I was pretty bummed last week after we lost three talented musicians right at the end of semi-finals. So I was actually dreading the Top 12 performances, especially when I heard it was Rolling Stones week. I love the Stones, but I feared what this show would do to them -- especially this motley crew. But surprise, surprise, the contestants mostly acquitted themselves well. Didn't see that coming.

Michael Lynche chose "Miss You," which he bluesed up a bit. The vocal was solid - his falsetto is really impressively strong - and he threw himself completely into the performance. His dancing was a bit ungainly, this kind of weird hopping amalgam thing, but the guy totally committed to the song. I still don't care for him as a person, but he is definitely among the stronger contestants this season. Randy and Ellen both loved it, Kara compared Mike's comfort on stage to Mick Jager's swagger, which is an enormous overstatement. Simon thought the performance at times, especially the dancing, was corny. I can see that. He thought the vocal was solid, but the whole package was verging on desperate. And the Ryan/Simon annual gay panic started crazy early this year, when Ryan literally stepped off the stage and got up in Simon's face, and Simon told him they could sort it out in his trailer later. I bet they can...

Didi Benami picked "Play With Fire," and the song suited her voice perfectly. She was intensely fixated on telling the song's story; she worked the camera like a pro, too. She did seem to forget the lyrics for a minute, and she also struggled with one of the big high notes. But overall I thought it was an evocative performance. Randy went the easy route and said she was "on fire." Ugh, shut up Randy. Ellen liked that Didi recovered from her obvious blip. Kara thought she pushed a bit on the vocals, but she was really impressed by Didi's intensity and the darkness she brought to the song. Simon said that Didi was beginning to show the audience the artist she wants to be, and thought it was a very cool choice of song.

Casey James went with country/blues-tinged "It's All Over Now," and he dirtied it up with some shreddy guitar work. Again, I think his playing overshadowed his vocal, which was mostly just serviceable. He sounded really good on the chorus, but I thought he threw away the verses. Randy said that Casey could make a good career doing this type of music, and I think that's probably true. Ellen started off with the sexual harassment, but thought it was a fantastic. Kara thought Casey was a rock star tonight, and it was his best performance on the show yet. Simon thought he looked great and sang it well, but that he didn't really use the stage and platform to do something incredible -- he can't just be a guy standing in the middle of the stage playing a guitar. There's some truth to that; I noticed during the performance that he was just standing there with an amp, and it looked weird.

Lacey Brown selected "Ruby Tuesday," which was a good song choice for her, I think. Lacey is not one of my favorites, but for the past several weeks she has picked very smart songs that make the most of her whispy, jazzy voice. I don't think the string-heavy arrangement helped her much, as it made the first half of the song somewhat laconic. She employed a technique where the verses sounded intentionally weak, and I think that could bite her in the ass. Randy didn't love it, but he thought it was interesting. Ellen thought Lacey's performance choices were weird - she was sitting when things were picking up, moving around when they slowed down. She also called it "sleepy." Kara thought it was 50/50, and said that Lacey could do better. Simon said she performs like an actress -- everything is incredibly precise and over-thought. The vocals were fine, but he said that she needs to stop overthinking.

Andrew Garcia did "Gimme Shelter," and put his guitar down, which historically has been a bad move for him. When we're confronted with only Andrew's voice, it really does not stand up well to the rest of the competition. He had easily the worst vocal at this point in the show; it was nothing that you couldn't hear in any karaoke bar in the country. It was especially bad on the chorus, where he frequently fell off key, and the screaming at the end was not good. Randy called it out as being pitchy everywhere. Ellen thought it was his best performance yet, which was a joke - the performance was deeply uncomfortable to me. Kara didn't feel like he connected with the song for most of the time - she wanted more intensity for a song about war. Once again Simon got in her face about how "literally" she takes things. Simon thought he gave it 100 percent, but that he didn't quite connect with the song, but hoped he would survive another week. I think Simon is giving Andrew way too much credit. At this point I'm pretty much done with him. Three clumsy performances out of four weeks is not a good track record.

Katie Stevens chose "Wild Horses" - heaven help us. To her credit, Katie sounded better than she has in weeks. But she still struggled to stay on tune in the lower register. She sang the rest of it competently enough, but again, she did absolutely nothing to the song. All she does is parrot the original as best she can. Toward the end she started to go sharp, but it was easily her best routine since Hollywood, and she looked fantastic. Randy thought she did well, Ellen thought it started iffy but it got better once she got into it. Kara said that "it's never technically perfect with you" - boy, howdy - but that it was better than last week. Simon said this was the only week that she's made a good song choice, and then mentioned the fact that he had Susan Boyle record it (I will never forgive him for that), and that she connected with the song.

Tim Urban went with "Under My Thumb" and accompanied himself on the guitar. He did a slow, reggae-ish take on the song, and maybe it's because my expectations for him are so low, but I didn't think it was bad. Not exactly memorable, but he stayed on pitch for most of the song and had a certain amount of star quality on the stage. I can see this playing in the background at a bar. Not exactly "American Idol," but not terrible. Randy didn't get it; he thought it was bizarre, and he couldn't hear the vocals. ...Really? He couldn't hear the vocals? Ellen felt like she was at a resort and drinking a pina colada; that is EXACTLY what that was. Background music at a resort. Kara gave him credit for doing something different with the song and making it his own. Simon thought it was a boring song to begin with, and thought Tim's take didn't work, and that Rolling Stones fans would be turning off their TVs right now. Rolling Stones fans aren't going to be voting for Tim Urban anyway. People who were zygotes when Mick Jagger was getting his AARP membership are voting for Tim Urban.

Siobhan Magnus did "Paint it Black," which again relied heavily on the strings. She started off sitting on the stairs, singing demurely, quietly, but intensely. But halfway through she got up and started ripping up the song. She didn't change much in the melody, but she didn't need to: she was owning it. Perfect song choice for her -- dark and weird and urgent -- and it gave her a great opportunity to unleash those crazy high notes that she's made her trademark. It was her most controlled, poised performance yet. Randy loved that she brought the drama, and thought it was hot. Ellen loved her look (totally cracked-out hot; insane), and that she rises above the pack. Kara said she was having flashbacks to Adam Lambert, and thought it was the gold standard of the night. Simon agreed, and liked that he is seeing Siobhan develop. He also thought that while there will be lots of people who loved it (me!), there will be lots of people who hate it, and that's better than being safe and boring. Siobhan is many things, but she is never safe and boring.

Lee DeWyze, who I will now refer to as Snugglepuss after the name of a paint color Ryan namechecked with him, did "Beast of Burden," which he put kind of a David Cook-ish pop-rock spin on. It did not start out strong; I don't think this was a great song choice for him, since it made him sound flat for a good chunk of it. I thought it got much better when he went for the stronger, higher notes, when he put in a bit of growl. It was my least favorite performance thus far. Randy loved it, and it reminded him of Dave Matthews - I got some flashes of that, too. Ellen thought it sounded great, but given the theme she was expecting a little more from Lee. Kara thinks that Lee is growing faster than anybody else in the competition -- well, now that Alex Lambert is gone, that's probably true. Simon said that Lee's problem is his personality. He picked a safe, forgettable song and it didn't allow Lee to shine. He wants Lee back next week, and for him to have a moment.

Paige Miles apparently had some vocal health issues this week, which is unfortunate, because it means I have a hard time judging her honestly. She picked "Honky Tonky Woman," and I thought she was just marking time until the chorus, when she sounded pretty good -- although the voice was noticeably raspier than usual. It was Paige's most engaging performance yet, but again, she did nothing to that song. All she did was sing the melody as-is. Randy and Ellen both thought it sounded good. Kara thought she got a little lost at times, but that the Paige they fell in love with was back. Simon was shocked that she had laryngitis -- how did I know that and Simon didn't? -- but he still felt like Paige has yet to find something unique about her, and that the performance was old-fashioned. I agree.

Aaron Kelly selected "Angie," which did not seem like a great song for a 16-year-old kid. He started on the stairs too, and did a country take on it. I will give Aaron props for not just shouting through the song; he really used dynamics well, and he sounded terrific on the high notes. He had some pitch issues on the lower sections of the verse, but all in all I think it was his best vocal to date. The performance is still awkward, and he needs to work on that. Randy loved the "tender moments" in his voice and compared him to Justin Timberlake; Aaron is a much better singer than Justin Timberlake, seriously. Ellen loved the song choice -- I still think it was too boring and too mature. Kara thought he really connected with the song, and that it was powerful. Simon initially feared for Aaron, but also thought it was the right song for him. He said that Aaron doesn't have a big voice, which I think is dead wrong -- Aaron can hit the power notes without a problem. That was weird criticism.

Crystal Bowersox picked my favorite Stones song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and the arrangement had a nice gospel tinge. She accompanied herself on guitar, and again her voice was so confident, so clear, so evocative -- she amazes me again and again week after week. And she totally rocked it out when she got to the second verse; she's a lot more versatile than I initially thought she was. I was pissed that they cut out the bridge; that's my favorite part. Randy didn't think it was her best performance, and that there were "a couple of problems" (really? Please name them), but he loved her. Ellen was glad that she started to see some of Crystal's personality tonight. Crystal said that she's been overthinking, and Ellen told her to stop thinking altogether. Simon said that she came out the clear favorite, but that the song lacked the drama she needed ("You Can't Always Get What You Want" does NOT lack drama, Simon), and that she was beaten tonight by Siobhan. Crystal said point blank that she has never thought that she has this thing in the bag - and I believe her on that totally - but she sweetly thanked Simon for the compliment. Stay classy, Crystal.

Predictions: Nobody straight-up bombed, which surprised me. But there were some that were forgettable - Didi, Lacey, Paige - and a few that just weren't good enough, like Andrew and maybe even Casey and Lee. If I had to pick one, I would nix Andrew. But most likely it's going to be Lacey, who I am surprised even made it into the Top 12.