The top 10 contestants on The X Factor performed songs within the rock genre Wednesday night, subsequently making me like rock ‘n roll a little less.  Here's what went down:

LeRoy Bell was up first, performing Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight.”  Of all the rock songs ever written, I didn’t get very much “rock” from LeRoy.  But he did sound a lot like Bob, so it’s good that LeRoy played it safe.  Although it would have been nice to see him sing a rougher song, he had to do what he had to do.

Rachel Crow went with The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”  Rachel is a soul singer and performed a real rock song, showing that she is multifaceted in her vocal range and can cover different genres.  I loved her edgy look equipped with red jacket and Janelle Monae “fohawk.”  While this won’t be the type of record Rachel will record, she’s definitely in it to win it. 

Chris Rene sang Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.”  Again, I wondered if this was really a true rock song.  But I loved his unique spin on the song, which incorporated his bluesy sound and rap abilities.  I’m not sure if Chris has the vocal skills to win the entire competition, but he’s fun to watch.  In another gutsy move, Chris sported an Occupy Wall Street shirt.  I think he’ll have the vote of the 99 percent.

Chris Rene

Stacy Francis belted out the Meat Loaf/Celine Dion song “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”  While this is one of my favorite rock songs of the night, it was the worst performance so far.  We know you’ve got range, girl, but this song is not the one suited for dramatic runs.  Stacy could be in trouble…

Melanie Amaro sang the emotional R.E.M. hit “Everybody Hurts,” but it was me who was in pain after listening to this.   I don’t know what’s up with the song choices this week, but this was the rock week, right?  If you want to do a rock ballad, sing a Queen song, Melanie!

I was excited to see Josh Krajcik this week because he was one of the obvious contestants that would do well in this genre.  His choice of the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender” is the kind of rock song that Melanie should have chosen.  Josh didn’t do anything that different with the song, but he brought his raspy edge (which I love) to the performance.  Rock on, Josh, rock on. 

When I heard that Astro was going to be singing the Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” I was a little skeptical.  Seriously, this is not what I think about when I think about rock.  Astro showed us that he’s not going to sing anything but rap and gave a rendition of Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missin’ You.”  So for a rap song, it was perfect, but this is rock week.  He got some points paying homage to Heavy D, and I think he’ll be back next week.  

Astro

Lakoda Rayne, the final group in the competition, went with a mashup of two songs, The Outfield’s “Your Love” and one of my favorite rock songs of all time, Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.”  The judges didn’t like the performance, but I thought they could still find success.  If America doesn’t cut them like the two other groups, they could be a really great girl band.  I’d like to see them around for another week.

My favorite contestant Drew was next with U2’s “With or Without You.”  Of all the rock ballads of the night, this is what I wanted to see with a stripped-down rendition and on key vocals.  Some of the judges were a little worried that Drew was playing it safe, but I disagree with them.  She’s by far the best singer in this competition.  See you next week!

The final performer of the night was Marcus Canty, who sang the Janis Joplin song “Piece of my Heart.”  Marcus was one of the least likely to make a rock song work, but he had one of the best performances of the night.  The thing about Marcus is that he may not have the best vocals in the competition, but he’s a true performer.  I give him props for the rendition.  Thank you, Marcus, for making up for some of the other less-than-par attempts earlier in the show.

Find out who America thought rocked on Thursday night during the results show.  My guess is that Stacy, Melanie or Lakoda Rayne will be sent packing.  See if I’m right at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Images: Ray Mickshaw

Katherine Epstein (@RTNowRadio) for RightNowRadio © 2011