Oh how the mighty have fallen! On last night's (Mar. 16) "American Idol," fan favorites including Casey Abrams and Paul McDonald delivered less-than thrilling performances of, respectively, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues."

While Abrams' misstep can be attributed to a song selection, illness brought McDonald down on the live episode, which featured contestants performing songs from their birth years. However, illness provided gave Lauren Alaina boost, infusing her vocals with a sexy rasp during her take on Melisa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One."

And of course, Scotty "Nuts of Wonder" McCreery wowed again with his deep south cowboy bass, taking on Travis Tritt's "Can I Trust You With My Heart" -- and converting non-country fans to the Nashville sound yet again.

Check out what the judges, who were overly positive with the exception of Randy Jackson, had to say, as well Billboard's take. I rated the "American Idol" top 12 performances last night, from favorites to the less than stellar. Let me know who you think will be in the dreaded bottom three this week (and if you agree/disagree with my take) in the comments section.

"Idol" fans: Don't forget that downloads of all the tracks performed on last night's episode are available for download with the proceeds going toward relief efforts in Japan via Red Cross.

1) Scotty McCreery
Song: "Can I Trust You With My Heart," Travis Tritt

Steven Tyler said: "You just keep knowing who you are and you can go places."

Jennifer Lopez said: "You pushed it out there a little bit more for us in the end."

Randy Jackson said: (Drops Travis Tritt's name)

We say: Can you hear that? All the swooning from the females in the house? On a serious note, Scotty McCreery makes me like country music. Most of all, he's been consistent throughout. Homerun for Scotty -- and for Travis Tritt, who was trending on Twitter last night.

2) Lauren Alaina
"I'm the Only One," Melissa Etheridge

Steven Tyler said: "I loved you the first time I heard you. You are a shining star."

Jennifer Lopez said: "Very nice. You just took it made it your own. Very good job."

Randy Jackson said: "That was very nice. So have a cold every week."

We say: Illness was less kind to Paul McDonald than Lauren Alaina, whose vocals sounded raspier -- and sexier -- because of a cold/flu this week. Sure, the performance could have shined with a little more energy, but Lauren's song choice (and its country-tinged arrangement) was spot-on.

3) Stefano Langone
"If You Don't Know Me By Now," Simply Red

Steven Tyler said: "It was over the top. Beautiful."

Jennifer Lopez said: "It was a perfect song for you. Connect to my eyes."

Randy Jackson said: "The best performance of the night so far!"

We say: Randy was right when he declared Stefano's intense take on Simply Red the best performance of the night so far -- it was slow-goings up until that point. Stefano definitely pulled on some heart strings, as usual, and his stage presence feels a bit more honed than some of the other performers. A solid showing that would have been absolutely killer if Stefano had not struggled on the song's final notes.

4) Pia Toscano
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go," Whitney Houston

Steven Tyler said: "You are why this is called American Idol."

Jennifer Lopez said: "I was so glad to hear you sing something up tempo. It was perfect for you. You have an angel watching over you.

Randy Jackson: Pia is in the competition to win it!

We say: This arrangement of "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" ruins the song, but on a technical level, Pia shines. Her ascent toward those high notes is flawless -- chill-inspiring. But her performance would have gone above and beyond had the song's ballad quality stayed intact.

5) Jacob Lusk
"Alone," Heart

Steven Tyler said: "Your momma gave you the moxy. Gospel had a baby and named it Jacob Lusk."

Jennifer Lopez said: "An amazing thing to watch. So amazing."

Randy Jackson said: "Very very nice performance. It was genius."

We say: If you were concerned about Jacob tackling a rock song, you weren't alone. But despite my sentiments that he should stick with songs that better fit his gospel-style vocals, Lusk's take on "Alone" was  a respectable showing from a very strong contender. However, he never stood a chance to sound better than Carrie Underwood during season four.

6) Thia Megia
"Colors of the Wind" from Disney's "Pocahontas"

Steven Tyler said: "You sang it beautifully."

Jennifer Lopez said: "We love the tone and quality of your voice. I hear in your vibrato -- nervousness or that's really your vibrato."

Randy Jackson said: "The vocals were OK. You've been singing all these ballads every week. There was nothing special about it. It was very boring."

We say: Despite her beautiful, ballad-ready vocals every week, Thia's lack of movement on stage concerns me. She's showing little progress, seeing as her vocals have stunned since her audition but her presence is still quite slight. Undoubtedly talented, but Thia needs to give more personality.

NEXT: James Durbin, Naima Adedapo and Casey Abrams