American Idol Performances Mini Rankdown

[*Wallace]

Aww dang, sad to see Grace's ITU showing up already as well.  I thought this was a really strong and gorgeous performance from her. I thought this would have fared better. But at least most of the comments gave her credit on her vocals, at least.   

[Alex95]

16. Maddie Poppe "Nothing Compares 2 U"

13.0/20

Watch Here

@NGM - 8/20

@*Chris - 9/20

@*Diana - 10/15

@Crisis - 11/20

@jarmon - 11/20

@*Wallace - 12/20

@~Tom~ - 12/20

@taylorkat - 14/20

@Solaris - 15/20

@rdhaley96 - 15/20

@FrogLenzen - 15/20

@Alex95 - 18/20

@Steven_ - 19/20

 

Nico

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I love this from Maddie, while I think she was always in contention for the win, this is what probably helped her seal the deal (along with Landslide).

 

Chris

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I might be bias because I absolutely love this song & therefore I am a big fan of this song.  It was easily the performance of Season 10. 

 

Diana

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its a good song middle of the road for me

 

Crisis

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Considered to be Maddie’s signature performance, it was interesting to see Landslide rank ahead of this in the S16 Round. Regardless, it’s a very good performance from Maddie although not my favorite.

 

Akshar

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Such a beautiful performance from Maddie. She has such an interesting voice that I enjoy. This was a very surprising song choice to me from Maddie but it fitted her voice like a glove. Just fantastic.

 

Wally

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I always loved Maddie's "Nothing Compares 2 U" performance and always viewed it as my favorite performance of hers. This was the main performance I was hoping the Maddie fans would send through to the finals, so I am glad that happened! I feel like this was the first performance where Maddie played the piano, and this was just a performance that really stood out to me from her mostly guitar playing performances. I always loved the original song. But I loved Maddie's piano arrangement too. I loved the emotional connection she had here and most of all, I thought she sang this song beautifully. I'm not entirely positive but it may have been my favorite vocal from her. I also really loved how she picked up the song on the second chorus and did some belting of that part there. All in all, this was a beautiful and wonderful performance that I loved from Maddie! If a Maddie performance wins, I am surely pulling for this one to do so.

Reason for this #12 ranking: I'm kinda shook at myself ranking a Maddie performance so high amongst these iconic performances, but I did really love this and it's my favorite performance of hers. My #11 and #12 are interchangeable for me both gorgeous and moving performances but I guess this lost out simply because I had a few less chills for this over my #11. It also had a few less dynamics - but still I do love this and think this was Maddie's best.

 

Tom

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Not my absolute favorite Maddie performance but still beautiful and liked seeing her at the piano as well. 

 

Gigi

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This is a pretty performance.

 

Sola

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Not sure how this didn’t win her season of this mini.

 

Richard

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This was a good song choice for her, and I thought she delivered it quite well. A few of her lower notes didn’t quite land right, but other than that, she gave a strong vocal and compelling performance. I love how deliberate she was in her approach.

 

Derek

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Can you believe she sang a song while playing the piano and I didn't hate it??? Maddie is one of the most consistent contestants. That doesn't always translate to exciting though

 

Alex

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Maddie has aged pretty poorly over the years. She was one of my favorites during S16, but honestly? S16 might be my least favorite season of them all (excluding S19 I guess...idk what to do with that one lol). I'm just very unenthused by Maddie now. This is a great performance. Not amazing, but still great!

 

Steven

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This wasn't as boring as some of her other performances, but it still lands at the bottom of my ranking.

 

[Solaris]

i see

[*Diana]

#robbed 

[*Wallace]

The one and only time I wished a Maddie performance ranked higher than where it shows up.  Oh how the tides have changed.

 

But honestly, I'm more okay with this placement than the previous last two performances. Gorgeous and my favorite performance of Maddie's!  

[Alex95]

15. Leah Marlene "Sanctuary"

12.5/20

Watch Here

@*Diana - 6/20

@jarmon - 6/20

@Solaris - 8/20

@rdhaley96 - 9/20

@NGM - 9/20

@*Chris - 10/20

@Crisis - 15/20

@~Tom~ - 15/20

@Alex95 - 16/20

@Steven_ - 16/20

@FrogLenzen - 17/20

@taylorkat - 18/20

@*Wallace - 18/20

 

Diana

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something so beautiful about this

 

Akshar

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*standing ovation* Such a flawless & gorgeous performance from Leah. I had never heard of this song before but now Leah made me fall in love with it thanks to her angelic voice. This was just such an all round beautiful performance and just had me mesmerized throughout.

 

Sola

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I am so happy this song was able to make it on Idol.  Leah did an incredible performance of it. Enthralling vocal.  Such a good message behind this song.

 

Richard

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This performance was like a hug. She really delivered a vibe that was both so gorgeous and so cozy, and I love just how deliberate her delivery was. It was a great, inspired song choice, and she definitely succeeded at doing it justice.

 

Nico

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While it doesn't reach the emotional heights of Heal or has the energy of Separate Ways, it's still another terrific Leah performance

 

Chris

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Thank you Leah for introducing the public to this amazing song, and easily one of my favourite from this past season. 

 

Crisis

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A lovely performance despite the song being boring. She did well with the singing and connection. It’s just that this doesn’t measure up to the performances I placed ahead of it.

 

Tom

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Love her tone! Remidns me a bit of Alison Krauss, even if the song was a little boring. 

 

Alex

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And as per usual, ABC falls super early . I was harsh on this performance in my AI20 ranking and I stand by my comments there. I love Leah, love her voice, love the emotion here, but it's just a bit boring to me.

 

Steven

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This was a very pretty and sweet performance from Leah.

 

Derek

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I don’t hate this. It’s sweet. I know not every song needs to have a huge climax and big notes but I do think that this could have been arranged differently to be more impactful. It kind of hung around her mixed voice for the whole thing and I wanted more full voice.

 

Gigi

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Not one of my favorites of hers.

 

Wally

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I really loved this performance of "Sanctuary" and considered it one of my favorite performances of Leah's. This is one of those songs that I don't know or never heard of (I don't think?) but Leah's version of it really moved and captured my attention. Leah sang this song beautifully and connected so beautifully with the emotion of the song. She took her time with the song and sang each word with heart and meaning to it. I loved how she had a lot of soft moments here but then also had those moments of hitting the bigger beltier notes, but it wasn't too much to take away from the beauty of the performance. This was just an all around moving, angelic and chills worthy performance.

Reason for this #18 ranking: Hmm like with the most of newer performances, they still need time to test the time for me. This is a beautiful performance but it doesn't really have that iconic/memorable feel for me to rank it any higher. 

 

[*Diana]

I was doing so well now not so much

[Solaris]

@jarmon

 

 

[Solaris]

i get all sorts of goosies everytime i hear this song.

[*Chris]

13 minutes ago, Solaris said:

@jarmon

 

 

This performance still destroys me. 

[*Wallace]

"Sanctuary" was a lovely performance from Leah and this is a good spot for it.  

 

Although something about it on its rewatch recently made me like this less than I remembered? I do find myself agreeing with Derek's comments in particular here. And also agree with some other comments like Crisis/Alex/Steven's as well.

[Elliott]

On 9/15/2022 at 9:26 AM, *Chris said:

Nope.

 

There was no sex appeal to the performance. 

Speak for yourself.

[Alex95]

13. Jena Irene "Decode"

11.3/20

Watch Here

@Solaris - 4/20

@FrogLenzen - 6/20

@Alex95 - 7/20

@*Diana - 7/20

@NGM - 7/20

@taylorkat - 8/20

@jarmon - 10/20

@*Wallace - 11/20

@~Tom~ - 14/20

@Crisis - 17/20

@*Chris - 17/20

@rdhaley96 - 19/20

@Steven_ - 20/20

 

Sola

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Hard to beat Jena behind a piano.  Amazing. Basically put anyone else who sings Decode in the grave.

 

Derek

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omg so much better than the horrendous Colton or whoever. It actually sounded vaguely melodic.

 

Alex

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Jena keeps getting robbed here . I love this performance so much and I still think it's my favorite from Jena. Like Sola said, when she's behind the piano she's just completely unmatched.

 

Diana

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love Jena and this song is perfect

 

Nico

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Jena behind a piano>>>>

 

Gigi

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This was a really good performance.

 

Akshar

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Such an amazing performance from Jena!! She was such a versatile artist during her time on Idol. This was such a beautiful performance from her and she really embodied the message of the song.

 

 Wally

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Wow that Songs of the Cinema theme had two of the strongest performances of the season, Caleb's "Skyfall" and of course this one, Jena's "Decode." I am also glad Jena's version made it here because of Colton's passable version can make the Top 20, why can't Jena's amazing version make it? I do really like the original Paramore version of this song but really love how Jena changed this up and made it her own. She is at her best with playing the piano and making these dark haunting ballad performances like this. She connected beautifully with the song and sang it very well through. The start had this nice haunting quality to it, but then she powered through the chorus and made it so powerful! I love the mix of big vocal moments, and softer vocal moments and everything in between. This was very beautiful and one of my favorite performances from Jena!

Reason for this #11 ranking: LMAO I kinda forgot that Jena had the Top 3 performances from Season 13's game.  It's also interesting how I feel I ranked all of her performances around this range of rankings in the Battle of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place performances. My #11 and #12 are both gorgeous and moving performances but I gave this the advantage simply because it moved me and gave me a little more chills than my #12.

 

Tom

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Jena had many questionable performances, but this fit into her niche perfectly. Paramore is perfect for her. 

 

Crisis

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I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jena’s voice, but this was one of the few performances during the season in which I was able to tolerate it. It was certainly better than Colton’s rendition two years prior. Also, it was interesting to see her have all the Top 3 spots during the S13 Round.

 

Chris

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I know many love this performance but it’s not one that I particularly enjoy, which of course as it’s always difficult to enjoy a performance from a contestant that you’re the biggest fan of.  I will say that I can understand the appeal of the performance, and certainly better than the other performance of “Decode” that we have heard. 

 

Richard

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I’m pretty particular when it comes to anything Paramore, so needless to say, this wasn’t my favorite. I feel like her vocal was too affected for the song, and the arrangement was clunky and lacking that same intensity that works so well for the original. It wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but it definitely sticks out like a sore thumb in this group.

 

Steven

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Very sorry, but Jena's voice just doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Alex95

[*Wallace]

Ooh @Alex95 - I ranked "Decode" at #11, not #16. 

 

Lol I was looking at the 10s/smaller numbers range looking for where my ranking was and it was much lower than what it was supposed to be.  Not sure if this affects rankings or not.

 

Strong performance from Jena and not too surprised with its ranking, as she is quite polarizing.

[Alex95]

15 hours ago, *Wallace said:

Ooh @Alex95 - I ranked "Decode" at #11, not #16. 

 

Lol I was looking at the 10s/smaller numbers range looking for where my ranking was and it was much lower than what it was supposed to be.  Not sure if this affects rankings or not.

 

Strong performance from Jena and not too surprised with its ranking, as she is quite polarizing.

Thanks, put it down on my spreadsheet wrong for some reason, so that actually moves Decode up a placement!

 

So Decode is 13 now and the real 14 is coming up momentarily.

[Alex95]

14. Crystal Boxwersox "Give Me One Reason"

11.5/20

Watch Here

@FrogLenzen - 3/20

@taylorkat - 4/20

@Crisis - 8/20

@NGM - 10/20

@Alex95 - 11/20

@rdhaley96 - 11/20

@*Chris - 11/20

@*Diana - 13/20

@jarmon - 13/20

@Steven_ - 15/20

@Solaris - 17/20

@*Wallace - 17/20

@~Tom~ - 17/20

 

Derek

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Anyone who claps along during an American Idol performance should be forcibly removed and shot.

 

Gigi

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She sings everything well.

 

Crisis

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Although I prefer Long As I Can See the Light over this (and Me and Bobby McGee), this was a nice and funky version of the Tracy Chapman classic and one of her best performances of the season.

 

Nico

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Crystal at her best. She was crazy consistent, so ofc this is great

 

Alex

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It's kind of interesting how Crystal and Jena dominated their seasons taking up the entire top 3(/4 in Crystal's case) but just can't crack the top 10 in these formats. I love this performance from Crystal. It's exactly that kind of artist she deserves to be.

 

Richard

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This wasn’t an especially groundbreaking performance, but it was Crystal in her wheelhouse doing what she does best. I wouldn’t say this holds up against some of the bigger moments from others here in this top 20, but it was a very solid rendition of the song and definitely still a great outing for her.

 

Chris

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One of her best vocal performance, and certainly one of the better performance of the season. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s as good as the other performance ranked above it. 

 

Diana

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once again benefited from being the only good one on a bad season

 

Akshar

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Ooooh, I enjoyed this performance a lot more than I expected. Crystal has such a lovely & raspy voice and suited this song perfectly.

 

Steven

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This was a great performance from Crystal. She delivered something fun and groovy while showcasing her musicality. It was just an enjoyable performance, and it's one of the best covers of "Give Me One Reason" on American Idol.

 

Sola

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Not one of my Top Crystal performances, but she still rocked it.

 

Wally

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I feel like I say this about so many Crystal's performances but I thought this was a pretty cool performance. I like how chill this is at the start, but I love how she quickly builds this up once the band comes in. She brings in some coop belting notes at the end too. This is my favorite semi-finals performance from Crystal and one of my main favorites from her too.

Reason for this #17 ranking: I actually had this at #18 but found myself kinda jamming to this, so that was enough to move it up just a spot. Really good performance from Crystal but I still prefer 16 others.

 

Tom

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Of all of Crystal's performances, this isn't a top standout and I'm a little surprised it's here. 

 

[*Wallace]

31 minutes ago, Alex95 said:

Thanks, put it down on my spreadsheet wrong for some reason, so that actually moves Decode up a placement!

 

So Decode is 13 now and the real 14 is coming up momentarily.

You're welcome! At least the correction helps out Jena (and the #14 is a performance we like less) so all is good!  

 

 

But good spot and fine with this Crystal performance being the real #14. I get and agree with a lot of the comments on this one.

[rdhaley96]

The old placements were better. 

[FrogLenzen]

a joke

[*Wallace]

8 hours ago, rdhaley96 said:

The old placements were better. 

[Alex95]

12. Ruben Studdard "A Whole New World"

10.9/20

Watch Here

@taylorkat - 3/20

@*Wallace - 6/20

@Crisis - 6/20

@~Tom~ - 7/20

@Steven_ - 8/20

@FrogLenzen - 9/20

@rdhaley96 - 10/20

@Alex95 - 14/20

@*Diana - 14/20

@Solaris - 14/20

@*Chris - 15/20

@jarmon - 17/20

@NGM - 19/20

 

Gigi

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I love this performance from Ruben. I was a fan of his that season.

 

Wally

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Ruben singing the big song from my all-time favorite animated movie/obsession? He just knows how to stay my favorite! I’m very  glad Ruben’s "A Whole New World" made it into the finals, via the final round of rankers deciding the remaining performances. I was confident this would be the Ruben performance that could get there but was also scared it could have gotten cut, which thank goodness wasn’t the case. But yeah I love this song and reallly love Ruben’s version of this song. He has such a great soulful voice, and there’s such a warm and magical quality, that he makes it all so effortless. I really love how he belts out certain parts of the song such as him singing:

 

A whooollleee neeewww woooorrrrlllddd

A dazzling place I never knew

 

Or am I alone dreaming

 

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell us "No"

Or where to go

Just let me in this whole new world with youuu

 

Ooh wow and was this the point where Ruben was coined the Velvet Teddy bear, which Gladys Knight said in her comments? I do view “A Whole New World" as Ruben’s best and standout performance for sure. It’s my favorite of his too. I’m hoping this can crack the Top 10 so fingers crossed.

 

Reason for this #6 ranking: I had my #6 and #7 performances interchangeable and really tight in rankings. These were two of the harder performances' rankings to figure out. I ended up giving Ruben's "A Whole New World" the advantage, as I do fear he won't really rank that well amongst these performances as he isn't really a fan favorite on here. As one of Ruben's biggest fans, I do want to push this as high as I can to help this out.

 

Crisis

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I don’t expect this to place very high, but this was a great vocal from Ruben. His voice was made for songs like these.

 

Tom

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Ruben's best performance on the show, this is the one that comes to mind when I think of him. 

 

Steven

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My favorite Disney song. Ruben did a really good job with this one.

 

Derek

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His voice is so magical

 

Richard

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His outfit for this was a… choice. That aside, the rest of the performance was great. His vocal on the song was very pretty, and then when he hit the chorus and gave some vibrato, it all came together really nicely.

 

Alex

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Nothing all too groundbreaking, but he did his job here. He came on the stage, chose a good song, save it perfectly, and left. Not quite the Idol Moment where used to be, but he delivered exactly how I'd expect.

 

Diana

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good song I think

 

Sola

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Such a beautiful performance!  I don’t see it stacking up against some of the behemoths in this list though.

 

Chris

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Not a top favourite of mine but this performance is definitely one of Ruben’s signature performances. 

 

Akshar

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I love me a good Disney song and singing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin? A slay. Ruben did a great job with this song and had me smiling throughout.

 

Nico

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While I don't hate this, it's just so boring to me. And while it has it's place as a good performance from S2, it doesn't measure up.

 

[*Wallace]

Oh wow, I'm really glad and happy to see Ruben's "A Whole New World" making it to 12th. I was expecting it to rank much lower but glad that wasn't the case.   Loved this and agree with a lot of the comments here.

[Alex95]

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[Alex95]

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[Alex95]

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