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American Idol S17 Power Rankings (Top 8)

May 5, 2019 by PowerRankings101

Queen Night proved to deliver a lot more lows than highs, but the Movie Duets produced two stellar duets that ousting most of the solos. One duet was hard to hear, so it’s hard to rank. The last one, meh. But either way, I think the show may have to stray away from themes now that it’s final 6, and really let the artists just sing what they’re comfortable with. Sometimes, it just becomes too forced for one person to stick to a genre so completely out of his or her comfort zone. Or, we hear an arrangement of something that we just don’t love as much as the original. That being said, let’s see how the top 8 did with their duets, solos, and at the end, my thoughts on the eliminations of Alyssa and Walker.

12. Wade Cota- Wade dropped the ball majorly tonight. I almost felt bad for him, because I knew I was not in the majority last week when it came to not liking his “You’ve Got a Friend In Me.” This week, it’s inarguable who the worst was. He didn’t only miss the lyrics, but he just left so much to be desired in the vocals. It seemed to be too much of a reach for him at times, and stagnant in others. I like Wade, I really do. This is the most talented top 8 in recent memory. But he was the weakest for sure.

11. Wade Cota & Alyssa Raghu- This duet was a bit of a rocky mess. I like them each as individuals, but together, they didn’t really blend too well. I just wasn’t a fan, and I think Alyssa definitely outsang Wade.

10. Walker Burroughs- I could tell the judges were also a bit underwhelmed by this one. Walker has relied on simplicity, and it’s worked really well for him. This time, he decided to move around a lot…the problem is, while he was fun and goofy on the outs, his vocals stayed pretty simple and basic, which didn’t really stand out as a whole. It was well sung, but just didn’t seem like Walker’s strongest, and surely became forgettable at the end of the day, hence his elimination.

9. Alejandro Aranda & Walker Burroughs- The guitar playing was top notch. The harmonies were soothing to the soul. The singing? Couldn’t really hear it unless they were singing the chorus together. That’s the problem with this duet. Luckily, Alejandro’s playing is THAT good that it still doesn’t hit the bottom three spots on the list. But I wish ABC or Idol fixed their sound issues so we could hear them better and give them a fairer ranking.

8. Madison VanDenburg- The thing with Alyssa is that she doesn’t always go for the money notes, so while it may not be very exciting, it’s on pitch and sounds nice. Madison, on the other hand, ALWAYS goes for the big notes, and while it’s exciting, it’s very hit-or-miss with the pitch. That’s the risk you play on Idol. And pitchy is pitchy. Hence why Madison is so low on my list. It was tough to listen to some of those rough high notes. She needs to have confidence in her movement in order for those money notes to really bring the dough.

7. Alyssa Raghu- Alyssa was great last season. In comparison to all of the other singers THIS season, her voice doesn’t stand out as much. You can’t help it. Her solo “Somebody to Love” was the best that Alyssa could do, and it was still pretty good as a result. I just wish she had gone for more of the money notes. She didn’t really stand a chance of being in the top 6 anyway (for 2 seasons in a row, the wildcards have went out first), but I think she definitely held her own and did a good—not great—job.

6. Alejandro Aranda- I love Alejandro, but some of these songs he’s picking just aren’t well suited for his style of arrangement. That’s why Alejandro is strongest in originals, or when he’s going with Coldplay or something. It still sounded nice, but left me lots of unfulfilled expectations considering his talent. Right now, I still think Alejandro makes the final four. But is he going to the finale? I think he needs a great week this upcoming week to ensure that, otherwise it’ll be Laine vs. Jeremiah.

5. Laine Hardy- This was Laine’s worst vocal yet…which is still pretty good considering it’s Laine. The vocals were a bit of a mess, but he had lots of fun on stage, and got the crowd engaged. While I think Laine has room for improvement, he’s making himself a clearer front-runner as time goes on because of his stage presence. With Uche gone, Laine is the resident crowd pleaser, so he needs to own that, and he’ll be in the finals.

4. Laci Kaye Booth- I didn’t like Laci last week, but I LOVED her this week. Her voice is suited for one style of music, but she really kills it when that style comes to her. Her rendition of “Love of My Life” was absolutely gorgeous, and one of the only two solos that really blew me away this week. Lovely.

3. Laci Kaye Booth & Laine Hardy- The only thing better than for Laci than her solo song was pairing up with Laine for this powerful duet. Not powerful in emotion, but in utter raw vocal ability and perfect song choice. The two of them paired so wonderfully together and it felt like I was watching a big time country/folk concert. The two of them are absolutely amazing, and if there was a perfect pairing in the universe, it’s these two.

2. Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon & Madison VanDenburg- Madison had some pitch problems, but their harmonies at the end were absolutely gorgeous. It was filled with big bold money notes, and the overall emotion behind every lyrics (especially coming from Jeremiah) was stunning. I can’t believe these two didn’t drown each other out, which is why this duet is just as impressive. I really thought this was spectacular.

1. Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon- Jeremiah is a gift. His high notes were absolutely dynamite, and his softer moments were tender and heartfelt. This was the best solo vocal of his all season, and could be his ticket to the finals on top of that equally stunning duet we just talked about.

I really think Wade deserved to go based on his two performances tonight. The thing is, last year, I had Caleb going home each time, and he never did. Do I take my bets with Wade? I think I should, because I don’t see any of the either 5 getting less votes than him, ESPECIALLY after his bad “We Are the Champions” and duet with Alyssa. I was upset to see Alyssa go, but it was her time. Walker deserved to go on tonight’s show alone, but I did think he served a bigger potential in the long run. A shame. Between the rest, I think Alejandro, Jeremiah, and Laine are still locks. Laci should be a lock, but we don’t know if she or Madison are getting more votes. I’m gonna say Laci would make it in, so I’ll go with that, but Madison going right now feels too soon. Maybe the judges will use their save?

PREDICTIONS:

Advancing to Top 4- Alejandro Aranda, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, Laine Hardy, and Laci Kaye Booth

Going Home- Wade Cota and Madison VanDenburg (JUDGE’S SAVE)

#casting

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American Idol S17 Power Rankings (Top 8)

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