'American Idol' top 12 ladies recap: who went bang bang and who went bust bust

There were some higher highs but lower lows compared to Wednesday night's show. I think overall, the women did slightly worse than the guys but it's a close call.

Sarina Joi-Crowe lifted her game. Jax surprised me on the good side. Loren Lott went big. Joey Cook went uber weird. Katherine Winston disappointed. Shannon Berthiaume struggled. Shi Scott was a vocal disaster.

Which four will go home? I think Shannon is toast. I have a feeling Katherine is a goner, too. The third slot I hope will be taken by Shi. A fourth? Maddie could certainly get the axe.

Here's my personal ranking of who I liked from best to worst: 1. Sarina 2. Jax 3. Tyanna 4. Lovey 5. Adanna 6. Loren 7. Katherine 8. Alexis 9. Joey 10. Maddie 11. Shannon 12. Shi

Lovey James ("Love Runs Out" OneRepublic) - A little too whispery during the first verse but she brings some great intensity during the chorus. Keith: "You got better and better as the song went on."

Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Chances of moving on: Very good

Adanna Duru ("I'd Rather Be" Clean Bandit) - She starts subtly, then she kind of goes over kill with the big notes. Clearly, she is trying to show a breadth of skills. Overall, it's a decent showcase. Keith: "Condensed was so much of your capability." JLo: "Going for blood. " HCJ: "When it got loud, it went out of control."

Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Chances of going through: Good

Alexis Gomez ("Gunpowder & Lead" Miranda Lambert) - It felts a bit rushed but she showed confidence. It was decent. HCJ felt she sounded a bit too much like the actual record. Keith said she was better without the guitar.

Grade: B

Chances of going through: Maybe, given so many weaker performances

Joey Cook ("Somebody Like You" Keith Urban) - Quirky as all get out. Who would whip out an accordion at this stage? This is virtually unrecognizable from the original. I can't decide if I hate it or like it. I'm leaning toward hating it. It was weirder than weird. JLo: "Incredibly unique. Showcased who you are." HCJ : "If Keith and I had a kid, that's what it would be." [We can hope not!]

Grade: B

Chances of going through: Maybe???

Katherine Winston ("Safe and Sound" Taylor Swift) - She has such a beautiful voice but this was too sleepy and she missed a few notes. I also question her stage presence. Keith: "Don't forget to feel while you're singing." JLo: "Captivating." HCJ: "You are a phenomenal vocalist but I'm questioning the song choice."

Grade: B/B-plus

Chances of going through: Uh oh. Trouble

Shannon Berthiaume ("Who Knew" Pink) - She has a bit of Mila Kunis in her, which is a positive. But vocally, this was a mess. Her voice is rough but it sounded even worse than normal. Yikes. HCJ: "We've seen a lot of polish. You're so green... but that novelty will wear off. You need to be more energetic and committed to the lyrics." Keith: "I don't think that was a good song choice for you."

Grade: C

Chances of going through: Almost no chance

Loren Lott ("Note to God" Charice) - She took a chance with a song that hardly anybody knows. But that can be a good thing because I have nothing to compare it to. She is truly an old-fashioned torch singer who can belt it. Is this the type of style that will garner votes in 2015? That's the $1 million question. JLo: "That was a very brave performance." HCJ: "Powerful." Keith: "Giving everybody a run for their money."

Grade: A-minus/B-plus

Chances of going through: Pretty good

Shi Scott ("Umbrella" Rihanna) - She has an unusual voice but not necessarily in a good way. This is a horrid song choice. She should stick with rock. She looks like a star but oh, not with this voice. Dreadful. She can feel, yes. But she can't sing. Keith: "Powerful. Gutsy. A lot of bold performance. I don't think you got me with that song choice." HCJ: "You picked a song everybody knows and love. Bad news, it wasn't the right song for you."

Grade: C-minus

Chance of going through: Not good but she has that interesting look so she might sneak through.

Maddie Walker ("Love Gets Me Every Time" Shania Twain) - A lovely pageant performance but she can't seem to break out of that. This lacks the edge and sass of the original. HCJ: " You have a thick sounding voice. A nice, solid performance." Keith: "That's not a really great song to show the strengths of your voice." JLo didn't think it was a good song choice.

Grade: B

Chance of going through: So so

Sarina Joi-Crowe ("Mamma Knows Best" Jessie J) - Now we have a real performance. She came to play. She committed and gave the audience her all. If she was nervous, she didn't show it. Best of the night. JLo: "You just rivaled her on that song. Pretty impressive." HCJ: "That was really strong." Keith: "Perfect balance of loose and tight. Just chill. Right on point!"

Grade: A/A-minus

Chance of going through: Excellent

Jax("Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" Cher) - She took advantage of her time with a little bit of slinky slow and a little bit slinky sexy. Going in, I couldn't tell where she would go. She did better than I expected. Keith "I love your artistry." HCJ: "Really great job."

Grade: A-minus

Chances of moving on: Excellent

Tyanna Jones ("Lips are Movin' " Meghan Trainor) Wonderful voice but as Keith noted, it seemed a little low for her. Compared to Meghan, she wasn't quite as cutesy about it but she did a solid job.   HCJ: "Ridiculously talented." Keith: "Don't be afraid to tell the band to sing it in a higher key." JLo: "That voice is from God Himself."

Grade: B-plus/A-minus

Chances of moving on: Pimp spot. Excellent

Last year, "Idol" stupidly trimmed the top 24 down to 12 in one week and not even everyone got to sing. This time, semifinals will go over two weeks. Only six will be cut each week.

Ratings last night were 10.4 million and a 2.7/9 18-49 rating. Last year, the comparable episode drew 9.7 million and the same 2.7 18-49 rating. That tells me the show continues to age but at least it's now doing comparably. I hope the higher quality top 12 this year will help keep more people around as the season goes along.

For voters, you have two hours on text and phone but have until noon tomorrow to vote for the girls via app, Google and americanidol.com. And through those three latter methods, you can quickly throw in 20 votes for any of the contestants.