This sixth season of American Idol hasn't been graced with as many iPod-worthy moments as the past year, when contestants Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington and Elliott Yamin kept our iPod's hard-drive humming.
This year, Idol has foregone the usual cast recording CD that generally hits stores about this time.
Instead, AmericanIdol.com has been selling audio and video performances as downloads.
Here are my picks for the 10 best performances on AI:6, the mp3 must-haves.
1.I (Who Have Nothing), Jordin Sparks.
2.A Broken Wing, Jordin.
3.You'll Never Walk Alone, Jordin.
Yes, the Top 3 performances belong to the same contestant, the youngest, 17-year-old Jordin Sparks. Credit a beyond-her-years voice and inherent intelligence to read a lyric and express its emotion with Oscar-worthy acting chops.
4.Have a Nice Day, Melinda Doolittle.
The knock on Melinda is that she's ''boring'' because she's always on, always professional. The music business could use more Melindas. Here, she takes a nothing Bon Jovi song and stamps it with conviction, soul and energy and winds up with the season's rockingest track.
5.Blaze of Glory, Phil Stacey.
It took Phil awhile to find his country-pop niche -- the bald head was a distraction -- but this Jon Bon Jovi cover was Phil's third keeper in a row after fine renditions of Keith Urban and Garth Brooks' songs and it got him bumped off. Shame.
6.Diamonds Are Forever, LaKisha Jones.
On the otherwise noxious British Invasion Theme night, LaKisha delivered a version of this 007 tune that no one seemed to like and it had no business on that show. So what? It was LaKisha's only sign of personality and flair all season. Forget the Dreamgirls stunt song during auditions. Overblown cliché. This was more like it.
7.You Belong to Me, Sherman Pore.
No, he wasn't a finalist -- 64-year-olds can't be on Idol. But just try and say you weren't a puddle along with Simon, Randy, Paula and guest judge Olivia Newton-John when this gentleman finagled his way into the audition room in January and sang this standard to his ''lady love'' who had died two days before of ovarian cancer.
8.I'm a Woman, Melinda.
Yes, you are, Melinda. And a hell of a vocalist.
9.Smile, Gina Glocksen.
The ''rocker chick'' finally proved she could sing -- and on a standard, no less -- and was promptly voted off. That's how Idol went this season.
10.Bésame Mucho, Sanjaya Malakar.
This cheeky performance had -- dare we say it? -- some charm from the one contestant who truly became a household name this season.
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