Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame week on “Idol” featured a few performances worthy of  induction.

After weeks of elderly mentors and restrictive theme weeks, “Idol”’s producers finally opened the door to a nearly endless catalog of song choices. A few contestants took advantage of the vast opportunity and gave some of their best performances so far.

The biggest surprise of the evening was not the performances, but the behavior of Paula Abdul. After her slip-up last week, Paula was incredibly lucid and actually seemed more coherent than Randy.

Because of this, the judges avoided being the main story of the evening and the audience could focus squarely on the contestants.

David Cook – Sang: “Hungry Like the Wolf” & “Baba O’Riley”

• Randy: 1^st Song – Just OK For You. 2^nd Song – More of the David Cook I’ve Come to Love.
• Paula: 1^st - Left Me With a Big Appetite. 2^nd – I Want More David Cook.
• Simon: 1^st – Good, A Little Bit Copycat. 2^nd – Welcome Back David Cook.

This was a bad punk/emo/metal confusion of an arrangement. The vocals sounded like a mediocre bar band singer, and for the first time Cook seemed a bit out of place and awkward onstage.

Grade: C

Cook’s performance of “Baba O’Riley” was like two songs in one. The arrangement during the first half was stellar. The keyboard and the lilting guitar were both great. The vocals were just average, but the rest was so good the singing was easy to ignore.

The second half was a total train wreck. As soon as David Cook tried to rock the whole thing fell apart. This section was very awkward, especially the portion where he went into the guitar break for a brief second.

Grade: First Half, A- Second Half, D

Prognosis: Hard to think he’s in any trouble. Despite giving two substandard performances he got the appropriate love from the judges and he’s never hit the bottom two or three. Plus, he’s not Jason Castro.

Syesha Mercado - Sang: “Proud Mary” & “A Change is Gonna Come”

• Randy: 1^st – In the Zone. 2^nd – Felt Disconnected.
• Paula: 1^st – You Look Like a Star. 2^nd – Superstar Performance
• Simon: 1^st – A Bad Impersonation of Tina Turner. 2^nd – I Agree With Paula.

An absolute mimic of Tina Turner. This performance showed her vocal limitations – It was well-sung but nothing to blow you away. However, Syesha also proved she’s far and away the best performer left in the competition.

Grade: B

A very daring and revealing performance. This is probably the most emotion a contestant has ever shown on “Idol”. Total showstopper.

Grade: A

Prognosis: For once, it seems Syesha is in no danger at all this week. She blew the roof off with her second song and Paula and Simon gave her maybe the most glowing praise anybody’s receive all year. Plus, she’s not Jason Castro.

Jason Castro – Sang: “I Shot the Sheriff” & “Mr. Tambourine Man”

• Randy: 1^st – Really Karaoke. 2^nd – Not in the Zone.
• Paula: 1^st – I Wasn’t Crazy About the Performance. 2^nd – Didn’t Blow Me Away.
• Simon: 1^st – Utterly Atrocious. 2^nd – I’d Pack Your Suitcase.

This was a really weird and awkward performance that seemed like a phony hippie from high school trying to impress some artsy girls with his knowledge of reggae. Castro actually showed too much effort on his vocals this time and had a tendency to over-sing. Very weird. Still, his voice sounded pleasant enough, and though he looked awkward this wasn’t a bad listen.

Grade: C

Really not too bad. A total karaoke impression of Bob Dylan, but pleasant nonetheless. Castro’s voice sounded pretty good when he wasn’t forgetting the lyrics.

Grade: B-

Prognosis: He’s got to go this week. The other three are better than him by a significant margin and Simon absolutely eviscerated him after each of his performances. Unfortunately, this may cause him to earn a sympathy vote from his legion of female tween fans. Still, he should probably heed Simon’s advice.

David Archuleta – Sang: “Stand By Me” & “Love Me Tender”

• Randy Said: 1^st – Brought the Hot Man Vocals. 2^nd – Hot Vocals of the Night.
• Paula Said: 1^st – Really Well-Delivered. 2^nd – One of My Favorites From You.
• Simon Said: 1^st – Best So Far. 2^nd – You Crushed the Competition Tonight.

A weird almost calypso arrangement. Archuleta his some incredible notes in this performance, and his voice sounded as good as it ever has, but he just didn’t give off the impression of anything resembling a pop star. What he really sounded like on this performance was the best commercial jingle singer in the history of the world.

Grade: B-

Archuleta’s version of this Elvis classic could be a number one hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart tomorrow. Brilliant.

Grade: A

Prognosis: Big Following + Huge Praise = No Danger. Plus, he’s not Jason Castro.

Bold Prediction: No way Archuleta and Syesha go home this week. Archuleta is Archuleta and Syesha got some incredible reviews from the judges. Plus she cried. Not Brooke White crying, real crying. That leaves Castro and Cook. Jason Castro has a huge following among young girls who probably feel bad for him after the slaying he took at the hands of the judges. Cook went first and gave two forgettable performances, plus viewers may be sick of voting for him by now. Despite all this, Castro will finally go home on Wednesday night, making it anybody’s game from there.

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