OK the opening was pretty corny – Ready to Rock as the nine-some came out trying to dance, sorta. Yawn. But Steven’s comments from the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame were, well, amusing. Judging Idol certainly would not have gotten him into the Hall.

Overall a very good week. Worst that happened was that some picked the wrong song to perform. Who will go? More on that later. But for now here is an early look at the possible Bottom 3 – James, Jacob, Pia, Paul – take your pick of three of those four.

Jacob Lusk – “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson –

Will.i.am helped produce Jacob. They wanted him to sing Marvin’s “Let’s Get it On”. But he couldn’t do it cause of his moral code so he said if he is in the Bottom 3 this week then “It’s because you can’t look at yourself in the mirror.” Was that Idol suicide or what? The lecture outdid the singing although the performance was one of his best.

Jennifer: “Every time you sing you bring another little piece to the party. You make everybody know that if you believe in yourself, you can do anything.”

Randy: “Dude I’m so proud of you. (for sticking to his convictions). There were Jacob moments all over that.”

Haley Reinhart – “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin –

Perfect song for her and she nailed it. Leather pants sted of short skirt tonight. The growl worked tonight.

Jennifer: “We’re off to a strong start here. You’re a contender. They need to be careful with Haley. You’re going to be around for a minute.”

Randy: “We were referring to that bluesy kinda soul thing that you have …that’s the Haley that we loved when we first saw you. Welcome back back back.”

Steven: “I couldn’t find nothin wrong with that. You’ve taken it up a few notches. You nailed it.”

Casey Abrams – “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival –

He rejected “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” by Sting.  Singing with his upright bass.

Guitarist on a mandolin. Nice vocals, typical Casey original production. Good job.

Randy: “You made CCR proud. You made the upright base cool. This is revolutionary.”

Steven: “You ought to put some wheels on that thing and ride it around town. You are a true musician. Every time you sing you bring something different.”

Jennifer: “That’s exactly where you belong, with your bass. I’m paying top dollar to sit in the front row.”

Lauren Alaina – “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin –

Combining country and soul and she makes it work. She has that natural kind of voice that works well with this song.

Steven: “I love you. Four months ago you came in here a little girl. Tonight you are a natural born woman.”

Jennifer: “She’s amazing.”

Randy: “You picked one of the most difficult one. You did a good job on it. There were some people on this stage in past seasons before you that really laid it out.”

James Durbin – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George Harrison –

Strings for James. Love the song. He tried. Oddly out of sync at times. Give him an A for effort. Cryin’ at the end, oh, my. Good idea, maybe the wrong song. Still too much Adam wannabe for me.

Jennifer: “It’s nice to see that other side of you. It’s so special to watch. A great choice.”

Randy: “I loved seeing the real true emotional side of James Durbin. You have to take chances in order to be an artist. You won, you did a good job.”

Steven: “It’s really good to see that not only your guitar gently weeped, but you did as well. That’s really a proud moment for you.”

Scotty McCreery – “That’s All Right Mama” by Elvis Presley –

Scotty trying to add a rock edge to a song. But does he? Well, not really. Scotty a huge fan of Elvis. Scotty works the stage like no one else in the Top 9 … and he sings pretty good too.

Randy: “Scotty is in it to win it. Anyone who thought you were a one-trick pony. This was like a new Scotty.”

Steven: “I thought you were all hat and no cattle … but you brought Elvis into it. I hope that type of music comes back in. You did well.”

Jennifer: “You’re having fun with it. You’re funny. I feel a little bit of flavor in there.”

Pia Toscano – “River Deep Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner –

Pia goes uptempo tonight, proving she can do it. She’s got an incredible voice but she still needs more charisma on the stage.

Jimmy: “Pia has to get pissed off tonight.” Boy is he right.

Steven: “Murderer! Muderer! You killed it! There’s a million guys in a million bars having a million drinks to you tonight!”

Jennifer: “That was amazing. Vocally you proved to us that you can sing an uptempo. I’m going to keep pushing you. You need to study all of the great entertainers. You are spectacular, but keep studying.”

Randy: “All you need to do is work on the movement. Pia is in it to win it.”

Stefano Langone – “When A Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge –

Stefano is another contestant with a big, natural voice and lousy stage presence. He’s the male version of Pia. But tonight’s performance – top-notch. He either is very good or very bad on this show and this week it was the former.

Jennifer: “I knew you had it in you. That was beautiful. I loved it. I felt for the first time. That had another layer of emotion to it. Felt like you were singing to somebody. Amazing.”

Randy: “I wasn’t jumping up and down. The first half felt a little jerky to me. Counter-punch at the end.”

Steven: “I liked the old timey. I liked where you took it. You have great range to your voice. A lot of passion. Beautiful.”

Paul McDonald – “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash –

Jimmy tells Paul to sing it like he’s “out of his f——- mind! Don’t tone it down!” I liked it but how will it resonate with the voting tweens?

Randy: “Three words: I loved it. You’re such a crazy character. A perfect imperfect boy. A perfect way to end the show. Good job. Right in your lane.”

Steven: “Perfect, imperfect boy.”

Jennifer: “Perfect way to end the show.”