Where have these contestants been the last few weeks? Are these even the same contestants that we watched butcher a host of R&B classics just seven days ago? Could it really be the magic of the Lennon-McCartney catalog that finally gave this season some forward momentum?

After being on the verge of abandoning American Idol all together, the numbing nine finally pulled their collective heads from their... well you know where and gave us a show we could watch and enjoy.

Granted, there were few really inventive moves made by the contestants this week, but where previous weeks have proved a struggle to pick among those worthy of going home, this week it was difficult to pick the best among the good performances. What a nice problem to have for a change. Let's see if it will last.

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Aaron Kelly

Long and Winding Road

Particularly exciting, it was not. Aaron (or Yoda as he is known to his fellow contestants) gave the Beatles' "Long and Winding Road" his country balladry best. A good song choice for him, but nothing to get whipped into a frenzy over. David Archuleta picked this song two years ago so maybe it appealed to Aaron to do something a fellow teenager did on a previous Beatles night. Problem is, David Archuleta did it WAY better.

 

Katie Stevens

Let It Be

Wow. Katie Stevens delivers a knockout punch on a night when she couldn't have needed it more. Finally, she connects with a song and has a moment on the Idol stage. Her on-point vocals, coupled with a subtle rearrangement of the classic tune, should easily earn her another week on the show. Here's hoping dear old dad introduced her to a few other useful tunes in her youth...

 

Andrew Garcia

Can't Buy Me Love

Andrew brings the funk to "Can't Buy Me Love." That was the part of the arrangement that worked. But the be-boppy lounge portion, not so much. There was probably a better song choice out there for Andrew. He might have benefited from wading deeper into the Beatles catalog and pulling out a more obscure number.

 

Michael Lynche

Eleanor Rigby

So Big Mike had a huge hurdle to overcome in choosing "Eleanor Rigby" tonight because David Cook killed this song in Season 7. Nothing Mike did could erase the memories of David Cook becoming a bonafide star that night, but Big Mike did put a nice R&B twist on it. There was disappointment at the end, though, when he could have blown out "PEOPLE!" with his big voice and instead went soft.

 

Crystal Bowersox

Come Together

I had an inkling Crystal would tackle either "Revolution" or "Come Together". The latter fit her voice and style nicely. Part of me was hoping she'd dig deeper into the Beatles' tunes and pull out something more unknown, but alas. I still don't know how Crystal doesn't take home this season's crown, but if she doesn't, I feel comforted knowing that she's got to have a record deal regardless.

 

Tim Urban

All My Loving

So I see two possible career tracts for Tim when this silly Idol thing has run its course - he could go on tour with High School Musical OR he could move to the Caribbean and entertain drunk vacationers with his musical stylings. Was it just me or was this the second time that Tim veered into Island vibe with his musical arrangement? Luckily for Tim, it worked better on this song than on the Rolling Stones' tune. He played well to his fan base tonight with a performance that will, no doubt, delight his young female followers.

 

Casey James

Jealous Guy

Big props to Casey for jumping out of the box to cover John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." Never heard the song before but listening to Casey's version and then pulling up a clip from iTunes, I love what Casey did with it. It sounded modern (at least late 80s/early 90s hair metal modern). A real breakout performance for Casey and a million times better than his Huey Lewis numbers from the last two weeks.

 

Siobahn Magnus

Across the Universe

With a million jellyfish serving as a backdrop for her tonight (and donning another Cyndi Lauper-inspired ensemble), Siobahn proved she can sing a song without screaming. It was exactly what she needed to do to overcome last week's hot mess. She did show nice vocal control over the song while not exactly revolutionizing it. Still, it was probably good enough to carry her into next week.

 

Lee Dewyze

Hey Jude

Lee, you are now forgiven for not choosing "Mustang Sally" last week because you chose one of my all-time favorite Beatles tunes tonight. It's nice to see Lee looking more confident on the stage. Didn't foresee the bagpiper interrupting the show, but suddenly there he was, kilt and all. It was not Lee's best idea - in fact, the bagpipes seemed to distract from what was a good performance. The one thing he won't have to worry about tonight, though, is being forgotten. A bagpiper will do that for you.

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Best performances of the night: Katie Stevens, Casey James

 

Most likely to go home: Andrew Garcia

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TALK ABOUT IT: Who did Lennon-McCartney proud? Who should pack their bags?