Season 10 turned into a smashing success for American Idol from a ratings standpoint.
Simon Cowell was gone, but the sky did not fall. The show remained the most watched in the land.
Why?
I imagine the new judges — Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez — helped draw viewers initially.
But I suspect viewers stuck around for a different reason: A cast that was the deepest and most diverse Idol put on stage since Season 7.
In compiling the 10 best performances of Season 10, I reviewed the grade I gave each performance since the semifinals. Seven different finalists received an A or A- for at least one performance.
That’s something I guarantee did not happen in the lackluster Season 9, or in Season 8, when all the guys but Adam Lambert seemed to want to sing the same kind of music.
So congrats to Idol’s Season 10 cast. You — not Nigel Lythgoe, not the judges, not the gimmicks — made it a season worth watching.
Now, my list of top 10 performances as we prepare for Idol’s Tuesday night finale … counting down from number 10 to the best …
10. Casey Abrams: “With a Little Help from My Friends”
Casey starts this song off so softly. But 30 seconds in, he’s about to launch into full-fledge mania mode, and that’s when the jazz singer from Idyllwild was at his finest. Never have the judges used their save more wisely than in Season 10.
9. Scotty McCreery: “Letters from Home”
I would be remiss not to include a Scotty McCreery ballad on this list. Because that was Scotty’s forte in Season 10, and he did it as well as any male country singer ever has on the show. I cheated a little though, reaching back to the semifinals for my favorite, a performance that served notice that the teen from Garner, N.C., just might be something special.
8. Pia Toscano: “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”
Oh, why did the lovely lass from Howard Beach have to leave us so soon? Had she hung around, might she have caught fire like Haley Reinhart did? We’ll never know, but we have this sweet reminder of her vocal prowess.
7. James Durbin: “Uprising”
Have no doubt, when it came to delivering crowd-pleasing performances, none of the Season 10 Idols could top James with his flaming piano, his mid-performance leaps and, for this number, a marching band. Bold and brilliant, and one of his absolute best vocals.
6. Jacob Lusk: “Dance with My Father”
This song had special meaning for Jacob. You could tell when he choked up just a couple words in. But he channeled those emotions into his best vocal of the competition. Shame he didn’t show this much control every time he took the stage. Because there’s no doubting the guy’s vocal range.
5. Haley Reinhart: “What Is and Never Should Be”
This would make the list for sheer audacity alone. Scolded two straight weeks for selecting songs that weren’t popular enough, Haley decided she didn’t give a crap and launched into Led Zeppelin. She took a tumble mid-song and still turned in the best performance in the Top 3 episode.
4. Scotty McCreery: “Gone”
The teen with the deep voice and the country twang went up-tempo on Then and Now week and showed us he’s also capable of cutting loose, having fun on stage and turning in a spot-on vocal while doing it. It almost looked like he’d been taking lessons from James Durbin.
3. Casey Abrams: “Harder to Breathe”
He was Idol’s wild man of Season 10, the bearded wonder with the stand-up bass. Personally, I liked it far better when he grabbed a guitar and kept the stand-up base on the sideline, like in this rousing version of a Maroon 5 hit, punctuated by a kiss.
2. Casey Abrams/Haley Reinhart: “I Feel the Earth Move”
Magic happens when these two are on stage together. This was actually their second-best duet. The best (“Moaning”) came during a results show, so I couldn’t fairly include it here. If Idol has a clue, it will make sure they perform together during Wednesday’s finale. And every night during the Idol summer tour. They very well could steal the show.
1. Haley Reinhart: “House of the Rising Sun”
The Girl with the Growl who was supposed to be gone in a heartbeat turned in several memorable performances as she challenged for the Idol crown. This was the best, not only from her, but from any contestant in Season 10. The a cappella opening does it every time. How in the world did she not make the finale?
Honorable Mention
Ashthon Jones: “I Tell You I’m Not Going”
Casey Abrams: “I Put a Spell on You” and “Heart it Through the Grapevine”
Haley Reinhart: “Piece of My Heart” and “I Who Have Nothing”
Jacob Lusk: “House is Not a Home”
James Durbin: “Heavy Metal”
Pia Toscano: “I’ll Stand by You”
Scotty McCreery: “Always on My Mind”
That’s right, folks, Lauren Alaina did not have a song rate as an A or A- all year. Hmm.
Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of blogs looking back at Idol Season 10. Others include my picks for the top 5 non-performance moments, my suggestions for 7 ways to improve Idol, and a look at how this year’s finale compares to Idol’s first nine. Coming tomorrow: A look at how the final 2 match up, plus the better alternative for TV viewing Tuesday night.
American Idol Ashthon Jones Casey Abrams Haley Reinhart Jacob Lusk James Durbin Pia Toscano Scotty McCreery top 10
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22 Comments
I don’t always agree with you on your grades for songs and might have chosen other songs for these contestants to be represented. But the individuals you selected are dead on. And, I can’t agree more that its very appropriate that 5 of the top tem were produced by Casey and Haley. Let’s hope its not the end of seeing these two together.
Except for Scotty, Lauren was this season’s most consistent contestant. Although she did not have a stand out performance just look back to when Haley did “blue” and tell me she still belonged in the finale
Blue should have been enough reason for her to qualify in the finale. The problem is AI is fixed – obviously, the chosen ones even before Top 13 were the mediocre country kids. And I would say what Randy and JLo did to Haley was close to bullying. I doubt country girl Lauren can sing that country song Blue the way Haley did. This year’s top 2 is a laughing stock. Scotty & Lauren fans are deluded if they think these kids have star potential. Well maybe for sometime…until the next yr’s idols come along. LOL! These 2 are sub par compared to Pia, Casey, Jacob, HALEY and even that girl Thia.
You are correct with scotty and lauren being the most consistent all season, consistently boring and showed no sign of versatility. Not once did either of these performers move me or give me goose bumps all season. Haley, James and Casey were the only great performers this season. Idol is officially a joke in my book.
In my opinion the ebst of season10 is Haley,Casey,Scotty, Jacob and Lauren. Pia is like a robot when she sing. She didnt owned the stage. While,Haley owned the stage. she ran, she jumped.Casey got hundreds way of entertaining. Scotty is a rare! we never saw a country boy as young as scotty and as good as him. Jacob’s voice was the best. and lauren can sing anything. Actually James was good too,but he didnt improved the song that he picked where we could say that hes a little bit copcating the original. Thia was also good but,sometimes we got too bored seeing her everyweek.
The thought of buying a ticket to hear Lauren sing is all too funny. Yes, she is a sweet girl with a nice voice (could be heard in any high school talent show), but she is BORING and awkward to say the least. She NEVER challenged herself to do anything special. Don’t understand the hype and why she is in the final two. Scotty can sing but is painful to watch. My two favorites were Casey and Haley..I’ll buy their music and go to their concerts, but not the two selected to be the final two on American Idol.
You picked some really good ones. Love your chosen. I agree with you. Lauren is a good singer, but not great and never really had a special moment as all the superb finalists did. Did she really belong in the final 2. I think not. We all know Haley should be in the final 2. Don’t know if the outcome was from all the teenboppers or Nigel and his cronies orchestration. Guess we will never know.
My best wishes for all the fabulous talent in this years finals, may they all go far.
Casey was the most talented out of the top 10, but America didn’t agree. Haley was over confident and maybe a little cocky, but more talented than Lauren. It is what it is and I say Scotty will win and become a huge star in the country world!
Haley is not cocky. Thats her charateristics.Scotty is the best?so agree! Hes young but he beat thousands of country boy.
Woah, woah, woah. Ashton Jones gets a mention for her wildcard performance, but not Stefano or KENDRA CHANTELLE?! Hell to the no.
Only reason Haley gained popularity is she was the only girl left who could actually sing. Lauren is okay but just too young. If Pia would have only been in the bottom two she would have lasted as long as Haley. Actually Haley would have went home and Pia stayed.
No, Brittany. Haley was not even in the bottom when Pia left, so is not the reason she gained popularity. The difference between them is 6 places, no excuses there. She well deserved stayed as long and should have been in the finale because of her amazing performances. As you can see there were 3 performances from her in this list and 2 honorable mentions. Is not like Pia would have stayed instead, you think she would have lasted longer than James? Lauren was overly hyped since her audition and she had the country vote, a really big favorite. Like her or not, I don’t. But as a matter of fact I would add “Flat on the Floor” on the list to not seemed so biased against her. “I’ll Stand by You” from Pia was stellar until Haley caught on fire weeks later with “Bennie and the Jets”.
Pia didn’t even have a genre to get votes from, I’d say she wouldn’t make it into the top 5 if she have only been in the bottom two that night. Haley should have won looking at the quality of her performances, the standout of the season. Well, the reality is Pia 9th, Haley 3rd and Lauren 2nd, for whatever the reasons were. Only real life are going to change those positions.