Tonight was Mariah Carey night, which meant I knew it wasn’t going to be a favorite of mine. It’s simply not my favorite kind of music. Mariah did seem very sweet as a mentor, although I really hope that she gave the contestants more helpful information than the “everybody’s great” recaps we saw on t.v.

David Archuleta was the first singer, performing “When You Believe”. It wasn’t my favorite song, but that wasn’t David’s fault. However, I found nothing really interesting about his performance. Yes, he sang well. And…? There is no and. He sang the song well, and that’s about all I can say about it. Randy said it was “the bomb”, and Simon thought the song choice was predictable but that he sang it well.

Next up was Carly Smithson, singing “Without You”. I liked the version of the song she sang and the fact that she didn’t try to imitate Mariah Carey. I was more entertained by this performance than David’s. Randy thought it was good but wants her to trust her lower register more (yeah, that was a bit shaky). Simon had always wanted to hear her sing this song but didn’t think she pulled it off.

Syesha Mercado’s performance of “Vanishing” was another “sang a boring song well” performance for me. It sounded good, and I was bored. I don’t know if that’s Syesha’s fault or the song. Randy said she did a good job “all things considered” (I have no idea what that means). Simon said it was technically very good (in other words, she sang it well, but it had no soul).

Brooke White took on a stripped down version of “Hero”. My only complaint about the song was that it felt a little rushed, a sentiment echoed by Paula. I really like Brooke’s voice, and this performance held my attention and was interesting (which was saying a lot with these performances). I’m not sure, though, that Brooke won’t see the bottom three again this week. Hopefully, she won’t go home. Simon compared this performance to a hamburger without the meat. The substance was missing. I don’t really agree with that, but I can see where he’s coming from. The song didn’t really progress and go anywhere. And,yet, still I found it much more entertaining than anything up to this point in tonight’s show.

I felt very hopeful that Kristy Lee Cook would keep Brooke out of the bottom three until she sang “Forever”. Crud. How did she manage to get better? She performed the song with just enough country without turning it into a Hee Haw-worthy performance. Plus, she actually opened her eyes when she sang and connected with the song, if not the audience. Randy gave this performance an undecipherable review. I guess I’d some it up as good and bad. Simon said she managed okay and that it was a bit whiny. He summarized it as “not great”.

David Cook wins my “deserving of a You Tube post” award of the night. He sang his own version of “Always Be My Baby”. It was really good, not a bit boring, and definitely the performance of the night. Okay, Archuleta fans, be honest— wouldn’t you rather see a David Cook concert? Randy said David is ready to make an album and gave his first standing ovation of the year, as he described the performance as brilliant. Simon said the performance brought him out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air (which really cracked me up).

The night finished up with Jason Castro singing “I Don’t Want to Cry”. It was a pretty typical Jason performance— enjoyable but not overwhelming. It kind of had a bit of a Latin vibe, which Randy interpreted as an island theme (I’m not sure why). He was not overwhelmed by this performance. Simon said it was a cool version that matched Jason’s performance style.

So, tonight my ranking of performers will be in order of how much they entertained/didn’t bore me. Then I’ll give you who I think will be in the bottom three (not necessarily the people who bored me the least).

1. David Cook
2. Jason Castro
3. Brooke White
4. Carly Smithson
5. Kristy Lee Cook
6. David Archuleta
7. Syesha Mercado

Bottom three prediction: Syesha, Carly and fighting it out for the third spot Brooke or Kristy. I HOPE that third spot will be filled by Kristy, but I’m not sure how much Brooke appeals to the average Idol viewer, and Kristy is the last country singer left, which I think gives her somewhat of an advantage. Syesha would be my pick to go home tonight, but Carly may be joining Michael Johns.