The top five performed from the songbook of Neil Diamond on Tuesday night. With only five Idols remaining, each contestant was able to perform two songs instead of their normal one. I thought Neil Diamond as mentor was a terrific choice. In a one-hour timeslot, there wasn’t a lot of room for chatting and jokes, and in fact – the judges didn’t even comment on the first go-around of performances. With no time to waste, Ryan got right to it by introducing Jason Castro.

Jason Castro – “Forever in Blue Jeans”

Jason seemed really comfortable on stage, which was nice to see after last week. I thought it was an enjoyable performance, but maybe not one of his best. He played his guitar, which is a plus for Jason. For some reason, he tends to have more solid performances with his guitar in hand.

David Cook – “I’m Alive”

I have been a huge fan of David Cook’s from the beginning, but unfortunately his performance of “I’m Alive,” while definitely well-done, wasn’t nearly as hot as past performances. I did like it, but I was happy there would be a second song from him before the night was over.

Brooke White – “I’m a Believer"

Brooke’s performance of “I’m a Believer” wasn’t exceptionally well done. The ending was okay, though. I have always loved watching Brooke perform, but for her – this first song just didn’t cut it. Again, I was looking forward to the second song, hoping to see something stronger.

David Archuleta – “Sweet Caroline”

Wow. David A. had a tremendous performance with an upbeat song. I completely enjoyed seeing him get into something with a happy tempo. I couldn’t help but wonder how he’d do on his second performance singing another upbeat song.

Syesha Mercado – “Hello Again”

I really liked Syesha’s performance of “Hello Again.” Her vocals were amazing! Though I missed seeing the personality she showed us last week. I was hopeful her second song would bring some of that personality back out again.

Next, Ryan spent a few minutes talking with the judges. Randy gave his rundown quickly, but Paula didn’t make a heck of a lot sense. Luckily, Simon gained control and gave his comments. I really didn’t enjoy the show in this format. It was difficult to get a sense of the judges’ opinions so far removed from each of the actual performances. Hopefully, AI doesn’t use this format again.

Moving on… Ryan introduced Jason Castro to begin the second round of performances:

Jason Castro – “September Morn”

Jason might be in trouble on results night. While I enjoyed his performance, it really wasn’t anything more than “okay.” In addition, he didn’t appear as if he was enjoying himself all that much – never a good sign. Randy said, “It was just okay.” Paula said, “I thought you took the same liberty on both songs.” Simon said, “Both songs were forgettable.”