Well, they say the talent in this year's "American Idol" top 24 is the best it's ever been. Who says this? Well, Ryan Seacrest does, a lot. Why would he lie?

The group of males selected for Season Seven seem more talented on average than the also-rans of Season Six, although that bunch did not set a high bar. I don't think there's one instance of a Sanjaya type who just flat-out can't sing here, although check with me again next week regarding Luke Menard. Assuming he survives... Menard wasn't the worst performer Tuesday night in a show that oddly imposed a 60's theme even though it was the first studio show and in a few cases the first time we'd heard some of the 24 sing at all. However, he doesn't have the stage presence or personal appeal of David Cook and doesn't have the judges mesmerized by his Australian accent like Michael Johns (a fraud). And here's another difference from last season to this one -- camp. I'm not going to offend the P.C. police by making any far-off assumptions about Danny Noriega and Colton Berry, but let's just say that there's more of a musical theater representation among the guys this year and leave it at that.

If you're new to this, the numerical scores are more or less just there for a sake of an argument, but in theory I'm rating the performances purely on a technical basis, with a little within-reason leeway for impressive exhibitions of style or partial-credit adjustments for ambitious failures. It's in the text that I'll discuss the tactical elements of their performances, so sometimes the numerical scores might seem to contradict what I've written. This is fine, of course, because both are for entertainment purposes only.

David Hernandez The "Idol" showrunners did a good job of structuring the show last night, breaking up the kind of hopeless guys and saving the most crowd-pleasing acts until the end. Hernandez was a solid opener because he sounded the major season theme everyone's making sure to emphasize: the talent level is better this year. Hernandez isn't a contender by any means, but his "In the Midnight Hour" didn't embarrass himself or anyone else. There's not enough of an injection of personality in Hernandez's technically correct but uninteresting style such that even flawless song choices could preserve him. That was another big recurrer on the night -- even though most of them appeared on camera discussing how they had been watching "American Idol" since the first season, few of the male contestants appeared to have much of an idea of how they might come across. Hernandez, a velvet crooner, took on a song that most people associate with deeper, rougher-voiced roarers. He did better with a bad choice than a lot of his peers. 7

Chikezie Good move by the big fella getting rid of his surname -- his catchy handle is like three-fifths of his appeal right now. Chikezie could go up or down from here, but he'll need a bit of luck to survive a boneheaded strategic mistake. It was 60's night, but there was no reason to turn "Love You More Today" into a hideous time warp into the more misguided realms of Al Green's deeper back catalog. It was incredibly corny and what's more given a slowed-down version of an uncomplicated melody he didn't even sing it all that precisely. And somehow his aggressively challenging Simon and the judges after his performance didn't really seem like something that would inspire people to vote to keep him on. I don't think he's a goner... but, well, maybe he is. 6

David Cook Despite Simon's being convinced of Cook's reliance on his guitar during the Hollywood show, I don't find David Cook believable as a musician at all -- he's a pretty boy posing as a rocker. Actual former boy-band member Robbie Carrico is more convincing. Cook deconstructed "Happy Together" by mumbling a deathly slow intro and then yelling the rest of the way through; he forgot a few of the words, jumbled some other ones, and wasn't clear throughout. Cook is almost identical to Michael Johns in vibe and performance style only Johns is better-looking, better-accented, and hits the right key slightly more often during their long ad-libbed Rock Singer Shouting sections. I don't like either of them very much, but Cook is the one who has a fair shot at getting ashcanned quickly. 4

Jason Yeager Yeager's introductory clip, which portrayed him as a humble and modest soul who never expected to get this far, kind of made you want to root for him. But then he sang "Moon River." Dude. "Moon River?" Really? The whole night was marred by clueless song choices, but Yeager's was surreal. He stuttered a few times during what was otherwise not a bad technical vocal, and while I could sense him at least trying to put a 21st-century infusion of ...anything into it he didn't come close to succeeding. More than anything else, I think Yeager exposed himself as cannon fodder by letting his first extended appearance in front of America be singing that song. What a doof! 6

Robbie Carrico The "Idol" hype machine is overselling the dreadlocked, bearded Carrico as a rocker. What's interesting is, it's his background as a former bubblegum teen group member that makes him a serious threat. Carrico was the first performer in the whole show to take a 60's song and make me think "Wow, I forgot how much I loved that song!" instead of "What on earth made him choose that?" He did "One Is the Loneliest Number" and his control -- especially in contrast with the shouters, Johns and Cook -- was what kept the familiar melody in place even as Carrico and the band (sure, why not) rocked it out a little. I don't think the fact that Carrico is more polish than spit will hurt a bid for the "Idol" title under the mantle of the Rocker Party, as it were. I think his love for rock is sincere and I suspect his experience elsewhere will give him a leg up on the less prepared come the theme nights that are less suited to big singers. 8

David Archuleta Archuleta's calling card is youth, and it worked for Jordin Sparks, so why not. He is talented, unquestionably showing so in the audition rounds and last night, and he has a husk to his voice that's not usual for someone so young. But like Sparks he seems to be completely at the mercy of the band, with no sense of how to inject his own attitude into his numbers and little sense besides as to what that atittude would even be. Archuleta is cute, to be sure, but I think the judges consciously chose a couple of cutie pies to split that vote and make sure there's no repeat of Malakarpalooza. If he sings great and gets a lot of breaks, Archuleta could go places. But he's not quite ready for the limelight yet. Case in point -- I forgot to write down in my notes what he song he performed and now as I write this only about half an hour later, I can't for the life of me remember what song he sung. I absolutely remember what Carrico and Jason Castro did. 7

Danny Noriega Ladies and gentlemen, isn't he fabulous! You have to hand it to the eighteen-year-old but fully self-assured Noriega, who is a bubbly, positive object lesson about being your own you. He even spoke charmingly about trying to fake a different image for Season 6 and being drummed out in the Hollywood rounds because of it. I'm all for Danny being the Danny he's got to be, but in his effort to sell the performance he ended up with kind of a wobbly vocal on a very simple song, as the judges noted. However, compared to Colton Berry's later turn it was a far less sacreligious Elvis cover. I for one kind of dug Noriega's goofy little hip shakes. For sure he was having a good time. It did trend a little bit towards the realm of the high-school theater production... but what did you expect? Give Danny a song he has a bit more of a connection to and a slower tempo and I think he could surprise us still. But having shown that he loves being who he is so clearly, he could stand to dial it back a little bit. 7

Luke Menard The biggest loser of the evening -- at least Chikezie got to mix it up with Simon and hold his own for a little while. Menard just whiffed big time on a song I love, "Everybody's Talkin'," which he sang with no subtlety, a host of pitch mistakes, and a consistent detachment from the band's meter the whole way through. He delivered the evening's most glaring blue note, and he left a bad taste in the mouth with his obnoxiously self-deluded defense in the postgame Seacrest interview. I think he's dead meat. 5

Colton Berry Another young veteran of the stage, Berry I think is a little less polarizing than Danny Noriega and has a really nice voice, if not much in the way of a distinct style. I took it somewhat personally that Berry chose "Suspicious Minds," because it's a song I love to sing along to in the car, and taking the melody up an octave and wussing it out was more than I could handle. He did do a good job with the vocal such as it was -- until things went sour. Berry made himself look like an amateur by missing badly on several climactic ad lib figures and his stage moves were haphazard and unnatural. He probably built enough of a fanbase with his Hollywood airtime to get past this one but he needs to shape up or ship out. 6

Garrett Haley There is a high number of good singers in this men's group, I feel, who are going to get sent home without America ever getting an idea of how talented they really are. Haley has a nice voice, I think, but everything else about his performance Tuesday was such a disaster that it's hard to say for sure. He picked "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," which is a crappy song with an annoying, facile melody. He allowed the band to lead him into a garish, Pat Boone-esque slow pop arrangement of the song that made it even less relevant than the 60's original. Oh, also he had the barest hint of a mustache -- probably only visible on HD, but still an absolute no-no. If Haley doesn't bite the dust, it's based on love for his long curly locks and sod all else. 6

Jason Castro This could be the guy! Castro sure acts the part of the one guileless "Idol" contestant left on the planet, an aw-shucks former drummer who had barely ever sung in front of an audience before last night. Castro has the gift, not just of a fine voice like many of his castmates, but of an innate sense of how to sing a song and make it his own. His "What a Day for a Daydream" was both perfectly matched to his vibe and invested with a real bit of himself. I thought to myself that he could have done it even better with just his guitar and the audience clapping, and to my surprise, Simon Cowell (who's been a real skeptic with the self-accompaniment thing, new for this season) said the very same thing. It's pretty amazing to make a little bit of "Idol" history (the first studio-round performance ever with a contestant playing an instrument) and have the song totally come across as a standout on its own merits. Castro's happiness, in his countenance and his voice, really won me over. It's possible that a difficult theme week could present him with a challenge he's simply not able to adapt to, given his lack of experience. But I don't know -- he claims to be a drummer, and he was totally at home playing the guitar in front of an audience of millions. Maybe he's just one of those musical polymaths, in which case, watch out, everybody else. If Castro could get it rolling he might be just the kind of "Idol" the show needs to rejuvenate itself -- not just a new interchangeable pop face but a genuine new musician. Or maybe he's a flash in the pan. 9

Michael Johns Fraud, I say! Fraud! Johns was the big star of the Hollywood show with his bombastic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Down Under hunkiness. But his "Light My Fire" was just bad, compounded by the fact we had already heard him sing the same song better before and giving the distinct impression that Johns is dangerously overconfident. He certainly has the judges eating out of his hands -- Randy compared him, creatively, to INXS's Michael Hutchence (wot, Randy, not the guy from Men at Work?) and Paula and Simon seemed not to notice that after four lines Johns just gave the song's whole melody a pass and did freelance yelling for a full 90 seconds. I did find it funny that the producers saw fit to insert a small video section clearly designed to assuage people's fears about a foreigner winning "American Idol." "I've lived in America my whole adult life, mate!" John protests, his cheeks dimpling slightly. It's going to be a long while before Johns's laziness puts him in a position of real danger, but I can see it coming. 3

Who's going home? My picks are Luke Menard (high degree of certainty) and Jason Yeager(somewhat less so). I could see Chikezie or Garrett Haley taking a fall, and David Hernandez wasn't really noteworthy either. But I'm sticking with those two guys.

Tomorrow night: the girls. Should be fun.