It's only the second week of competition on American Idol since they narrowed it down to the top 24, and waaaaaay too early to be predicting a winner. But after Tuesday night's performances, among the boys at least, there is definitely a strong frontrunner -- none other than 17-year-old David Archuleta.

More on David in a sec. Tuesday night, the top 10 guys stepped on stage for their second week of performances. This week, they could pick anything from the 1970s, a decade Randy called one of the greatest in music history, but I call one of the cheesiest. Maybe it's just me, but I think just about EVERY song from the '70s sounds like karaoke material.

"American Idol's" Top 10 Boys Perform 

Aside from cheesiness, if there was one unifying theme Tuesday, it was low key. Everything seemed quite subdued, and a scant few of the singers really rocked the house, despite having Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers and Queen to work with. No surprise then that the boys who did up the tempo came out on top.

So how'd they do? Here's my take.

THE TOP 3:

David Archuleta: Far and away number one. After last week's stellar performance, David earned cheers before he even took the stage. He sang "Imagine" by John Lennon, and really put his own spin on it. I didn't even realize what he was singing until a few lines in. The vocals were fantastic, he looked great, and didn't miss a beat or a note. If I didn't know better I'd say he's already a pro. David has to be the odds-on favorite right now, despite how early in the competition we are. Randy said it was one of the best vocals he's ever heard on the show. Paula was almost moved to tears. And Simon said he's the one to beat. He still seemed a little uncomfortable on stage after the performance, but that has nothing to do with his singing, now does it?

David Hernandez: A strong but not super-close second. David number two rocked the house with "Papa was a Rolling Stone." Like David number one, he put his own spin on it, which really helped. And he nailed the end notes. It didn't hurt that he followed a slew of mediocre performances. Randy gave this David the first official "hot" of the night. Paula called it "perfect." And Simon called it the best vocals of the night, although he hadn't seen Archuleta at that point.

Chikezie Eze: After last week, never in a million years would I have predicted Chikezie would be in my top three this week. But he killed Donny Hathaway's "I Believe to my Soul." It was the kind of performance you expect from a serious Idol contestant. Randy gave him a "hot" and a "blazing." Paula chimed in with her ubiquitous "fun." Simon agreed he was a million times better than last week. Chikezie has also clearly lost some weight since his Idol audition, which must be helping his confidence. For the second week in a row, he traded barbs with Simon, coming across as slightly obnoxious.

THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK:

Luke Menard: Sang Queen's "Killer Queen." I personally love this song, and thought Luke did an okay job, but it was very low key. Not a lot of energy. Randy wasn't blown away and kindly pointed out that Queen is tough to sing. Paula thought it was okay. Simon thought it was a mistake for Luke to try Freddie Mercury.

Robbie Carrico: In his pre-show interview, Robbie insisted he was an authentic rocker, but his rendition of "Hot Blooded" left me a little lukewarm. He didn't add any originality to the song or the performance. Randy put it best when he said he kept "waiting to be wowed." Paula thought he played it safe. Simon actually thought the vocals were okay.

Danny Noriega: Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Danny is trying to be this year's Sanjaya? He is definitely trying to be more flamboyant, shall we say, than his fellow Idol-ites. Noriega dished out a little Carpenters' "Superstar." Like last week, I thought it was a very karaoke-esque performance. Randy said it looked like Danny was "thinking" too much while performing. I couldn't understand for the life of me what Paula said, and I tried, I really, really tried. Simon thought this week was better than last and that Danny stands out because he looks terrific on camera.

David Cook: Is it just me, or does anyone else think that David is trying to be this year's Blake Lewis? Not with anything as gawd-awful as beat boxing, but just in his appearance and demeanor. Cook tried to rock us by playing electric guitar and singing "All Right Now." Frankly, the guitar didn't do much for me, and because the song doesn't have much range, I thought the performance was flat. Randy liked it, however, and thought he was "rockin'." Paula thought it was fun too. Simon called it "solid," but said he lacks charisma. That prompted a snarky comment from Cook about not having to impress Simon. What's with everyone back-sassing Simon? I know he doesn't vote anymore, but he is one of the show's producers.

THE BOTTOM 3:

Michael Johns: The first singer of the night, he came out belting Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." Oh my, I thought he butchered the high notes. It sounded like he was screaming at us, not singing. Maybe I'm just too used to Lindsey Buckingham singing the song, but I thought this was an uninspiring performance to say the least. Randy called it not his best. Paula mustered up a compliment of "consistent." Simon said it was his weakest performance yet, and a weak song choice.

Jason Castro: Give Jason points for playing guitar, but not much else. Jason sang "I Just Want to be Your Everything." I didn't think it was horrible, but again, it was low key and uninspiring. Randy actually called it "karaoke" before Simon did. Paula said she wants to see Jason perform next week without his guitar. (If he survives, Paula.) Simon thought the song was a horrible choice and that Jason was "out of sorts."

Jason Yeager: You couldn't envy the fact that Jason Yeager followed right behind David Hernandez, who had just brought the house down with the first grand performance of the night. Yeager tried to keep it going with a little Doobie Brothers, "Long Train Runnin'," but fell short. He looked comfortable enough on stage, but his dancing was fairly atrocious. More importantly, his singing was mediocre at best. He never really rocked it. Randy didn't think it was the right song, and called it "karaoke" for the second time of the night. Paula thought it was a lousy song selection. Simon called it "awkward and ordinary."

A quick side note: At the end of the show, Ryan thanked the judges, but didn't mention Simon. Almost intentionally. Are they having a "lovers' spat" of some kind? You know, Ryan, the Idol contestants might not have to worry about what Simon really thinks, but I'm pretty sure he can fire you.

Next up, the top ten girls with their picks from the cheesiest decade in music history.

Ethan Morris: "Not always right, but never in doubt." Go ahead and write me.

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