Standard Idol

Last week “American Idol” contestants performed songs from the legendary rock band Queen. This week, they softened things up with former rocker turned crooner Rod Stewart and his newest series of albums, “The Great American Songbook.”

Chris Daughtry started the night off with a new look and style. He broke away from his traditional hard rock sound to sing an understated “What A Wonderful World.” I was pleased to see Daughtry break away from the eyeliner and hard rock persona for this week. He proved that he can really sing, not just rock. The judges loved it.

Paris Bennett was up next. Dressed in a classy, orange skirt suit with yet another hairstyle, audiences knew they could expect a great performance from the youngest person in the competition. “For 17 she’s astounding,” Rod Stewart said about her. Bennett, as always, came prepared to win with her rendition of “Foolish Things.”

At the “AI” viewing party held each week at Mike & C’s in Fayetteville, Bennett’s grandmother and grandfather along with aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends, all adorning crowns in honor of Bennett’s family nickname “Princess,” watched her performance intently. Her performance brought her grandmother, singer Ann Nesby, to tears. “I feel like all the worry and the stress from the weeks culminated into tonight’s performance for me. It really did me in,” she said after Bennett’s performance. The day was doubly special for Nesby as it was also the release date for her newest CD, “In The Spirit.” Nesby, who was with Bennett at last week’s performance said she was “Very, very excited and very proud” of her granddaughter. Nesby said that Bennett practiced for this week’s performance by watching a DVD of Billie Holiday.

The judges also seemed proud of Bennett. Randy Jackson said he felt this was her greatest performance ever, “this was a classy, great performance.” Paula Abdul said that if Bennett made an album in this genre it would “blow up,” “tonight’s performance reminds me of how we all fell in love with you at your audition.” Simon Cowell, who said that her performance last week was “weird,” had nothing but good things to say about Bennett’s performance, “Paris, it was stylish. You bewilder me. You talk like Minnie Mouse, and yet you sing in that very grown up way, it’s like there’s two sides of you...but I thought it was terrific.”

Another Idol favorite, Taylor Hicks, was up next singing “You Send Me.” This was one of Hicks’ best performances yet, and he had the audience on their feet. To me, he showed tonight that win or lose, he will succeed in this business. He may have some silly dance moves and he might annoy some people with his “soul patrol,” but man oh man can that guy sing. The judges were thrilled by his performance and Simon even called it “magic.”

Elliot Yamin, who was in the bottom three last week, said he was excited about this week because he grew up on standards. Yamin chose “It Had To Be You” for this week’s performance show. I’ve been a fan of Elliot since the beginning, but in recent weeks I’ve been growing weary of his vibrato. Tonight, he didn’t rely on the showiness of his voice. He just sang it straight, demonstrating his true talent rather then masking it behind anything. Randy and Paula raved about Elliot’s performance, and, while Simon said it was a good vocal performance, he said he was worried that Elliot’s personality didn’t come through enough. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Simon. Elliot, in comparison with some of the other contestants, is somewhat forgettable.

Country gal Kellie Pickler was up next with “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” She seems to have lost the confidence that she had last week singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Midway through the song she got off key and never recovered. You could tell from her face that she knew she didn’t do well. Paula and Randy went easy on her, saying that while she was pitchy, it wasn’t terrible. Paula complimented her on her fashion, to which Kellie replied, “When all else fails, you better have great shoes, right?” Paula also said she looks forward to Kellie’s film career. Simon was not so easy on her, “The truth was it was a boring song. It was almost like you didn’t choose it. It was like it didn’t suit you. You didn’t even need to bother with the bewitched and the bothered, you could have just stuck with the bewildered.” She took the criticism well, and will probably make it through the next round of cuts because her personality comes through.

Ace Young performed “That’s All” which always reminds me of the movie “The Wedding Singer.” Young was dressed in a a suit and tie with his hair slicked back into a pony tail, and I thought he looked silly. But, he did a good job despite his tendency to be a bit nasally. Paula, of course, fawned over him, Randy said he had some problems in the middle, but he worked it out and Simon said “It wasn’t bad...I thought it was a charming performance.”

Closing out the was the powerhouse Katharine McPhee. Singing one of my personal favorites, “Someone to Watch Over Me,” Katharine looked the part of a gorgeous songstress. If anyone doubted her star power before, there can be no question of it after tonight’s performance. She was flawless in her delivery, and it was one of the best renditions I have ever heard of the classic song. Randy said “this is your element. You sailed on this. I loved it.” Paula said she felt like she was falling in love with the essence of Katharine. Simon said, “I really think, Katharine, you made the others look like good amateurs. It was in a different league. You look like a returning pro.” Perhaps it has something to do with that closing spot, perhaps it’s just that this is by far the best cast “American Idol” has seen yet, whatever the reason, Katharine knocked it out of the park.

Watching the recap at the end of the show only reinforced my belief that this group, full of talent and personality, is Idol's best yet. Other than Ace, I will be sad to see any of these singers go, but there can only be one American Idol. Who will make it into the final 6 spots? The results show airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on FOX. My bottom three: Ace, Elliot and Kellie.

RESULTS SHOW UPDATE:

Well, America got it partially right. Ace Young, Paris Bennett and Chris Daughtry were the bottom three tonight on the "American Idol" results show. Chris and Paris had no business being in the bottom three, but the good news is Ace is finally going home. It’s down to six, and next week the remaining contestants will perform classic love songs with the guidance of the legendary Andrea Bocelli who will perform on the Wednesday results show April 26.