Brooke set the stage with Dolly's "Joleen," which was a good song choice for her. It was a little rushed, but the acoustic ensemble was a clever way to switch gears after being called out by Paula and Simon ... go with the band, don't go with the band ... the past two weeks. Brooke is pretty consistent and was in her element singing a Dolly song. It's hard to stack these kids up against the icons, though. Simon felt she lacked emotion, which is a total crock. The day Brooke White lacks any emotion is the day we should all be afraid.

David Cook brought his usual greatness with "Little Sparrow," but honestly, I'm getting a little bored. He's awesome, don't get me wrong. And I still dig him a lot, but it would be nice to see something a little different. He's talented, sure, and I have to appreciate the fact that he makes these songs his own, never going to that place other contestants go when they mimic other singers. But it's all starting to sound the same.

Ramiele picked about the best Dolly song she could have, aside from "9 to 5." Dolly was right, it was cute and bubbly and small like her. But it just didn't work for me. The slide guitar, which is a staple of country music, didn't fit with Ramiele's non-country voice. I think she has a great voice, but it needs more training. And she's got plenty of time. Simon agreed.

Jason Castro sang "Travelin'" and I thought it was the perfect fit for him. I could hear the collective sound of swooning hearts everywhere (can you *hear* swooning hearts??). Anyway, Simon didn't like it, Randy said it was "pretty good," which is what he said about most of the performances, and who cares what Paula said. I think Jason is good, but he's not Idol material at the end of the day. I will see you at FloydFest, I hope, Jason.

OK, here comes my bias. I love Carly Smithson. I think she's unique and has the best female vocal in the mix. Dolly's "Here You Come Again," is one of my favorite songs of all time. Carly nailed it. Dolly gave her the biggest compliment, too, saying "That's the kind of voice this song was really written for." I thought Carly kicked some A. Way to go, Carly. I think Simon gets the jerk award for cutting down Carly's clothing choices. OK, so it wasn't the best outfit, but come on, seriously? Some things are just below the belt. And last time I checked this wasn't a fashion show. I can't pinpoint it, but for some reason he doesn't like her very much, even though she's got the best voice. I love you, Carly! And your makeup looked awesome! (Whatever, seventh-grade!)

Enough gushing....

David A. Oh, David A. I agree with Dolly that David "has the voice to become a great, great singer." But, I'm just not feeling it's his time yet. He does have a solid voice and he performed the heck out of "Smokey Mountain Memories," but I don't know. I'm just over him, I think. Again, his will be the CD at Starbucks or on adult contemporary stations. Or on Broadway with Clay Aiken. Not that that's a bad thing at all, but I just don't want him to steal the limelight from someone who deserves to win.

Kristy Lee sang "Coat of Many Colors." Every time I've heard this song by Dolly I've been reduced to tears. The fact that the other kids make fun of the coat her mom makes for her just tears me up. I was excited that Kristy Lee chose this song, but she didn't deliver at the end of the day. She made it sound too upbeat. And what was with the bare feet? OK, America, please?? Can't we send her home now?

I know I'm the one who always says contestants should never try to sing a Whitney or Celine song, but in this case it had to be done. And we all knew that Syesha would sing "I Will Always Love You." Right? The sitting-on-the-piano maneuver was a little cheesy, but seriously, I thought Syesha nailed it. Have you heard anyone sing that song that close to Whitney's range? Ever? She sang her heart out and you could see the disappointment when Simon and Randy compared her to Whitney. The fact that Randy and Simon liked David A. better is what baffles me. Syesha finally connected with the audience and they just glossed it over. Give the girl some props, y'all.

And, lastly, Michael Johns. His bluesy version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" impressed Dolly, who said, "I hope he makes it because I could write some good songs for him." It also impressed Randy and apparently the audience. I thought it was a great performance. The past couple of weeks Michael has really grown into his voice and he's looking very comfortable on stage. He's not hard to look at it, either.

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• Posted by rt in Performances
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