It was Rolling Stones night, but for some reason I couldn’t get Barry Manilow’s “Ready To Take A Chance Again” out of my head – “It’s all very nice, but not very good.”

Even though Kara kept referring to the Stones in the past tense, like they were dead people from olde Vaudeville times, Mick and the boys are still incredibly energetic performers, even with the health problems and addictions and shenanigans that should have killed them 40 years ago (and, perhaps, did – you can still not convince me that Keith Richards isn’t pulled together by fairie dust, bionics, and the engineers that do the figures at the Hall of Presidents at Disney).

So you would expect that relative zygotes on Idol would be a little more perky, bringing a little more oomph to the proceedings, but as Barry might say, a lot of it was just OK. Can you imagine what Adam Lambert would have done to Stones Week? There would be fire! I mean, Adam would be lighting things on fire. With a bazooka attached to the spikes on his shoulders.

The week benefited from the strength of the songs, which are some of the best ever written. But you need to bring it, children. And it has not been brought. It’s been driven over and kinda placed on the corner where somebody might stumble on it and bring it home if they have the right address. But not brought.

I have noticed, at least, that Simon Cowell seems a little more into it than he did in the beginning of the season, which for me means that he’s really serious about his critiques for the kids’ sakes and not into fostering reindeer games with Ryan, who got in his face about what he’d said about Michael Lynche’s performance. I wonder if he went to Seacrest after and said “Sorry, not playing with you today.”

Anyway, here’s how it shaped up:

Michael: People get so weird about him and the supposed pimpage of the situation with his wife giving birth while he was auditioning, and refer to it as being Gokey’d (Remember how Danny Gokey was accused of using his dead wife to score points last year?) You can’t prove that, and you can’t prove that Mike is doing it either. It’s what’s happening in his life – he didn’t force her to give birth that day. Deal with it.

Anyway, his “Miss You” is bluesy and soulful but never quite takes off like it should. I’m sorta underwhelmed this week, but he’s such a pro that he’s still enjoyable.

Didi: She’s wonderful, but her moves from “Playing With Fire” are nervous and a wee choreographed to the point where you can tell they are, you know? I dig her voice, and her interpretation, though.

Casey: Again, with the underwhelming. The choice to blues it up was wise, and he has that confident, strong voice. But it just seemed like he was singing at a coffee house rather than competing. Wake up, y’all! Kara’s awake, and she already has a job!

Lacey: See, “Ruby Tuesday” is one of my favorite Stones sogs, even though there’s a certain lethargy to the melody that can trip you if you don’t just invest in it. It was pretty and old-timey but missing something. I’m not happy.

Andrew: Aaack! It’s time for him to go home – The Rolling Stones should not be boring, kid. It was lethargic, quiet and dull. I guess “Straight Up” was all he had in his creative bag o’ tricks, huh? He’s sorta trying, But sorta is not good enough. Anyone notice that his mom kinda looked asleep in the video, too?

Katie: I desperately wanted her to go home last week, but “Wild Horses” may have granted her a reprieve. I forget how strong her voice is, and how well she does when she takes the reins of a song and commits to it.

Tim: OK, so reggae “Under My Thumb” was weird, but I liked it. He was trying something and he committed to it. The backup singers even seemed to be having a good time. Good on him.

Siobhan: Girl, I was all set to hate this, because “Paint It Black” is all pounding intensity, and she started it like Natalie Merchant trilling at Lilith Fair. But when it picked up, it was awesome. I like this girl so much. Dark horse, anyone?

Lee: He made “Beast of Burden” laid-back like “Waiting On A Friend,” which I love! As my sister pointed out, this song is crazy sexy, but since Lee is a grown up who owned it, that sexiness was organic. I dunno. The judges were meh. But I think he’s great. And his voice is butter fried butter.

Paige: “Honkey Tonk Woman” was better than I thought, which is to say that it wasn’t horrific. Didn’t we all secretly think it would be? She has a beautiful voice, and although some of the notes went way off the cliff like the mountain climber on “Price Is Right,” she was trying. And she was having voice issues, so that’s impressive.

Aaron: Color me stunned – “Angie” worked. He’s another one I’ve been advocating for dismissal, because he just hasn’t seemed to have earned his spot. Still, this was OK. His voice, again, is strong. They can all sing. But it needs more.

Crystal: She’s so good, so effortless, that it’s starting to be a little like Melinda Doolittle – there’s no excitement in perfection, in that much polish. I love how humble she is, that she’s said “Look, I know I’m good but I don’t think this is mine yet.” I look forward to her every week. And that’s saying something.

Overall, it was just OK. What say you?