As an avid music fan, the best part of American Idol is the unique performances and song choices made by the contestants. Sometimes a great Idol is slayed by poor song choices, other times a fresh favorite emerges when they create a new sound out a familiar hit. I can't testify to any Kelly or Clay performances, I missed season one and two. But I am stretching the definition to include any performance by a contestant during the season they competed in. So Hollywood week performances, elimination night performances and even finale performances are eligible. So here they are, fifty performances I still remember...
50. Chris Sligh - Typical
Top 24 Week, Season 6 - He couldn't keep up the fire, but he broke out of the box with this Mute Math cover that was kinda hot.
49.David Cook - Eleanor Rigby
Beatles Week, Season 7 - David Cook rocks, and you'll find a lot of him on this list.
48. Katherine McPhee - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Top Three Week, Season 5 - She could sing, and she was stunningly beautiful. But she never had a moment until this heart-tugging pick from Simon.
47. Adam Lambert - Believe
Hollywood Week, Season 8 - Glambert does Cher, acoustically. And you wonder why he's a star?
46. Mandisa - Never
Top 24 Week, Season 5 - She wanted to prove sistas could rock. Consider this case closed.
45. Allison Ireheta - Someone To Watch Over Me
Rat Pack Week, Season 8 - She needed someone to watch over her when the judges were on the prowl, but vocally she hit this out of the emotional park.
44. Brooke White - Let It Be
Lennon/McCartney Week, Season 7 - She may have false started this Beatles classic, but she still sounded fab.
43. LaToya London - Ooh Baby, Baby
Ashford & Simpson Week, Season 3 - The classiest of the Three Divas give Smokey and the gang a run for their money.
42. Anthony Federov - Incomplete
Current Billboard Hits, Season 4 - He was too late for the boyband boom, which is too bad because this Backstreet Boys single was made for him.
41. Kris Allen - Ain’t No Sunshine
Top iTunes Downloads Week, Season 8 - He plays piano, too?
40. Alexandrea Lushington - Spinning Wheel
Top 24 Week, Season 7 - Why didn't she go any further? This girl rocked my world, briefly.
39. Chris Daughtry - I Walk The Line
Country Week, Season 5 - The rocker rocks Johnny Cash, controversy ensues. But the performance kicks ass.
38. Allison Ireheta - I Can’t Make You Love Me
Songs From The Year You Were Born, Season 8 - She's way too young for the lyrics, but you couldn't tell that from the performance.
37. Carly Smithson - Blackbird
Beatles Week, Season 7 - Haunting vocals from an industry cast-off.
36. Nadia Turner - The Power Of Love
Top 20 Week, Season 4 - The Ashley Cleveland CCM hit sounded twice as soulful as ever.
35. Nathaniel Marshall - Disturbia
Hollywood Week, Season 8 - Give it up for the queer kid, he has YouTube-ready skills on the acoustic Rihanna tip.
34. Lakisha Jones - And I Am Telling You
Top 16 week, season 6 - LaKisha attempts to outshine J.Hud the same weeks she wins an Oscar, and almost succeeds.
33. Gina Glockson - Paint It Black
British Invasion week, season 6 - That rarest of Idols, the female rocker, gooses up the Stones.
32. Alexis Grace - Dirty Diana
Micheal Jackson week, season 8 - Alexis puts her pipes and stage presence to good use.
31. David Cook - Hello
80s Week, season 6 - The first look at David's skills at fresh interpretation.
30. David Archulata - "Imagine"
I wasn't a fan of season 7 runner up David, but even I have to give him props for his emotive reading of the John Lennon classic.
29. Bo Bice - "Vehicle"
Instead of Disco Week, season four gave us 70s Dance Week. Was it just so Bo could blow us away with his roaring cover of the Ides Of March hit? If so, who cares? He grabbed the mic stand and the crowd went wild.
28. Blake Lewis - "Time Of The Season"
British Invasion week of season 6 was one of the chances Blake grabbed to show off his beatboxing skills, plus a sexy new catchphrase for all the Blake-heads: "Who's your daddy?"
27. Kris Allen - "Falling Slowly"
Taking a recent Oscar winner from the film Once, Kris made his mark as the most current performer of season 8. His vocals float over a gently plucked guitar, showing he knows how to utilize his instrument more than most soft-voiced singers.
26. Syesha Mercado - "One Rock And Roll Too Many"
Syesha seemed to coast along on the "diva vote" as the only African-American female of season 7. I often (incorrectly) picked her as the one to go home, until Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber week. That week, she slinked her way through a Starlight Express number and proved why she deserved her top three place. I never heard her as a radio artist, but she will kill on Broadway.
25. Allison Ireheta & Adam Lambert - "Slow Ride"
The two most dynamic singers of season 8 rocked the house with this otherwise boring Foghat hit. The live version is killer, the way those two feed off the other's infinite energy is a treat to watch. I would watch an Allison/Adam TV variety show all day, every day.
24. Vonzell Solomon - "On The Radio"
What ever happened to Baby V? She had such promise, and while we all knew Carrie was winning season 4, I hoped for more from the Florida native. She shut the club down with her Donna Summer cover, chosen by Simon Cowell for top three week. I wish we had a market for disco singers again, Vonzell would be the queen of that scene.
23. David Cook - "Billie Jean"
On season 7's Songs From The Year You Were Born week, David Cook covered Chris Cornell's cover of Micheal Jackson's "Billie Jean" and nailed it. The original was brilliant, one the greatest pop songs of all time. But in it, I always believe MJ knows Billie Jean was not his lover, when David Cook sings it get the idea he's trying to convince himself. It becomes a new song.
22. Jordin Sparks - "I (Who Have Nothing)"
Picture this: Season 6, British Invasion Week. Sixteen-year-old Jordin has flown under the radar, Melinda and LaKisha are currently the ones to beat. What's a girl to do? Pull out an ancient Shirley Bassey torch song and blow the audience away with a voice we didn't know you had.
21. Diana DeGarmo - "Don’t Cry Out Loud"
Season 3's runner-up got a bum rap, often being referred to as a Di-Bot for her pageanty yet pitch perfect singing. But on top three night, she finally got a chance to shine, with this schmaltzy (in a good way) Melissa Manchester ballad. What, has the robot developed human emotions? RUN!
20. Matt Giraurd - "So Small"
When you cover a hit by an Idol winner, you risk a lot. Season 8's Matt had to know this, but he took this lovely Carrie Underwood single and imbued it was a layer of soulful piano. It works on multiple levels, even improving on the original.
19. Elliot Yamin feat. Mary J Blige - "One"
Elliot may have finished third in season 5, but on finale night he took the prize for best performance with a guest star. He may not have stolen the spotlight from the gorgeous Mary J, but he held his own.
18. Jennifer Hudson - "Circle Of Life"
For weeks during season 3 J.Hud had enduring the constant comparisons to LaToya and Fantasia, often pointed out as the weakest of the Three Divas. But on Elton John night, all that changed. The Lion King hit took on a gorgeous gospel tone and jump started one of the greatest post-Idol star paths.
17. David Cook - "Little Sparrow"
It was the biggest shock to me that anybody even had heard of Dolly's bluegrass album Little Sparrow, let alone that my Idol crush would perform the title track. He didn't change the gender pronouns, just the sound - making a spooky bluegrass track a slow burning rock anthem.
16. Kris Allen - "Heartless"
I started this list before the top three performances, but I rearranged it to fit one of the most unique spectacles the Idol stage has brought us. Cute as a button, with a soft, sexy voice, Kris flipped the script on his Idol path and roared with an angry, bluesy take on the autotuned Kanye hit - performed by West less than two months prior on the same stage. Balls, he's got 'em.
15. Chris Daughtry - "Hemorrhage"
Chris Daughtry brought modern rock to the stage on season 5 and this Fuel hit earned him an offer from the band to become their new lead singer. He may have only come in fourth, but managed to have one of the biggest post-Idol careers.
14. Chikeze - "She’s A Woman"
Up until Beatles week in season 7, Chikeze was a bit of a bore. Aping Luther Vandross will only get you so far, so he had to bring it or get left behind. Taking an obscure cut by the Fab Four and giving it a bluegrass opening and a southern rock back end was the ticket to a few more weeks on the show.
13. Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh, Rudy Cardenas & Tom Lowe - "How Deep Is Your Love"
During group rounds in Hollywood week, we rarely get anything but drama and showboating. But sometimes, we get magic. During season 6's Hollywood round, Blake beatboxes (natch) as the other three harmonize, creating a rare moment of genius, forty seconds I can never get out of my head.
12. Alison Ireheta - "Hot Stuff"
The females rarely get credit for rearranging songs, and no where was this more obvious in the tepid response to Alison's brilliant rock-tinged version of "Hot Stuff." I still feel uneasy at the thought of a sixteen-year-old singing such lyrics, even more so at the fact it worked so well.
11. Brooke White - "Love Is A Battlefield"
With a soft, emotive voice, Brooke didn't stand a chance of matching Pat Benatar's powerful soprano on the 80s classic. So Brooke slowed it down, doing an acoustic rendition and made it work for her.
10. Nadia Turner - "You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me"
Nadia is another one of the Idols who flared quickly, her first few weeks were blazing hot soul-rock performances. Her flame sputtered after that, but not before she gave us this chilling reading of the Dusty Springfeild classic. She wasn't a diva, but she took her soulful voice to higher levels one last time in season 4.
9. Adam Lambert - "Mad World"
In the current Idol season, no one has gotten more press than Lambert. And deservedly so, his control on this Tear For Fears single is incredible, even more so when you compare it to his more wild performances. Like David Cook, you can almost feel the switch from frontrunner to clear winner.
8. Jason Castro - "Hallujah"
With his dirty white-boy dreads and stoner-like inability to give a good interview, it could have been easy to forget Jason possessed a quietly confident vocal presence and peircing blue eyes. I could have been easy, except this cover of the Leonard Cohen classic for 80s week in season 7 was inescapably brilliant, even down to the crack voice in the last "hallujah." Despite a top four finish, this early performance marked a peak in his Idol trajectory.
7. Bo Bice - "In A Dream"
Eschewing all instruments, Bo proved he could stand toe-to-toe with the dynamic Carrie Underwood on Final Three night of season 4. His long dark hair was backlit, and his firm and unwavering stance behind the mic on an a capella rendition of a Badlands track made him look like the Messiah of southern rock. It was a throwback to the nerve-racking auditions at the beginning of the show, only with the confidence that weeks of on-stage performance can bring.
6. Melinda Doolittle - "Have A Nice Day"
Season 6's Melinda had so much soul, so much of that church-bred grit. She rocked all the greats - Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, "My Funny Valentine" but never proved her versatilty like this late Bon Jovi hit. Her on-stage swagger and that soulful voice that just hits you in your gut took the attiude-laden lyrics to whole 'nother level.
5. George Huff - "Take Me To The Pilot"
On season 3's Elton John night, George Huff came out of his shell and rocked the house with this obscure cut from John's catalog. He put a gospel spin on the song, replete with a crazy bounce during the chorus and a gritty, deep vocal. He created a template of picking less familiar songs, and then making them your own.
4. Carrie Underwood - "Alone"
Many have tried to imitate the blond Oklahoman's moment of triumph in season 4, a stellar vocal performance of Heart's blazing hot ballad. The background vocalist harmonizing at the ends on the chorus is pure perfection, and Carrie proved she can sing more than just country. She may be a Nashville superstar now, but we remember the night she went to Seattle for a hot minute.
3. Blake Lewis - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
Jon Bon Jovi was nervous about the beatboxer re-interpretation of one of his bands biggest hits. Blake amped the vocal "entandres" to the max: opening with the sound of records being played, spun and scratched before enting a drum v. beatbox battle onstage. Blake won, and Jon had reason to be nervous. The song doesn't belong to him any more, not after Idol season 6.
2. David Cook - "Always Be My Baby"
What is a rock dude to do during season 7's Mariah Carey night? Pick her biggest song and turn it on it's ear. Changing the tempo, the instrumentation and the phrasing, but leaving the melody intact, created a power ballad that would rock my world, reveal David Cook as the clear winner and leave Mariah proud.
1: Fantasia - "Summertime"
On a Songs from the Movies night, most divas would pick shlocky Celine and Whitney ballads, put on some f-me pumps and belt. Single mom and eventual winner Fantasia did the opposite, picking the Gershwin classic from Porgy & Bess and socking it barefoot. Randy said it was the best performance on Idol to date, and five years later that remains true. And it's true because, as 'Tasia herself said with tears on her face, "I felt my song." This season 3 performance remains my favorite rendition of this pop standard.
So, who did I miss? And were you a witness to the legendary "Stuff Like That There"? Or were you a power voting Claymate, just dying to hear "Solitare" one more time? Tell all about it, grandpa. Tell me about the good old days...
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