Wow, Dolly Parton has written some great songs. And even in the few moments the "Idol" producers granted her, she sure sounded impassioned and serious about the craft. Like most celebrity guest coaches Parton was far too polite to criticize any of the cast -- indeed, she didn't seem to much if at all other than listen to them run it once and give a hug. So what if she maybe wasn't the best on-camera guest? The body of work she brought with her to the night is all the case Parton needs to stake her claim. On the whole contestants felt a little too free to arrange the material as they liked -- I don't think Jason Castro or even David Cook should be afraid of a little country, and David Hernandez's "Smoky Mountain Memories" just felt uncomfortable played in a neutral mallpop style -- but also I think that that's a commendable aspect of Parton's writing. Her songs with their simple chord changes, readable storylines, and strong central melodies can stand up to a lot of squeezing and pulling and still sound good.

It's going to be a tough call on elimination this week. Not because there aren't any obvious, richly deserving candidates, but because all three this week have perfect "Idol" thumb-week storylines working. Kristy Lee Cook has been treading on thin ice for a while due to the fact that she's not a very good singer; her willingness to take on the "country contestant" mantle granted by the judges led to some of the most hideous moments of the season thus far. The fact that this was country week and Kristy was substantially worse than Carly Smithson and all the boys and no better than Brooke White would make for a deliciously ironic dismissal. That probably won't happen, though, since Kristy's still got the body. More probable would be Ramiele Malubay. Ramiele is a talented singer (although to my ears she's been adrift and out-of-touch increasingly since the finals began) but she knows nothing about music history or music theory. Less-schooled such talents show up on "Idol" all the time but they tend to get tripped up on a theme week that doesn't suit them, as country did not suit the 100% high-school-talent-show Ramiele. I've also picked her to go two weeks in a row and it hasn't happened... it's bound to be coming though, right? How far would Ramiele have to last for it to be considered a travesty? Final six? Final five?

Then there's Syesha Mercado. I think Syesha's body of work on the show thus far has earned her more of a pass than either Ramiele or Kristy Lee, but... how many "Idol" wannabes have seen her dreams dashed against the rocks of Whitney. Did Syesha have to choose "I Will Always Love You?" Did she have to sing it in the precise same Whitney arrangement with the big key shift at the close... which Syesha botched completely? Syesha's performance was better than Ramiele's or Kristy Lee's, but "Idol" voters tend to react instinctually to hubris, and Syesha had no business singing that damn song.

Brooke White I was pleasantly surprised by how White took the spirit of the evening to heart and injected a bit of a twang in her voice to sing "Jolene," but it didn't quite gel -- it was a happy twang instead of a heartbroke twang. That was the major problem with Brooke's capable outing, which utilized a stripped-down band arrangement (a good choice both visually and sound-wise for Brooke) and did feature some choppy guitar playing from White. I think it's kind of beside the point to criticize the "American Idol" cast for their guitar-playing abilities, particularly this late in the game, but the judges seem to pick on Brooke disproportionately. Watching Jason Castro try to hit high notes while remembering chord shapes reminds me of trying to drive my car and pick songs on my iPod at the same time. Brooke wasn't terrible, but she could make an appearance in the bottom three thanks to going first, which is always no fun. 7

David Cook Cook continues to challenge himself with arrangements that take his voice to its limits, and he also gets that he doesn't have to use big electric guitar every song, every week to be secure in his identity as the rock guy. (Remember Robbie Carrico? Hah!) Cook's "Little Sparrow" wasn't the best he's ever shown, but theme weeks can be death traps for niche contestants and in continuing to handle every curveball with a smart answer Cook has locked down his status as someone who can win. It was also smart of Cook to finally do his own arrangement of a song instead of cribbing off someone else's. The "controversy" over that story is hugely overstated (and completely irrelevant to "Idol" voters -- the intersection set of people who vote for "American Idol" habitually and people who care deeply about fair acknowledgment of intellectual property rights is pretty damn near null) but it didn't hurt Cook any. And like we've discussed, Parton's songs aren't tricky to put your own spin on if you're motivated. 8

Ramiele Malubay Ramiele has been plummeting almost since live shows began, but she's become increasingly exposed as pretty much everybody else in the cast has tried at least once or twice to do something creative or individual. Malubay continues to present performances so shallow you wonder where the screen for the karaoke machine is. Her outfits are also garish, ill-fitting, and silly; Ramiele is not a young girl because she's petite and she should dress more to her age. I have no idea how she's managed to build such a loyal fanbase (somebody has to be voting for her in huge numbers); I suppose it's in some small part the show's core demographic of older women providing resistance against the new wave of Cook, Castro, White types. But even so Ramiele is less talented and way more bland than similar contestants of recent "Idol" vintage. As has been happening with increasing frequency of late, Ramiele's usual ability to stay on pitch left her often during her "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." It was badly sung, her stage movements were amateur and dull, and her body language was screaming "Please send me home, I don't want to play any more." 6

Jason Castro Castro, like Brooke White, has seen a few weeks go by since the last time he genuinely blew anyone away. That's why it would have been smarter for Jason to do something in a bit of a country style, to which I think his voice might be suited, rather than a soft-rock, bongo-flecked thing that sounded... pretty much the same as Jason the week before this one, or the week before that. It's going to catch up with you eventually, guy. Although for a guy like Castro the utility of winning or even reaching the final of "Idol" is suspect, my personal affection for the guy makes me root for one more real good night for him. 7

Carly Smithson Carly does a bit more to wipe away the doubt with each passing week, but concerns continue. She still dresses funny, and her desperation to win and Make It is very, very palpable. I don't know if Carly could ever be a star -- is she really that interesting? She's a great singer, though, and her "Here You Come Again" was maybe her best of the season. It wasn't perfect, but it was quite close, and it proved once and for all that from here on out the tentative Smithson should continue singing ballads whenever possible. She's significantly better than Syesha at it and simply assassinates Ramiele. She is raising her game as we approach the big finish as are some others are but I wonder if she will have problems winning enough a big enough share of the vote totals that splinter off each week as one contestant's fanbase has to pick a new person for whom to vote. 9

David Archuleta Boy, David is a really good singer -- I'm not sure whether I have said that too much or too little. He's probably the most talented 17-year-old they've yet had. But... he's still 17, and there's so much he just completely doesn't get. Like how performing a song about being from Tennessee and making it sound like Phil Collins (not from Tennessee) might be a bad idea. David sounded like he had a bit more of an emotional connection to his song choice this time around, but that might have been a bad thing -- rural TN and suburban Salt Like City are not comparable. For all of his generic heal-the-world song choices, Archuleta is just monumentally oblivious, and to indulge the conceit of "Idol" for a moment, it seems to me as if such a person ought not to presented as the winner of a pop singing competition. But then of course my idea of pop music was formed in the 80's when Prince, Springsteen, Madonna, Boy George, what have you all sold millions of records while also attempting to be in their own ways trangressive, confrontational, and political. It's not like the pop nowadays, where the vocalists (female and male) are essentially sweaterhangers. On that note, it is worth a mention that Archuleta was one of few in the cast to not seize country night as the opportunity to wear a completely ridiculous outfit. 9

Syesha Mercado Not much to rehash on this one that I didn't already cover in the above comments. I knew she was going to do "I Will Always Love You" before they announced it, I knew it would start out sounding fine, and then it would all go horribly awry at the climax. The infamous Whitney Bodyguard version of the song has a modulation up at the end that's like the vocal equivalent of hitting the wall in a marathon. Syesha got to that point fine and then collapsed in a heap -- not a single note she sang after the key change was in tune, including a very long and very squirm-inducing "glory" note. 6

Kristy Lee Cook I don't have a lot more to say about Kristy, either. You know her strengths and weaknesses by now. She's the least talented person still in the field, which is sort of an accomplishment. At least Syesha's wipeout was exciting to watch; K.L.C. was just tepid. Again. And she has to pay for that atrocious flag-waving "God Bless the U.S.A." perforce. 7

Michael Johns I said a lot during the semifinals that I suspected Michael Johns had reserves of talent he wasn't using. On the rare occasion that he connected with a song -- sadly for Johns, the last memorable example of that was on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," back in the Hollywood audition round -- he showed power and range. And he's also been the best-looking guy in the male field from the getgo, which doesn't hurt any. "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," the Parton song Johns chose, obliterated whatever you might consider his past best and possibly threw the whole season storyline into chaos. Johns took his vocals to an entirely new level, tearing it up with his falsetto, and the piano/electric guitar arrangement was stylish and classy. Wait, if the really good-looking guy can also really sing, what ever will happen? Will "Idol" break? 8

I didn't know for sure when I started writing this, and I'm still not sure now... but what the hell. I'm going with Syesha, because that's the storyline I feel in my gut. Kristy Lee, who isn't very talented, and Ramiele, who hasn't progressed as an artist or personality one iota since the competition began, seem destined to return to continue annoying me. 10-sided die likes Michael Johns. Nah, I don't see that.