The Top 7 are back after the save was used last week on Jessica Sanchez, and they are singing a current Billboard hit as well as a soul song.  The theme was pretty flexible so it gave the contestants some real freedom in terms of their choices.  For the most part the contestants did pretty well, but there were some not so great performances.  At least this episode was jam-packed full of music so it was a fast-paced two hours.

Hollie Cavanagh

Hollie has returned!!!  It's been so long since Hollie pulled out all the stops and delivered not only a big vocal, but also a performance filled with emotion.  As soon as she said she was performing 'Rolling In the Deep' I rolled my eyes and sighed because I'm tired of all these people ruining sacred Adele songs, but Hollie proved me wrong.  She sang the heck out of that song, and blew me away.  Wow!

Colton Dixon

Colton and Lady GaGa?  Not an obvious choice, but I think it definitely worked.  He took a huge pop song and turned it into a great alt rock jam.  I don't think the song choice was necessarily the right one in terms of his major religious fan base, but it was definitely a good Colton performance.

Elise Testone

My first thought: she looks like Mariah Carey tonight!  Elise looked and sounded beautiful.  For the first time she didn't switch up a song: she sang it like it was written.  I definitely think it was a great choice, and Elise really nailed her vocal.  

Phillip Phillips

This to me was the Kris Allen 'Heartless' / David Cook 'Billie Jean' performance of this season.  Every year we get one of these performances where the contestant takes a song and completely flips it on its head and has their moment.  This was Phillip's moment.  He took an Usher song and turned it into this incredible song that sounded like he wrote it.  It was simply stunning.

Jessica Sanchez

This had to be Jessica's worst performance.  I believe this because she didn't change the song.  It was basically a carbon copy of Alicia Keys' original.  Yeah she has the chops to pull it off, but it was sooooo boring.  

Skylar Laine

Skylar singing 'Born This Way'?!  Say what?!?!  But it totally worked.  She took the already existent Country Road Show version of GaGa's song, made it even more country, and did a bang up job.  She totally rocked the stage once again, and I think this may be my favorite performance of hers.  So much fun.

Hollie Cavanagh

This of course was not as great as the first song, but she still did a much better job than she has done in weeks.  It was just a fun performance, and even though you could she the gears in her head grinding at some points, it worked itself out.

Colton Dixon

I could not disagree with the judges more.  I thought Colton could release this song as a single right now.  It felt so current and so in his wheelhouse that I would have given him a standing ovation.  I was completely baffled by the judges' comments.  What's going on here?

Elise Testone

I definitely agree that this wasn't her best performance, but at least she was experimenting and trying something different (I'm looking at you Joshua and Jessica).  I loved the sultry jazzy swing to it, and it was a beautiful vocal from Elise.  I know she's a total underdog right now, but I want her to win.

Phillip Phillips

After going out of his comfort zone earlier in the show you knew he would go right back into it for this one.  While it wasn't bad, it was still a tad on the boring side.  It was just predictable, and with Phillip I feel like he's too predictable sometimes.  Not bad, but it could have been more exciting.

Jessica Sanchez

Yeah it was a great vocal, but where'd the emotion go?!  I think Hollie drained the emotion from Jessica and put it into 'Rolling In the Deep'.  I just felt like Jessica was belting this song, but there was no personality in it.  That's her biggest downfall in this competition, and it came across quite blatantly with this one.

Skylar Laine

Skylar took a legendary soul song and countrified it.  Loving this one!  This girl definitely has soul, and I really hope she makes it into the Top 3 because I can see her being a much more successful version of Lauren Alaina.  No quite as good as Carrie, but I think she could give her a run for her money!

Joshua was all kinds of bad this week.  For his first performance he covered Fantasia's winning song (which is one of the worst ones out there) and over-sang it, but received another standing O, and then he took on the inevitable choice 'A Change Is Gonna Come' which he completely murdered.  I thought it was absolutely atrocious with all of the guttural sounds he was making.  It made me sick to hear him desecrate the song like that.  And what did he get for it?  Another frickin' STANDING O!!!  I'm so sick of him right now it's making me ill.  After the show I figured Elise and Hollie would be in the bottom, with maybe an appearance by either Joshua or Jessica.  Boy, was I wrong!  You eliminate Colton Dixon, the guy who was supposed to go into the finale with Phillip?!?!  What's wrong with you America?  I have not been this upset with an elimination since Adam Lambert lost in Season 8.  I was literally furious.  Colton was one of the people with the most artistry in this competition and he was eliminated.  I lose faith in America every time something like this happens.  Why can we not have people continue who are actually artists rather than people who can belt and do nothing else?  I don't get it.  Well, I guess I'll be looking forward to next week.  They'll each sing a Queen song and a song of their choosing.  All my money is on Elise now so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping she'll make it far.