Last night the women performed on American Idol, and Slidell’s Lauren Turner made a strong case to stay in the competition with a powerful, professional version of “Seven Day Fool.”  The choice was smart because it didn’t immediately invite comparison to its original artist, whether for karaoke reasons (as did Tatynisa Wilson’s version of Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World”) or for outlandishness (as did Rachel Zevita’s odd, off-Broadway take on Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”), and because it gave her a lyric-based R&B tune she could really work.

Lauren Turner, by Michael Becker/Fox

If the first week is indicative of what’s to follow, the contestants are going to have to feel their way through the competition because the judges aren’t going to be any help. Steven Tyler loves everything, doing so with a face that Aerosmith members probably recognize and want to punch, one that he makes to seem like he’s experiencing something sublime even when some poor dear is mauling a song. Jennifer Lopez continues to play proud mama to the parade of talent that she believed in, getting dewy with pride after almost every performance, and Randy Jackson’s no better spoken in the last chair than he was in the first. “That’s how you do it!” has replaced “You did your thing, dawg!,” but neither says anything more meaningful and articulate than a thumbs up. His discomfort with the final seat showed this week, as he seemed unhappy being booed when he told contestants insightfully, “It didn’t work for me,” and last night they rotated through the panel, changing who had the first and last word on each singer.

Tonight we see who moves forward to the round of 12. I expect all three Louisiana nominees to advance with Jordan Dorsey getting by as a judge’s pick.