Chris Daughtry steals the show on ‘Idol’

It was Stevie Wonder night on "American Idol," which was a classic good-news, bad-news scenario for the 12 finalists.

On the one hand, it gave the singers a chance to meet a true musical legend, and that overwhelmed many of them. Kellie Pickler and Elliott Yamin were openly crying when he walked in the room to meet them. Ace Young said, "I'm overjoyed and overwhelmed, and today I am very satisfied with my life."

Yamin added, "The fact that I actually got to sit down by the man himself … that's something I'm going to be able to carry with me forever."

On the other hand, Stevie Wonder is the type of artist that contestants are well-advised to avoid imitating. His vocals are intricate, and the standard he sets is very hard to live up to. The inevitable result is that people who try and sing his songs get slammed by the judges for their efforts (as Katharine McPhee was earlier in the competition). It seemed like a recipe guaranteed to cause headaches for judges and contestants alike, particularly since the show itself was two hours long.

The first half of the night lived down to those expectations, as many struggled to come close to the Wonder standard. But the singers improved as the night wore on. McPhee sang well in her second chance at Stevie, and Taylor Hicks and Paris Bennett were strong as well; but for the second time in three weeks it was Chris Daughtry who went last and stole the show.

Ace Young, 25, Denver, Colo.: Young opened the show with "Do I Do." It was the most energetic performance he's had in weeks, though it may have been forgotten by the time the phone lines opened for voting a couple of hours later. The vocals weren't spectacular, but he worked the crowd well and showed off some moves onstage.
Grade: B
The judges: "Lucky for you the audience is very easily pleased." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: It's never good to be the first singer in a two-hour competition, so Young will have to worry about forgetful fans. Still, it would be an upset if he was voted off after this performance.

Kellie Pickler, 19, Albermarle, N.C.: Pickler seems to be one of those people who takes a week or two to adjust to new settings. She struggled in her first Hollywood audition, she struggled in her first semifinal performance, and she struggled with "Blame It On The Sun" here. In fairness, this wasn't a format that was designed to showcase her voice. Before she went onstage she said, "I have no idea what I'm doing." Of course, Wonder has sang and written an awful lot of songs, so it's hard to imagine Pickler couldn't have come up with something that worked a little better for her.
Grade: C
The judges: "Kind of like a non-event." – Randy Jackson.
Stay or go: The thing with Pickler is that even when she doesn't sing well, she has the charm that gets people to forgive her. That and her strong performances up until now keep her safe, though she would probably be in the bottom three if this had been her introduction to viewers.

Elliott Yamin, 27, Richmond, Va.: Yamin was the most emotional at the whole Stevie Wonder experience. He sang "Knocks Me Off My Feet," and did a good job with some tough vocals. He also got to hear Wonder tell him "You should definitely do this as a profession," which is probably enough to make the whole experience worthwhile.
Grade: B+
The judges: "I feel like we're going to be seeing so many weeks of you, it's not even funny." – Paula Abdul.
Stay or go: Yamin's fate is hard to predict. He was one of the better singers, but his performance came early in the show and was eclipsed by later efforts. He's probably safe for this week, but it may hinge on whether his supporters are rabid enough to have waited the 90 minutes between his song and the phone lines opening.

Mandisa, 29, Antioch, Tenn.: Another strong performance from an early favorite. Mandisa sang "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," and was the leader among the first group of singers. She also may have set the standard for barefoot performances. After she complained about her high heels, host Ryan Seacrest offered to take them off. She accepted, and the audience got to see Seacrest on his knees removing the shoes and talking about how her ankles were well-moisturized. That's what the viewers get for allowing Fox to get away with a two-hour show.
Grade:  A-
The judges: "OK, now we have a competition. Best so far." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: It would be a shock if Mandisa went out so early. She's been the best among the women for weeks.

Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, N.C. : The bar was set pretty low for Covington, since Stevie Wonder tunes don't exactly fit into his country-rock library. He sang "Superstition," one of the few choices that allowed him to rock out. The vocals were ordinary, but it was a solid performance overall.
Grade: B-
The judges: "It wasn't the greatest vocal performance, but I actually really enjoyed it." – Randy Jackson.
Stay or go: Covington was the lowest-vote getter among the men in the final 12, so he's not on very secure footing. If voters base their choice just on this week, he's safe, but it would be no surprise if he were sent home instead.

Melissa McGhee, 21, Tampa, Fla.: McGhee forgot some of the lyrics to "Lately" in her rehearsal with Wonder, then promptly went out and did the same thing onstage when it mattered. A clutch performance, it wasn't. That and a voice that was a little scratchy would seem to be the kiss of death for the lowest-vote getter among the surviving women last week, but the judges all complimented her on her effort. Maybe they're looking to make up for not giving her more screen time until weeks after the viewers already knew the life story of most of her competitors.
Grade: C+
The judges: "In my opinion, this was your best performance so far." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: Simon must really like McGhee if he's willing to compliment her on a night she forgot the lyrics to her song. She'll probably be in the bottom three, and didn't make up any ground on the favorites, but has a good chance at making it to next week.

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Lisa Tucker, 16, Anaheim, Calif.: The youngest woman in the competition looked very polished singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours." It wasn't the best performance of the night, but it was a strong showing for Tucker, who worked to get the audience involved.
Grade: B
The judges: "It sounded to me like it was a little karaoke a little bit … but the end was hot." – Randy Jackson.
Stay or go: Tucker shouldn't have anything to worry about this week.

Kevin Covais, 16, Levittown, N.Y.: It's bizarre, but somewhere along the way it's as if Covais has actually started to believe that he's really a gangsta. He talked about being a sex symbol, he sang "Part-Time Lover," he mocked Simon's criticism of his performance, and two little girls actually handed him a sign they'd made calling him "hot." He's clearly grown on Randy and Paula, though the one guy who seems aware of how hard it would be to market a Kevin Covais album is trying his darndest to send him home early.
Grade: C+
The judges: "This is the part in the show where Stevie Wonder turns down the sound. It was appalling." – Simon Cowell.
The response: "That's OK. I wasn't expecting much out of you anyway." – Covais
Stay or go: Covais could go any week from here on out.

Katharine McPhee, 21, Los Angeles: When McPhee finished her rendition of "Until You Come Back to Me," Simon said simply "Katharine, you're good." He also said McPhee reminded him a bit of Kelly Clarkson at this stage, which combined with his likening of Pickler to Carrie Underwood last week means he's made back-to-back comparison to previous "Idol" winners. The real question is which singer reminds him of Ruben Studdard. At any rate, this was a very strong performance from someone who was dinged earlier in the competition for daring to sing a Stevie Wonder song.
Grade: A
The judges: "We got a hot one tonight! That was unbelievable. I loved every minute of it! Dude, you were the bomb!" – Randy Jackson.
Stay or go: No worries for McPhee. She's a lock.

Talyor Hicks, 29, Birmingham, Ala.: First of all, Hicks gets brownie points for pointing out that Stevie Wonder actually is an American Idol, and not in the reality television sense of the word. The gray-haired wonder put on another strong performance singing, "Living for the City"  — he's a genius at getting the crowd rocking.
Grade: A
The judges: "Your appeal is, you're like every dad who goes to a wedding, gets drunk, goes onstage and sings. The difference is, you can sing." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: Hicks is in no danger of being voted off.

Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, Ga.: Though she's only a teenager, Bennett sings like she's been onstage since birth and feels no pressure at all. She did a stellar job with "All I Do," and did nothing to lose her status as one of the favorites to win the competition.
Grade: A
The judges: "You were up there as if you've been doing it for years." – Paula Abdul.
Stay or go: Bennett is another no-brainer to make it through.

Chris Daughtry, 26, McLeansville, N.C.: For the second time in three weeks, Daughtry closed the show with a performance that made everyone else look like they were singing karaoke. He took "Higher Ground," found the Red Hot Chili Peppers Version, and rocked the stage like he was a bona-fide headliner. If there had been floodlights on stage, he would have probably trashed them. Daughtry can find a way to turn everything into a rock song, and if rock is what the majority of the audience wants, he'll win this competition.
Grade: A+
The judges: "That, for me, was the only real-world performance, in that I could imagine you having a hit version of that record. Best tonight by far." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: Daughtry is the singer to beat right now. There's a long way to go, and it doesn't mean he'll actually win, but he'll sail through this week

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.