Tonight’s episode of “American Idol” was like a battle between good and evil. On one side we have the contestants, the audience and this week’s guest mentor Dolly Parton. On the other side is cranky British judge Simon Cowell. For every great interpretation of a Dolly classic by a contestant, there was a snarky retort from Mr. Cowell. For every positive word Ms. Parton passed along, Simon had just as many unkind words ready to unveil. It didn’t matter that Brooke sang an awesome cover of “Jolene,” because Simon was just waiting to diss the band. And as good as Carly belted out “Here You Come Again,” all Cowell said was how much he hated her clothes. Even Ryan Seacrest noted the judge’s extra-cranky demeanor tonight. Maybe Simon was meaner because his Coca-Cola cup was empty. Or maybe he’s just as annoyed with those arm-waving fans near the stage as I am. But despite Simon’s determination to find a dark cloud in every silver lining tonight, several of the contestants did very well.
First up was Brooke White with her cover of “Jolene.” With an extremely cool backup band, consisting of a guitarist, violinist and a guy playing a washboard, Brooke delivered a great rendition. You can tell she’s quite at home sitting on a stool and playing her guitar. This week she hit all her notes and actually connected with the song, despite Simon saying her performance lacked emotion. And now that Chikezie is gone, she’s now become this season’s sole happy contestant, complete with polite compliments to the judges and a giant grin. After her streak of fun, folksy performances I’m predicting she’ll be in the Top 4.
The increasingly popular David Cook sang next. Interestingly, Ryan Seacrest asked him where he gets all those great alternative arrangements for his songs. The reason this is interesting, in case you haven’t heard, is that a Seattle rock group called Doxology issued a press release last week blasting Cook for not crediting their version of “Eleanor Rigby.” (Cook sang the song on March 11.) So when David answered Ryan’s question, he credited Doxology for their cover that he used, as well as Whitesnake for their cover of “Daytripper” and Chris Cornell for his cover of “Billie Jean.” Hopefully all is now right in David Cook’s world. And his performance sure had to put his mind at ease as well. He sang Dolly’s “Little Sparrow,” but created the arrangement himself this time. For once, he actually showed his whole range, including some surprising falsetto notes, which will probably silence some of those people who say he’s not original. Overall, the judges loved him, though Simon told him it wasn’t as good as last week. Oh Simon, ya big bummer, what are we going to do with you?

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