Top 9 with Dolly Parton!

Dolly Parton mentors this week. Good news for Brooke, who is up first.

Brooke - 'Jolene' - decent performance, but not stellar. Randy and Paula are supportive. Simon thinks she deserves the honesty of his insults.

David C. - 'Little Sparrow' - I don't know this song, but I like how he is doing it. Very good, but not astonishing. Randy and Paula liked it, too. Simon notes that it doesn't match last week, but was good, nonetheless.

Ramiele - I don't know the song, but, as Dolly notes, it does seem to match her bouncy, spunky personality. Some pitch and timing issues, so just alright. Randy agrees, giving it 6.5 out of 10. Paula is more supportive. Simon demotes it to "cruise ship" quality.

Jason - Another unfamiliar but pleasant song. He does it competently but no fireworks. Randy and Paula, supportive. Simon didn't like it.

Carly - 'Here You Come Again' - One of Dolly's biggest, with her own twist. Chills time! A beautiful interpretation and what tonight has been missing until now. Made me applaud, alone in my living room. Randy and Paula loved it. Simon, unbelievably, manages to downplay both the performance and her manner of dressing.

David A. - 'Smoky Mountain Memories' - A John Denver style joint. A good choice for his voice, but not everyone will like the choice of a gospel-type song. I thought it was very well done, but a bit less powerful than Carly's choice, in my view. All the judges, including Simon, loved it.

Kristy - 'Coat Of Many Colors' - She looks great and sings it very well. Randy likes her doing country. Paula gives it her best ever. Simon sticks to last week being her best song choice.

Syesha - 'I Will Always Love You' - A nice, big diva song. Dolly seems to hint that she, not being shy at all, just did her own thing (and didn't take her advice). It starts out very poorly, with bad timing and more problems. She cleans it up at the end, but that didn't redeem it for me. Randy and Paula are supportive. Simon liked the first part but not the second, exactly opposite my take. All said, I don't think it helped her at all.

Michael - 'It's All Wrong But It's Alright' - A bluesy joint, which he handles very well. Randy and Paula loved it. Simon says it's his best ever.


Tops and Props: Carly, David A, Michael, David C.

Bottoms: Ramiele and, for me, Syesha. Jason and Brooke were slammed by Simon, but I think they'll make it through, and were in the middle, for me.

Leaving: My guess is Ramiele, who's been hanging on by a thread for a while now.