The Top 7 finalists embarked on a "new beginning" Wednesday night, with each contestant singing two songs from "Now & Then": a #1 hit from 2001 to the present and a second soul song from back in the day.

Ryan opened the show by paying tribute to his "dear friend," TV pioneer Dick Clark, who died Wednesday of a heart attack at age 82. "Without him, a show like this would not exist," Ryan said.

Hollie started the show with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," and Jimmy said she seemed "looser," with "more feeling" in rehearsal. "When you hit the stage you're slightly robotic," he warned. The judges thought she pulled it off.

"You finally did what all of America was waiting for you to do — you finally came out of your shell, you ruffled your feathers a little," Steven said. "I can't judge you, it was perfect." Jennifer raved, "I am so happy right now. When we say, 'no thinking,' that's what you did. You forgot about everything, you sang that song, you felt every word, you did it!" Randy was a little more restrained in his praise. "I'm not gonna say it was perfect, but it was close to perfect. A couple of notes were pitchy," he said, adding, "What I loved, for the first time ever, I felt you had feeling, you had emotion. Hollie, very well done."

Colton took on Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," and Jimmy warned him to "hit a high when the chorus comes up." He did just that, and the judges enjoyed it.

"We were just at the Colton Dixon concert right there, you were so in the zone, Randy said. "I don't know if it was your greatest performance, maybe the key felt low. But, dude, job well done." Jennifer called it an "exciting performance," noting that some parts were "a tiny bit low," but she said Colton has so much character that "even in those parts it didn't matter." Steven said he understands that "you gotta get low to get high," adding, "I'm not sure what I loved more, your outfit, your band, or this set on Idol."

Elise was in the bottom again last week (Jimmy quipped that she has "a vacation home in the bottom three"), but he has an explanation for why she "feels like the underdog." He told her, "Other contestants are riding waves of fandom — you're like Etch a Sketch, a clean slate every week." He then added, "She can't afford to slip at all."

Elise sang "No One" by Alicia Keys, and Jennifer said she got her first goosies of the night during the performance. "When you're feeling it, your eyes come alive," Jennifer told her. "I would love to see you do more of that." Steven wasn't crazy about Elise's song choice. "You have such a beautiful voice for a better chorus, but you sang your little tushie off tonight. It was delish, it was good," he said. Randy added, "Yo, listen, you definitely have a strong voice . . . I was happy you stayed with the melody for a change. It was a great lesson in restraint for you, and I love that as you grow in the competition. I think it was very good."

Phillip chose to sing Usher's "You Got It Bad," and Jimmy urged him to just "keep doing what you're doing." He said that Phillip may even pick up some new fans with the R&B song. In the end, Phillip got a standing ovation.

"With you, we never know what we're gonna get," Steven said. "I feel like a chump up here — you fool us all the way down the line. You got melody now, the band was great, it was great tonight, dude." Jennifer swooned over Phillip's performance: "That was so sexy. That was great just to take that song and do what you did to it. I love when you show that side of you. It shows your versatility, it shows a great singer can sing any song." Randy was also a fan, saying, "I love it that this year we have a true artist on the stage. Every time he comes up, he tries to be original and, most importantly, he tries to be himself."

Jessica, meanwhile, was singing for redemption after the judges saved her from elimination last week. "Jessica doesn't deserve to be in the bottom three if she sang 'Yankee Doodle Dandy,'" Jimmy said. "Now Jessica has to save herself."

She chose to perform Alicia Keys' "Fallin'," and Steven loved how she got "mad" at the song. "That was the passion that you released; everybody in America knows how you can sing if they didn't know before," he said. Jennifer noted that 16-year-old Jessica is "just a little baby," but "the way you play with songs, it's crazy." She also said she was glad they used the save on Jessica. And Randy said it was "brilliant" again.

Skylar's been on a hot streak lately, but Jimmy said that "she has to come to this thing with a little bit of attitude, like, 'I can win this.'" Skylar chose to perform a country take of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," and Jennifer loved it.

"Oh my God, I love that version," Jennifer said. "You are such a fighter. Amazing, it was perfect for you again, three weeks in a row." Steven also praised Skylar's performance. "I'm so glad you were born that way," he told her. "You're giving all the other girls in the competition a run for their money. A lot of people vote country Western, and you're so beautiful and you cross paths." Randy agreed that Skylar has crossover appeal. "To hear you sing, that you put your own spin on it, you are so beyond ready — to me that was amazing," Randy said.

Joshua, who was in the bottom three last week, chose to sing Fantasia's "I Believe," and Jimmy said he's "got a little bit of the deer in the headlights right now," urging him to figure out why he's not connecting with the audience. Nevertheless, Joshua earned a standing ovation.

"I love that you picked a song that you believe in," Randy said. "None of us could believe that bottom three . . . hopefully America shows up for you tonight. You are truly one of the most gifted singers that we've ever seen on this show. You pulled back with that song, restrained yourself, because the feeling in the lyric meant something to you, and it touched us. And that's the mark of true growth. I love you, love your voice, well done." Jennifer gushed, "You leave it all on the stage every time, you give America all of you. It's amazing to watch. I really feel blessed that you're this competition and we get to watch you. It's beautiful." Steven said that Joshua's performance could be a "stepping stone to you winning this whole thing," adding, "You could sing the phone book, and you're so good at it, man."

Time for round two! After a message from Liverpool's "football" team wishing Hollie good luck, the contestants got ready to sing classic songs inspired by "Soul Train." Hollie kicked things off with "Son of a Preacher Man," and the judges enjoyed it.

"You dug in for the last note . . . you were like, 'Yo, I will not be outdone on this show,'" Randy said. "That was crazy ... I was little worried you were doing this song, but you worked it out." Jennifer told Hollie, "This one was better even than the first time, and you did really great then. I think you're showing a new composure, and it really suits you." Steven added, "I see it too, I hear it, and I still think you can push it even more. You got the voice, got the vehicle. Take it, push it over the top!"

Colton sang Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," and it wasn't a hit with the judges. "I love your voice, you know that," Steven told him. "This is the point in the competition where you have to find the just right song to show off your voice. I think your voice is a lot more powerful than that." Jennifer said, "You made it your own, but it's really about finding perfect songs that fit into who you are. I'm not sure it was the perfect performance." Randy agreed, saying, "It wasn't the perfect song to do that with . . . not as exciting as we would have liked."

Elise performed "Let's Get It On," and the judges also wanted her to push a little bit more. "You always sound so good," Jennifer said. "You don't like to show emotion too much; it does come out when you sing. I'd like to see even more of that." Steven told Elise that she needs to do more: "That song showed your versatility, you broke a few more hearts . . . you need to take it up a notch, you gotta find those few songs that will win America's heart." Randy agreed, telling Elise, "You definitely gotta show the emotion. That song choice wasn't really right for your voice."

Phillip sang "In the Midnight Hour," and once again, he was a hit with the judges. "You take your time, let the song breathe, feel emotion every time," Randy told him. "I don't think you know how to do it another way. That to me is what makes you who you are, and I love it." Jennifer praised his "feeling and the soul," and Steven called the performance "brilliantly awkward and beautiful," adding, "I love your character."

Jessica performed Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," and the judges were impressed as usual. "God almighty bless my soul, you've done it again!" Steven told her. "I like the fact that you're stepping out. It's all about stepping out and winning these people's hearts." Jennifer said she liked how Jessica got a little bit of her alter ego BB Chez in there, but she added that Jessica has to start "connecting." "Just the voice is not gonna do it," she told her. Randy agreed, saying, "Where you grow is connecting emotion with the lyric. You can sing like nobody's business."

For her second song, Skylar picked "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," and the judges got a kick out of her performance. "You and Phillip have no problem connecting and feeling," Randy said. "You just come out and do what you do. Every time you come on stage, it's a Skylar Laine rock 'n' roll country party. Skylar Laine's got a brand — she wants it!" Jennifer said that she loved Skylar's "spunkiness," and Steven compared her to "a wild horse who refuses to be tamed."

Finally, Joshua closed the show with Sam Cooke's civil rights anthem, "A Change is Gonna Come," and he received the second standing ovation of the night. "You have stretched your voice to the limits of soul," Steven raved. "Your voice just climbs inside of everybody and changes them for that moment." Jennifer liked how he left her wanting more at the end. "Please, America, don't send this boy home!" she begged. "What a perfect song for you," Randy told Joshua. "You took your time, you let it marinate, and then you burst it open at the end. It was just stellar . . . I think the talent this season on Idol is better than any show on TV, period!"

Asked how he hoped America would vote, Randy replied, "We don't want any of them to go." Will your favorite make the cut? You'll find out Thursday night, when Ryan reveals how America voted, and Kris Allen and LMFAO perform!