'American Idol' Top 7: Too much time on their hands

With fewer singers each week, American Idol's producers find themselves with more and more time to fill. Wednesday, they trotted out a random assortment of celebrities — Terry Bradshaw, UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey, teen EDM musician Martin Garrix and former X Factor judge Demi Lovato.

As for the songs, the producers went with a Competitors' Pick theme, where each finalist had to choose from a list of material selected by the other contestants. Caleb Johnson seemed to particularly relish the idea, to the point that Randy Jackson had to remind him, "That does not mean sabotage."

The results were one of the most musically satisfying shows of the season, with one singer in particular solidifying her position in the competition.

Here's how I ranked the solo performances:

Jena Irene, Creep (Radiohead). Johnson picked this song for Irene because of her "powerhouse voice" and "dark elements." Irene returns to the piano for a performance that combines tenderness and harsh dissonance. When the guitar enters, it's jarring, but it unleashes Irene's inner Hayley Williams in a way we don't see often. She also finds the emotional arc of the song, bringing it back down to an achingly vulnerable finish. "I love your fearlessness, and I love how bold you are," Urban says. Lopez adds, "You Jena-fy everything that you do. … You're going to be here for the long haul." Connick calls her a "phenomenal talent" and says she's "unquestionably the best performance of the night. … I think you did some major damage tonight." Grade: A

Alex Preston, The A Team (Ed Sheeran). There's a lot of Sheeran and his idiosyncratic delivery in Preston, so Roberts' choice was a good one for him. Preston plays with the melody a little but wins the crowd over in a big way. "I agree with them, Alex," Lopez says. "You should thank your boy Dexter, because it was a perfect song for you." Connick agrees: "You realize that there's great beauty in small performances," he says, adding that Preston's conviction in those seems to be winning over the audience. Urban praises the unique flourishes he brings in at surprising, and surprisingly natural, moments. Grade: A

Caleb Johnson, Family Tree (Kings of Leon). Johnson's roommate, Alex Preston, couldn't have picked a better song for Johnson. The Kings of Leon tune finally shows the classic rocker in a contemporary context. There's still plenty of that '70s rock, like with the Steven Tyler mic-stand move he used to start the song. But it's just different enough — both from what he's done from the Kings original — that he makes it something special. "That was a good choice, man," Urban tells him. "You're such a consistent, dynamic performer week after week." Lopez tells him it's dangerous to put him first in the lineup because then everybody else has to measure up. Connick liked the way he changed the melody: "Great way to start the show." Grade: A

C.J. Harris, Gravity (John Mayer). Harris' gravelly Gravity, picked for him by Caleb Johnson, suits him well, accenting the Southern, bluesy qualities in his delivery. He picked one of Urban's favorite Mayer songs, and he liked it, though he would like to have seen more of an emotional arc to the performance: "Your voice, every time I hear it in songs like that, it's a bull's-eye." Lopez thinks he seems more and more comfortable every week and calls it one of his best performances: "You're going to have to start looking for the moments that really lift the crowd." Connick thinks he has the greatest gift any performer could hope to have, the ability to connect with an audience: "Personally, I think that was your best performance to date." Grade: B+

Jessica Meuse, Gunpowder & Lead (Miranda Lambert). Sam Woolf picked this early Lambert hit for Meuse because "she's a bad***." Meuse starts the abused-woman's story with an eerie pattern, a la Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart, but quickly transforms it into a rocker along the lines of something Caleb Johnson might do. Meuse looks great, with a wind machine blowing her pink hair and plumes of smoke billowing around her. Lopez thought she was off a little vocally during the verses: "You just seemed a little uncomfortable." Connick notices a lack of rhythmic delivery and suggests listening to some funk or hip-hop, then watch herself in the mirror as she dances: "When your rhythm is in your body, it's going to inform everything from the neck up." Urban brings her back a little with a complement, saying he loves her voice but found that performance dissipated the song's energy too much: "If you want to stay in this competition, baby, get centered, get serious and really commit to that lyric." Grade: B+

Dexter Roberts, Muckalee Creek Water (Luke Bryan). Harris went deep into Bryan's catalog to get this song, but it's the sort of thing Roberts needs — a song that's not so well-known, where not so many people will compare him to the original. It's not a perfect performance, but it brings out the tough farmboy in Roberts. And that's a good thing. Urban, who's all about having the band onstage, warns him to be careful when the band's playing energetically but the melody stays down in one place. Lopez likes that it had "a darker quality, a nice edge" that showed a different side of him. But he needs to look for more spectacular moments. Connick was impressed with the changes he made to the original arrangement. "I want to hear you sing other things than singing along with the radio." Grade: B

Sam Woolf, Sail Away (David Gray). Meuse picked this song to help Sam "with the ladies." I'm not sure that it worked, though — for maybe the first time this season, Woolf seems to struggle a little with the pitch. He gets it under control, though, and those intense glares he gives the camera go well with the song's smoldering arrangement. Connick calls him a "work in progress," though that does mean he's progressing. Also, "at this point in the competition, familiarity is your friend." Urban likes the way he looks, the way he's starting to get comfortable with singing. He thinks Woolf's doing a good job considering his age. Lopez noticed how good he looks in close-ups, connecting with the camera in a way he may not with the audience. Grade: B

The show also features a pair of duets and one trio song.

Caleb Johnson and Jena Irene, Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones). The perfect Rolling Stones cover for these two, and they looked like they had a blast. Of course, Irene's no Merry Clayton, but she sure sounded good. "That was a moment!" Lopez says. And "The bangs?" — referring to Irene's new 'do, which makes her resemble Glee's Lea Michele — "Always." Grade: B

Sam Woolf and Alex Preston, Let Her Go (Passenger). Doubling up might not be the worst idea for Woolf and Preston. Their voices blend well, they appeal to a similar audience and a duo would be a change of pace for an act coming off Idol. The two sat on a stage set like a living room, replicating the scene where they came up with their arrangement. Connick tells them they looked like they were having fun, and it was kind of sweet — "saccharine," even. Urban called it "cute" but "chintzy." Guest Lovato thought "it had good energy" but she "wanted to hear you guys do more." All that may be true, but the performance still did what it needed to do. Grade: B

C.J. Harris, Dexter Roberts and Jessica Meuse, Compass (Lady Antebellum). Called "Idol Antebellum" by Randy Jackson, the show's three Alabama singers don't have the exquisite blend or perfect in-performance pitch. Connick speaks bluntly: "Guys, it just wasn't good." Lovato, who's acting as sort of a de facto fourth judges, compliments them individually but thinks they didn't come together. Grade: C-