Performance night for the top four on American Idol began with host Ryan Seacrest announcing the “competition is closer than ever before.” The same could be said of every episode every week, sure, but it was a good enough intro for the evening.

The theme: songs from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. This gave contestants a wide umbrella to show off their personalities, their style and their potential to take the coveted crown: the title of American Idol. These days, the prize is little more than the title itself. The remaining contestants all stand a great chance of getting recording contracts no matter what. But, the show must go on.

“Song selection is everything,” Ryan Seacrest reminded. With such a wide range to choose from, his words were only too true.

David Cook began it all with “Hungry Like the Wolf.” I found the song choice highly odd and (once again) found Cook’s enunciation poor. Overall, it was just average David Cook - nothing really outstanding about the performance itself. Randy Jackson found the song to be an “okay choice,” but praised Cook for his “solid performance.” Overall, Jackson deemed it “just okay.” The song “left me with a big appetite,” Paula Abdul announced.  Simon Cowell found the performance “a little bit copycat,” but said it was good enough to get David through another week. Don’t be too sure.

Syesha Mercado followed with “Proud Mary,” another very brave song choice. She looked great in a short dress and rocked the song out with lighthearted fun. It was an electric performance. “Nice going!” Randy proclaimed, telling her she did a “nice job.” “You look like a star,” Paula Abdul beamed. For Simon Cowell, it was a “bad, shrieky version,” and Syesha was a “bad impersonation of Tina Turner.” “I just like to have fun,” Syesha smiled into the camera. Ryan praised her for “excellent moves.”

Jason Castro paid homage to Bob Marley with “I Shot the Sheriff.” He performed an odd version of the song, which I found a little bit all over the place. Castro’s usually mellow vocals seemed just a trifle off. Randy found the performance “really karaoke,” and heard “nothing special about it.” In the end, Randy decreed, “that just wasn’t great for me.” Me, either, and I’m a big fan. Paula Abdul “wasn’t really crazy about the performance or the song,” but thinks Castro is “genuine.” “Stand back,” Simon Cowell warned him before beginning. “The performing and the singing was as bad as I’ve ever heard,” he ridiculed. “I don’t know what you’re thinking.” “I was thinking, ‘Bob Marley!’” Castro cried with a grin.

David Archuleta chose “Stand By Me,” a personal favorite of mine. He put his own spin on this old classic, went into his falsetto at just the right time and in general delivered a stunning performance. “That was hot!” Randy Jackson declared. “You’re way beyond your years,” Paula told him. “You really delivered,” she added. Simon Cowell took a few more shots at Jason Castro’s performance, telling David “you were really well-placed.” Cowell found Archuleta’s to be the “best performance so far.”

David Cook returned to the stage with “Baba O’Riley,” a song he deemed a classic though I’d never heard it before. He rocked it out with the guitar, but the performance was not at all different from Cook’s usual tepid rock star show. I’m officially back to not liking him. Randy told Cook to “just be you, ‘cause you’re good.” Paula Abdul was of a like mind. “I want more David Cook!” She cheered. “I’m really humbled to sit here and watch your soul,” she enthused weirdly. “Welcome back, David Cook,” Simon Cowell smiled graciously. Cook, of course, was on stage wearing yet another horrendous blazer. He should take fashion tips from Syesha Mercado.

Who appeared after him on stage, wearing a gorgeous gold gown and softly crooning “A Change is Gonna Come.” The tune was a bit slow-paced for me, but her vocals were completely stunning as usual. A powerful finish capped off her second fabulous performance of the night. Randy Jackson “did not love” this song as much as her first. He “didn’t love the arrangement” and thought it all “felt disconnected.” Paula, however, gave Syesha a standing ovation and praised the girl so thoroughly she reduced the diva to tears. “I have to be fair,” Simon Cowell warned her. “And I’m going to agree with Paula.” As everyone cheered, Cowell blessed Syesha Mercado with his acceptance. “I thought you sang that really, really well.” Ryan Seacrest got his two cents in, too. “Randy, thanks for the buzz kill,” he quipped. “Randy, you’ve made her cry,” Simon kiddingly chided as Syesha remained emotional on stage.

Jason Castro bravely sang a Bob Dylan classic, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” another song I utterly love. He sang with the guitar and started out sounding like the same old Jason. For an instant, I thought he would be okay. Then, he forgot the most well-known lyrics in the entire song. But Castro muscled through, finished his tune and delivered a decently acceptable performance just the same. “How did you think that was?” Randy Jackson asked him. “Jason’s not in the zone tonight,” he decided. “It is what it is,” Paula told him nonsensically. “It didn’t blow us away, but you blow me away,” she remained optimistic. Simon Cowell didn’t waste time. “Jason, I’d pack your suitcase,” he instructed.

David Archuleta got romantic with “Love Me Tender,” much to the delight of the young ladies in the audience. “Another great performance,” Randy judged, calling Archuleta’s “the hot vocals of the night.” Paula found the song by David to be “fantastic and very beautiful.” And Simon Cowell left no room for doubt about his feelings, telling David “you crushed the competition.”

It was something of an odd night on Idol, truth be told. Syesha Mercado and David Archuleta are obviously stepping up their game, both venturing just a little out of their respective safety zones to wow and amaze. David Cook is unwisely playing it safe and relaxing into his somewhat generic rock n roll persona, a true disappointment after his stunning Broadway night vocals. And Jason Castro…well, there’s some speculation. Last week, Castro told interviewers that he received over one hundred balloons from fans and it freaked him out a little. He even hinted around that he wouldn’t be too terribly upset if he was eliminated from the competition. He was noticeably off last night, but at the same time seemed completely relaxed and unaffected just the same.

No matter what their wishes might be, no matter what my wishes might be, one of them will go home tonight. Will the results turn out the way you wish they would?