American Idol: Elvis and cider

Only Lee Dewyze, in fact, seemed up to Bowersox's challenge, sounding less like Nickelback than ever while rocking a blues-punk riff on acoustic guitar for "A Small Less Conversation." Ellen marveled that he'd made it sound "so current," which had to leave most people under 50 wondering if she'd somehow missed the Junkie XL remix.

Crystal Bowersox may have set the bar a bit high for her fellow "American Idol" contestants when they kicked off Elvis night with a spirited romp through the gospel side of Graceland on a life-affirming "Saved." I am not sure what would make a person need to alter the lyrics from "I used to smoke, drink & dance the hoochie-koo" to "I used to smoke, drink, drink, smoke & boogie all night." But by the time she'd shifted gears to bring the song to a smoldering climax that, like all the best soul music, managed to feel both deeply spiritual & sexy simultaneously, it was hard to fault her word choice.

OK, perhaps she is not lovely to salvage "Clambake," but she is seeming increasingly like this year's winner every week, now that Siobhan has been losing her mojo. Her "Suspicious Minds" was not without its charms but it is been way long now since she is nailed six.

Massive Mike did a perfectly credible read of "In the Ghetto," clearly more inspired by Sam Cooke's "A Alter Is Going to Come" than any Elvis Presley record. But I cannot help wishing Bowersox had turned him on to "Saved" for the obvious comic potential after last week's judges' save. & Crystal would have sounded as lovely on any Elvis song - even "Clambake" or "Adam & Evil."

The judges loved Tim Urban's choir-boy drama-club reading of "Can't Help Falling in Love," but they was better last week, singing "All My Loving" like the great lost Hardy Boy. & Casey James reverted to his most generic bar-rock tendencies on a barely recognizable version of "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" after proving they could be much over that with "Jealous Guy."