin.

 

Chris

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This performance is in my Top 3 performances of Jordin but not enough for me to have it in my Top 10 as I don't think it really measure up to Melinda's performances. I thought she did a great job with her performance although I must say this was not one of my favourite rendition - unfortunately for Jordin, two years prior to her time on Idol, Canadian Idol had their own 17 year old winner aka Melissa O'Neil who absolutely nailed Broken Wing & You'll Never Walk Alone where both are superior to Jordin's version; I unfortunately still compare both of those performances to each others.

 

Crisis

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This is boring. I can’t come up with any material to snark on regarding Jordin. In a strange way, I wouldn’t have minded "Livin’ On A Prayer" making the finals. With that said, I’ll just say this song was very well sung and I thought it was the second best performance of the week. She did a nice job of building the song up and hitting the payoff during the chorus. This was probably the performance when it was thought she could seriously win the whole thing.

 

Hayden

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This was super pretty! Jordin is definitely a contestant that I am finding that I love her post-show work more than her performances while on the show. This performance, as well as the other two, are really, really good, but they aren’t performances that I ever find myself rewatching. Regardless, mad props to Jordin for getting three performances into the finals!

 

Kevin

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Good, but overrated.

 

Elliott

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No.

 

Alex

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Not me suggesting this performance for round six to my group and then ranking it this low . I'm kinda with Rei on Jordin, this rewatch did not do her many favors for me. It was a cute performance, but I really didn't feel much watching it. It's hard rewatching this sandwiched between Melinda slaying everything she did.

 

 

 

 

7. Melinda Doolittle "Nutbush City Limits"

9.05/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gOgtCgphBc

 

@taylorkat - 4/20

@Alex95 - 4/20

@NGM - 4/20

@Elliott - 5/20

@~Tom~ - 5/20

@sublymonal - 5/20

@*Amanda - 6/20

@FrogLenzen - 6/20

@*Lily - 7/20

@*Diana - 7/20

@Solaris - 7/20

@Crisis - 8/20

@*Chris - 8/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 8/20

@hayden98 - 8/20

@goofycilla90 - 9/20

@.Rei - 15/20

@Steven_ - 16/20

@JC - 19/20

@*Wallace - 19/20

@1234567890 - 20/20

 

Alex

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A bonafide rockstar! Melinda tackling Tina Turner was a dream come true and she killed this performance. My only complaint is that it's too short! I want more! The fact that she was eliminated after this? Criminal.

 

Elliott

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Imagine watching this performance and then going, "You know who I want in the finale over Melinda Doolittle? Jordin Sparks." CAN'T RELATE.

 

Derek

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She shouldn't have waited for the judges to pick this type of song. Or maybe she had to because of the goofy themes this season lol

 

Lily

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I've ran out of compliments for Melinda at this rate, another truly showstopping performance!

 

Crisis

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Melinda rocked the heck out of this number. I’m not a fan of the song itself, but for a great vocalist it was no problem for her. She kept the intensity throughout the performance and had great showmanship. My favorite part is when she picked up the microphone stand during the last verse. It was the best performance of the night, and it was disappointing to see her eliminated and falling short of the finale the night after.

 

Chris

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You honestly cannot go wrong with any Tina Turner's song, and Melinda completely nailed it. 

 

Kevin

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It was Melinda, therefore incredible.

 

Hayden

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It’s honestly a travesty that Melinda was voted out after this performance. This was such a stellar performance – Melinda really nailed this song.

 

Priscilla

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she pulled out Tina Turner for this

 

Rei

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I can’t believe I’m ranking a Melinda performance this low. But it is my least favorite from all of her performances in this Top 20. Still a not so good Melinda performance, is a an amazing performance and the vocals amazing as ever.

 

Steven

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Strong vocals from Melinda once again, but I don't really like the song itself. That's why this performance is ranked this low for me.

 

JC

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Melinda fans have collectively made the most anti-C.Rich comments so even though she's my third fave from the season, I will not be contributing to her win. But this was phenomenal.

 

Wally

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Well I guess it’s time for me to reveal my big unpopular opinion for Season 6…. and that is “Nutbush City Limits” isn’t amongst one of my big favorites of Melinda’s. Now I do really like this performance and think it’s objectively great, but it’s probably around 9th or 10th on my list of Melinda performances. It’s also one of the 2 Melinda performances I would have been fine without here - as I would have preferred “I Got Rhythm” or “Trouble is a Woman” in the Top 20 over this one especially the former. There’s nothing I can say that’s wrong with this performance at all but i just connect more to her other performances. But I do understand why it’s in the finals and can not argue against it honestly. And I do expect to be amongst the lowest rankers for this performance.

 

This was the song that the judges chose for Melinda and she certainly nailed this song. She owns the stage and sang the song so well as always. She does great with a rock track like this proving she can sing anything. I do love the attitude and power she showcases while singing this. One of my favorite parts is around the middle where she sings:

 

You go t'the store on Friday

You go to church on Sunday

They call it Nutbush

Oh Nutbush

Call it Nutbush city limits

 

 

Then I also love the part where she sings:

 

You go to town on Saturday

But go to church ev'ry Sunday

 

So yeah those Friday/Sunday and Saturday/Sunday parts are my favorites.

 

 

 

 

6. LaKisha Jones "This Ain't A Love Song"

9.00/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43dgeeKz6Gg

 

@.Rei - 1/20

@*Lily - 1/20

@1234567890 - 2/20

@~Tom~ - 3/20

@Crisis - 4/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 4/20

@goofycilla90 - 4/20

@NGM - 6/20

@Alex95 - 8/20

@Elliott - 9/20

@*Wallace - 9/20

@*Chris - 11/20

@hayden98 - 11/20

@JC - 12/20

@Solaris - 12/20

@Steven_ - 13/20

@FrogLenzen - 15/20

@*Diana - 15/20

@sublymonal - 15/20

@taylorkat - 17/20

@*Amanda - 17/20

 

Rei

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I truly expect this not win but it is my favorite performance from season 6. It is the best vocal ever, surely no. but this came in a moment where Lakisha was being constantly criticized by the judges and I think no one was expecting much from Lakisha anymore but then she came and absolutely slayed the hell out of this song. She slapped so hard that I was fangirling so much. It is definitely one of my favorite idol performances ever and I just couldn’t rank anything else higher than this.

 

Lily

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This was an interesting one for me. Melinda is my favorite of the season and I think all of her other performances are pretty much my top favorites, rooting for any of them to take it this round. But I remember just adoring LaKisha's performance of this from when I first heard it. I loved the studio version so much as well. Sentimental favoritism may come in here by ranking it in the top spot, but even getting to revisit it again now I still love it just as much as I did back when she first sang it. 

 

Crisis

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See, this is what happens when you actually take the mentor’s advice KiKi instead of acting like you know everything! Those few rough weeks may not have happened. She certainly picked the right song this week and took everyone to church. She really took it into high gear towards the end of the performance. It was a nice comeback after the three previous underwhelming weeks.

 

Kevin

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Another incredible performance from Bon Jovi night! "LaKisha, I could kiss you after that performance." An absolutely brilliant song choice and LaKiki absolutely killed it and slayed us #dead. It was an absolutely perfect performance that came at exactly the correct time for her.

 

Priscilla

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everything about this was amazing

 

Alex

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I think if you isolate this performance without the backstory it does not make the top 20. I think "Diamonds are Forever" is a far better LaKisha performance that should be here (well personally I'd take all three, but of course we needed Haley, Phil, and Chris representation ). Luckily we do have the storyline. LaKisha, once upon a time favorite to win, is freefalling. She's ignoring advice from mentors, she's giving us mediocre performance after mediocre performance, and she just survived a bottom two performance, barely beating f*cking Sanjaya. She does into Bon Jovi week, a week completely out of her comfort zone, and is approaching a double elimination. Then LaKisha does this. She proves to America she's still got it. She saved her ass when she needed it most, which led to two mediocre white men who far overstayed their welcome to get canned. Iconique.

 

Elliott

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I mean is anyone surprised my favourite KiKi performance is from Bon Jovi night?   The way she spent the entire season doing the exact opposite of what the mentors said, only to finally listen to Bon Jovi and get enough of a vote boost to take her from sixth to top four. Even if it meant Chris Richardson got eliminated, should've been Jordin smh

 

Wally

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LaKisha slaying it on Bon Jovi Night was something that none of us saw coming and had us all SHOOK! And to those saying they did see it coming, are lying. LaKisha had 3 underwhelming performances in a row prior this performance and honestly I was losing interest and my fandom was starting to fade for her. But then she made the most unexpected comeback with this performance. I STILL remember how shook and blown away i was while watching this performance and after it. LaKisha was also my second favorite on the Bon Jovi episode which I was also not expecting. I never heard this Bon Jovi song before LaKisha sang it but she made me love this song (and would later love the original). I love how LaKisha was able to turn this rock ballad into a soul ballad and make this suit her voice and her as an artist.

 

LaKisha sang the opening verse in such a tender and gorgeous way. I love so many parts here but from the first verse i really love how she sings:

 

Baby, ain't it funny, how you never ever learn to fall

You're really on your knees, when you think you're standing tall

 

But I really love how she builds up the song on the end of the first verse into the bridge where she sings:

 

I cried and I cried

There were nights that died for you baby

I tried and I tried to deny that your love drove me crazy, baby

 

If the love that I got for you is gone

If the river I cried ain't that long

Then I'm wrong, yeah I'm wrong, this ain't a love song

 

If the pain that I'm feeling so strong

Is the reason that I'm holding on

Then I'm wrong, yeah I'm wrong - this ain't a love song

This ain't a love song

 

SO gorgeous!

 

But then I love how she really builds up and powers through the next chorus part of the song - especially with how she belts out “I’m HOOOLLDDINGGG onnn!” Oooh then I also really love the part where she sings:

 

Yeah I'm wrong BABY 

This ain't a love song

 

She really brought that stank into the song and was kinda rocking it out there. Amazing! But yes this was an amazing performance from LaKisha and exactly what she needed to pull out to survive through that double elimination. Overall, I would call this my favorite LaKisha performance so i am glad this made the Top 20 - though I don’t mind which ranks higher between "This Ain't A Love Song" or "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.”

 

Chris

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Kiki absolutely nailed this performance, while not her best performance vocally speaking - I wish I could have it higher than this but I could not bring myself to rank this higher than any of Melinda's performances because otherwise I would have bumped it up a few spots to help Lakisha in the final ranking. 

 

Hayden

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Haha, I didn’t watch Season 6 until years after it aired and I usually skipped the interviews so I didn’t know about LaKisha vs. The World, but I would’ve stanned so hard because that is some funny stuff! I’m glad LaKisha listened this week though because this was phenomenal!

 

JC

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The sisters know why this is getting tanked by me. For me, this is not top 20 material.

 

Steven

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LaKisha was inconsistent throughout her Idol run, but when she was good, she was really good. "This Ain't a Love Song" was a superb performance. She sang her heart out and delivered a standout performance.

 

Derek

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This was fine. I maybe should have campaigned harder for Diamonds Are Forever to be in this set too.

 

[1234567890]

28 minutes ago, Elliott said:

I—

 

Even @Elliott knew the tea.

[*Lily]

I feel like my #19 is winning, as I enter my flop era

 

Ok with that placement for LaKisha, rooting for a Melinda victory!

[.Rei]

[Elliott]

Me seeing Nutbush City Limits and This Ain’t A Love Song not make the Top 5:

 

On 1/1/2021 at 8:37 PM, DWTSFan2001 said:

Good luck with the game then - that's me out of IDF permanently. Not wasting one more second of my precious life on a place with this much toxicity and judgement of people.

 

[.Rei]

Just now, Elliott said:

This Ain’t A Love Song not make the Top 5

you didn't rank it in you top 5

 

[Elliott]

Just now, .Rei said:

you didn't rank it in you top 5

 

I meant to rank it third and forgot to fix my ballot when I was organizing my PM.

[1234567890]

Aw, TAALS barely missing the Top 5.  An amazing run tough.

[1234567890]

 

The sisters know why this is getting tanked by me. For me, this is not top 20 material - @JC

 

If you truly think this then I will pray for your  ears because TAALS > GITP.

 

[1234567890]

4 minutes ago, .Rei said:

So close.

[JC]

Jordin or Blake FTW! even though we all knew it's been a foregone conclusion that Melinda would win from the beginning.

[1234567890]

2 minutes ago, Elliott said:

I meant to rank it third and forgot to fix my ballot when I was organizing my PM.

[Solaris]

2 minutes ago, Elliott said:

I meant to rank it third and forgot to fix my ballot when I was organizing my PM.

 

 

 

[JC]

Just now, 1234567890 said:

 

TAALS > GITP.

 

[1234567890]

@FrogLenzen - 15/20

@*Diana - 15/20

@sublymonal - 15/20

@taylorkat - 17/20

@*Amanda - 17/20
 

I truly pray for all these people. AMEN.  

[1234567890]

Just now, Solaris said:

 

 

 

 

Rose.

[1234567890]

Just now, JC said:

The rankers don’t seem to think so.

[Steven_]

300 pages

[1234567890]

6 minutes ago, .Rei said:

you didn't rank it in you top 5

 

[1234567890]

Just now, Steven_ said:

300 pages

[Alex95]

6 minutes ago, Elliott said:

I meant to rank it third and forgot to fix my ballot when I was organizing my PM.

If you ranked it third, it would barely still miss top 5. But I mean barely.

[1234567890]

52 minutes ago, JC said:

[1234567890]

3 minutes ago, Alex95 said:

If you ranked it third, it would barely still miss top 5. But I mean barely.

[1234567890]

9 minutes ago, JC said:

Jordin or Blake FTW! even though we all knew it's been a foregone conclusion that Melinda would win from the beginning.

We all know Melinda is winning and I’m more than okay with that.

[Weedy_Speedy]

Melinda having 3/5ths of the top 5.  Too bad that Jordin performance is in there with her.