parton me while we sing dolly...

It was no April Fool's joke that the nine remaining Idols were given the task of picking through the Dolly Parton songbook. And the result? Another night of pleasantry: nothing extraordinary but nothing near the level of wretched either.

Mediocrity bores me.

And while I appreciate the work of Dolly Parton, both as a songwriter and as an artist, I can't help but believe that the more broad theme of country music would have suited the final nine much better. And it's not like Ms. Parton couldn't have lent her considerable knowledge of the country music industry. The woman's been a staple of the field for a century. Or so.

But they didn't, so here are my thoughts on the night, a day late but as usual, from worst to first.

Ramiele Malubay (Do I Ever Cross Your Mind). Once again Ramiele turns in an unmemorable performance, at times drowned out by the band in the rafters, at times off tune and often wavering on those sustained notes that plague her. I don't know how she has escaped the bottom so often, but her time may be up after this.

Brooke White (Jolene). Simon was right when he told Brooke that she seemed to be just trying to get through the song, one of Dolly's most wrenching. It was performed sufficiently - I like Brooke when she's playing the guitar - but it left me empty, a strange departure for Brooke.

Jason Castro (Travelin' Thru). I have to give the guys a little latitude with this theme, but Jason continues to disappoint me with his sleepwalking versions over the past couple of weeks. Like Brooke, it was not bad. It was just 90 seconds of time that I don't remember.

Syesha Mercado (I Will Always Love You). When contestants become so predictable that we can review them before they sing, it's usually a sign their time is up. Who didn't expect this song from this girl? And ever idealistic, I had hopes at first that Syesha would stick to the Dolly version and not fall into the Whitney trap. Alas. Good front part, disappointing back part and a note overheld so long that it caused the show to run long.

Kristy Lee Cook (Coat of Many Colors). Kristy gets points for the bare feet. I think most people expected Kristy to thrive in her genre theme, and while Simon thought her flag-waving performance from the week before was better, I agree with Paula that it was her best. She was smart not to try to embellish with vocal acrobats a song whose lyrics tell a sad story. And while she may find herself singing into the credits tonight, she will go out on a high note.

Carly Smithson (Here You Come Again). This is one of the Dolly songs that I really like, and part of its appeal is the tempo. Carly takes the tempo waaaaaay down, which throws me a bit and after a few more listens I still don't really like, but she has made strides in correcting, at the suggestion of the judges, her facial expressions. Now work on the wardrobe, says Simon. Find sleeves, say I. I'm not a tattoo bigot, but even after all these weeks, I still find myself so distracted by them that I forget she's singing. And if I am doing it, I'm sure I'm not alone.

Michael Johns (It's All Wrong, But It's All Right). Michael gets the pimp spot, but because of an hour show, countless commercials, pointless banter and Syesha's five-minute glory note, his performance and post-performance moment feels too rushed. The judges gush, however briefly, over his bluesy interpretation of Dolly's song, calling it his best to date. I have heard him better, but on this night, pretty good is, well, pretty good.

David Cook (Little Sparrow). David Cook takes a moment pre-performance to satisfy all of those naysayers who are accusing him of stealing arrangements, and he takes pains to inform us that he arranged the version of Dolly's song by himself. He then turns in a heartfelt, acoustic version of a song I don't know very well in the style we've come to expect from him. And thankfully he is fine after a health scare.

David Archuleta (Smoky Mountain Memories). Archuleta seems to be off one week, on the next. This was beautiful, easily the best performance of the night. And his stage presence and facial expressions seem to be improving weekly.

So now the tough part. The group is clearly dividing itself into the contenders and the rest, led by the guys and Brooke, leaving any one of the others as the dispensable kid, so on a night when all things are pretty much equal, it's hard to pick the obvious boot.

So I'll toss a coin.

Who I want: Syesha, Ramiele, Kristy Lee
Who should: Syesha, Ramiele, Jason
Who will: Syesha, Ramiele, Jason

And Ramiele, you've slipped under the eviction radar for weeks, so be grateful for the time you've had. I had such high expectations for you, but you just didn't live up to them.

So who's in your bottom three?