‘Idol’ women take things slow

Nadia Turner, 28, Miami: Turner went with "My Love," by Paul McCartney — a song that's been covered by a whole lot of people in every bar in the country ever since. She definitely has her own style, and it didn't shine through as much here. Simon even said that it made her sound a little cabaret — though he hastily added "which I don't think is you!" lest anyone in the audience get the wrong idea about his overall opinion.
Grade: B-
Stay or go? It wasn't great, but the judges were gentle in their critiques. They would like her to stay. They will probably get their wish.

Amanda Avila, 23, Las Vegas: Avila finally got the crowd to move with her rendition of Gloria Estefan's "Turn the Beat Around." On the one hand, it was a lot better than her performance last week. On the other hand, it's the same kind of effort tourists can hear in most Vegas nightclubs. But the judges liked it, probably because it was the first performance all night to really pump up the energy.
Grade: B
Stay or go? The judges would clearly like Avila to stay — there was a lot they could have picked on here, and all three let it slide. She probably did enough to advance.

Janay Castine, 17, Lawrenceville, Ga.: Castine's probably a few years away from being ready for this kind of stage — she looks and performs much younger than fellow 17-year-old Mikalah Gordon. Her rendition of Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style" was better than she did last week, but she still had that "where did all these people come from?!" look on her face. She looks like somebody's little sister with a karaoke microphone.
They turn on you quick: Randy Jackson said the performance wasn't very good, then had to acknowledge that "You've even got my own dawg pound booing at me," as the "Idol" men took exception.
Grade: C-
Stay or go? Two mediocre performances in a row will probably be too much for Castine to overcome.

Carrie Underwood, 21, Checotah, Okla.: The judges are always telling contestants to take risks, but Underwood's may come back to bite her. On a night when several of her rivals sang country songs suited to her Oklahoma roots, she went in the other direction. None of the judges found her a convincing Janis Joplin in "Piece of My Heart" — her looks alone make that a tough sell, and she looked like she was trying to force it just to prove she could do it.
Grade: C
Stay or go? Based on this week alone, Underwood would be in trouble, but she's done so much better in the past that the voters will probably be forgiving. Simon said she lost some of her star quality on Tuesday, which may be true, but it's probably not enough to send her packing.

Vonzell Solomon, 20, Fort Myers, Fla.: Solomon was the second performer of the night to break out Alicia Keys, singing "If I Ain't Got You." It was a stretch for her, and she couldn't quite get to all the notes. She was criticized for oversinging it, which was pretty fair, but the judges still had mostly nice things to say.
Grade: B-
Stay or go? It certainly didn't leave the audience racing home to text-message its love, but was good enough for now. Solomon should move on.

MORE FROM AMERICAN IDOL

Happy birthday, Simon, the best mean Brit ever

Happy birthday, Simon, the best mean Brit ever ‘Idol Gives Back’ returns to ‘American Idol’ Ellen brings EveryFan sensibility to ‘Idol’ Paula Abdul wishes Ellen luck on ‘Idol’   Add American Idol headlines to your news reader: