Carly Smithson – “Come Together”
Can you say “WOW!” I did more than once during Carly’s performance of this amazing song. She truly rocked it and made the song her own, while keeping it true to the original. I’ve been a fan of Carly’s since the beginning and I love that she’s doing so well. As Paula said, “I felt I was already watching a star.” Carly’s stage presence was strong, confident, and energetic.

David Cook – “Eleanor Rigby”
I have to admit, each and every week I like David Cook a little more than I did before. I loved every moment of his performance of “Eleanor Rigby.” The judges loved it too, and all three had glowing things to say. Randy: “You can definitely rock out on Idol.” Paula: “I’ve been telling everyone you’re the dark horse.” And Simon: “It was brilliant.” I’ll be keeping my eye on David Cook as the weeks continue. He’ll be around for awhile. He’s got star written all over him.

Brooke White – “Let It Be”
I loved Brooke on the piano singing this song. While it didn’t make my top-three favorites for the night, it was definitely in the top five. I like her and I think she might surprise people. She has a strong but sweet voice and a personality that I think resonates well with viewers. There’s something about her singing that just makes you want to listen more. It was a very positive evening for Brooke. And I agree with Paula here, too. Paula said, “This is your niche.”

David Hernandez – “I Saw Her Standing There”
Aw, David, what happened? In Simon’s words, “It was like a rabbit in the headlights.” Weird animal choice, but the message was clear. While I always cringe when one of the judges say, “It was too much karaoke,” in this case I think David Hernandez’s performance was very karaoke-ish. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a “Win American Idol” thing. I like David Hernandez and I hope he has another chance to pull it together, because the guy can definitely sing.

Amanda Overmyer – “You Can’t Do That”Not everyone gets Amanda, but I love her style. She had a solid, fun performance and she looked like she had a blast. Randy said “You took a Beatles' song and took it to a southern bar and rocked it out.” And that she did.