N o w - H o l l y w o o d . b l o g s p o t .c o m

"American Idol"'s top 10 flew to the Motor City (Detroit) to get their groove on for this week's theme: the Motown song book. Then back in Los Angeles, they were mentored by no one less than Motown-great and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Smokey Robinson.

Matt Giraud launched the night playing piano and singing to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Randy Jackson enthused, " Yo, man. You set this off on a tone. I know there are some other boys that are the frontrunners, but that run you did at the end and how strong your falsetto is, you are challenging them for the top." Kara DioGuardi agreed, adding, "I think there are a lot of girls out there going, 'Let's get it on.' You are coming out of your shell. I think you could have pushed it more, but it was a solid performance." Paula Abdul praised, "You showed a sexy cool vibe. Most pop artists today over-riff. Yours fit the melody." And Simon Cowell made it unanimous, saying, "It was a great choice of song. It was a cool performance. Your voice absolutely suits that kind of song. That is what you should be doing. You are one of the frontrunners in this competition."

Kris Allen strummed the guitar as he put his own spin on "How Sweet It is to be Loved By You." Kara told him, "You didn't do James Taylor, you didn't do Marvin Gaye, you did Kris. At this point, the competition is about artistry. How you put your mark on the song. And you did it. You did everything right with that song." Paula added, "It is really nice seeing you come into your own. You picked a great song. Technically speaking the note you hit at the end was brilliant." Simon agreed, saying, "I thought it was smart that you did your version, but you need to start believing in yourself. You don't have the swagger. To be a star, you have to be conceited. It is about self belief." Randy simply said, "You have hit your zone. It is all good, baby."

Scott MacIntyre did an up-tempo version of Diana Ross' "You Can't Hurry Love." Paula told him, "I think you pleased both Simon and I. You did do something different. I loved the beginning, the chord changes. When you feel it, the audience feels it, too." Simon disagreed, saying, "There was a line in the song when you sang: 'How much more can you take.' It wasn't a good version. The piano was too honky-tonk. I thought it was completely the wrong song for you. I think you are better than that as an artist." Randy pointed out, "I don't agree with Simon often, but today I am. It wasn't the right song for you. Nothing great happened. It was just average for me. Kara said, "I think you brought tempo tonight, which I wanted to see from you, but the thing I wasn't crazy about is you took liberties with the melody, but you didn't nail it."

"For Once in my Life" was the Motown song choice of Megan Joy. Randy criticized: "That song was a train wreck for me. That song that fast doesn't fit what you do." Kara advised her that she should have sung "My Guy." "You hit bad notes all over the place. The song took you over," she pointed out. Paula complimented her on her appearance, saying, "Your stunning beauty takes my breath away. The camera loves you, but I am going to have to agree this was not the right song for you." Simon said, "The good news is you look good; the bad news is it was horrible. Whoever is advising you, I would fire. It was a horrible arrangement. I think you could be in serious trouble after tonight's performance."

Anoop Desai went mellow with The Miracles' "Ooo Baby Baby." Kara told him, "It has to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written and one of the hardest to sing. You did a pretty good job. You really can sing. You have a skill set." Paula stated, "I think you have a new-found confidence, but your phrasing, your delivery and your falsetto is not just spot-on, but sweet." Simon thought it was a great vocal, but "I think you looked as if you were half asleep. It is one thing being serious, another being boring. You have had two good weeks in a row now," he said. And Randy advised him to turn it back up next week. "I see you more like that than the balladeer guy," he said.

Michael Sarver interpreted The Temptations' "Ain't too Proud to Beg." Paula had bad news for him, saying, "It felt a little Las Vegas-lounge-y for me -- the way you were working the microphone. You need to be driving that song and not let the reverse happen." Simon said, "Let me make this easy. Actually, I couldn't wait for this to end because you were shouting the song. You have no chance of winning this competition based on that vocal. In the real world, it just isn't good enough." Randy also had a criticism, pointing out, "The song was too big for you. You are not an R&B kind of dude. You made it a little corny because you were trying to do too much with it." Kara added, "At this point in the competition, it is not about singing, it is about artistry. It is about making it your own. That is what we need from you. That is what I didn't feel from you this week."

Lil Rounds belted out Martha and the Vandellas' "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave." Randy wasn't thrilled by the performance, saying, "It wasn't the right song for you. I felt you were rushing through. Not your best performance." Kara agreed, saying, "I've got to say, you were the diva tonight that everybody was waiting to hear. If you don't nail this week, I don't know what to tell you. I don't think you picked the right song." Paula completely disagreed. "I do agree with the fact that you look unbelievable. It is what you do vocally that feels fresh." Simon told her, "I think what you did tonight was an authentic tribute to the sound of Motown, but I wouldn't have chosen that song. It didn't give you a moment. I agree with Randy, it was too fast. You are one of the best singers we have in this competition. I am dying for you to do what you did a few weeks ago when you blew everybody away. You can't do it with a song like this.

Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" was Adam Lambert's song selection and he got a standing ovation from Kara, who raved, "One of the best performances of the night. You showed artistry on that stage." Paula enthused, "What I love about this season is that someone like you comes along who is completely in his own league." Simon teased, "I am going to disagree with Kara, because it was the best performance of the night. You were able to sum up everything we have said about originality and picking a good song. You emerged tonight as a star." Randy pointed out, "From day one, I thought, 'This guy has the range. He can do anything.' You are not just a cool indie rocker, you can pull it down. You had such tender moments using what is in your arsenal. The bomb tonight!"

Danny Gokey rocked the house with "Get Ready" made famous by The Temptations. Paula declared, "You are undeniable and always reliable, giving us a first-class performance." Simon told him, "We know you are a good singer, but I thought that was clumsy and amateurish." Randy felt it wasn't Danny's best performance, but "I loved the energy of it," he said. Kara added, "I loved your personality tonight. It was good not great, but I am still a huge Danny fan."

After being in the bottom three last week, Allison Iraheta brought down the house on The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Randy complimented, "You might be 16, but you are one of the dopest singers this season." Kara advised, "America, you've got to vote for her. Amazing. You sing like you've been singing for 400 years. That is from God. You can't teach that." Paula told her, "You kept your rocker edge. You are awesome. You belong in the competition." Simon made it unanimous, saying, "Allison you are a survivor. You had a terrible week last week. This was one of your best performances."