'American Idol' Season 14 Recap & Review: Top 12 Guys Ranked Worst to Best from Detroit

American Idol traveled from Hollywood to Detroit in order to kick off the live performances. The gentlemen started the week at The Fillmore, serenading Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr., and an excited crowd of fans. The performances ranged from soulful to safe while America decided who would be the next contestants to exit the competition.

There's a lot less drama involved in these live episodes. Thankfully, there's more singing and less judging (along with a double dose of Ryan Seacrest). As J.Lo pointed out a few times, contestants need to sing to the audience as well as the viewers at home. A few of the guys pulled that off while others just sang to the front row. If you want the votes, play for them.

Here are the performances from the guys ranked worst to best:

12. Trevor Douglas did not show up. His "Best I Ever Had" by Gavin DeGraw was flat and way out of tune. A for effort though.

11. Riley Bria is talented, but performance of Eric Church's "Homeboy" was boring at best. His vocals seemed off too. Considering how popular country is, though, he could easily make it another couple rounds.

10. It's difficult to be critical of Daniel Seavey. He did exceptionally well for a 15-year-old at The Fillmore singing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, but the performance didn't kill. He has the young and cute factor working for him, which means he's never completely out of the race.

9. Nick Fradiani's "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran was, vocally, one of the better performances. However, there were too many other contestants with more energy. He needs to take on some better tunes if he sticks around.

8. Despite being one of the best singers in the competition, Savion Wright struggled with "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train. The arrangement was slower than the original and pretty inconsistent. He wasn't able to fall into a groove. Urban agreed that the song choice wasn't strong enough.

7. Michael Simeon established himself as a lady killer from the first audition. His live debut wasn't any different. The singer ran through "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Michael Bolton. He's like the leader of a boy band who skipped the boy band phase. "You stayed in the moment and controlled it," Urban said. Solid showing.

6. Adam Ezegelian tore through "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister. The rocker gave it his absolute all, putting the energy level super high to start the ep. The judges could have been much harder on him because there weren't enough moments that showcased his voice. His energy might have saved him though.

5. Mark Andrew's "The Weight" by The Band was on point. The classic tune complemented his voice so well, and he looked like he was having a good time. He has some hippie in him. Remember, this is the same guy who cranked out The Allman Brothers Band at his first audition.

4. Rayvon Owen took on "Jealous" by Nick Jonas. His silky, studio vocals carried the song. It was an effortless performance. The song choice was smart considering its current popularity. Connick compared him to the greats of Motown.

3. Clark Beckham's take on "When a Man Loves a Woman" was an impressive tribute to Percy Sledge. Excellent song choice. He was miles ahead of the others performance-wise. He gave J.Lo some goosebumps, along with the rest of America.

2. Qaasim Middleton went wild on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk." He channeled his inner Bruno Mars for the show, and it paid off. Middleton is the best male entertainer on the show. He'll move on based on showmanship alone. We need more vocals from him though.

1. Quentin Alexander went with the artsy performance, taking on "I Put a Spell on You." It completely worked, and Alexander worked the camera so well. He won the award for most-memorable performance of the night for sure. Connick loved it, but he was worried that America wouldn't keep him around, which is a valid concern

Tags

Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest