‘American Idol XIV’ rankings: Jax, Clark Beckham, Joey Cook rule top 8 (for now)

There have been some inconsistent moments for sure for “American Idol” this season, but we still feel like this is the best crop of contestants at least since season 8. You’ve got multiple genres represented, a few singers with great vocals, and then also a few singers who are artistic and great entertainers. There are multiple definitions for what an American Idol could be, and not just people acting like they are wide-eyed people on a talent show.

So how are we ranking these contenders? If you’re new to the rankings, we based them on the following: Performance quality, personality, perceived fan following, and voting history.

8. Qaasim Middleton – Given that he already needed the save to be used for him, and he is still struggling vocally, there is no other logical place for him on the list. We love watching him, but at some point being able to hit the notes should matter. We’re at that point now.

7. Rayvon Owen – By the same token, the same should be said here for delivering a performance that will really get people voting for you. Rayvon should get a bump thanks to the Twitter save last week, but he had already done a version of “Since U Been Gone” other than the one we just heard.

6. Tyanna Jones – Kelly Clarkson week didn’t really work for Tyanna. We feel like this is more of a temporary blip on the radar than a permanent change for the singer, but she needs to come back with a comeback performance with Billboard Hot 100 week.

5. Nick Fradiani – Maybe we consider this to be a challenge for Nick to really deliver to his full potential. He’s been good every week, but we are still waiting for that breakout performance that shows us that he can be incredible, and not just good-to-very-good every week.

4. Quentin Alexander – Maybe we are overscoring Quentin because of him being a judge wild-card, but we just haven’t heard a bad vocal from him in quite some time.. Plus, he routinely fascinates us, from his fashion to what he is going to do to make a song stand out.

3. Joey Cook – We never know what to make of Joey. One week, she gives us a performance like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” that was a solid effort, but a complete mess. Then, she delivers something incredible like “Miss Independent.” We do like to reward risk, and she is at least taking them.

2. Jax – Over the past few weeks she has reminded us more of what we really liked her so much in the first place: She’s a unique, emotional performer with the same knack as Joey for taking big chances. We cannot imagine a situation right now where she goes before at least the top five.

1. Clark Beckham – For the second straight week, Clark sits at the top. Not only is he taking bigger risks right now than he did in the earlier part of the live show, but he’s always been stellar vocally. He’s started to distance himself among the men, and while there is still time for things to change, he’s in solid shape right now.

Who do you think is the best of the group? Vote in the attached poll, and head over here to see some of the current song spoilers for the top eight! Also, sign up to get some further TV updates sent over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)