Contestants go to Dollywood

Although one cannot picture David Cook or Michael Johns belting out a Dolly Parton song, nevermind sounding good on it, the unlikely happened last night when the Top 9 contestants actually pulled it off.

It is amazing to think of how many songs Parton has written (a whopping 3,000), sung or covered, which allowed the finalists to sing a wide variety of songs. But most elected to stay faithful to Parton's arrangements.

After Ryan's unfunny attempt at an April Fool's joke (which 15% of Americans probably believed), Brooke White kicked off the show with the hit "Jolene," which she performed while playing guitar and surrounded by a "traveling troupe" of a percussionist, violinist and backup singer. Her vocals were not bad but her performance was very tedious. Simon did not like this setup at all, going as far as calling the violinist "weird." Brooke continued her bad habit of talking over the judges (mostly Simon), but Paula was just as guilty.

Another arrangement that was faithful to the original was Kristy Lee Cook's "Coat of Many Colors." Although she was not nearly as on par as she was last week, Kristy Lee looked and sounded the part for sure. In fact, she looked very much like fellow country singer Taylor Swift, which will probably do more harm than good to her chances this week. Simon's comment of Kristy Lee being "pleasant but forgettable" could also do her in. Look for a bottom 3 appearance.

Taking a huge departure from last week, David Cook surprised many people by choosing a song called "Little Sparrow." But David is the master of rearrangement, and this week was no exception. The performance was not as spectacular as last week, but he still managed soulful vocals while maintaining his reputation as a rock star. Paula seemed more impressed with his haircut than his performance, but still praised him for being "well-rounded," while Randy thought it was another consistent week for David.

Vocally, Carly Smithson was on target with "Here You Come Again." Dolly Parton was right when she said Carly picked the right song, and Paula called her performance "glorious." Simon was more distracted by her outfit, which probably took away from his perception of her performance.

And then there was Syesha Mercado, who tackled the predictable "I Will Always Love You." But what she decided to do with her performance was what set her apart from all the other Whitney Houston wannabes - she fused Houston's arrangement with Parton's, as if she gave the song two different personalities. The only problem was the second half was not nearly as beautiful as the first, because whenever a singer tries to sing like Whitney, she never quite makes it. Paula said Syesha's voice has a "velvety tone," while Randy said she "took on the biggest tiger of the night" and did well. Simon said it was a good but not fantastic version of the song, which he called "one of the greatest pop songs ever written."

In terms of metaphors, Ramiele Malubay's take on "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" was the bottom of the barrel of the night. She was still pretty good, but her performance paled in comparison to the others' performances. Randy gave it a 6.5 out of 10, while Simon said it was reminiscent of what would be heard on a cruise ship. Cue the bottom 3 music.

Jason Castro is another one in danger, as he delivered a glassy-eyed performance of "Travellin' Thru." He actually sounded good once Parton got through making jokes about his dreads, but he looked lifeless. Randy and Paula were easier on him than Simon, as he said he "didn't like it at all." Reserve the final bottom 3 ticket for Jason.

David Archuleta had Simon back on his side after being "absolutely on the money" with his song choice of "Smoky Mountain Memories." He nailed all the high notes and was strong throughout, earning him much praise from the judges. Parton said David is full of emotion and can become a really great singer.

And Michael Johns wrapped up the night with his version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right."Michael was spectacular with the high notes he reached, and put a major bluesy feel on the song while still coming off as a rocker. Simon said this was the best he had heard him yet, and although the judges had only seconds to get their points across, Michael seemed to be all smiles with their praise.

So tonight, look for a pretty predictable bottom 3 and elimination.

Predictions:
Bottom 3: Kristy Lee, Jason, Ramiele
Bottom 2: Jason, Ramiele
Eliminated: Ramiele