I'm tellin' ya, Grandpa Jones wouldn't've recognized it

[jlh]

Oh country week, when Simon is a grouchketeer. Why he persists in this when Carrie's made more money than any of them I'm not sure; usually the dollars move him.

Wow, they were really working the Saula tonight, weren't they? It's really nice to see Paula so lucid and spunky—it adds so much to the show.

1. Michael, "Ain't Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up." Didn't Dead Phil sing this song? It was a little low energy—I mean, Garth is always running around all over the place when he sings, and Sarver, not so much. Also, we hate talk-backers in this house.
   
2. Allison, "Blame It On Your Heart." Wow, Paula actually gave her a really good note, and at least Simon recognized that. She picked an excellent song.
   
3. Kris, "To Make You Feel My Love." That was a very smart choice of song and a smart performance. Kris has to get a little better at looking into the camera to get those votes—he can't hold the gaze for long without closing his eyes.
   
4. Lil, "Independence Day." So we can all agree that it wasn't a great choice though she sang it well. Simon's need to call her "Little" is bizarre; I assume "Lil" is short for "Lillian."
   
5. Adam, "Ring of Fire." ali_wildgoose would like you to know that she has listened to a lot of covers of this song and says, "lol." Apparently by the Doors. I think I'm going to have to stop really saying much about Adam, because I recognize that he's doing a thing, but I just cannot take that thing seriously. I didn't think it was horrific—but I was totally laughing. But I love that he amuses Ryan.
   
6. Scott, "Wild Angels." Is it just me, or does every song he sings sound exactly the same? I really want to see the 1966 b-movie directed by Roger Corman and starring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd: Their credo is VIOLENCE! Their god is HATE!.
   
7. Alexis, "Jolene." First, I love this song. LOVE. I found their edit of the song to be really odd—more verse might have served her well. Randy was right that bending the song didn't really work for her.
   
8. Danny, "Jesus Take the Wheel." What is going on with that collar? I'm starting to get the smarmy bullshit Taylor Hicks vibe from Danny which is unfortunate. Man, that verse was a mess. Chorus was good, but he seems tired—and it's way too early in the season to be tired.
   
9. Anoop, "You're Always On My Mind." I am full of yay about this. He was fantastic.
   
10. Megan, "Walkin' After Midnight." Well … I don't know. I really love this song, and she was just sort of odd? Though I get that she was sick, and I'm glad they said so, and I hope that people vote for her!
    
11. Matt, "So Small." That was really fantastic. Definitely my favorite performance of the night.

[Poll #1367347]

I voted for Matt, Megan and Lil.