Whittling down American Idol's ninth season to its best performances isn't a difficult task, because the standout moments hold up and resonate weeks (even months) later. The trick is ranking the best riffs of Crystal Bowersox, the finest croons of Lee DeWyze, and the kitschy caterwauls of Siobhan Magnus. Depending on your criteria for stellar Idol showmanship, any of those could rank at #1, but after much nail-biting and revising, Movieline has ranked the best ten Idol performances in a definitive list. Let's fight.
10. Crystal Bowersox "Long As I Can See the Light"
Creedence Clearwater Revival covers never sounded so invigorated. This early performance of Crystal's was soulful from start to finish, an exhibition of her throwback appeal and undeniable immediacy.
9. Didi Benami "Play with Fire"
Didi took an unnecessary beating from the judges during the season, but her hushed, intimate style is so bankable on 2010 radio. With "Play with Fire," she replaced her lilting coo with a steely holler, making for one of the darkest and most sincere performances of the season. Do forgive her momentary slip-up in verse three.
8. Lee DeWyze "That's Life"
Resident court jester Harry Connick Jr. couldn't even inject much fun into Frank Sinatra week, but Lee DeWyze's assured rendition of "That's Life" elevated the stodgy evening. In fact, this was almost shockingly current.
7. Siobhan Magnus "House of the Rising Sun"
Forget whatever Simon said about "not changing the original song enough." What version of "House of the Rising Sun" does he know? Siobhan Magnus tore through the Animals classic with operatic swagger and rock angst.
6. Lee DeWyze "Treat Her Like a Lady"
Lee's best performance of the season was a dead-ringer for Chris Daughtry, but it was also another current rendition of an old, old song. Perhaps Lee's greatest gift is making outdated hits sound new. Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia could've used some of that magic.
5. Didi Benami "Rhiannon"
For a minute-and-a-half performance, Didi's "Rhiannon" seemed fully formed, an immaculate retooling of the Fleetwood Mac original. In fact, Didi's take on the song is so different from Stevie Nicks' that you might believe she'd written it herself. The final calls of "Rhiannnnnon" here are dreamlike and stunning.
4. Crystal Bowersox "Me and Bobby McGee"
The one qualm I have about Crystal's Janis Joplin riff is it was an entirely expected song choice. But I can't argue with quality: Crystal's freewheeling runs, killer guitar, and on-tap passion are all on display here.
3. Casey James "Jealous Guy"
Casey was always fourth- or fifth-best each night thanks to lame song choices ("The Power of Love") or underwhelming chutzpah ("OK, It's Alright with Me"), But "Jealous Guy" was astonishing -- a lonesome ballad where he took his time to enunciate and make us listen. This established him as the season's dark horse, the surprising warm troubadour from Cool, Texas.
2. Siobhan Magnus "Paint It Black"
Finally, a little spectacle! Rolling Stones week went well for almost every performer (even that week's evictee Lacey Brown), but Siobhan Magnus took the well-trodden classic "Paint It Black" and injected carnivalesque delirium, war cries, and total madness. An undeniable high in a season of sleepy performances.
1. Crystal Bowersox "Give Me One Reason"
Yes! The ne plus ultra! Not only was "Give Me One Reason" a brilliant song choice, it was also the perfect platform for Crystal Bowersox to build upon the original's bluesy grit and add her own nerve, verve, and incredible self-possession. Within the first verse, it was clear that Crystal had a grasp on Tracy Chapman's '90s hit that even outshone the original. While other Bowersox performances featured more shouts and vigor, this is the one that's a beacon for Crystal's potential as an artist: the cool, collected, but impassioned rock star.