I'm back after a week off for no good reason really, except I figured I'd already put in my two cents worth on the final 6 and didn't really feel I needed to repeat myself...hey, it works for me. But I'm back at the keyboard tapping out my miscellaneous thoughts and feelings on the fabulous four. The drastic whittling of two for the price of one has left us with a lean, mean, trimmed down field that had time to each sing two (count 'em, two!) songs tonight.

Out evenings mentor was Barry Gibb of Bee Gees fame. (Did he always sound like that when he talked? Was that a denture lisp? Or just me?)

Program note: it's a beard night for Ryan...just thought you'd like to know.

First up: Melinda: Love You Inside and Out

I wasn't familiar with the song and thought she did fine, but it wasn't a wow type of song. Randy: solid; Paula: vocals spot on/consistent; Simon: not incredible/more like a back-up vocalist performance (ouch!). Simon told Melinda she was better than that and hoped the next song would demonstrate his point. I agreed, actually. (This is scary, I find myself agreeing with Simon more and more every week.)

Blake:You Should Be Dancing (interesting choice...hmmm)

Blake's performance last week really wowed me, and this week, he kept some of the beat box activity, adding a white stripe to his newly dark hair (is he trying to fill the gap Sanjaya left?). I feel like now that the finish is in sight Blake has decided it's time to really get back to his roots. A mostly falsetto performance reminded me of the departed Chris, though I'd have preferred not to be. Blake, the reason you're still there is you have more talent than Chris, so don't model him--excel him! Randy: not his favorite/didn't think it worked as well; Paula: equally waffling with praise; Simon: absolutely terrible (more ouch!)

Kiki: Staying Alive

Barry liked LaKisha's slower version and encouraged her to do the falsetto (really?). Her "look" was great but the song wasn't anything I hadn't heard before and I've heard Kiki sound better. Randy felt there was a theme for the night and it just wasn't working. (P.S. If she sang falsetto, I missed it). Randy: obviously disappointed; Paula: she took the tempo down a little bit too much; Simon: thought her performance was verging on scary in parts. (ouch continued!) Wow...three not so great acts in a row....what's with the contestants tonight?

Jordin: To Love Somebody

Okay, NOW it's a singing competition. I thought she did a good job, not her greatest ever, but better than the rest so far. Randy: best vocal so far, controlled, winning performance so far tonight; Paula: best vocal so far; Simon: best song choice/vocal so far. I totally agree, although the dress/jeans combo came off a little bulky, but who's being picky? Not me!

Melinda, part deux! How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

(Where'd she get that dress?! Egads!) Okay, now this is the Melinda who deserves to win. Round two is looking up right from the start. Randy: much better, great, beautiful...blah, blah, blah, he loves her (and why not?!); Paula: loved the technique but advised her to throw it away and just "jump out" (huh? As Simon pointed out, neither Jordin, nor he knew what the heck Paula was talking about. Not that this is unusual...but we all still love Paula, right?) Simon: second half of that song put her into the finals.

Blake: This Is Where I Came In

Barry was surprised, but thought it was a chance for Blake to explore his own special gifts. (Sounds like more special effects). Better, I thought, not his greatest but better. Randy: better, but not the best/don't have to beat box every time (right!); Paula: "but he can..." Right, Paula, but not every time! Paula enjoyed it (duh!). Simon was honest with him (surprising?) He didn't know what that song was, but thought it was a bizarre choice of song and he didn't get it. Simon felt it was not a good night for him tonight. I think Blake was a little over confident of the power of his stylings tonight and made the mistake of going with it on both songs. I know, it's what he does, and he did it well, I thought, but it's still a game, of sorts, and he's got to stick with the rules a little longer. Next week Blake needs a bit more Idol and a little less Blake on at least one song. So do I think he'll be back next week? Are you kidding? As long as there are teenage girls with cell phones, and he's the only guy left in the contest, he's safe; for a while.

LaKisha: Run To Me (I love this song...and had such high hopes!)

Barry was concerned about two key changes and rightly so, those can be tricky-but they can also put a song over the top. Did they? Well...it was better than the first song, but it didn't even come close to sending the chills up and down your spine that this song-with revved up key changes-should do. It had the potential to send everyone to their feet in the final bars, but Kiki, along with the arrangement, didn't take advantage of this song's full potential; too bad.

Randy said it was better than her first song, but not great, and pointed out that she was hoarse tonight, which was clear in the final notes. Not much she could do about that, so I felt sorry of Kiki. Who knows what Paula said? Simon says LaKisha and Blake are vulnerable tonight. (the ouch returns!)

Jordin: Woman In Love (One of Barbara's songs-ohh....should Bab's songs be off limits?? We'll see.) Barry thinks Jordin will be one of our greatest female recording artists! My, my.

What can I say? Nothing new, pretty much the song as we expect it to be, but what a great voice. Did you know she's only seventeen?! Randy: not her best performance, but amazing song; Paula: beautiful, love you, but not your greatest; Simon: love the song but it was "pageanty" (huh? Referring to her dress, I guess.)

Who's going home? LaKisha. I frankly thought she should have been the one to go last week, but Phil's days were numbered either way and he was such a good sport. (Did you see him on the Today show in his uniform? The one hat that doesn't work for those ears is that little Navy cap. Someone, get Phil a black cowboy hat, stat! But I digress....) Meanwhile...back to this week. No one really sounded like an American Idol, which is disappointing at this point. It's time to bring the "A" game people, and even Melinda and Blake sounded like they were working the "B" side of the album (do they still have that?). Next week, kick it up a notch, Dog!