American Idol: Top 20 Contenders For Hollywood Week
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20. Amelia Eisenhauer
Fifteen-year-old fiddle player brought a gruff tone and haunting vibe — though not much performance quality — to "Many Rivers to Cross."
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19. Lindita
Kosovo-born personal trainer was oblivious to Harry's mockery of her excessive runs on "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," but said Xtina-isms were on pretty damn heartfelt — and on-point.
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18. Jenna Renae
Deeply felt vocal performance of "She Don't Love You" more than made up for a couple minor pitch issues — but lack of tragic backstory could make her vulnerable to Hollywood Week disappearance.
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17. Joshua Wicker
Handsome worship leader with a verrry pregnant wife sang Rihanna's "Stay" like he'd written it himself — although we'd have liked a 10 percent reduction in vocal squeaks and breaks.
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16. Brandyn Burnette
Didn't let Harry Connick Jr.'s mid-performance hug break the breathtaking intimacy and emotion of his original track "Lost" — not 'til his voice crumbled a bit at the end.
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15. Melanie Tierce
Hippie chick whose eyes mesmerized the judges gets an A+ for her choice of Andra Day's inspiring ballad, even if the top of her range got a tad bit hinky.
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14. Colette Lush
This redheaded nanny's intro set her up like a joke contestant, but her "Who's Lovin' You" showed off a muscular instrument and pinpoint control — plus the rare ability to resist sacrificing those skills on the altar of oversinging.
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13. Tristan McIntosh
Fifteen-year-old with an otherworldly maturity and composure proved gloriously restrained on "Why Baby Why?", falling away to a whisper in spots, rumbling to life in others, while delivering a lyric about a dead relationship that continues to haunt.
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12. Olivia Rox
While she'll need to quash the affected enunciation that mucks up her authenticity, it was hard to deny the ache and lilt with which Olivia infused Bruno Mars' lost-love ballad "When I Was Your Man."
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11. Kory Wheeler
Last year's Golden Ticket recipient got squeezed into a three-person montage, but I loved the soul and spot-on pitch he brought to "Bennie and the Jets," a song that — in Idol lore — was a tribute to Haley Reinhart's Season 10 breakout moment.
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10. Jeneve Rose Mitchell
Off-the-grid farm girl's funkalicious fiddling, lightning quick phrasing and ability to capture the humor and feistiness of "Chainsaw" were mesmerizing.
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9. John Wayne Schulz
Returning contestant from Season 10 made Garth Brooks' "The Dance" one of the simplest, most effortless and lovely interpretations of the entire audition tour.
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8. Amber Lynn
Had to share screentime with a less talented pal (who also scored a Golden Ticket), but Amber's eye-popping range and supple tone on "Unaware" shouldn't have had to split focus with anyone!
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7. Emily Brooke
Season 14 Hollywood Week evictee brought a clear bright tone, excellent pitch and an aura of confidence to "Careless" that made me wonder if she might wind up going deep into the season.
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6. Avalon Young
There was something about the self-described tomboy's folksy vibe, warm tone and loose vocals on "XO" that took me back to the A.M. radio hits of my childhood — and made me willing to forget one or two iffy notes along the way.
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5. Jenn Blosil
Brooklyn chick with a self-admitted glassy-eyed demeanor brought unexpected color and shading to Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" — and her work at the piano was rock-solid, too.
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4. Manny Torres
The season's — and series' — final auditioner came on a little obnoxious with his "hot for J.Lo" declarations, but once he put a Latin twist on "This Love" — and infused it with a gruff tone and an abundance of swagger — I held up my white flag and surrendered.
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3. Trent Harmon
Mississippi teenager who lives and works on a farm delivered a vocal so buttery and soulful on "Unaware" you just wanted to get a knife and slather it over a biscuit. If he can rein in his mid-performance face-pulling, he could be a major contender.
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2. Jessica Cabral
Her warm, lush, Pink-esque vocals on "Brand New Me" were as potent on the song's delicate moments as they were when she was belting — and she proved she knows how to take her time with a lyric without ever verging on dirge-y.
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1. La'Porhsa Renae
With less swaang than Haley Reinhart's Postmodern Jukebox cover of "Creep" and less thee-a-tuhh than Kimberly Nicole's Voice rendition, La'Porsha let her lower register rip on phrases like "perfect soul," proving herself to be (in the words of Harry) an "assassin with runs."