'American Idol' recap: who is cut on top 7 'classics' night?

This was clearly the toughest battle to date against a very solid Joey Cook. Rayvon beat her on Twitter 52 percent to 48 percent.

Joey is a fascinating singer who revels in her "quirkiness," her goofy dresses, her purple hair, her off-beat interpretations of songs. Even when she was not at her best, she was always interesting. I'm bummed she didn't make it further but I never felt she had a serious shot at winning. (I Tweeted for Joey for that reason.)

Rayvon doesn't really have a shot at the crown either so the stakes tonight weren't ultimately that great. But the Twitter Save is a great way to work around the fact "Idol" no longer has a results show. It's fun theater.

Overall, this was a fun night with some great performances, courtesy of classic songs that truly do stand the test of time.

I properly predicted  the bottom two was  Joey and Rayvon (yet again) but I predicted Joey would beat him. I was wrong.

Everyone performed twice.

I was really impressed with Nick Fradiani tonight. He finally broke through that wall and both times hit home runs on two great rock/pop hits from the late 1970s. Clark was a close second. He remains on the path to victory.

I was split on Jax and Tyanna, who had two okay performances and two excellent ones each. Quentin, despite his pitch issues, can perform and I enjoyed both of his songs tonight. Rayvon was fine but again, he's just not someone I'd pay for to watch.

My rankings tonight, including Joey in the mix: 1. Nick 2. Clark 3. Quentin 4. Jax 5. Tyanna 6. Joey 7. Rayvon

Who will be in the bottom next week? Quentin and Rayvon. Yes, Rayvon again. I am not sure if Rayvon can be saved a fourth time though. The them next week? Arena anthems. That will benefit Quentin over Rayvon.

Tyanna Jones ("Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, 1956) - This song is quintessentially 1950s. It's sweet and frothy, not a showcase song. She does it well but I'm not sure it's a vote getter. Fortunately, it's her first song. Keith: "It's a good song but I don't think it's the best song to show off your vocal skills... I wanted a little more edge." JLo: "That was a taste of the fun Tyanna I remember from the beginning."  HCJ: "[Frankie Lymon] had this unbelievable ability at 13 years old to sing and groove with the lyrics. I would have loved to see you move around. He engages everyone with subtle movements."

Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Clark Beckham ("Superstition," Stevie Wonder, 1972) - The scatting works. And he is in the pocket, as HCJ might say. He only had two minutes and I really wanted him to do a full-length version. That's always a good sign.  This was one of his strongest performances to date. JLo likes his jazzed up looks per her suggestion. "It was funky, it was good. Band sounded amazing. It's all coming together." HCJ: "That was about as good as you could have done that song." Keith: "I loved the beginning. The scatting was cool."

Grade: A

Jax ("Piece of My Heart" Janis Joplin, 1968) - This was Crystal Bowersox's signature cover from season 9 and Nikki McKibbin's best song from season one. She did manage to make this her own and it clicked. When she's comfortable, we are viewers are comfortable.  HCJ: "What's really impressive about what you did was your time... You have great time." Keith: "You sing really well with the band." JLo: "You are in your element when you rock out a little bit."

Grade: A-minus

Nick Fradiani  ("American Girl" Tom Petty, 1977) - Wow. He had easily his most relaxed, strongest performance to date. He took a classic song and ran with it. JLo: " You have a really radio friendly tone." HCJ: "To me, this is precisely what you need to do."

Grade: A

Quentin Alexander ("Are You Gonna Go My Way' Lenny Kravitz, 1993) - Another solid, energetic performance that channels Lenny quite well. And that outfit? Pure Quentin. JLo: "A perfect song for you. The pitch thing all over the place but it was a great performance, you got the crowd going." HCJ: "I loved your artistry and individuality but sometimes people can be captivated by the band more than your performance. There was very little different than Lenny's version."

Grade: A-minus

Quentin looked upset to see Joey and Rayvon was in the bottom two, calling it "whack."

HCJ thought he was calling the entire process "whack" and was offended. He said Quentin can give up his spot if he wants to. Quentin walks over to him, shaking with anger and explained he meant he didn't want to see his friends go home. Simple as that. HCJ said this is a competition. What's whack about it? Ryan Seacrest tried to smooth things over but man, that was awkwardly tense!

Joey Cook ("My Funny Valentine," 1937) - Hey! This is Melinda Doolittle's song! But Joey knows how to make this jazzy classic a fit for her. I'm okay with it. She brought some lovely emotion to it. HCJ:  "You're very very smart. I think you really thought about those lyrics. You did your research. You sang it appropriately." Keith: "Sometimes your reach is beyond your grasp, that you go well outside your comfort zone. JLo: "This is your type of song. Even though your song sat nicely tonewise, it didn't move me."

Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Rayvon Owen ("Long Train Running" Doobie Brothers) -  It was a very pleasant, clean cover with cheesy Six Flags dance steps. He did what he could with as much energy as he could muster. But he's just boring by his basic personality. Keith said it was good but he didn't "feel" enough. "It's so shimmering perfect." JLo: "America keeps making you fight and you keep fighting with great vocals." HCJ said it's not the right song.

Grade: B-plus

ROUND 2

Clark ("Moon River" Frank Sinatra version, 1962) - Seductive. JLo: "Smooth and creamy. I closed my eyes and felt like I was in a movie." HCJ: "You are an incredibly talented young man. What would separate from sounding like a cocktail piano thing were the harmonies and chords you played. Learn more chords. Challenge yourself with bigger, smaller, more unusual chords." Keith: "Warm and fuzzy like an epidural."

Grade: A-minus/B-plus

Tyanna ("Proud Mary" Tina Turner version, 1970) - Loved her slow part but she pulled off the upbeat portion as well. This song really would have benefited a much longer version. HCJ said she was as perfect as she could get. Keith thinks at 16 her upside is huge. JLo loved her hitting the high notes.

Grade: A-minus

Nick ("Only the Good Night Young" Billy Joel, 1977) - He slows it down and it's an amazing version. As a huge Billy Joel fan, I am duly impressed. He has kicked it up a notch just when he needed it. HCJ said he felt it was too self involved and the arrangement through him off. Keith and JLo loved it.

Grade: A

Quentin ("The Sounds of Silence" Simon & Garfunkel, 1965) - JLo: "Very dramatic and moody. This is a lot of pressure. We have to control our emotions. You displayed everything that threw us. You need to be an artist and know how to control it. That was a nice performance. " HCJ: "My favorite thing is how you interpret lyrics. When you hold notes, the tone of your voice is a beautiful thing to hear. I want to remind you: focus on pitch." Keith thinks that tone fix is doable.

Grade: A-minus

Jax ("Beat It," Michael Jackson, 1983) - Her vocals were a rough but she was enjoyable to watch. HCJ was marveling over the static electricity on her hair. "I always wanted to see you run around like a complete idiot and have fun. We do that for a living. It was really really fun." Keith said it was contagious. JLo: "You made it look cool."

Grade: B/B-plus

Rayvon ("Always on My Mind" Willie Nelson, 1982) -  He did that prettily. I wasn't deeply moved though. JLo got the goosies. HCJ said he is a ballad singer.

Grade: B-plus

Joey ("Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane, 1967) - JLo: "That for me gave all the colors of what Joey can give." HCJ: "That's one of those grooves that's really hard to move to and dance to. That's where you impress me." He likes her inventiveness. Keith: "What you and Jax did well was show two extreme edges of what you do."

Grade: A-minus