There's a common complaint lobbied by "American Idol" junkies over the years, and it goes something like this: why, oh why, must the contestants often perform songs that were hits when our grandparents were in high school? Or in other words, not exactly what's hot on Top 40 radio today, dog? While things have skewed decidedly younger this season -- has anyone counted how many times the word "swag" has been uttered by the judges and Ryan Seacrest? -- tonight "Idol" went the extra mile, devoting an entire show to proving that it knows what the kids are listening to these days. 

And so, "Music from the 21st Century" night brought us a little Ne-Yo, Adele, Sara Evans, and even Muse. How'd the top seven fare as they conquered songs they're actually familiar with (one can only hope)? Let's go to the videotape.


1) Lauren Alaina
Song: Sara Evans, "Born to Fly"

Steven said: "Anybody who doesn't know that they can fail is bound to win, and you're that person. You're so good naturally."

Jennifer said: "You do have such a special voice -- it's not everybody who has so much color in their voice when they sing."

Randy said: "You can sing anything. You think you can't sing those big notes…Dude, you can do it. You must believe."

We say: I've been fretting all season long about Lauren Alaina's lack of confidence, and this subplot was finally addressed tonight when 17-year-old was granted a long overdue, yet expecation-filled closing "pimp" spot on the show. The good news is, all the encouragement (coercion, really) from Jimmy Iovine behind the scenes paid off! Lauren got one step closer to embracing her inner Top 40 diva, and as she shimmied onstage and even worked up the nerve to make eyes at the camera a bit, I realized that she could, potentially, work up the confidence she needs just in time to win this whole shebang. Watch your back, perennial frontrunner Scotty McCreery -- Lauren's hot on your trail.

'American Idol' Mulls Tweaks to Voting System After Pia Toscano Elimination

2) Jacob Lusk
Song: Luther Vandross, "Dance with My Father"

Steven said: "Luther Lusk. Baby, you are so good. You remind me all the time the reason why I love music." 

Jennifer said: "It's hard to perform when a song means that much to you. And that's one of the tricks of being a performer, is, you have to learn the control."

Randy said: "Just to help you -- because critique helps everyone, right?…it didn't make me jump up and down. I need for me, the old Jacob. I feel like somebody's taken a racehorse and put the restraints on."

We say: It's hard to know whether Jacob Lusk got off to a rough start because of a faulty ear monitor or because of the emotions that this song raises for him on a personal level (Jacob's father passed away when he was 12, we learned tonight). My guess is that both factors were at play, but no matter, because by the end of the performance I was back in his corner. Jacob's vocal riffs tonight were imbued with a little extra sincerity and sadness, and for those of us who feel worn out when he jumps on the melodrama train, the restraint served him well. It wasn't the kind of blow-the-roof-off performance that Randy's been yearning to hear, but as Pia Toscano's early elimination revealed, not all of us want to hear that -- sorry, Randy!

3) Haley Reinhart
Song: Adele, "Rolling the Deep"

Steven said: "I thought it was a little slow at [the] start, but you brought it up in the middle and did what you do best."

Jennifer said: "It takes a lot of guts to take on a record that everybody knows so well right now, and you have to sing it just as good, if not better. There were moments when you actually brought Haley to it..and that's where I thought you really shined."

Randy said: "I think that you chose a perfect direction for you. I think Adele is an amazing artist and she's an amazing singer, and I think that you have that amazing thing in you as a singer as well."

We say: I'll give the judges a pass for giving Haley Reinhart a pass this week. Grading her on a curve was understandable this time around, because it's no easy feat to tackle a new hit by an incredible vocalist. While Haley's vocal tics and growls still irk me, and the "heartache" she tried to convey was virtually nonexistent, she seems to finally be narrowing down her artist identity to one that suits all of her strengths. Also, I'm shamelessly rooting for more gender parity in this competition. Can you blame me?

Paul McDonald Voted Off 'American Idol,' Kelly Clarkson Returns

4) James Durbin
Song: Muse, "Uprising"

Steven said: "You stay outta my closet, now. Mad Max meets Storm Troopers on Melrose. You'd be surprised how expensive it costs to look this cheap."

Jennifer said: "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that that is theatrically gonna be the best performance the night."

Randy said: "Dude, you were unbelievable. I'm gonna go out on a limb with Jennifer and say I think this is gonna be the best performance of the night."

We say: That's quite a limb to go out on, Jennifer and Randy! Especially since James Durbin was the SECOND performance of the night. Anywho, James certainly stepped it up in the image department this week, trading in the denim and handkerchiefs for a streamlined militarist look (and a cane?!). Extremely high and low notes were also (mostly) reached, proving that James' range is pretty much unparalleled this season. Too bad the whole number ultimately felt inauthentic. Hard as he tries to be a badass rock star, James still comes off as a bit of a softie -- which there's nothing wrong with at all, unless you're dressing like "Mad Max meets Storm Troopers on Melrose."

Next: Scotty Stumbles, Stefano Gets "Closer" to Elimination