American Idol Top 5

Neil Diamond night (or morning, in my case, as I didn't get home 'til past midnight last night).

Let's get to it.

Jason Castro

"Forever in Blue Jeans"--great song choice, and very good performance. Interesting that his guitar was ENTIRELY out of the mix. Well done.

"September Morn"--Didn't like it that much. It felt a little too forced for him to me--especially the staging, key change and all.

David Cook

"I'm Alive"--Interesting that his guitar was also entirely out of the TV mix (but he did a great job making it look like he was playing the actual lead riff--ha!). I didn't like it that much, really. It was OK.

"All I Really Need is You"--Better than the first song, for sure. Not amazing, but much better than the first, and solid. Good job. The drum fill into the chorus, and big chorus feel made the song.

(FYI, the AC stands for Adam Cook--his brother, battling brain cancer)

Brook White

"I'm a Believer"--Didn't like it all that much. It's a little to happy-go-lucky-ish and shallow for her. (and all these songs are feeling way too rushed right now--they should have just stuck with one song, and done it right, instead of flying through stuff)

"I Am I Said"--I'm surprised that she's back on the piano, honestly. Good for her, though. She seems to be back in her groove. Much better than the first song. I liked it (although it still felt rushed, because there's not time to really complete the songs). Good job, Brooke.

David Archuleta

"Sweet Caroline"--I really like the switched up feel on this song a lot this week. It felt very good to me. Well done, David.

"America"--I loved the guitar riff at the beginning. Great song choice for him, for sure. Good performance (exactly what I expected).

Syesha Mercado
"Hello Again"--Really safe choice for her. She did it just fine. Not bad. Not amazing.

"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"--Well, she's back in her musical theater groove, which works for her (although it's not what I would choose to listen to frequently). Great vocal. Good job. Broadway superstar to be, maybe.

I'm with Simon--Syesha may be in trouble, HOWEVER, this is anyone's game at this point. Strange things often happen at this stage of the game. My guess is that Brook and Jason will join Syesha in the bottom 3.