they're gonna rock this show...

"You can rock out on Idol."

Randy Jackson said so earlier this season. And Paula nodded.

And so to prove it, the final four were allowed to frolic in the list (or the pared down list in all probability) of the songs that "shaped rock and roll" according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Three of them will get parades. One will get to meet Ellen next week.

Because THIS is American Idol.

And after this episode, I will be cleansing my ears. And then I will be trying, again, to figure out how and why they're still insisting that this group is the best group in the history of the show. Cause I am just not seeing it. Or hearing it.

But here they are anyway, my initial impressions, subject to review and revision but, as always, from worst to first, including a four-way tie at the end:

Jason Castro (Tambourine Man). Well, at least he didn't stop and ask the band to restart after forgetting the lyrics. His "lah-lah-lah" was a nice coverup. If anyone suspected last week that Jason wants off of this show, this week that is confirmed. Unfortunately for him Simon tells him to pack his bags, which typically is a call to the phones for many people.

Jason Castro (I Shot the The Sheriff). Simon compares this performance to a first-round audition massacre. Randy calls it a bad Bob Marley karaoke performance. That pretty much sums it up for me.

David Cook (Hungry Like the Wolf). David starts the show and doesn't blow me away like I've come to expect from him. He says in the intro that he's going to "turn the song on its head," and he doesn't come close. He gets a tepid response from the judges, justifiably, but considering he's all but a lock for next week, perhaps he decided this week was the time to play it safe.

Syesha Mercado (Proud Mary). Syesha looks lovely and continues to display that long-hidden personality, but instead of using the Tina Turner rendition of this song as a guide and turning it into Syesha's version, she decides to duplicate Tina, clear down to the choreography. The judges are split, but I am siding with Simon's view that it was an imitiation, even though I think it didn't deserve to be called "shrieky."

[The following four I'm just calling a tie.]

Syesha Mercado (A Change is Gonna Come). This song started promisingly, but the more powerful she tried to make it, the more strident it became. It was better than her first effort, even though Randy pans it, but the Jasmine Trias tears upon Paula's glowing words, followed by Simon's, may have touched the hearts of potential voters everywhere.

David Archuleta (Love Me Tender). So Little David didn't know this song. :::wipes tear::: The beauty of this song, aside from the sweet lyrics, is the glorious melody. And it's one of those songs that really shouldn't be messed with. The judges call in a U-Haul full of praise up to and including Simon's observation that he "crushed" the competition. Sorry Simon, but I beg to differ.

David Archuleta (Stand By Me). Archuleta is fortunate to anchor the first round with this song, because after a bomb and two mediocre outings, this one does stand out, despite the insertion of a little Sean Kingston that I do not think was in the original version. It was not near to the extent that Randy slathers the pimping praise, but little David does take the first round But that's not saying much.

David Cook (Baba O'Reilly). After acknowledging that the judges were right to pan him for his first performance, DC takes his "Les Paul" and delivers another trademark David Cook performance, but on rock night doesn't come close to comparing with his earlier-season performances.

So who's leaving. Well if the voters have any compassion, they'll send Jason on his way, but voters have a history of evil. Might Archuleta's voters sit back and watch Dancing with the Stars, their boy having done "crushed" the competition? Will Syesha's heartfelt and touching tears earn a few phone calls?

I'll call a Jason/Syesha bottom two and predict that one of them will be hitting the talk show circuit starting Thursday.

So what do you think?