It's ladies' night.

No kidding, given what the "Idol" producers gave us.

It's probably going to be ladies' night every week for the rest of the season.

The two best performances tonight were Candice Glover and Amber Holcomb by a wide margin. I thought some of the early leaders such as Kree Harrison and Devin Velez didn't quite hit it out of the park but should be safe. Angie Miller fell in the middle on that front. Lazaro Arbos was a distinctive disappointment.

Bottom three? Paul Jolley, Curtis Finch Jr. and Burnell Taylor is my initial instinct. But come on. That's way too girl-centric. So I say it's Paul, Curtis and Janelle Arthur in the bottom three with Curtis going home. My desire is for Paul to go home but I suspect he has more fans than Curtis.

Where is judge Nicki Minaj at the start? She was stuck in traffic. What?

Curtis Finch Jr. ("I Believe" Fantasia) - "I want to be the modern day Luther Vandross." But Jimmy Iovine wants him to look further forward than to look so back. Can he modernize his sound? The problem is the song isn't all that good. I liked Fantasia's version because she got so  emotional doing it. But when it's done by someone as stylized as Curtis, it's just meh. I didn't feel him, dawg. Keith: "When you come out there's a lot of adrenaline. It's easy to sing above where you've got to be. You've got so much personality and you look great." Randy: "I like the restyling.  I like the fly jacket. A couple of things are great. I'd caution you to try something a little different. Show some other sides of Curtis." Mariah: "Not to take the exact opposite stance but I like the quiet choir stance." Grade: B/B-minus

Janelle Arthur ("Gone" Montgomery Gentry//Scotty McCreery) - "I feel country music is so watered down... I definitely want to stay true to the roots," Janelle said. "The big thing for you is song selection," he noted. This is a tougher version of Janelle. I don't think she has quite the edge in her voice like a Miranda Lambert or even last year's Skylar Laine to pull this off. It was good, not great. She has a sweet personality. Keith: "I love you put those classic Lee Ann Womach runs in there. It suits that song." Nicki (who just arrived): "Last week's song suited you better. But I like your confidence. I want you to show the pretty part of your voice." Randy: "The song didn't lead anywhere." Grade: B-plus

Devin Velez ("Temporary Home" Carrie Underwood) - "The ballads are my sweet spot. The Josh Grobin, Michael Buble." Iovine says he shouldn't get locked into that adult thing. There is nothing contemporary about Devin vocally. He's very much in the Clay Aiken lane. Carrie sings this with subtle, supple vulnerability. He does a lovely job but lacks that emotional connectiveness Carrie has in spades. Keith: "That was not one of your better performances. I'll put it down to wrong song choice. It played to a great place to your voice but you didn't have confidence in it." Nicki: "I disagree. This is you. This is your comfort zone. You look like a professional. You sound great." Randy: "I thought it was way too safe. I thought you underplayed yourself." Grade: B/B-plus

Angie Miller ("I Surrender' Celine Dion//Kelly Clarkson) - Iovine said sometimes when she gets passionate, "it turns into a beauty pageant." She hopes to sing it as well as Kelly did. Great vocals but I'm not sure she's really surrending to anything, though.  I didn't sense any pain or vulnerability. Keith: "You can take a song from any era and make it feel right now. Your high registers are so pleasing to the ear." Nicki: "I'm obsessed with that dress. They styled you so well. I love the way you walk into heels." (It's Fashion Idol!) Randy: "The competition starts now! This girl is in it to win it." Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Paul Jolley ("Amazed" Lonestar//Scotty McCreery) - "You perpetually over sing," Iovine says. "It's great for stage but not great for recording." He told him to feel it. "You're not running for president!" I don't get why he's even in the top 10. He can sing in tune but otherwise, his voice lacks power and distinction. And he can't make it up with stage presence. He's about as exciting as Wonder Bread. I'm so not amazed by Paul. Keith: "That was one of your better performances." Nicki: "This is the first time you've stimulated my sexual appetite. You are styled very well tonight. I think that you have this uncanny ability to pick songs I happen to like. I thought you did the song justice." Randy: "You're taking it all in. And sometimes when you went to the high note and went back down, I wanted you to stay there." Grade: C-plus

Candice Glover ("I Who Have Nothing" Shirley Bassey//Jordin Sparks) - Jimmy says she has a fabulous voice. This should showcase her voice well. She is truly mesmerizing to watch. She has the proper intensity and emotional urgency. Wow. That was truly awesome. I'm sold. Nicki: "You shouldn't ever perform that song ever on 'Idol.' That as the best vocal you've ever done. That was fresh, new and crispy. Just ill and refreshing." Randy: "One of the best performances on the show this season 12." Grade: A

Lazaro Arbos ("Breakaway" Kelly Clarkson) - Jimmy wants him to make sure he picks the right song. I think this is a bad choice for him. He should have chosen something more heart-rending like "Because of  You." This tune does not really allow him to emote in a way that really makes him an effective performer. It wasn't bad but it was reasonably forgettable. Nicki: "This was my least favorite of yours to date. Today, you seemed very nervous." Randy: "For me, man, the pitch was all over the place. That song was way too big for you." Grade: B/B-minus

Kree Harrison ("Crying" Roy Orbison//Carrie Underwood)  - I adore this song. She does a sped up version and as someone noted below, it sucks quite a bit of the emotion out of it. The pauses in the original really helps add to the pathos. Otherwise, it was just a very pretty version of the song. Good, not stupendous. Keith doesn't address the performance, just says she's ready to record an album. Nicki talks about waffles. "It was smooth, delicious and fun,' she says.  Randy: "It makes me feel good all over." Grade: B-plus

Burnell Taylor ("Flying Without Wings" Ruben Studdard ) - Jimmy warns him of not doing too many R&B ballads in a row. But he wants to stick with his lane: R&B ballads. It's very pleasant but he seems to strain a bit on the higher notes. He is no Ruben Studdard, that's for sure. It ends up just being there. Nothing more, nothing less.  The makeover is certainly impressive. Nicki: "You put your own twist on it so it makes us feel like we're seeing an artist grow before us... Good job." Randy: "Very nice." Mariah: Blah, blah, blah, fast forward. Grade: B/B-minus

Ambert Holcomb ("A Moment Like This' Kelly Clarkson) - I loved this song because it was special - the first winning song from the first winner. Can Amber truly "make it my own"? I was ready to not like it but she's doing a good job. She's getting a wind machine, too, which is better than the smoke machine for Burnell. She really goes all out and hits some big, big notes, including the end. She gets a standing ovation. Keith: "I love how effortless you sing." Nicki: "Best performance of the night," comparing it to Whitney. Randy: "You are competing tonight. It was so beautiful. Everything was so perfect. Where are you guys? The girls are killing it tonight." Grade: A/A-minus

***

I was quoted in today's USA Today in which producers insisted they didn't go out of their way to keep a "white guy with guitar" out of the top 20 and acknowledged the lack of chemistry on the judges' panel. In the story, I praise Nicki Minaj, Kree Harrison and Candice Glover, while noting that Minaj may have turned off some older viewers. (The average age of "Idol" has fallen from 49 to 46, the first time since the show began that average age has dropped.)

Minaj has drawn the most attention among the judges, who include fellow newcomers Mariah Carey and Keith Urban and Idol original Randy Jackson. Rodney Ho, who writes about Idol for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, says Minaj's bluntness is key to her appeal — or lack thereof with some older viewers.

"I really like Nicki," says Ho. "She's unfiltered. She'll come through and say whatever she wants to say. She's always interesting to me. I think she's pushed the game up for Randy ... She's definitely polarizing. I think a certain demo finds her off-putting.

And later:

"It's a little too soon to tell. I'm not falling all over myself with excitement," Ho says. "I like Kree (Harrison) a lot and I think Candice Glover (last week) really showed that she's a pro."