American Idol: Welcome to Dollywood

The delightful Dolly Parton brought out the best in the contestants this week as there were no real stinker performances in the bunch. Who would have guessed? 

It will be real interesting to see who ends up in the bottom three this week. I think Ramiele is the only guarantee (though if viewers could vote against instead of for contestants, I have to believe that Syesha would also be in there for merely believing that she could take on Whitney Houston).

What did you think? Who did you love? Who did you hate? Who surprised you the most?

Here are my thoughts:

Song: Jolene

Rants & raves: This genre seems like a good fit for Brooke's voice. She's back to the curls which is nice, but I'm not seeing a deep connection between her and this song. 

Little Sparrow

David has to preface his performance with an explanation of which cover versions he's used yet again thanks to all the controversy surrounding his great performances. Poor guy. 

Dolly Parton songs had to be a bit daunting to him, but I think he did a good job with "Little Sparrow." It allowed him to show off some vocal prowess. Nice choice, nice delivery.

Do I Cross Your Mind

Watching this I feel as though Ramiele is giving the song an R&B treatment while the backing band is doing a country song. I don't think they're on the same page. The vocal itself was ok, but overall it was a forgettable performance.

Travelin' Thru

I thought Jason rebounded tonight after a couple of weak weeks. It was a great song choice for him because it allowed him to give off that singer-songwriter vibe while putting a little pizazz into his performance. Beautiful vocal and he looked like he was enjoying himself. 

Here You Come Again 

Another good vocal tonight (country music is proving these singers can sing). While this is a lovely song, it has no contemporary vibe to it. She sang it well, but it wasn't riveting. 

Smoky Mountain Memories

This kid can deliver a ballad - no doubt about it. He's amazing - his voice is pure as the driven snow. He's not at all versatile, but what he does, he does very well. Hook this kid up with a budding televangelist, give him a camera and an inspirational song and watch him rake it in. 

Coat of Many Colors

I thought this could have been much more emotional and beautiful slowed down a bit. Kristy Lee and the mid-to-up tempo songs are dangerous territory to venture into. She had some sour notes in the middle, but ended well. I'm still not sold on her, though. 

I Will Always Love You

Here we go. This was inevitable, wasn't it? I just wonder how many souls she had to sell to nail down this song for herself.

And we're sitting on the edge of the piano, hoping for a miracle. Honestly, how many times do the judges (and everyone else) have to warn these contestants not to sing Whitney? Big mistake.

Yes, Syesha can sing, but she's still no Whitney and you end up wishing Whitney would come out and put her out of her wannabe misery. A fine vocal but no Whitney. Glory note was unnecessarily long and indulgent. 

It's All Wrong, But It's All Right

Now this is what I've been waiting for. This is Michael Johns. Love, love, love the bluesy vocal for him. A stunning performance. 

Most likely to go home: Ramiele Malubay (although Syesha deserves it for stupidity)

TELL US: Do you have a favorite performance from last night? Who's going home?

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