After last week's visit to the '80s, the Top 7 returned to the present Wednesday night with songs from 2010 to today, with help from guest mentor Akon and a lot of support from their hometowns.

Skylar Laine kicked off the show with Kellie Pickler's "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You," but first we took a little trip back to her hometown of Brandon, Miss. "We're gonna kill that big deer next year!" Skylar's favorite grandpa said.

Jimmy wasn't very familiar with Skylar's song choice, but he said that when she sang it, "she owned it." Akon agreed. "When she sang, I was like, 'Yo!' I couldn't stop thinking about her voice. Her voice is . . . stupid!" (And he meant that as a compliment.) Jimmy and Akon tried to urge Skylar to drop her guitar, but she played it anyway, and the judges loved it.

"Skylar, you are definitely back," Randy said. "This is the kind of music, this is what you should do," he told her. "You could have a hit with a song like that. I felt you for the first time in a long time. I was like, 'So Skylar returns home to the Idol stage to be the great country artist that she can definitely be!' That was crazy-hot and crazy-good. It was almost like picture-perfect with the pitch." Jennifer agreed that she "really nailed it," and Steven said he was "enamored" by Skylar and all the women this year. "The crows may crow, but the hens deliver the goods," he quipped.

Then it was time to go back to Murfreesboro, Tenn., Colton Dixon's hometown. Colton sang the Skylar Grey version of "Love the Way You Lie." Jimmy said that he feared Colton was "behind Phillip," referring to rival cute guy Phillip Phillips, of course. But the judges praised his performance.

"You take every song and make it your own," Jennifer said. "I think you did a good job; I wish it would have been more of a song." Steven added, "You are such a rare talent, you sing so good, you could have recorded that. I always feel like Colton hasn't found his top yet — wait till you start doing your own songs." Randy appreciated the way the "subtle performance" differed from Colton's usual rock songs. "We got two for two now, very hot!" he said.

Next up was the first duet of the night: Phillip and Elise Testone on "Somebody I Used to Know" by Gotye. While Steven said it was "beautiful," Randy pointed out that Elise may have had more "notes." Phillip said he was willing to do whatever Elise wanted after she (jokingly) punched him in the face!

We then paid a visit to Chula Vista in San Diego, Calif., hometown of Jessica Sanchez. Jessica sang Jazmine Sullivan's "Stuttering," and Jimmy raved, "That voice can move anybody. She has soul, power, finesse . . . she is unbelievable!" Akon admired Jessica's "control," and even admitted that he wanted to "steal" her when she was part of the Top 13. "I knew from Day 1 she's gonna be a legend someday," he said.

The judges were equally impressed by Jessica on Wednesday night. "What you did was you set the bar really high," Randy said. "Dude, that was superb: the control, you singing, you scatting, the song you chose. You did an amazing job on this song. To me, you slayed the biggest fish of the night." Jennifer said the song was "really beautiful," but now she thinks Jessica has an opportunity to take America on a ride that they've never been on. "What I'd love to see from you is Joshua-type performances in how impactful they are," she said.

Joshua performed Bruno Mars' "Runaway Baby," but first, he received a "Happy Birthday" wish "from Fantasia to Mantasia," in honor of his twentieth birthday. We met Joshua's fans in Westlake, La., and we also learned that he has a fan in Akon. "Your voice is ridiculous," Akon said. "With his tone he can pierce through people's hearts."

On Wednesday, Joshua received yet another standing ovation from the judges. "Joshua, man, you can sing a song like a work of art," Steven told him. Jennifer built on her earlier comments, explaining, "A Joshua-type performance is so dynamic, it takes control of the audience. It's not just the vocals, it's about being a performer." Randy agreed, saying, "This was an unbelievable performance — you've got the look, the socks, the jacket, the vocals, the performance . . . I think we've got somebody who's really got to have it. He wants it!" Joshua then received a hug from his dad, Nathaniel.

Colton and Skylar were up next with the second duet of the night, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's "Don't You Wanna Stay." Once again, the contestants denied that they are dating, but Steven remarked, "You just made love singing to each other, so it don't much matter now anymore anyway."

After a virtual trip back to McKinney, Texas, Hollie Cavanagh sang Pink's "Perfect." In rehearsal, Jimmy said, "You win the last note of the night award. The only thing she is missing is a certain type of experience." Akon agreed that Hollie has to make the leap from amateur to pro. "It's the perfect song for a perfect moment — you gotta believe that you're gonna be perfect."
The judges didn't think her performance quite hit that mark. "I feel you fighting and wanting to be perfect," Jennifer said. "You sang beautifully tonight. You should be very proud of yourself. We'll see how it pans out. I'm rooting for you." Steven was a bit harsher, saying that "It wasn't perfect tonight for me. It kinda laid there for me." Randy agreed that it "wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than where you were last week. You definitely helped to redeem yourself."

Next we visited Leesburg, Ga., home of Phillip Phillips (and his family's pawnshop). Phillip chose to sing Maroon 5's "Give a Little More," but Akon didn't think it was exciting enough. "You can't be different for sake of being different; you have to be great for sake of being great," Jimmy said, noting that Phillip is battling with Colton for the female vote.

The judges' reviews were mixed. "We've watched you evolve here, and it seems like the more you take yourself seriously, the more you're singing the melody and hitting the lines," Steven said. "I love the way you've evolved: you kinda look like a Steve McQueen-Johnny Cash kinda guy, and I like that very much." Jennifer had a different take. "For me, it was a little bit underwhelming for the Phillip Phillips that I love," Jennifer said. "I've seen this performance now a couple of times. I think what I really want is to see you kind of break out . . . It wasn't everything I know you can give us." Randy said he had to "kind of agree" with Jennifer. "What I was most excited about was just you and the guitar, and then it kind of normalized," he told Phillip. "You are singing more melody, but I don't know if that was a 'wow' kind of moment."

Next, Joshua, Jessica, and Hollie performed Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" as a trio, and Jennifer said it "made her proud." Randy liked it too, but he gave the edge to Joshua.

Finally, after a visit to her hometown of Kinnelon, N.J., Elise sang Lady Gaga's "You and I," and she even received a surprise shout-out from actor Jason Segel (they are mutual fans!). Elise originally wanted to start the song by playing the drums, but Akon said she was "trying too hard to gain votes." Jimmy added that she could get out of the bottom three if she "delivered the performance from rehearsal." Looks like she might have pulled it off.

"Yo, America, Elise is back!" Randy said. "That was the perfect song for you, the perfect time for that vocal. You needed a moment. I think you got one tonight." Jennifer added, "You did exactly what you wanted to do: you let go and kept control at the same time. Nobody can sing like you, it's crazy!"

So can Elise climb out of the bottom three? You'll find out Thursday night, when James Durbin and Jennifer Hudson perform!