Montgomery Gentry and David Nail Songs Performed on ‘American Idol’ Last Night

The top 12 performed on American Idol last night. The theme for the night was 'home', songs that the contestants believe connect them with home. You can sense the urgency from the judges that this group has to step up their performances, did they? Let's look back at the show.1. Jena Irene: Sang 'Suddenly I See' and did a decent job. Jena seems to soften her image some and she has a cool jazzy tone to her voice. I'll give her performance a B-

2. Alex Preston: Jo Dee Messina's cousin from Mt. Vernon, New Hampshire. First of all, what was he wearing? He looked like an English Pee Wee Herman. He sang 'I Don't Want To Be'. He came across with a thin, nasally vocal and ran out of breath. It wasn't good. D

3. Jessica Muese: She sang a song called 'White Flag'. She has a Stevie Nicks vibe to her voice and sometimes she almost gets into a 'goat' sounding reverb to her voice. The judges say she was 'sharp'. I'll give her a C

4. Dexter Roberts: The farmer and dog trainer from Fayette, Alabama. We learned that one of Dexter's Labs had puppies! Dexter toned it down this week with 'Lucky Man' by Montgomery Gentry and he did an awesome job! The judges agreed. A

5. Emily Piriz: She's 'surprised' by a video message from her boyfriend who is a U.S.Marine. Can we say American Idol is drumming up votes for Emily. She sings a Jennifer Lopez song 'Let's Get Loud'. It's pretty good but nothing special. C+

6. Caleb Johnson: The Ashville, North Carolina native rocks out to Rush and 'Workin' Man'. Seriously this guy sounds like a professional lead singer of a rock band. My issue with Caleb is that he comes across as way-over-the-top. He collapsed on the stage at the end of his song, really dude. A-

7. M.K. Nobellette: She's from San Francisco and she decides to 'sing' 'Drops of Jupiter' by Train. It was a Train wreck! Thin vocals, clunker notes. The judges also didn't really like her performance. F

8. C.J. Harris: The Jasper, Alabama native makes a politically statement before he sings 'Waiting For The World To Change'. He sings the song well, but it basically was a cover of the original song. I wonder if his comments will cost him any votes? B

9. Sam Wolfe: He clearly pointed out that he was originally from Michigan and misses it but now lives with his grandparents in Florida. He sings an obscure song by a band called Blind Pilot. It was pleasant, in tune and the girls love him. Sam is like a double-scoop of vanilla ice cream on a summer day. It hit the spot but it wasn't incredible. B+

10. Mayala Watson: She sings a gospel song and plays piano. She was better than last week's pitiful performance. She started off behind the piano and then ramped it up and started getting a little out of control. The judges liked it, me not so much. C-

11. Ben Briley: The Tennessee native sings one of my all-time favorite songs 'Turning Home' by David Nail. He started off really well then tried to power the song and it kind of lost something for me. Ben should have stripped the song down some. Still, I think he has the chops to move on. B

12. Majesty Rose: She's from Goldsboro, North Carolina and sings 'Fix You' by Coldplay. The first half of the song was stellar, then she tried to go BIG with the song and it didn't work. She's still one of my picks for the final five. B+

Here's the two country songs from last night!