"Sing it like it feels, not like it sounds" --wtf?

Tonite's theme" "I'm with the band"? Whatever that means. I guess the band is onstage with the Idols. Seems tailor-made for some of the idols, don't you think?

Fall Out Boy is a "mentor" this week? Could be my generation but I could not tell you one song these guys did. OK, it's Top 9 so we're getting the filler content now, with the terrible off-key group number. Almost makers you long for the days when Idol did the super-Autotune versions of these numbers. Remember that?

So now, the real show begins. Alex, doing No Doubt. Changing it up, sounds good at the start to me. This may not be the best performance ever, but it was the first time so far I have seen him do a song that had a vibe that I might buy. He's in the KOD spot but he's probably OK. Harry stealing Ryan's shoe and then grabbing his butt was comedy gold.

Up next,  Majesty. Shake it Out By Florence and the Machine. This is definitely a more energetic performance than Alex, but she should have picked a more widely-known tune. Started shaky, too. I don't think the judges praise will help her. I like her but for some reason she's not connecting. Her outfit looked kinda waitress-y to me.

Dexter is next. doing Little Big Town, the Boondocks. Great song choice for him, he's the master of this so far. It was a solid performance, and really seemed to mesh with the band. Harry always wants him to find a song that he stands out from, but his choices have taken him this far. Keith dug it. Reminds me of the old days when Simon would push a contestant to do something, next week they did it, and then they went home.

Malaya -- doing the Beatles' Long and Winding Road. Her voice is pretty, but this arrangement is a snoozefest. She tried to blow it up with the big note at the end, but it just seemed tacked on to some musical Ambien. Maybe the grannies across America are voting for this. I almost forgot she was 16, this made her sound 60.

Sam -- Hey There Delilah. If I close  my eyes, I really like his voice. I think coming out of his Hardy Boys-looking mug I don't give him credit. This was a kind of slow song, verging on coma time, but it managed to stay a little more buoyant than Malaya.
The tweentards love him, so he's probably got the votes.

Jessica -- honoring her post-Apocalyptic redneck within. Doing Stevie Nicks, Rhiannon. I thought she was a little stiff, but her voice is really nice, and she looked great. This was a good performance. I think she's getting it together. If she holds on, she seems to get better every week.

CJ Harris -- doing a Steel Drivers song Dr. L actually heard in Nashville last week. This was awesome. I think this was a great song choice for him. I like the bluesy sound of his voice. The judges were kinda hard on him, but maybe they really believe in him -- and is he safe with the Southern voting block?

Caleb -- when I said earlier that this Theme Week was tailor-made for some Idols, this was what I was anticipating. Doing Zeppelin, Dazed and Confused. I like this song, and he's up to it, but vocally it doesn't really give him anywhere to go? I'm sure this song will be a hit with the Classic Rock FM crowd, and the Idol studio loved it too. I just wish he had picked one of the other two dozen classic Zeppelin songs. But he definitely has the swagger to pull off being the frontman of a band. Ricky and the band did a kick ass job. He's not going anywhere.

Jena -- doing Evanescence. Idol PTB obviously love her. Her voice is so freaking annoying to me. During the group numbers, she just kind of disappears. I think she has the capability to sing better; she just has this pretentious stylized crap with the phrasing. How will she do on this song? Started off strong, then fell apart for a while. Gotta give it to her,  she's got the right vibe for this kind of emo psuedo-goth metal music. But is it breath  control? She seems to have no real power in spots. It was a big song, and in the studio I can see her doing something like this, where she can do ten takes to fill it out. But she's probably safe -- I think Idol would love to see a Jena/Caleb final two.

Our Top 3: Caleb, Jessica, CJ
Bottom 3:  Majesty, Malaya, maybe Alex just because of placement. I think Majesty is going home.

Dr. L & K out!!