(photo: AP)

Another year, another season of American Idol. And another TWO seasons of The Voice. 2014 is coming to a close, but before Idol Season 14 starts up on Jan. 7 and The Voice returns for an eighth season on Feb. 23 (yes, already!), it’s time to look back at the best singing show performances of the year.

While 2014 marked the two lowest-selling Idol-winner albums ever (sorry, Candice Glover and Caleb Johnson), and The Voice continued to catch flak for, well, never selling any albums (sorry, Tessanne Chin), both shows — along with a couple basic-cable programs and even the little-seen Rising Star — had their share of impressive performances. Buy these contestants’ albums already, people! Or at least donate to their Kickstarters.



So, here are my Reality Rocks picks for the top 20 singing competition performances of 2014. Please note that, for the sake of variety and semi-brevity, I did not load up this list with multiple performances by the same singers. But I enthusiastically encourage you to hit up YouTube or Hulu and binge-watch anything and everything by Matt McAndrew, Josh Kaufman, Jesse Kinch, Alex Preston, Jena Irene, and Caleb Johnson. All of those contestants could have filled year-end lists all by themselves.



Happy new year!

20. Blonde Electra, “Kids in America” (The X Factor U.K.)

The American X Factor was canceled at the start of 2014, but Simon Cowell kept it going across the pond, where the show has always been bigger, brasher, and just plain better. (The X Factor U.K. Season 11 also aired this year in the States on the UHF-like cable channel AXS TV, which is, I think, Channel 8719 on the Time Warner dial.) Those Brits sure love their camp, and no one camped it up more than these crazy, ravey sisters, Ruby and Jazzy King, who just happen to be the sisters-in-law of Cher’s son, Elijah Blue Allman, and claim to have been raised in a cult. Blonde Electra, with their wacky antics, could have been the female Jedward. But sadly, they were the first act eliminated in this year’s live shows. I guess the Brits don’t love camp that much.

19. MK Nobilette, “All of Me” (American Idol)

Everyone’s already forgotten about poor MK; if they remember her at all, it’s because she was the first openly gay contestant to complete in the Idol semifinals. The 10th-placer didn’t even join the American Idol Live! concert tour, so her 15 minutes of fame got cut down to more like four minutes. But let’s not forget her promising start. Believe it or not, back when she first competed in the top 31 Rush Week, I had her pegged as a shoo-in for the finale.

18. Sebastian Bach, “Bad Romance” (Sing Your Face Off)

For years, I longed for the day when this ex-Skid Row mouthpiece (known for his star turns on CMT’s Gone Country 2, VH1’s Supergroup and Celebrity Fit Club, and MTV’s Celebrity Rap Superstar) would don Lady Gaga drag on national TV. So thank you, ABC (and guest judge RuPaul!), for making my dream come true in 2014.

17. Malaya Watson, “Ain’t No Way”

It was hard to believe that his teen had never had a boyfriend, never had her heart broken. Apparently she’s as fantastic an actress as she is a singer. This band-camp geek girl dug deep for her mature cover of Aretha Franklin’s heartache ballad, delivering a passionate, dynamic, can’t-look-away performance. Said judge Jennifer Lopez: “It’s like you’re blossoming into this star before our very eyes. You’re the same little crazy girl that walked in, but you’re gaining poise and realizing your position. You’re going to be such a huge star. You’re going to run away with this competition.” I think if Malaya had auditioned just a couple seasons later, when she was just a little more grown-up, she could have gone farther than eighth place.

16. “Shade: The Rusical” (RuPaul’s Drag Race)

Season 6 of Drag Race was a very Idolicious one. American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert judged the season premiere; original Idol judge Paula Abdul guest-judged one episode; and among the competing queens were not one but two Idol alums (Season 7 American Idol finalist Danny Noriega, aka Adore Delano, and Season 1 Australian Idol fourth-placer Courtney Act). And on one Drag Race episode this year, the two ex-Idols didn’t lip-synch for their lives — they saaaaang for their lives, taking on the dual roles of Bad Penny and Good Penny in the show’s off-off-off-off-off-off-Broadway smash, Shade: The Rusical. Neither of these queens sashayed away with a victory on their respective Idol seasons years ago, but they both delivered Tony-winning performances in their kinky boots during this challenge, and both of them later made it to the Season 6 Drag Race finale.